The Story
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2021

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” 

---

Something to Do

Holy, Holy, Holy

The song of the seraphs, often called the Sanctus (Latin for “holy”), is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies – and has been since ancient times. It appears in the Bible again in the Book of the Revelation 4:8. In Christian rites, it is part of the Eucharistic prayer and, in our tradition and many others, has had a second part added to it: the Benedictus which comes from Matthew 21:9.

We are familiar with it looking like this:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Listen to some different settings of this ancient hymn:
Sanctus (Ἅγιος) – from the Divine Service at the Cattedrale San Demetrio, Italo-Armenian Catholic Church (Byantine Rite)
Sanctus from Fauré’s Requiem
Sanctus (in English)- the Merbecke Setting, sung at St. Lawrence Parish Church, York
Holy, Holy, Holy from the Mass of Restoration by Josh Blakesley

Here am I

And while we’re in a musical mode, listen to this beloved hymn by Dan Schutte: Here I am , Lord, recorded during the pandemic.

---

Something to Wonder

Bonding with Isaiah

Read this story again and put yourself in Isaiah’s place. What emotions go through you? Do you find it easy to relate to Isaiah’s reactions or do some feel more alien to you? What does God say to you at the end of the story, after you offer yourself to be sent? How do you respond to God? Keep the conversation going for as long as you – or God – have something to say!

Now what?

Isaiah was sent to be a prophet – first bringing hard news to the king and making himself quite unpopular and then bringing words of comfort and assurance to the exiled people of Judah. After your conversation with God, what are you being sent to do? How will you follow that call?

---

Something to Learn

Here I am…now what?

Discernment is what happens when we make decisions according to our best understanding of God’s will. We sometimes think of it as being a once and done event – or perhaps an every now and then event – but it is actually more of an ongoing discipline which comes to crisis (decision) points every now and then.

Felicity Clare’s essay, Holy Discernment – Uncomplicating God’s Will for our Lives, is a beautiful account of one woman’s growth in discernment.
And here is an excerpt from the book she refers to, Called to Question by Sister Joan Chittister.

---

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
Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2021

(originally published for Pentecost 2020)

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” 

---

Something to Do

The rush of wind

There are so many ways to connect with the wind – blow bubbles, make a pinwheel, sit under a tree, watch the clouds go by. Take the time to do one or more of these this week and contemplate the ways in which the wind is like the Spirit.

Tongues of fire

Don’t set your head on fire – but do light a candle or two and contemplate the ways in which flame is like the Spirit.

Many languages

Have some fun with Google translate. How many different languages can you say “filled with the Holy Spirit” in? How is language like the Spirit?

---

Something to Wonder

At this sound, the crowd gathered…

Remember when crowds could gather? How does reading about this crowd make you feel? What do you miss about crowds? What do you not miss?

Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit in a crowd? What was the experience like? Was is exhilarating? uplifting? frightening?

Amazement/ Bewilderment/ Sneering

People’s reactions to the revelation of the Spirit included amazement and confusion…and cynicism: “But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Have you ever reacted with doubt to someone else’s experience of the Spirit? Or to your own experience? What made it hard to believe? What made you re-think your evaluation?

Why do you think some revelations are harder to believe than others?

How are you predisposed to recognize the Spirit? How might you stretch yourself?

---

Something to Learn

The Holy Spirit – a primer

Once again, the Bible Project has produced an excellent introduction to a complex topic. Read the essay and watch the video here.

Also worth watching is their video on the first chapters of Acts, as the disciples receive the Spirit and the church begins to take shape.

---

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
Feast of the Ascension
(transferred)
May 16, 2021

Acts 1:6-14

So when they had come together, the apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

---

Something to Do

Proclaim in word and deed the good news of Jesus Christ

This is one of our baptismal promises – committing us to speak up and act out in response to our faith. This promise is about giving witness to the love and freedom we know in God through Jesus but it is also about being the Body of Christ. Jesus’ ascension requires us to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus in the world.

How will you fulfil this promise this week? What acts of love can you offer to the world? What words of hope and truth?

As you think about it, listen to this beautiful version of Christ has not body now but yours, attributed to a poem by Teresa of Avila.

a cloud took him out of their sight

Growing up on the prairies, I have always known that scenery is not only what happens on the ground. Whether you are going out for walks or sitting in your backyard or gazing out an open window, spend some time directing your sight upwards. Pay attention to the colours of the sky and the shapes of the clouds. What do you see? What do you find yourself thinking about?

---

Something to Wonder

Lord, is this the time…?

Do you consider yourself a patient person? Has your capacity for patience changed over the course of the pandemic? I know that many people are finding this latest “wave” particularly difficult because it feels like it should be time for all of this to be over and the sense of hope deferred is exhausting. How are you feeling? Are you able to release the desire to know the time or do you find that an impossible suggestion?

Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?

On the one hand, this is a ridiculous question. They are looking up toward heaven because they just watched Jesus disappear into the sky! On the other hand, perhaps it is not so ridiculous – how often do we look for God where we last saw God instead of paying attention to where God is going?

Where are you looking for God these days? Why are you looking there? Might you be looking in the wrong direction? Where else could you look?

---

Something to Learn

Teresa of Avila

The song referenced above is based on poem attributed to Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Catholic theologian, reformer, and mystic. Her gifts of spiritual direction continue to nurture people seeking to deepen their prayer lives and grow towards union with God even today. Unlike some of her contemporaries, Teresa did not teach a life of withdrawn contemplation but rather saw life in the world as connected to fullness of life in God.

Read more about Teresa of Avila:
Teresa of Avila: Carmelite mystic and feisty administrator
Teresa of Avila – on wikipedia

Read about Teresa’s great work on spiritual development: The Interior Castle
Read a brief excerpt from the most recent translation (2004), by Mirabai Starr, here.

“If you want to make progress on the path and ascend to the places you have longed for, the important thing is not to think too much, and so to do whatever best awakens your love. If you fall sometimes, do not lose heart. Keep striving to walk your path with integrity. God will draw out the good even from your fall.”

---

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 for the
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 9 , 2021

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

John 15:9-17

Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” 

---

Something to Do

so that your joy may be complete

This activity has two, equally important parts.
Part 1: do something or talk to someone that brings you joy.
Part 2: do something to bring someone else joy.

Delicious, Delicious Fruit

Pay attention to the fruit you eat this week. If you have the opportunity, eat fruit you’ve never eaten before or fruit prepared in a way you’ve never eaten before. Describe the way it tastes. Describe the way it makes you feel.

---

Something to Wonder

so that your joy may be complete

How would you explain or describe the joy that Jesus is talking about?
Do you have (or have you had) this joy? Do you know others who you think have this joy?

Go and bear fruit

What fruit have you been chosen to bear? Do you feel you are bearing that fruit? If not, what might be in your way?

---

Something to Learn

You are my friends

Friendship is a central relationship in the life and teaching of Jesus. What can we learn of the nature of God and of abundant life from the idea and experience of friendship?

These three articles are dense but readable:
Bonhoeffer and the Politics of Friendship – from Political Theology
I Have Called You Friends by Gail R. O’Day, from the Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University
Friendship as a Theological Model: Bonhoeffer, Moltmann and the Trinity by Manitza Kotze and Carike Noeth

---

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 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.