Mid-Week Message - September 23

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

Yesterday was the Equinox, the day when the sun crossed the equator, marking the point in the year when the sun rose directly in the east and set directly in the south. From now until mid-March, the sun will appear to stay in the southern sky. This is also the time of year when the length of the day is approximately equal to the length of the night, and from now until the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21 this year) the nights will lengthen as the days shorten.

I came across a couple of poems this week marking the Autumnal Equinox. Most of them spoke about the day being in balance with the night; light being in balance with darkness. One of the more intriguing came from Steve Garnaas-Holmes (I often add his poems to the backs of our bulletins) - he wrote:

The poor sun, knowing only its own brightness, has never seen shade, never witnessed darkness, knows nothing of night and its gentle cloak, doesn’t know how an object, an apple, say, or a face, curves into shadow and how the shadow makes it so lovely, makes it deep and round, blessed by the shape of its disappearing, sweetened by loss, inviting an arm around its other side.

Often, when we are talking about our faith, we use the language of light - Jesus is the Light of the World; we light our Christ Candle when we gather; we long to move out of the shadows into the light.

But what about the gift of the shadows, the beauty of the darkness which enfolds us like a blanket or a cloak?  Have you ever sat and enjoyed the shadowy twilight watching the stars gradually appear? We aren't able to see those stars when it is full daylight - their beauty is only visible when the sun goes away. A couple of years ago in Lent we embrace the darkness with a theme:  Sometimes we need to turn out the lights in order to be able to see clearly.

There is a hymn in Voices United called "Joyful is the Dark" which uses some beautiful imagery - the Holy Spirit swooping like a raven; the dark shadows of the stable; the cool darkness of the tomb waiting for the wonder of the morning, cradle of the dawning; the dark depth of love divine.

Maybe the Equinox is a time of year that reminds us to balance the light with the darkness? For God created the darkness just as God created the light. I don't know which would be worse - living in a place with no darkness or living in a place with no light.

And metaphorical darkness too - we don't necessarily seek out the pain and suffering that is usually described as "dark times in life" or "the valley of the shadow of death" but, unfortunately, they are a real part of life and part of what makes us human. If we only ever focus on the light, then these times might catch us unprepared; and if we try telling someone who is going through one of those times of life to "just focus on the light" or "think positive thoughts" or "the darkest hour is just before the dawn," well, that is not a particularly helpful response as it denies what the person is going through right now.

As we move into the darker months on the calendar, are we able to embrace the darkness? Are we able to relish cozy early evenings curled up under a blanket with a book, a cat, and a cup of tea (substitute whatever says "cozy" to you)? Are we able to appreciate the light of the stars and the moon (and in a couple of months, Christmas lights) knowing that we appreciate their beauty only because of the darkness? Are we able to hold the light and the darkness in tension with one another, knowing that both are from God and neither one lasts forever?

Moving on to announcements for this week:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach United Church and at 11:15 at Westfield United Church and Facebook Live. This week, Jesus is asked where he gets his authority from; which raises the question of where do any of us get our authority from? We'll be reading Matthew 21:23-32.

• Sunday School - after kicking off at the picnic two weeks ago, Sunday School is back at Long Reach this Sunday! Gwen and her amazing helpers are excited to welcome back their young friends as we jump into a new year.

• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - next Wednesday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Our regular Wednesday bible study group has decided that they want to pause our regular conversations to have a focused conversation about truth and reconciliation - the role that the church played in colonization and residential schools, the formal apologies that the church has made to Indigenous people and how they were received, as well as the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation that are applicable to the church. Everyone is invited to be part of this important conversation - next Wednesday morning at 10am in the parlour at Westfield United Church.

• Stone Soup Lunch, Bake Sale, and Plant Sale - Do you remember the story of Stone Soup, where a pot of soup is started with a simple stone in a pot of water, and different people add different ingredients to make the soup taste better (e.g. onions, carrots, celery, a bit of meat)? Our Harvest Garden committee is holding a Stone Soup Lunch on Saturday October 3 from 10-1, with a bake sale/plant sale running alongside. There are a couple of ways you can get involved!

  - You can stop by Westfield United Church that day to shop for baked goods and plants and pick up a bowl of Stone Soup and homemade bread (soup is by donation).

  - You can donate your baked goods to the bake sale - just make sure that they are at the church by Friday.

  - You can contribute to the Stone Soup! Cathy Thorne and crew will be making the soup next Thursday evening (October 1) and will be starting with a pot of water, a stone, and some hamburger meat. If you would like to contribute anything towards the church, you can drop your donations off next week and leave them in the kitchen (on the table for non-perishables, or in the fridge with a note for anything perishable). Cathy says that if they get more than they need, any excess will be donated to the food bank.

• School Supplies for MacDonald Consolidated School - This is the last Sunday to drop off your school supplies at any of our churches - next week Bette and Anne will be dropping them off at the school. A reminder that MCS's wish list includes:  notebooks, duotangs, scissors, pens, pencils, markers, white board markers, pencil crayons, erasers.

• Shift: A Southwest NB United Church Youth Group - a monthly youth group is starting up to bring together youth in grades 6-12 from different United Churches for fun, games, conversations, snacks, and faith! The first two gatherings are planned for Sunday October 18, 6:30-8pm at St. David's United Church in Rothesay; and then Sunday November 22, 6:30-8pm at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex. You can see the poster, including contact information, by clicking here. Please share this opportunity with any youth in your life - this is a good opportunity to let them know that they aren't alone - that there are other youth out there who love Jesus and who love the church!

• Sandwiches for Romero House - It's that time of year again! We're going to be making sandwiches for Romero House on Friday October 16. This time around, we will be making:

  Westfield:  Egg Salad (no onion)

  Long Reach:  Ham and Cheese

  Summerville:  Bologna

  Just butter the bread; no condiments. Each sandwich should be placed in a baggie, then the baggies can be stacked in the bread bag. Pick-up will be at 9:30 am on October 16 from each of the churches, and the sandwiches will be delivered into town. Last time, we made so many sandwiches that Bette needed to borrow a second car and driver to help deliver them - let's see if we can do the same this time around!

• Facebook Live Helpers - We are looking for volunteers to help with the Sunday morning livestream. It is an easy job - you just have to copy-and-paste the prayers and song words into the comments on Facebook. You can do this from wherever you watch the service! If you are interested in helping with this important ministry (this allows people joining us virtually to participate in the service), please contact Josie Pike or the church office - office@tworiverspastoralcharge.com.

Thank You Corner - this week's "thank you" goes out to our leadership here at Two Rivers Pastoral Charge - Roxanne and members of the Official Board, and Chris and members of Session. We had our first meeting last week after our summer break, and I am continually grateful to be connected with a church that is willing to do the work to BE the church. Thank you, all, for your commitment!

For a closing thought this week, here is one of those other poems that came across my desk this week for the Equinox - "Luminous Heart" by Jan Richardson.

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)