THERE'S SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGHT IN OUR FAIR LAND

I was on a radio phone-in show just after New Years and a caller asked me, "what is the average age of the people who come to get a meal?"  I responded that my guess was over half of them would be mid-50's and older.  Recently, I've come to question my own information...I think I was wrong.

I think that the predominant group represented at our community kitchen is single, young men who are any where between their teens and 45 years old.  Some of their other characteristics and traits are: (1) they are unemployed...at a time when there are hundreds of businesses crying for help, willing to pay $20 and hour; (2) they look like they are living rough...homeless, or surfing, or camping, or...just rough, ill-kempt, scruffy, etc.; (3) they are addicted and high a lot, especially around the end/beginning of the month when support cheques provide the dough to buy alcohol and drugs; (4) they have open sores and lesions on their face, or perhaps they are bruises and contusions...I'm pretty sure the marks are from meth use, but it could be fighting too, or getting so out of it they fall down without making an effort to catch themselves; (5) they are ill-educated, or act like it.

I can't figure out why this population segment is so over represented.  Who would choose to live the way they do? Very puzzled. PSM

 

DID YOU KNOW...NARD?

In last Sunday's worship service, Kristal read a story from scripture where the woman Mary anointed Jesus' feet with costly oil of nard and then wiped his feet with her hair.  Judas chastised Mary for the waste of money on the perfumed oil and Jesus defended her actions.

So, what's the big deal with nard?

Wikipedia informs us that "nard", also known as nardin and muskroot, is the short-form for spikenard.  Nard is an aromatic, amber-coloured essential oil extracted from a flowering plant of the valerian family (a relative of lavender).  It grows in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, China and India.  The oil has been used over centuries as a perfume, as a traditional medicine and in religious ceremonies from India to Europe.  For the well-to-do, nard was frequently used to perfume bodies prior to burial or cremation.

From this brief background, we can begin to understand its rarity and expensiveness in Mary's time.  The flowering plant that produces spikenard is found in a remote region of the world and grows only in altitudes between 9,800 - 16,400 feet.  The rhizomes (underground stems) of the pant are crushed and distilled to make the intensely aromatic oil, which would then be used to make perfume. 

In ancient times, nard was used as incense the Jerusalem Temple.  Mary's use of the nard to anoint Jesus' feet was truly a sacrificial gift of love and devotion.  It would have been difficult for her obtain, let alone afford, if our understanding of Mary's social situation is accurate.

Interestingly, nard was a favourite of King Henry VIII, who was known to use it to flavour his food and drink, and who wore it as a body perfume.  He gave it as a gift to his queens.

Now you know.

WE'VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD

A couple of weeks ago, I received an envelope from Sleeping Children Around the World.  It contained a photo of a young Indian girl, standing behind a bed kit laid out on the ground.  There was a small sign that contained Christmas wishes from a good friend who donated a bed kit in my name.  The sign also indicated that 2020 was SCAW's 50th birthday - in fifty years, the organization and its supporters have provided 1,721,373 bed kits to children around the world.

After supper last night, I looked more closely at the newsletter that came with my photo.  Tucked aside on the front page was a brief statement telling me "Every bed kit includes a mosquito net and in malaria hotspots a special, treated bed-net is provided.  Malaria claims the life of a child every two minutes".

That last statement made me want to dig a bit deeper; on the UNICEF website, I learned that malaria kills over 1 million people every year, the majority of whom are children under the age of 5.  This toll in lives is taken from all over the world, but most typically in regions where poverty, displacement and disaster are common. 

It makes me think.  As I do my best to comply with the orders and measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, I can't help but acknowledge the sheltered life I live.  I feel grateful and ashamed at the same time.  I'm grateful because I realize how lucky I am to live when and where I live.  I feel ashamed that I have been largely blind to my good fortune and that my focus has been so inward-looking and frankly, ignorant.

There are millions of people who already live under other conditions as threatening as this pandemic - things like HIV-Aids, malaria, hunger and violence.  I wonder how they will face this new  threat, without the resources at our command in the West.  I'm chastened that it has taken a threat to my own security to make me more aware of the threats endured by others.

I'll try and remember this when I am anxious or depressed by what I am experiencing today, when the worst in me is being brought to the surface: gratitude doesn't change what I have in front of me - it changes the way I see what I have.

Be well, stay safe friends.

Pat

Take This Away

Embracing gratitude in the face of adversity

 requires a heart open to grace.

~ ignatianspirituality.com ~

A Week of Gratitude

Saturday ~ reading and watching

Sunday ~ spring-like day +16C

Monday ~ unplugged downspout

Tuesday ~ I Will Come to You

Wednesday ~ stuffing and labelling

Thursday ~ the morning star

Friday ~ generosity

NEARLY MIRACULOUS!

I'm a believer in the Rule of Unintended Consequences.  I learned that rule mostly from the negative perspective, when plans and intentions have back-fired and left me scratching my head about how a good idea could have such a bad result.

And then, every now and again, there are outcomes that strike me as truly miraculous and I am reminded that the Rule of Unintended Consequences also has a beneficial side.

About a year ago, the Board of Directors of the Owen Sound Hunger and Relief Effort (OSHaRE) committed to a plan that would eventually see the operation move from its inaugural home in the basement of the Harmony Centre, to its current location at 946 - 3rd Avenue East.  The plan resulted in the building of a custom designed space in which to receive, process, store, cook and serve large quantities of food.  The new location has a state of the art kitchen, paid for by the local chapter of Kiwanis; it has a walk-in freezer, a walk-in fridge and a lot of storage space.  In short it has everything OSHaRE needed to serve a hot supper meal five days a week and a take-out lunch on Saturday.

Now for the miraculous part.

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared on March 11, OSHaRE was deemed an essential service.  It quickly transitioned from its model of daily serving 80 to 100 hot suppers in a sit-down dinner setting, to a 100% take-out lunch and supper offering.  With the support of other community partners, corporate and individual donors, OSHaRE has transformed itself into a community hub that has prepared and provided an astounding 1652 take-out meals in the last seven days.

It seems that all the forethought and planning that went into the design of the new location has had the unintended consequence of providing the capacity to ramp up meal services needed during the pandemic.  No one ever planned for that eventuality and yet, here we are with a facility and program that is living into its mission: what we have, we will share.

Another miraculous element is the commitment and dedication of the people that make OSHaRE go: the staff of Colleen, Jeff and Diana are the heart of the operation.  And the dozens of volunteers and donors - they, are the soul.  Our community is the body.

We couldn't be better served if we had planned it this way.

Pat

SELF-MADE MAN?

For those of us who enjoy reading, it has been a good time to indulge in this previously guilty pleasure.  There's no significant constraint on how many hours I spend immersed in a good book, so I have doubled (at least) the amount of time I spend reading.

I just finished the third book of a trilogy by author Hilary Mantel; the title of the book is "The Mirror & the Light".  The chief character in the series is a real-life historical figure named Thomas Cromwell.  Cromwell's claim to fame is that he was the right-hand man of King Henry VIII...the king who could not find or keep love because of his desire for power.

My fascination with Thomas Cromwell is rooted in recognition that he was that most attractive of all people, a "self-made man."  Thomas was the son of a blacksmith,  a father whose gift to his son was such an abusive upbringing that Thomas ran away before he was a teenager.  Thomas did whatever he needed to do to stay alive - absolutely anything.  By the time he came to Henry VIII's notice, he was fluent in four languages and understood several more; he was a battle-tested soldier, a skilled orator, a shrewd negotiator, a lawyer, a mathematician, a theologian and above all else...he was a man who appreciated power.  In many respects he was a mirror image of King Henry, with the exception of being of low birth - a fact of which he was constantly reminded. 

Finishing the book earlier this week, I wondered if there is (or ever was) such a thing as a self-made person.  On reflection, I don't think so.  I am surrounded by evidence that my achievements, whether they be for the good or otherwise, are largely the result of good fortune and the gifts of others.  The long line of benefactors who have contributed to the making of "me" goes back to my ancestors and family, stretching forward through dozens of mentors, friends, patrons, teachers, sponsors and helpers.  And, I sense there are also non-human elements at play in making me who I am.

In present times, two of the phrases that I hear several times a day are: we are all in this together; and, we are not alone.  If these are true (as I understand them to be), how can there be such a thing as a self-made person?

It reminds me of a line from a Dr. Seuss book.  "I am you and you are me; put together, that makes we".

Pat

Take This Away

We read to know we are not alone.

~ C.S. Lewis ~

A Week of Gratitude

Saturday ~ lull in the storm

Sunday ~ beer cans & bottles in the ditch

Monday ~ fresh snow...again

Tuesday ~ accurate records

Wednesday ~ lunch & supper at OSHaRE

Thursday ~ getting the words & notes right...or not

Friday ~ relenting

SO, WHAT DOES A PASTORAL SIZED CHURCH LOOK LIKE?

Several of you have approached me since the completion of our annual meeting, to ask me for more details about our intention to transition from a program-sized church to a pastoral-sized church.  I know that in trying to explain that concept, I have not been able to give a clear answer to your questions; one reason for my uncertainty is straightforward: I don't know.  The second, more challenging reason is that the pastoral-sized church we transition to will be was we make of it...God being our helper.

It's not that I don't have my own ideas about what we might do in the transition.  I have lots of ideas - some are practical, others are pie-in-the-sky, some you would agree with, others would turn you off.  I'm willing to share some of them with you on the basis that you think and share some of your ideas with me and with others.

My thoughts for First United as pastoral-sized church include:

+ a faith community that lives out its vision in practical ways, all week long, not just on Sunday morning.  That means each of us being open and welcoming, even when that's not our comfort zone.

+ having a sense of ourselves as a big, extended family.  We would know each other and when we didn't, we'd make an effort to do so.

+ we would act like we have a personal stake in our faith community...sharing the load of leadership and also being good followers or, perhaps a more accurate word would be "disciples".

+ we would work closely with our minister to make certain our church life is rich and rewarding.

+ we would do the small things that count in a family: eating together, sitting and singing together in church, offering help, paying attention to who is present and who isn't, taking action to find out why.

+ be forgiving of each other, being generous, merciful and compassionate...even when it's a struggle.

When I read those ideas, I think to myself, "that ought to be easy enough".  I wish that were so - but, I think we will have to help and support each other as we move through the months ahead. 

That's okay though, that's what families do.

Pat

Take  This Away

You only have to turn your ship a few degrees

 to end up on a completely different shore.

~ Economist, Feb 14 2020 ~

A Week of Gratitude

Saturday ~ basking in the sun

Sunday ~ generous donors

Monday ~ Family Day

Tuesday ~ safe journey

Wednesday ~ serving at OSHaRE

Thursday ~ cold, crisp weather

Friday ~ a prayer before work from Rev. Paul Ivany

I WONDER....