Mid-Week Message - September 11

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

I like to listen to podcasts when I'm driving and also in the evening as I'm falling asleep. (If you aren't familiar with podcasts, they are like radio programs but they are not broadcast on a fixed schedule but are available to download and listen to on your own time.) And last night, I was listening to a podcast where the two hosts were talking about John 10:10 - "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Abundance of life is about more than just the length of life, and it is about more than the life that awaits us on the other side of this life.  Another translation of this same verse reads:  "I came so that they could have life - indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest."  The abundance or fullness of life that Jesus is talking about here is more about quality and less about quantity.

(And I should probably throw in a disclaimer that I'm not talking about the so-called "prosperity gospel" here, which seems to bring prosperity to those on the inner circle rather than to those on the margins. Jesus isn't saying that he thinks all of his followers should all be living in fancy mansions and driving expensive sports cars.)

So what does abundance or fullness of life look like?  What do you need in order to flourish, in order to be fully human? God's vision for the world is a world where everyone can flourish.  Jesus said, "I came so that they could have life - indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest."

The podcast hosts then went on to read from the devotional that they published a couple of years ago.  They wrote:

"We aren't meant to just scrape by. When we are beaten down by the world around us, God mourns at a still-imperfect creation. God wants us to be able to let our guard down, to exhale, to breathe easily.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

I came that they may have life and have it without fear of violence.

I came that they may have life and have it in a safe and stable home.

I came that they may have life and have more than enough to eat.

I came that they may have life and have it filled with joy.

I came that they may have life and have it filled with laughter.

I came that they may have life and have it in a body that is right for them."

(Brian G. Murphy and Fr. Shannon TL Kearns, Queers the Word: A 40 Day Devotional for LGBTQ+ Christians. Independently Published, 2020. p. 40.)

I would then add that, as followers of Jesus, our vision and our mission (ie our work) should be aligned with God's vision. As the church, we are called to do what is in our power to do to make this vision a reality. And so not only is this promise of fullness of life made to you; but each one of us is called to the work of fulfilling this promise to other people.

(If you a podcast listener, the podcast I was listening to last night was the Queer Theology Podcast, the episode from August 4 titled "Unlearning and Relearning." They release new episodes every week, and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something that dives into faith through a queer lens.)

Moving on to announcements for this week:

• Worship this Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and on Facebook Live. This week, we will be reading one of the pivotal passages in the gospel story - Mark 8:27-38. At this point in the story, Jesus and his disciples are at the very end of his ministry in Galilee and are about to begin their journey into Jerusalem.  Jesus then asks his disciples for the word on the street - "Who are people saying that I am?"  After the disciples answer, he asks them a follow-up question:  "But who do you say that I am?"  Between now and Sunday, I invite you to consider that second question. If Jesus were standing in front of you today, and he asked you, "Who do you say that I am?" what would your answer be? We have so many different titles, different metaphors, different descriptions for who Jesus is, and that is what we are going to be digging into on Sunday.

• Sunday School is back from summer break this week! At both Long Reach and Westfield, we will have programming during worship to engage children in our faith story. The more the merrier when it comes to Sunday School, so you are invited to bring your children and grandchildren this Sunday! (I've heard that the kids at the picnic last Sunday had a blast!) And the same request as before - if you are willing to help Ken with Sunday School (especially at Westfield) can you please get in touch with him? In order to leave the sanctuary, there need to be 2 adults present.

• Asking the Big Questions - our first monthly gathering will be next Tuesday from 4:30-6 in the parlour at Westfield United Church. The topic of the month will be Who is God? and there will be activities and discussion prompts for people of all ages to engage in this question. And pizza at the end! (Thank you, UCW!)  Everyone is welcome to attend.

• Thank you to everyone who helped with the picnic on Sunday! Please accept my apologies if I miss anyone, but I want to give an extra shout-out to Gwen and Sarah who organized and led activities for the children, to Milt and Lois who were prepared to host us at their cottage even though we had to move locations due to the weather, and to Joan who stepped in last-minute as our musician. And to everyone who contributed to worship and to the lunch afterwards. It is always good to celebrate with our whole Pastoral Charge together!

• Confirmation - there has been some interest expressed in holding another Confirmation class this year. This would be open to both youth and adults who would like to explore their faith and the church, and consider becoming members.  (We would also be open to people who were confirmed when they were younger, but would like an opportunity to explore their faith from their current perspective!) If you are interested, please get in touch with me, as I am trying to determine the best day/time to hold these classes.

• Broadview Magazine - last year, we used to gather once a month to discuss that month's issue of Broadview Magazine (the United Church of Canada magazine). Is there any interest in resuming these gatherings? If so, please let me know and I'd be happy to arrange a time to meet! Our discussions were driven by the group's interest - what articles this month caught your attention; what thoughts did you have; what questions did the articles bring up for you.

• Reminder of my Days Off - I usually take my "weekends" on Friday and Saturday which means not only do I not hang out at our churches those days, but I also try to stay out of my e-mail inbox and I tend to let phone calls go to voicemail.  I do usually listen to my messages the same day and if it is something urgent (ie someone is dead or dying, or the church building is burning down) I will respond; but anything not-urgent I will respond to on Sunday afternoon or Monday.  (I know that you all know this, but I've had a handful of instances in the past couple of months where someone has expected a response from me to a non-urgent church matter on Friday so I just want to put this gentle reminder out there.)

And I think that's it for announcements this week!

For my closing thought, sometimes I share one of the newsletters that comes through my inbox and that is what I have this week. enfleshed is a site that, in their own words, "creates and facilitates spiritual resources for collective liberation through writing, art, contemplative practices, workshops, and other creative resources." Their bi-monthly newsletter is usually good food for thought, and one that came through a couple of weeks ago has resonated with me. "When we find our people, we find our way." If you want to read the whole thing, you can find it by clicking here.

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)