Sowing Seeds Today for Tomorrow

I had decided that today that I would write about planting seeds for the future.  Low and behold the Society of St, John the Evangelist (SSJE) word for today (Brother Give Us a Word) is just that “seed”.  Here is the offering for today. 

Seed

The desire to meet Jesus directly is a good and healthy desire. It is a healthy desire to cultivate, day after day, with the seeds of prayer and work. The good news is that Jesus is already available. If you feel the desire to meet Jesus directly, that means he is already calling you. God is already at work inside of you. Br. Jack Crowley, SSJE

 

I don’t know if this is a coincidence or a case of synchronicity.  However, I am glad that it confirmed for me that this should be the subject of today’s musings.

So, the question arises, what are we going to plant today that we want to harvest tomorrow for the world we want?  I suggest that you consider planting four seeds that each represent a value which you would like to see bloom and grow and become the crop which will help the world become the one we want for ourselves and the next generations.  I chose four seeds as four is the number of wholeness and completion.  Each seed can represent a quality that you want to care for and see bloom into something wonderful in your life and the life of the world.  As Br. Jack states, “a healthy decide to cultivate, day after day.”  These can be values and characteristics that you want to cultivate in yourself as that is always the place to start. 

The four seeds that I want to plant and cultivate are, peace, joy, hope and love.  I will incorporate these values into my daily prayers and in my relationships with others.  I am not suggesting that this is easy but remember that the longest journey begins with a single step, however small. 

May you be blessed to plant seeds on your journey. 

  

Peace on Earth

Last week I began the Advent Journey - Advent is a time of preparation for the advent of the birth of the Christ Child.  It is a season of the church year which, regrettably is trampled in the rush to begin the celebration of Christmas and the material expression of what is actually a celebration of Bacchanalia in our culture with the extravagance of gift buying and giving and receiving.

The idea of giving at Christmas is, in and of itself, a positive thing.  I am sure that charitable giving increases at this time of year as people open their hearts and wallets to give to good causes.  However, if we ignore a time of preparation, we are missing what is actually central to the celebration of Christmas.   We desire the instant gratification of all the good stuff about Christmas such as beginning as soon as possible to play the beautiful Christmas music which should not actually be sung until Christmas Eve and the beginning or the real Christmas season.  This, of course, would be impossible and even Churches surrender to the inevitability of beginning the bedecking of the halls early in the Advent Season.  However, many churches still celebrate Advent with the hope that we Christians will observe a Holy Advent in preparation for the birth of the Christ Child.

The observance of the four themes of Advent is a wonderful way to actually prepare for Christmas.  The four themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are marked with the lighting of a candle in the Advent Wreath.  They are cumulative so that we do not forget the theme me marked in the previous week(s) and are able to build on what has gone before. 

Last week we lit the candle for Hope and this week we lit that candle again and also lit the candle for Peace.  The theme of peace is, of course, an easily recognized theme for Christmas.  With the Christ Child being considered the Prince of Peace, as proclaimed in the chorus from Handel’s Messiah, which I will be part of a performance later this week (yes, I know, before Christmas):

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Well, if Jesus is the Prince of Peace, peace certainly hasn’t arrived yet.  But what would it look like if there was peace of earth as was announced by the angels to the shepherds?  Peace is not just a cessation of violence.  If all wars ceased would that mean that there was peace of earth and goodwill to all people?  Actually, no.   True peace is much more than that.  It involves justice where the proverbial lions would lie down with the lambs and all people would be treated as they truly are – children of God.  Poverty would be overcome and racism, hate and violence would end.  That is truly something to hope for.

During this Advent let us especially peace and work for a world where true peace will overcome hatred and fear.  Blessings on your Advent journey.

Reflections on Remembrane Week

Yesterday we celebrated the beginning of Remembrance Week with Remembrance Services in the Parish.   I have grown to be more appreciative of the importance of Remembrance Day and Remembrance in general during my time in the parish. My role as chaplain to the Parkhill Branch of the Legion has certainly helped inform my views on the military tradition of Canada and the history of Canada’s involvement in armed conflict. Remembrance week is quite a busy one for me as the Chaplain. In addition to the services yesterday members of the Legion placed poppies on the graces of veterans in the Parkhill cemetery. We are holding a family Service of Remembrance at St. James tomorrow night which is the latest edition of monthly family services that we started last month. That is followed by a pot luck dinner at the Legion which Scouts are hosting for veterans. Remembrance Day, Friday will have a full day starting at the High School for their Remembrance Day service. This is followed by the service at the Cenotaph in Parkhill with lunch at the Legion. After lunch we have the service at the Cenotaph at Lieury and then the Dinner at the Legion. All in all a full day but one that is very worthwhile.

 I must admit that I have been somewhat conflicted about Remembrance Day but I think that is part of what it means to be a Christian today – being conflicted about our role in society. Christians follow the Prince of Peace and as such we should do all in our power to bring about peace on Earth. That is after all the central message of Christmas when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace in Bethlehem. I believe that whenever there is war it is sign that the kingdom is not yet here on earth. But of course it is only one sign of many that God’s Kingdom has not yet been established. War does seem inevitable in our current fallen estate and we do not declare the current war to be the war to end all wars. Given the current state of the world where men and women are asked to serve their country in armed conflict it is incumbent on us to honour those who have served their country in the armed forces. In the service Sunday we used the following prayers for the Book of Alternative Services which I believe reflects this reality.

Prayer For the Armed Forces

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping

all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace;  strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through

Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

 Prayer For Peace

O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

 

I hope you all will take time out on Friday to honour those who served and died for Canada in wars. Consider attending a service at the local cenotaph if you are able to or if not pause for two minutes of remembrance at 11:00 a.m.