Church of the Ascension

Archives for July 2020

You give them something to eat.

The Story for the
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Aug 2, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Matthew 14:13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

Something to Do

Have a picnic!

Take your meal (bread and fish, maybe!) to a lovely spot outdoors (bonus if it’s in a deserted place) and read this story before you eat. How does it feel to read it “in place”?

Remember that Jesus is present with us everywhere and that everything we have and everything we are comes from God.

Share your bread

The invitation to bring a Bible story to life by giving food to those who are hungry comes up again and again in the Story at Home. That’s because it comes up again and again in the Bible.

The Centretown Emergency Food Centre, the Ottawa Food Bank, St. Luke’s Table and others all continue to experience particularly high demand. If you are able, make a financial contribution to support their work.

If you are not able to give money this way, share your bread by giving a sandwich or an apple or a granola bar to someone who might appreciate it.

Something to Wonder

You give them something to eat.

Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes.

How do you suppose they felt when Jesus told them to feed the crowd? Have you ever felt this way? What happened?

Now how do you suppose the disciples felt when all they could offer Jesus was a little bread and fish? Have you ever felt this way? What happened?

And, finally, how do you suppose the disciples felt when they were able to distribute food to everyone, even though they had started with so little? Have you ever felt this way? What happened?

And all ate and were filled

The story is about food but we need more than food to be truly filled. What are you hungry for these days? Are there ways Jesus is meeting that hunger, perhaps unexpectedly? Or are you finding yourself in a time of waiting to be fed?

Something to Learn

Food Security in Canada and Globally

Food insecurity is not a new problem but, as with many social ills, the pandemic has increased the urgency and the visibility of the problem. This collection of resources is a starting place for learning more about the problem and ways to advocate for food for all.

In Ottawa: The Nutritious Food Basket 2019 report is produced by Ottawa Public Health. It includes information on the income needed to not be vulnerable to food insecurity, the number of people in Ottawa and in Canada who do face food insecurity, and resources for engaging with the problem.

In Canada: Food Secure Canada offers Five Big Ideas for a Better Food System

Globally: The World Food Programme of the UN is seeing an increase in need around the world. This article looks to life after the pandemic. Why Sustainable Food Systems are Needed in a post-COVID World

Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

Thinking about returning to in-person worship at Ascension

As many of you know, the Diocese has informed us that we will be allowed to hold in-person worship services beginning this September (unless the COVID-19 situation changes before then).  There are many restrictions we will be required to follow in order to minimize the risk of contagion for those people who choose to attend – the services will most certainly not feel the same as our pre-pandemic gatherings!  Read the Diocesan plan In this Together and take a look at the brief run-down of restrictions included at the start of the survey ( below).

Knowing this was coming,  Executive, Parish Council and the worship committee have all had structured conversations about what aspects of our in-person worship they miss; what aspects they don’t miss; and what has been working with Zoom worship.  In response to those discussions, along with many other informal conversations, we have decided that Sunday mornings will remain on Zoom, at least for the first while.  In-person services will be offered at other times of the week. (If you would like a glimpse into my thought process, you can take a look at this document).

To assist us in planning for September, we need some more information.
Please complete this short survey.

Finally, please pray for all those charged with making decisions and establishing procedures that we might be wise and faithful stewards for God’s people in this place.

With love,
Rhonda

Shaped by Story

The Story for the
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 26, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.”

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” 

Something to Do

Get ready to share some parables!

This Sunday, come to church with a parable or two of your own creation. Sign up if you want to help set the stage by sharing with the whole congregation or save them for sharing in break out groups.

Be ready to see the kingdom through one another’s eyes!

Stories in need of illustration – by kids and by adults

These parables paint such vivid pictures they cry out to be illustrated. What does the mighty mustard tree full of birds look like? What does the woman, up to her elbows in bread dough, look like? Or the pearl or the face of the man with the field or the net filled with every kind of fish?

Tell the story in art.

Something to Wonder

Seeds and Yeast and Treasures and Fish

Every parable reveals something about the kingdom but no parable reveals the whole of the kingdom. Reading them together can help us see certain things and then focusing on them individually can help us see certain things.

What do these parables have in common? Are there characteristics of the things or people or situations that are the same, themes you can draw out? What does that tell you about the Kingdom?

What are the differences in these parables? Which one are you most drawn to and why? Which one do you like the least and why? What do these differences tell you about the Kingdom?

Consider the mustard seed and the pearl, for instance. How are they the same? How are they different? Which image do you prefer? Why?

The stories that shape us

One reason Jesus used parables for teaching is that stories are powerful. They can influence how we think and what we think about, almost without our even noticing.

What are the stories, Biblical or otherwise, that shape the way you see the world? Where did you learn them? What impact have they had on you?Who have you passed them on to and/or who will you pass them on to?

Are there stories you need to seek out in order to submit yourself to their shaping? Stories told by people who are more different from you? Stories told by people who are more like you? Stories that will soothe you or stories that will disturb you?

How could you be more deliberate in choosing the stories that shape you?

Something to Learn

Thoughts from Great Storytellers

Two of the storytellers who have shaped me are J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S.Lewis and two storytellers who are helping to re-shape me are Thomas King and N.K. Jemisin. Like many great storytellers, these four have thought deeply about stories.

I may have shared J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay On Fairy-Stories before. It’s worth reading and re-reading and re-reading.

C.S. Lewis‘ literary essays are rather harder going. Instead, The Surprising Imagination of C.S.Lewis, published by the C.S. Lewis Institute discusses his ideas about the imagination and its role in understanding and faith.

Thomas King delivered the 2003 Massey Lectures, The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative. Listen to the lectures here. They have also been published as a book that is well worth your time.

N.K. Jemisin’s collection of short stories, How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?, begins with an introductory essay that I desperately want to share with you but can’t find online. You’ll just have to buy or borrow the whole book. In the meantime, read the essay that inspired the book title: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote that is Janelle Monae.

Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.