Church of the Ascension

The Story at Home

Walking on Water

The Story for the
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 9, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Adam Brown

Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Something to Do

Walking with God

Go for a walk this week and search out places or moments where the calm of God is walking in the midst of the chaos of the world.

Spiritual Gardening

Draw the outline of a boat on a piece of paper.  On another, smaller, piece of paper, write down something about your own life that’s holding you back in your comfort zone. Over the course of the week, either think, write, or draw about ways you can overcome that fear and take that leap of faith.

Something to Wonder

The Boat of Life

The boat in the story was filled with the disciples which has often been interpreted as a symbol of the community of Christians throughout the world.  How do you see yourself contributing to the navigation of the boat through the waters?

Leap of Faith

It wasn’t Peter’s first instinct to jump out of the boat to meet Jesus, but Jesus had to extend an invitation.  How do you listen through your own “stormy weather” in your life to hear the call of Jesus? What is Jesus saying to you that might draw you out of your comfort zone?

Something to Learn

Exploring the Depth of God’s Creation

Learn about the deepest, darkest, places of God’s Creation here on earth: the ocean floor, especially the most remote underwater locations where humans rarely go.

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.

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.

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.

Jesus the Storyteller, con’t

The Story for the
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 19, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”

Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!” 

Something to Do

Tend your garden – or don’t

If you have any green space, you probably have some weeds. If you don’t have any green space, go visit the weeds in your neighbourhood – the ones that find a hold in sidewalk cracks and along roadways.

Pull the weeds. Or just contemplate them. How do you know they’re weeds?

Look for Parables

This is the second of three weeks of Jesus’ parables – stories he used to reveal aspects of the kingdom of heaven by comparing it to things of his everyday world. Write or draw your own parables, inspired by the world around you. Find some examples, which I wrote for Reflections at a Distance here.

Now it’s your turn: The kingdom of heaven is like…

Something to Wonder

The kingdom of heaven can be compared to someone who…

We often misremember this parable as being primarily about the field when in fact it is the whole story: the person who plants the seeds in the field and all that unfolds in response. The kingdom of heaven requires a story – actors and verbs and all.

So consider the whole story. The kingdom of heaven is more complicated than we might imagine – good seeds and bad seeds together, at least for a time. How does that idea make you feel? Does it change the way you think about heaven? Does is open up new approaches for your prayer life? For the life of the church?

Weeds and Wheat

One way to read this parable is to see the field as your own life, your own heart. What then, are the good and bad seeds? What things bring life and what things diminish life? What things bear fruit and what things do not?

Or, in more child-friendly language: what things help you love God and other people and what things do not?

Something to Learn

Tell me a story…

Amy-Jill Levine is a New Testament scholar and professor and a Jew. Her work is fascinating and challenging and entertaining. Among her books is The Short Stories of Jesus, a discussion of how to read parables and what they might mean.

Listen to this long but enjoyable interview: The Parables of Jesus, with Amy-Jill Levine

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.

In the company of the Sower

The Story for the
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 12, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Adam Brown

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!

Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” 

Something to Do

Walking with the Sower

Go for a walk this week and visit a park.  How many birds, animals, and plants can you name? Spend some time watching nature and see how God is speaking through Creation.

Spiritual Gardening

If you’re looking for a craft project, glue (or draw) a few seeds/beans/pebbles to a paper (in the form of “bullet points” is the easiest), and next to each, write out or draw what spiritual gift each of those “seeds” represents, what is something that keeps your from nourishing that spiritual gift, and what you can do to help them grow.

Something to Wonder

Three Dangers

In this week’s Gospel reading, we hear of three dangers to watch out for as those who listen for God: a failure to understand, superficial joy, and distraction. 

Were there times where you noticed any of these in your own life? How did these moments make you feel? How did you, or will you, try to overcome it?

Where are the seeds?

Sometimes when listening to this parable we focus on the ground, birds, and weeds, and forget about the seeds and the sower themselves.  How might you learn to recognize them more readily in your own life?

Something to Learn

Seeding the Kingdom of God in the Diocese of Ottawa

Learn about the community ministries and, especially, the newest community ministry in the diocese: Centre 105 in Cornwall, Ontario.

Seeding the Kingdom of God in the company of Oscar Romero

Saint Oscar Romero, fourth Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Salvador, was an advocate for the poor, and dedicated his life to fighting against corruption and standing up for the oppressed, eventually leading to his assassination while celebrating the Eucharist in 1980. The following reflection was written around the time of his death and is often associated with him:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an
opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

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.