June 9, 2024 Reflection

Today is an exciting day in the United Church as we celebrate the 99^th anniversary since its formation.  Today kicks off the 100^th year of the United Church of Canada.  When its first service was held, on June 10, 1925, it was after many many years of work. Back when some of the settler colonies joined to form the entity which was to be named Canada, there was a feeling of unity across the land.  In anticipation of the union of the colonies, many of the churches joined the spirit of unity and the desire for collaboration and formed union churches, especially on the prairies. 

The conversations about union continued between the major Protestant denominations, the Congregationalists, the Methodists and the Presbyterians but as sometimes happens in the church, the conversations took a while… and then the First World War happened, and those conversations were put on hold.  So finally, in 1925, the United Church was formed out of the already existing Union churches, the Methodists, the Congregationalists and about 2/3 of the Presbyterian churches.  It continues to be a uniting church, with the addition of several other congregations and also the Evangelical United Brethren church in 1968.  The United Church of Canada was the first union of churches in the world to cross those historical denominational lines. Since that time we also have developed partnerships of full communion in other denominations in the world – meaning that ministers across denominations can serve in the United Church from The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, The United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ in the US, and The United Church of Christ in the Philippines. 

I chose today’s reading because it is the scripture that was used in that very first service of the United Church on June 10, 1925.  The Rev. Samuel Rose of Wesleyan Methodist College in Montreal was the preacher that day.  It may have seemed a little strange for the Rev. Rose to choose this text at the birth of the United Church, but he was prophetic in warning the new denomination that we are not called to live for the sake of our own gain, or even for the sake of perpetuating our own existence. Instead, the church is called to use our resources—our time, our talents, and our treasures of money and property—towards furthering the spread of God’s love, hope, peace, and joy in this world.

Over and over again as the United Church examines and re-examines its mission and priorities, I think the church does a pretty good job of striving to use resources toward furthering the spread of God’s love, hope, peace and joy in the world.

The United Church is both admired and criticized for some of these priorities, particularly when we are expanding society’s definition of who is welcome.  As a church we began doing that very early on.  In most denominations, women could not be ministers.  But the United Church ordained the first woman to ministry in 1936, just 11 years after the church was formed, Rev Lydia Gruchy.  For comparison’s sake – it was 1966 that women were first ordained in the Presbyterian church and 1976 in the Anglican church. Last weekend I was at the Regional meeting for the United Church. On Sunday the meeting ends with a celebration of ministry service.  There were 15 people who were ordained or commissioned or admitted.  14 of them were women – including the Rev. Anne Ellis, who grew up in this church and was our children and youth minister until she left to do her supervised ministry experience in Summerland two years ago.

The United Church has also advocated over the years that membership was not determined by or limited by sexual orientation, in terms of ordination, spousal rights, human rights and marriage.  Over the years the church made presentations to and petitioned the government in support of inclusion, equality and openness. 

From its birth, the United Church has had to accommodate a diversity of theological beliefs. It has had a history of tackling publicly the really tough social issues.  The United Church’s courage, openness, and inclusiveness sets us apart.  Less courageous liberal and mainline denominations often follow where the United Church has led.

The United Church is sometimes criticized for not adhering to a strict set of rules of belief, which to some, looks like we don’t believe anything, or we are seen as “wishy washy.”  While some Christian churches have their beliefs set out for them in a tidy box, we understand that we can’t put our faith into a tidy box with very clear edges and boundaries.  In the United Church there is openness for those edges to be a little bit fluid, allowing for differences in experience and expression.  But while those edges are fluid, what lies at our core, how we define our centre, remains the same.  Jesus ministry and teachings are at the centre.  How that gets expressed specifically through our beliefs about particular doctrines of the church, or in describing our faith may be different, but our centre comes down to following the way of Jesus. 

This week I was reading some comments of people who were asked how they would celebrate the anniversary of the United Church. 

A few of the comments that summed up many of the comments I read, were about precisely this.  One woman said: “It is my home where I am respected and cared about. My church accepts me as I am and celebrates the part I take in it. It does the same for all people who come to it. We are not only inclusive, we celebrate all our differences. We try to bring the light of God into all our lives and our community.” Another said “I celebrate the UCC’s affirmation of diversity, its encouragement of us, as members, to ask the questions, to not insist we blindly believe a set of rules, our distinct Canadian-ness.  Due to our public witness, we have made a difference in our nation’s history.” Another said “I am always proud to say I am a member of United Church of Canada because you are my community that is willing to stand up for justice and inclusion, even if it stands alone.”  One person is “Celebrating our attention to equity in decision-making. Not perfect but heartfelt.” Also “We celebrate learning to understand and live RADICAL WELCOME! We haven’t got it right yet, but we know we need to work toward it.”

In the life of Jesus that we see through the Gospel stories, we see that his life and ministry was dedicated to welcoming those who were not normally seen as worthy by society, those outcast by society, the people on the edges.  He encouraged people to let go of their old ways and find a new way of being by following his way of living God’s love.

John’s reading said: Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. 

Farmers know that seeds are only viable for so long. If you don’t plant those seeds within a certain time frame, the seeds actually die and you won’t get any crop from them. So, there’s no point in trying to save your seeds for posterity. If you hoard your seeds and never plant them, they’re worthless.

And the same is true with our churches. In order to see things begin to grow, we have to plant the seeds.  And sometimes we have to let things go or let things die in order to have new life appear.  Many of you are very familiar with this – the growing pains and complications when you first built this church in 1989… then the renovation about 10 years ago.  With each of these changes there were some losses, but also we have seen those seeds bear much fruit.

What do we as a congregation need to celebrate and then let go of? What needs to die in order to bear fruit? What hopes and joys are we called to plant in this world today?

Our work in the church is certainly not done.  There are still people on the margins whose voices need to be upheld.  We can’t get too comfortable.  As Jesus did, we need to keep watch for those on the outside whose voices are regularly diminished, that they be heard and valued and know their worth. 

As a denomination, we have been letting go and being reborn for a long time. This process of death and resurrection has been part of us from our beginnings. With each big change in the church over the last 100 years, those changes have come with some significant losses, but also with new life and great meaning.  As we approach our 100th anniversary, it is a good time to reflect on what is being transformed in this moment and for this coming age. We trust that God is with us, even in the terrifying, life-changing moments of death and rebirth.

As we stand on the threshold of our 100th year, let us take a moment to celebrate the rich history and transformative journey of the United Church of Canada. Our legacy is one of courage, inclusivity, and a steadfast commitment to spreading God’s love, hope, peace, and joy. We have broken barriers, welcomed the marginalized, and advocated for justice, always striving to reflect the teachings of Jesus in our mission.  We have also taken wrong turns, as with our participation in residential institutions, which caused incredible hurt and damage that we can never undo.

And so our work is far from complete. We must continue planting the seeds of love and justice, even if it means letting go of old ways and embracing the new. Our faith is not confined to rigid boundaries; it is alive and dynamic, centered on the life and ministry of Jesus.

As we move forward, let us embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future with the same spirit of unity and openness that has defined us for nearly a century. Let us remain vigilant, ensuring that every voice is heard, every person is valued, and every community is touched by this spirit of openness and strives to share the message of the unconditional love and boundless grace of God.

Together, we can continue to be a place of hope, a source of radical welcome, and a catalyst for positive change in the world. May we enter this new century with faith, hope, and a renewed commitment to living out the transformative love of God in all that we do.

Prayers of the People

June 9, 2024

Oh, Love that will not let us go…

Our hearts are filled and overflowing with hope, joy, deep love, and gratitude.

We are thankful for the divine grace gifts that you have given to each one of us.  Help us to recognize our gifts and plant seeds in us to help us live into the fullness that you intend for us.

We give thanks for the rain and the sunshine and the flowers that this season brings. 

We pray in gratitude for this community of faith, for the strong relationships and the deep care for one another.

God of the past, present and future, from this moment, we are on the threshold. The church is almost, but not yet, 100 years old. As we remember backward to dream forward, help us to go forth to prune— gathering in all that is good and lovely, repairing the damage we find, lamenting that which has died and is dying. Guide us through this year, so that in one year, we will witness how the seeds of today have blossomed. Let this year be a time of preparation so that what you will grow in the next 100 years can take root.

Holy Mystery, We pray for the places and the situations in the world that need your healing, your love, your reconciling peace. We pray for Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine.  We pray for Myanmar, and for places recovering from natural disasters. 

We pray for Indigenous peoples in Canada and pray that your wisdom will guide us to deeper relationships and to a place of mutuality, where we can learn from each other better ways of being your people in this world.

Remind us, Holy Wisdom, that through your love we encounter in each person, friend, or stranger Christ’s light and love in the world.

Help us to promote the justice and acceptance that enables peace, a true shalom and to remember that we are one world and one family.

In our family of faith, we pray for John Andreychuk, Alexis Doss, Allan Pettigrew, Patrick Brown, Ward Branch, James Fulton, Andrew Stonkus and Keith Loughlin.  We pray for others who are sick and for those awaiting surgery and treatment.  We pray for those who are grieving, especially for the Newcombe family who gathered for Kay’s memorial yesterday and for the Wilkinson family who will gather for Ron’s memorial on Wednesday.  We pray for Brenda and Nancy, Joel and Nathan in their grief.  We take a moment now to lift up people and situations on our hearts and minds.

The truth at the heart of our faith – that you are Love – echoes today in words and in music, in friendships and family, in our hearts and minds, and continues to challenge us to Love. We pray that we will continue to sow the seeds of love as we learn how to Love more radically.

We pray in the name of the Love that flips tables and stands up for justice, the Love that heals those judged by religious leaders and powers, the Love who lives and loves among the marginalized and outcast, the love who guides us on our path. In Jesus name.  Amen.