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Archives for April 2021

April 27, 2021

Crossing Boundaries and Embracing the Spirit

The Story for the
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 2 , 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Acts 8:26-40

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went.

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 


Something to Do

Look – here is water!

In my imagination, the water that the Ethiopian eunuch saw was nothing more than a roadside puddle although the text doesn’t actually give us that detail. Go for a walk this week and find water – whether in puddles, ponds, canals, or rivers. Read the story next to the water and rejoice that you and Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch are part of one great family.

Surprise!

From the perspective of the Ethiopian, Philip was like a surprise gift from the Spirit – showing up unexpectedly and bringing great joy. Can you send a surprise gift to someone this week? Drop a card in the mail or leave a box of cookies on the doorstep or have flowers delivered and imagine the delight on your friend’s face.



Something to Wonder

So he got up and went

Philip heard the angel of the Lord tell him what to do and “so he got up and went”.

Have you ever had such clear instructions from God?
If you have – did you follow them? Why or why not? How did it feel?
If you have not – how does that make you feel? Do you want them? Why or why not?

Do you experience God’s direction in your life? If so, how? If not, why do you think that is the case?

Ethiopian; Eunuch; Court Official; Inquirer

What a wonderfully complex character is given to us in this story. He seems designed to blur boundaries: an Ethiopian but a Jew (the first Gentile convert is identified as Cornelius in Acts 11); a man but not exactly; powerful but seeking guidance from a stranger.

What does his presence reveal to you about the nature of God? The church? Yourself?
Do aspects of his character make you uncomfortable? Do aspects bring you joy or comfort?


Something to Learn

The Ethiopian Church

The presence of an Ethiopian official in the areas around Jerusalem is in keeping with the record of the Hebrew Bible as well as non-Biblical evidence of relationships between the various countries and regions of ancient Afro-Asiatica. Given the realities of trade, political alliances, and family relationships, it is not surprising that religious beliefs and practices were shared. The western bias towards Rome has distorted our imagination of the region and the history of Christianity. Dip your toe into other waters:

Christianity in Ethiopia
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (one of few pre-colonial (way, way, way pre-colonial) churches in sub-Saharan Africa)
Church Unearthed in Ethiopia Rewrites the History of Christianity in Africa (from the Smithsonian Magazine)

Queer Theology

The Ethiopian eunuch’s joyful inclusion into the Body of Christ reveals the spaciousness of that Body and is often a textual touchpoint for people working to articulate not only a theology that allows for diverse sexual and gender identities but that is informed by them. Linked below is a sermon preached on Pride Sunday 2015 at Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal by my beloved friend, the Rev’d Dr. Donald Boisvert, in which he names and celebrates the queerness at the heart of Christian faith.

Such a Queer Thing
Queer: strange, odd, curious, unusual, peculiar, transgressive, subversive. Christianity is such a queer thing. Consider the evidence. A god takes on human flesh. A virgin gives birth. A saviour triumphs by being humiliated and made to die like a common criminal. A dead man rises from the dead. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. And then, in today’s gospel from John, my flesh and my blood will nourish you. No wonder Jesus’ listeners asked how he could give them his flesh to eat. It’s all so odd, and strange, and very queer indeed. Anyone for a little Trinitarian tango in drag?


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.

April 25, 2021

Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 25, 2021

Turning towards an unknown future
a guided reflection with Psalm 23
with The Rev’d Rhonda Waters

April 21, 2021

One Flock, One Shepherd

The Story for the
Fourth Sunday in Easter
April 18, 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

John 10:11-18

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” 


Something to Do

First – just enjoy some sheep

Take a look at the livecam from the Farm Sanctuary sheep barn and pasture. These sheep probably don’t bear much resemblance to the ones Jesus and his friends were familiar with but it’s as close as many of us are going to get to any sheep at all, especially these days! And it is a wonderfully soothing way to spend a few minutes.

Knowing and being known

The relationship the good shepherd has to the sheep is one of mutual knowing – as is the relationship between Jesus and his Father. Try this exercise of self-knowing and hold yourself up in prayer so that you might experience this relationship.

Make a list of 10 nouns that describe you (such as student, artist, gardener, man, Christian, book lover, daughter). When you have finished, decide which 5 are most important to your sense of self. Cross of the other 5.
When you have finished that, decide which of the 5 remaining are most important to your sense of self. Can you get your list down to 3 nouns? 2? 1?

Now do the same exercise but for God.


Something to Wonder

The hired hand runs away

The sheep should have been able to trust the protection of the hired hand – it was his job to protect them, after all. As it turned out, they were not his priority.

Have you ever placed your trust in the wrong person or the wrong thing? How did you realize that?
Where do you place your trust now? How do you decide?

What does it mean to place your trust in Jesus, the Good Shepherd?

I must bring them also

Our usual translation, combined with our self-centredness, often leads us to understand Jesus as saying he will bring those other sheep to our sheepfold, our home. After all, our sheepfold is the right sheepfold, is Jesus’ sheepfold.

But what if we are also being brought to another place, along with those other sheep? What if we are all being led, by Jesus, from wherever we are to someplace new?

How does it feel to de-centre ourselves in this way? What possibilities does it open up? What does it cost? How might it change how we live and how we interact with the world around us?


Something to Learn

Interfaith Dialogue

The Anglican Church of Canada and the Anglican Communion are both involved in a variety of formal dialogues with other religious groups, building relationships and seeking common ground as people of faith for the flourishing of the world.

  • Anglican Church of Canada Interfaith Dialogue
  • Anglican Communion Network for Interfaith Concerns

Ecumenical Dialogue

Sometimes, it can seem easier to have conversation with people of other faiths than Christians of other denominations. After all, who can squabble quite like siblings? Here again, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Anglican Communion engage in deliberate conversations to deepen mutual respect and understanding, increase the effectiveness of our ministry in the world, and – sometimes – build formal partnerships of full communion.

  • Anglican Church of Canada Ecumenical Relationships
  • Anglican Communion Ecumenical Dialogues

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.

April 18, 2021

Third Sunday of Easter – April 18, 2021

An intimate Easter joy
a sermon on Luke 24:36b-48

Sarah Keeshan

April 13, 2021

Risen & Embodied

The Story for the
Third Sunday in Easter
April 18, 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Luke 24:36b-48

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” 


Something to Do

Hands & Feet; Mouths & Bellies

The Risen Jesus is adamantly physical – he touches and is touched; he hungers and eats. Pay attention to your own body this week. Stretch and move. Notice what things feels like. Notice what things taste like. Rejoice in your body.

Have you anything here to eat?

Some day, we are going to be able to have friends over for dinner again. Plan the menu for your first party. Make a version just for yourself – you know, for practice!


Something to Wonder

In their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering

Faith and doubt; joy and uncertainty – these things can co-exist. Where do they co-exist in your life and faith? How does their co-existence make you feel?

Risen and Embodied

Jesus’ incarnation extends past his death to his resurrection. Why is this such an important point for the Gospels? What does it tell us about the nature of Jesus? About the nature of God? About the nature of humanity?
Does it matter to you?


Something to Learn

Easter – 50 Days for Resurrection

This “Something to Learn” is a bit of a stretch but the video is worth it. Primate Linda Nicholls participated in a program called Pew and Beyond to discuss the year that has been and where she sees signs of resurrection even in the midst of the pandemic.


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.

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Church of the Ascension is a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa
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and the Anglican Church of Canada.

We stand on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnabe nation.

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