Mid-Week Message - Sept. 16

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!

It was lovely to see so many people at the picnic on Sunday! I love the opportunities that we have scattered throughout the year to bring our three congregations together to worship. (And the potluck was excellent, as always!)

The story we read on Sunday was Oh! The Places You'll Go, and I mentioned that this is a book that is often given to graduates. Even though it looks like a children's book, it is a book that holds much wisdom for those of us who are a bit older too. Maybe even more wisdom for those of us with some life experience under our belts than for young adults who are just starting out.

Reading this book has me thinking a lot about dreaming and imagining.  What are your dreams for the future?  If you imagine the very best future that you possibly can, what does that future look like?

A couple of years ago, we did a thought exercise with our Official Board based on the book Imaginable, imagining our church ten years in the future.  It started out well, but with each subsequent re-visiting of the exercise, it seemed as though members of the board were getting bogged down by worries and concerns of the present moment.

I take the blame for that. As I was setting up the exercise, I should have been more clear that we were to imagine a vibrant, dynamic future - the very best future that we could dare to dream. The purpose of this exercise was that if we can dream it, then we have ten years to do what we need to do to make that dream a reality.

What holds us back from daring to dream big?  Are we so steeped in a culture of "blessed are those who imagine the worst, for they will never be disappointed" that we don't dare to let ourselves dream?

What will it take for us to (collectively) unleash our imaginations?  What will it take for us to let go of our fears so that, in the words of the hymn, "Let the dreams we dream be larger, than we've ever dreamed before"?  What will it take to jump into the future with both feet, and reach out with eager anticipation to grasp the future, rather than staying suck in the present, or feeling nostalgic for the past?

The line that comes right after the one I just quoted goes, "Let the dream of Christ be in us, open every door."

The church belongs to God. We are the temporary caregivers (stewards) of this particular manifestation of church in this time and in this place, but the church belongs to God. Our dreams for the church should reflect God's dream for the church; and I don't know about you, but I don't think that God dreams of a church that is bogged down by worries and cares.

We are called to be dreamers - to let our imagination run wild in the very best possible way. We are called to have God-sized dreams for the future, and then to leap in with both feet.

And as I said on Sunday, we don't do it alone. God gives us the Holy Spirit to inspire our thoughts and our dreams, and to give us a kick in the behind when we need it. It is the Holy Spirit working in us that will allow God's dream to become a reality.

What will it take us, collectively as the church, to dream God's dream, and then make it a reality?

Moving on to the announcements for this week:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Summerville and 11:15 at Westfield and on Facebook Live. Our Seussian Summer is over, which means that we are back to the lectionary (the 3-year cycle of readings used across churches and denominations) for our scripture readings; but this Sunday we get one of my favourite parables (but it is also a challenging parable) - Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the workers in the vineyard where the ones who only worked an hour are paid the same as those who worked a full 12-hour shift. For our Story for All Ages, I'm going to try a re-enactment of the parable... there will be candy involved!

• Bible Study - our Wednesday morning bible study continues each week from 10-11:30 in the parlour at Westfield United Church. (I love the discussions we have each week!) I didn't get any response (other than from the person who originally asked me) about having an evening bible study as well, but I am still open to the possibility if there is interest. (But I'm not a mind reader, so if you are interested, please let me know!)

• Hospital Visiting - speaking of not being a mind reader... If you are in hospital and would like a visit, please let me know! There is a new system in place where the admissions department is supposed to be asking everyone if they would like a visit from their minister - please say yes if you would, but I don't see the list until I get to the hospital, and because the hospital is a fair drive away, I usually don't stop in there "on spec." So please make sure that word gets to me! (Same goes for visiting you at home - if you would like a visit, please reach out to me!)

• Office Hours - a reminder that my office hours have changed from now until Christmas due to the course I'm taking this term:

  Westfield - Monday 1-3:30

  Summerville - Tuesday 1-3:30

  Long Reach - Thursday 9:30-12

  Feel free to stop by to see me any of these times (or if these times don't work with your schedule, reach out and we can meet another time)!

• Stone Soup Lunch - The Harvest Garden at Westfield United Church is going to host a Stone Soup Lunch along with a plant and bake sale on Saturday October 3. More details will come later, but I suspect that most of you are familiar with the story of Stone Soup (and if you aren't you can read the story here). Leading up to the lunch, everyone is invited to drop off a contribution of something that you think might go well in a soup; the ingredients will be turned into soup, and on October 3 there is going to be a takeout lunch of soup and bread at the church, along with a bake and plant sale. Mark you calendar, and stay tuned for more details!

• Cool Chicks and Ugly Doclings - I know that this fabulous musical group has many fans in our congregation, and they are going to be doing a concert this Saturday, September 19, at 2pm at Patterson United Church (6705 Route 101, Wirral). Admission is by donation! You can see the poster by clicking here.

Thank You Corner - This week's thank you has to go out to Anne and Ross Titus - thank you for hosting our Pastoral Charge on Sunday for the picnic! The rain held off, and it was so good to be together on the beach, and breaking bread together at the communion table and at the potluck table. Thank you for your hospitality! Thank you also to Gwen Quigley for organizing and leading activities for the children who were present!

For a closing thought this week, I want to share a video that I watched last week. Some of you might remember a couple of years ago, our youth minister Ken spoke one Sunday morning about the Dungeons and Dragons ministry he was offering in the church, and even after his sermon, there was some confusion about just exactly what Dungeons and Dragons is. This video is about the game, how it is played, and most importantly (from my perspective), why it is such a powerful way to build community. I also love the title of the video:  "How D&D Accidentally Broke Capitalism"! You can watch it by clicking here. (And if you are interested in learning how to play, the group is still meeting and you can reach out to Ken by email:  email address redacted - reach out to the church if you would like to reach Ken.)

Blessings to you and yours, today and always! Kate.

Rev. Kate Jones Two Rivers Pastoral Charge (506) 757-2201 (office) (506) 343-1307 (mobile) www.tworiverspastoralcharge.com Pronouns:  she/her/hers

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:36-39)