The Story
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
July 5, 2020

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Jesus said, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

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Something to Do

Lay your burdens down.

Take two grocery bags and start adding cans or books to the bag, lifting them up between each addition. When you reach your limit, go for a little walk. How does it feel when you lay your burden down?

Take it the another level: label each can, either literally or just in your head, with a burden you are carrying in your life right now. At the end of the exercise, give those burdens to Jesus.

All you who are weary…

Take a nap or sleep in or go to bed early and know that you are resting in Christ.

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Something to Wonder

Never Satisfied

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t make somone (or yourself) happy, regardless of what you did? What was going on in that situation? How did it end up being resolved (if it has been resolved)?

Have you ever been in a situation where you were impossible to satisfy? Why was that and how did it come to an end?

The people complained about John because he didn’t join in their fun. They complained about Jesus because he did. What do you suppose their real complaint was? How is Jesus feeling in this moment?

Hidden from the wise

What do you think Jesus is referring to as being hidden from the wise and revealed to infants? In your experience, what do children know that adults have often forgotten? What do you need to remember of your own childhood wisdom?

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Something to Learn

A Theology of Rest

Take some time to consider rest through the lens of faith.

Balancing Rhythms of Work and Rest from the Theology of Work Project:

Human beings need a rhythm of work and rest in order to live up to their God-given potential. Just as God gives people important work to do, God also asks people to rest periodically from their labor. Work gives each individual the opportunity to partner with God in his goals for creation, while rest lets that person enter into communion with God in enjoyment of creation. Ideally, all people would work and rest in comfortable alternation, leaving humanity physically healthy, mentally stimulated, and spiritually fulfilled.

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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.

The Story
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 28, 2020

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me for ever? 
How long will you hide your face from me? 
How long shall I have perplexity in my mind,
and grief in my heart, day after day? 
How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God; 
give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over this one,”
and my foes rejoice that I have fallen. 

But I put my trust in your mercy; 
my heart is joyful because of your saving help.
I will sing to the Lord who has dealt with me richly; 
I will praise the name of the Lord Most High. 

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Something to Do

DIY Scratch Paper

Lament is a holy form of prayer in which we lay our griefs and fears and our anger at God’s feet – knowing we are safe in doing so because God’s love and patience is strong enough to hold it all. “How long, O God?” cries the psalmist: “Will you hide your face from me forever?” Even in the midst of this sadness, though, the psalmist knows the answer to the question: “but I put my trust in your mercy”.

Create a visual response to this psalm through scratch art, in which lines are created by revealing the colours beneath a layer of black paint. You can purchase scratch paper or you can make your own – all you need is sturdy paper, oil pastels or crayons, liquid soap, and black tempera paint. This quick tutorial reveals just how simply it is.

But what about me, O Lord?

Write your own psalm of lament.

This article includes more information that is strictly necessary – although I thought the discussion on Hebrew poetic form was very interesting! Scroll down a bit to find the basic outline and some lovely examples for pouring your heart out to God in this ancient and powerful form.

A more thorough explanation for writing your own psalm of lament can be found at the bottom of this long but oh-so-worthwhile essay (also linked in the “Something to Learn” section below)

I will sing to the Lord

One of the things many of us miss the most right now is the experience of singing together – but don’t let that stop you from singing! Sing the blues or sweet sad folks songs. Sing angry rock anthems or songs of social change. Sing love songs or lullabies or wordless la-la-las.

Sing in the shower. Sing while you do the dishes. Sing to embarrass your kids. Crank up the volume and sing along with music you love.

And sing on your couch while hanging out with Ascension friends on Zoom this Thursday at 7pm!

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Something to Wonder

How long, O Lord?

Perhaps this question feels particularly appropriate to you these days. If so, what are you particularly waiting for?

When is another time you have felt lost or forgotten and wondered how long it would last? How long did it last? How did it come to an end (or is it ongoing)?

I will sing to the Lord who has dealt with me richly…

The psalms of lament find their resolution in two movements: remembering God’s past faithfulness and affirming God’s future help.

Name the ways in which God has “dealt with you richly”, bringing you joy and strength and growth. Trace the line of those riches from your past to your present – even if they at times grow faint. Extend the line into your future and consider how they might play out in the days and years to come.

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Something to Learn

Lament

From A Theology of Lament and Hope by J.E. Scully

“The Psalms of lament move back and forth between the expression of pain and the assurance of God’s presence and ultimate vanquishing of the causes of the pain. They do so in rapid turns of a verse or two or three, which can feel odd – in fact, they constitute a logical contradiction, but anyone who has experienced the paradoxical complexities of childbirth can relate to. Or, when holding a beloved one through critical illness or caring for a dying family member, one might live in a place where pain, anticipatory grief, and the graces of love and tender care are present in the same breath.”

This essay truly deserves your attention this week. You won’t be sorry.

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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.

The Story
National Indigenous Day of Prayer
June 21, 2020

Isaiah 40:25-31

To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God””? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

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Something to Do

…those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength

Seeking justice and reconciliation is hard work. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that the source of our strength is God who renews us day by day. One of the ways God renews us is by giving us opportunities for joy in the midst of the hard work. Be renewed by the beauty and richness of the cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of this land.

The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival is happening online all month. You can take culinary or crafting webinars; watch live-streamed music and dance; listen to lectures; and do family-friendly virtual tours and games.

The Canadian Museum of History has a fascinating virtual exhibit dedicated to exploring Alex Janvier’s masterpiece Morning Star. Get up close to this beautiful painting and learn about the symbolism the artist used and the methods

The NAC Indigenous Theatre is running a (recorded) speaker series on Indigenous arts and storytelling, beginning with Professor Simon Brascoupé, Mohawk, an Algonquin Anishinabeg artist. 

God is the Creator of the ends of the earth.

The Doctrine of Discovery was one of the founding sins of colonialism. Christian Europe concluded that Christian Europeans counted and so land really only came into being when they found it. Anyone already living there was not really, properly human and so Christian Europeans were free to do with the land as they wished.

How God must have wept to see any of God’s children so twist the truth.

Territorial acknowledgments are a small act but they are one way to counteract this terrible lie. These lands existed under the care and use of other people – whose descendants still live on these lives.

Learn the history of the land you live on. Learn the history of any other lands you have lived on. This website is working to make this information easier for us to find: Native-Land.ca

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Something to Wonder

Wings like an eagle

The promises in this passage are so lovely – and, in the face of very real tiredness, hard to believe. Check in with yourself. What is tiring you out these days? What restores your energy? Where would you like God to help you soar?

Name all of that for yourself and then tell it all to God – and wait for the Lord.

Making Connections

Why do you suppose this reading has been chosen for the National Indigenous Day of Prayer? How does it speak to the work of reconciliation? How does it speak to the realities of diversity? Of inequality?

If you were preaching, what would you say?

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Something to Learn

The Strawberry Teaching

This Sunday, the are going to listen to the Most Rev’d Mark MacDonald, our National Indigenous Archbishop, tell us the story of Odeiman and use the strawberry teaching to call us into a renewed life of love.

In preparation, you can study up on the strawberry teaching in English or in French.

Gathering at the River: A Gospel Jamboree

And you can get to know Archbishop Mark as he hosts Indigenous Ministries’ first on-line Gospel Jamboree (available as a video or audio recording).

Within the Anglican Church of Canada, Gospel Jamborees have accompanied the Native Convocations/Sacred Circles as well as being used by communities and ministry areas to bring folks together for fellowship, encouragement, worship, community-building, support and fun. The last three General Synods have also featured Gospel Jamborees as ongoing acts of reconciliation and bridge-building.

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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.

The Story
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
June 14, 2020

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.” 

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Something to Do

The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few

There is no shortage of work for us to do in the name of Jesus – no shortage of sickness in need of curing or unclean spirits in need of casting out. Happily, there is also no shortage of Good News to be proclaimed because the Kingdom of God is at hand and the promise of life and love is sure.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, in his sermon for Pentecost 2020, identified the great pandemic in need of curing as the pandemic of self-centredness which leads, among other things, to the terrible sin of racism. Begin the work of curing that sickness by learning.

Consider gathering a small group of trusted friends (in a socially distant way or online) to read a book that will help you do this learning. I will be reading White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo with three other priests in the diocese. Other possibilities could include Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death , and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga; How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? (short stories) by N.K. Jemisin; or Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present by Robyn Maynard.

Last week’s Story at Home included more book suggestions and, if you have children in your household, take a look at the resources shared by Gabrielle in last week’s Sunday school at home email.

He had compassion on them

The etymology of compassion is to suffer-with. It’s an imaginative act of entering into another person’s story so that their experience has an impact on you, too.

Practice compassion this week. Anytime you encounter someone else, take a moment to imagine how they might be feeling. Notice when this is easy and when this is hard. Are there certain people for whom you struggle to feel compassion? Are there certain situations which makes it harder for you? Wonder about all these patterns.

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Something to Wonder

Go nowhere among the Gentiles

Most of us would be included in this category – members of the nations other than Israel. How does hearing Jesus reserve the Good News and healing power for the “lost sheep of Israel” make you feel? Why do you think he did it? Why do you think he later extended the disciples’ mandate to include “all nations”?

You received without payment, give without payment

Eucharistic theology teaches us that everything we have and everything we are comes from God, including the great privilege of having something to give away. This non-transactional relationship is at the heart of our relationship with God – we can’t buy or earn grace which also means we can’t sell it. All we can do, in response to receiving it, is to give it.

Contemplate the gifts you have been given.
Contemplate how you can give them away.

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Something to Learn

Ministry among the harassed and helpless

This Sunday, the Rev’d Caroline Ducros will be speaking to us about her work in prison ministry. As we anticipate her visit, here are two articles about the state of prison ministry in the time of COVID-19.

From “God’s total identification with the incarcerated” in The Anglican Journal:
“I really think our prison system’s problems are being exposed through this crisis, because we see that our prisons aren’t equipped to deal with a public health crisis. The conditions of lockdown are very penal, very punishing for people, and it causes massively significant, detrimental mental health impacts on prisoners.”

From “Spiritual needs of vulnerable federal inmates unmet during pandemic: chaplains” in The National Post
“Federal prison chaplains say the spiritual needs of inmates have become an unnecessary casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when offenders are feeling particularly vulnerable and alone.”

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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.

The Story
Trinity Sunday
June 7, 2020

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

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Something to Do

everything I have commanded you

If part of our task as disciples of Jesus is to teach others to follow Jesus’ commandments, we need to know what those commandments are. Rewrite the two great commandments (Love God with all your heart, mind, strength and love your neighbour as yourself) in your own words. How would you explain them to someone who had never heard them before?

I am with you always

For generations, Christians have used objects as reminders of Jesus’ promised presence. We wear crosses around our necks or display pictures in our homes or carry prayer beads in our pockets.

If this is already part of your practice, recall the story of your reminding object (and perhaps share it with someone). Where did the object come from? Why is is important to you? How does it make you feel? If you don’t usually bring it into your prayer space, do so this week.

If you don’t have an object like this, consider using one. It can be as simple as a cross fashioned out of two sticks and brought into your prayer space. Outward signs can be powerful spiritual aids, giving our eyes and hands something to hang on to while we set our spirits soaring.

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Something to Wonder

All authority has been given to me

Does Jesus have all authority in your life? What would that even mean? Is it something you actually want?

Questions like these tend to come with official “right” answers but no one is marking this paper. Be honest with yourself and with Jesus. Remember that doubts are welcome on the mountaintop and do not interfere with Jesus’ faithfulness to you.

All authority has been given to me

Earlier this week, Donald Trump attempted to claim the authority of Jesus in a photo op on a church doorstep with a raised Bible. He certainly demonstrated he had some kind of authority – the authority to clear out inconvenient people using the force of the state; the authority to be seen and heard as he wished. But he also demonstrated the limits of his authority as church folk rose up to denounce his misappropriation of Jesus’ authority. It remains to be seen whose authority will hold sway in the near future.

Consider all the times and places in which Jesus’ authority has been claimed for the wrong purposes. What can you do to prepare yourself to resist such false claims?

Consider all the times and places in which Jesus’ authority has been revealed in truth and justice. What can you do to participate in such work?

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Something to Learn

Jesus and Race

Once again, we are called to attend to the reality of racism and the ideology of white supremacy as protests rage and people of colour die – within our own borders as well as to the south and everywhere around the world. This is not the first time and it will not be the last time unless our work extends beyond the headline-inspired outrage currently being felt. So let’s commit ourselves to some learning.

I googled “Jesus” in Google images. Here is what I found. What do you notice?
Next, I looked up “Jesus race”. What do you notice? What are the implications of the difference between these two searches?
Which images of Jesus are most familiar to you?
How do the different images make you feel?

When you read the Bible, what do the characters in your imagination look like? Do they look like roughly like you – whatever race and cultural group you happen to be? Do they look like the majority of the people around you – whether you belong to that majority or not? Do they look like modern Palestinians and Israelis? Does it matter?

Next time you read the Bible, be deliberate about how you paint those faces in your imagination and see what, if anything, changes.

For some context, check out good old wikipedia: Race and Appearance of Jesus and this article, “Race and Ethnicity in the Bible“, adapted from Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien.

Church and Race

Obviously, different churches have different relationships to race and racism – different denominations, different national expressions, different parishes. But our mainline North American church has some serious work to do. As Canadian Anglicans, we have begun to do the hard work of reconciliation and justice-seeking with Indigenous people but there is more work to do on the evils of racism. Learning is a good place to start.

Here’s a book list to help you get started: Stop Asking People Of Color To Explain Racism–Pick Up One Of These Books Instead

And here’s an excerpt from a recently published book on racism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, written by a black pastor. Don’t be fooled by Pastor Lenny Duncan’s denominational focus – Canadian Anglicans need to read it, too.
Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S

And a useful review of that book can be read here.

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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.