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Collect

Holy One,
we lift our eyes to you in hope and awe.
Grant that we may reject all apathy of spirit,
all impatience and anxiety,
so that, with persistence,
we may lift our voice again and again to seek your justice. Amen.

Readings

Isaiah 43:16-21 (The Message)

This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sunbaked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.

Psalm 40

Matthew 9:35-38

Reshaping Parish Culture Reflection

Romans 12: 9 – 20a, 21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints ;extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but give yourselves to humble tasks; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink….” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

When the whole people of God are freed to join the Holy Spirit at work in our neighbourhoods, communities and networks, a new future unfolds…the unfolding of God’s kingdom as described in the passage from Romans. Our task in reshaping our parish cultures is to create the space for God’s work and our parishes to intersect in the most magnificent blossoming. That blossoming is grounded in faith formation or discipleship, prayer, and a discerning use of our corporate and individual gifts, skills, and passions in the service of God’s mission.

Sometimes, parishes respond to the anxiety of declining numbers, diminishing dollars, and rising age demographics with anxiety and a generalized discontent, and when that becomes the driver of change, the ensuing adjustments are like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Our anxiety and dread are temporarily assuaged by the busyness of changing things up until we realize that nothing real has changed except that anxiety is increasing and despair often follows. Decisions about what needs to be reshaped and how that happens must be framed within the context of discerning how God is inviting a particular parish to engage with God’s mission. A commitment to the unfolding of God’s kingdom, a missional imagination rather than a commitment to the survival of a parish is the key to a renewed future.

What does it look like to free the people of God? Renewal or reshaping of a parish culture requires a willingness to examine and disrupt the old patterns, to ask questions like “how does this practice, behaviour, or expectation contribute to God’s mission?” or “how does this help us to engage with God’s people?” or “how does this help to transform us into a resurrection people?”. And this means that parish leaders must create new space for missional imagination to weave its way into and through people and parish structures. This journey invites congregations to embrace the challenging task of living in the tension of disruption and uncertainty, of dwelling for a time in liminal space… on the threshold between the old and familiar and a future that is unknown, between a past that is comfortingly known and a shape that is as yet unknown.

Parishes will make choices along this journey guided by their readiness to live in the tension of uncertainty, by their sense of urgency around discerning God’s call to them, and by their longing for transformation. Some parishes will be ready to take big leaps and others will venture smaller steps. Remember this is a journey God invites us to make; Moses took forty years to get to the promised land – just listen to God’s voice and follow the path at whatever pace works. The most important thing is to refrain from getting mired in that sticky yearning for comfort and security!

Those parishes ready for bite-sized reshaping will want to focus their attention on reshaping parish culture in the following areas:

Stewardship – Attention to renewed stewardship practices that reflect giving as a manifestation of the gifts God gives will move parishioners to experiencing a sense of joy when they give to God’s work. Our giving to God is meant to transform us! And that giving is about our gifts, strengths, passions, and experiences as much as it is about money. Parishes can enable people to identify their gifts, create opportunities for people to use and grow those gifts in service to God’s mission, and grow people as disciples by helping them make the connection between God’s mission and their daily lives.

Radical Hospitality – while parishes do need programs and ministries that support and nurture the faithful, Jesus intends us to be like Mary recognizing Jesus by the empty tomb…so transformed by God’s love that we cannot wait to share the good news with our friends, our neighbours, and strangers we encounter! God calls us to embrace strangers, welcome outsiders, advocate for the marginalized, and see the image of God in everyone we meet. Our society is full of people yearning for meaning and connection; our tasks are to connect with them and share how the Good News has transformed our lives!

Ministry Engagement – followers of Jesus want to be involved in God’s mission! Joining in the church’s engagement in mission is a perfect complement to the ways in which people pay attention to that practice of engagement with God’s mission in their home and work lives. Or engaging in the missional work of the faith community may trigger a deeper connection to God in someone’s life outside of church. The most effective way to support people in their longing for meaningful engagement is a robust volunteer management program that includes job descriptions that use missional language, a recruitment process that focuses on gifts, strengths and passions, a vigorous training/mentoring process that positions lay people for joy and accomplishment related to the mission, and frequent public and private affirmations of people and their contributions, again framed through a missional lens.

Governance – leadership and church management by the laity can be easily reshaped by missional practices, and governance practices and language that reflects God’s mission will transform the conversations a faith community has, and the work they engage in.

Collect

Creator of the fruitful earth,
you made us stewards of all things.
Give us grateful hearts for all your goodness,
and steadfast wills to use your bounty well,
that the whole human family,
today and in generations to come,
may with us give thanks for the riches of your creation.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Amen.

Readings

Deuteronomy 8:7-18

Psalm 65

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Luke 17:11-19

Gratitude

The passages of scripture for Sunday remind us to be thankful for the great gift of life: “Do not worry about anything,” writes St. Paul. Jesus invites us to see life from a spiritual perspective, to see the ordinary fabric of our lives in a renewed way, “from above.” We often lose sight of the sheer wonder of living, but to be present to the gift of life, even and especially in the midst of our daily toils, can alter our attitude, change our behaviour and actually improve our overall health. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough,” wrote Meister Eckhart (14th century German theologian).

Gratitude contributes to happiness. And gratitude practiced daily can create resilience, can actually strengthen us, empower us, get us through the night and the day. Gratitude is emotional, ethical and eternal.

The spiritual and the physical, scientists demonstrate, are indeed closely connected. A relatively new branch of science called Positive Psychology seeks to study the impact and influence of positive emotions and character traits. This movement tries to examine what makes life good. Not surprisingly, Gratitude is one of those positive factors attracting attention. Science confirms what we were taught at a young age: “Thank you” is truly the magic word. Gratitude contributes to happiness. And gratitude practiced daily can create resilience, can actually strengthen us, empower us, get us through the night and the day. Gratitude is emotional, ethical and eternal.

Diana Butler-Bass, contemporary theologian and writer, has published a book titled Gratitude wherein she explores, as her subtitle says, “The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks.” I have read the book but I have also listened to an hour-long lecture by her on the topic and book. I encourage you to Google her lecture and listen to it: https://theguibordcenter.org/faiths/christianity/diana-butler-bass-gratitude-inside- out/

The Christian faith is meant to be transformative, to change us, so meditative practices, reading, prayer, church attendance, should help us to change our hearts and minds and souls and thereby to love God with all our strength. It doesn’t happen by itself. We have to work at it, and even just a little effort can produce positive change.

There are practical ways to encourage gratitude, to cultivate gratitude within us, even and especially when we aren’t feeling particularly grateful. An ancient Jewish morning prayer goes like this: “I thank You, living and eternal King, who has returned my soul into me with compassion—great is Your faithfulness!” Awaking each morning is an obvious source of gratitude, but one that we often lose sight of in our hectic days. How often do we get the chance to stop and thank God for the miracle of our own existence? To encourage gratitude within, keep a gratitude diary, list the things or people or events that happen in a day for which you are grateful. When feeling despondent, read the diary. Add to it. What or who in your past influenced you positively and creates gratitude within. Express gratitude to someone, in your present life or in your past. Write a thank-you note or letter. Simply say thank-you to people in your daily life. Scientists demonstrate that the practice of gratitude has a positive effect on your brain and body. It’s healthy for you. And like any spiritual practice, it grows and deepens the more you practice it. Butler-Bass argues that besides being an emotion, gratitude is also ethical, that is, a way of living that we can choose to follow. Practice gratitude, do thankfulness, freely give without thought or hope of return, and it can heal yourself or another person, who in turn might pass it on and thereby improve the common good, make our communities healthier.

Butler-Bass takes this analysis one step further to demonstrate the politics of gratitude. As a student of the Bible, she recognizes the structure of dominant societies described there and sees a pyramid shape, a top-down system of gratitude, whereby the ones at the top give to the ones below in order to buy loyalty and wealth. The ones below are expected to be grateful and give back in the form of taxes and tribute. The ones at the bottom are burdened by a debt of gratitude. Payment is exacted from them; it’s not feely given. And they have no choice but to give because if you don’t want to “render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar,” then Caesar will throw you into prison or crucify you.

Into this corrupt system of gratitude enters Jesus who proposes an alternative system, symbolized by a table, hospitality, sharing abundance freely. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” is the correct translation of the original Aramaic. By realizing that there is abundant grace and compassion, the all- encompassing love of God, freely given and available for all, we are enabled to share the world’s abundance. Ghandi said, “there is enough in our world to feed everyone’s need, not everyone’s greed.” Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God is a radical alternative to the traditional power structure of not only his society but also ours today, which is designed to feed wealth and power to the few on top. We do not have to be dependent on or burdened by this oppressive structure, we do not have to participate in it, we can indeed “forgive our debtors,” and seek to transform not only ourselves but also our society by working for the common good. We can practice a politics of gratitude.

Finally, Gratitude is eternal. Jesus pointed to love as the definition of God; God is love and those who know love, know God. Jesus taught us to see God in one another, that when you give a cup of water to the least of these, you give it to God. Our gratitude is expressed in our loving. Love encompasses everything. Bishop John Shelby Spong puts it this way: “If God is the source of life, I worship God by living. If God is the source of love, I worship God by loving. If God is the ground of being, I worship God by having the courage to be more fully human; the embodiment of the divine.” “The daily round, the common task,” this “fragile earth our island home,” can be redeemed, experienced as holy, enchanting, eternal, by cultivating gratitude within and without.

I think this may well be our 21st year of commemorating St. Francis of Assisi with a blessing of the animals. Mostly domestic animals, dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and our friendly chickens.

On these occasions I have spoken/written a fair bit about animals, their relationship to us, their intelligence and intuition, how they help us and how we are to care for them. I have spoken/written a fair bit about creation embedded in the earth, water, and sky and about lightening our footprint on earth.

Compassion acting with compassion, acting with passion is a central idea in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. One of the basic tenets or marks of all the major religions.

This week I am taking a different approach and writing about ministry, a term we use a lot in the church. The broadest definition of ministry rooted in biblical tradition is that we are to be servants, to be helpful, to give aid. Ministry is the living out of the great commandment to Love our Neighbour and Love God.
To go back to the biblical base we are to be merciful as God is merciful, and ministry is about being merciful. We are to be merciful as God is merciful, a frequent phrase in scripture. But another translation is that we are to be compassionate as God is compassionate.

Jesus was a person of compassion. Perhaps when we think of the word compassionate we think it is something strictly emotional, a little soft and fuzzy, sympathy or empathy. Yet it is more. It is also the rational and involves the ideas of fairness, justice, and interdependence. One dictionary definition says compassion is the consciousness of distress and the desire to alleviate it, a definition not restricted just to people in distress.

Compassion/acting with compassion, acting with passion is a central idea in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. One of the basic tenets or marks of all the major religions.

But what is it we are called to do? What is it that are we passionate about? What is it that we do with compassion? We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, pray, foster community, reach out to others; we do things for and with others. These ministries involve many different people and many different activities. There are those who work at community care and the breakfast program, those who visit in the hospitals, those who volunteer in hospitals and care homes, those who cook for others, those who help neighbours, and those who assist with worship duties. This is by no means an exhaustive list, yet all of these are done quietly with no call for recognition.

And for some ministry is embedded in our vocations—doctors, nurses, counsellors, aids for the physically and mentally challenged, teachers and so on.

What is your passion? What is your ministry? And what about St. Francis?

Francis saw that all of nature reflected God; that we can know and see the presence of God in the earth, in the sky and in the ocean, all the creatures and plants. Francis took a special interest in the creatures around him. He saw that his calling, and though he was disparaged by his family and the powers in Rome, he continued on.

For St. Francis to love God was to love all of creation. To love God was to care for all of creation.

Frances was not alone in his understanding of God and creation. In the 11th and 12th centuries Christian mystics like Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, and Meister Eckhart all wrote and taught this understanding.
Julian for example wrote:

God is the maker of all things.
God is everything that is good,
and the goodness which is there in all things is God.

Hildegard wrote:

Glance at the sun
See the moon and stars
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings
What delight God gives us with all these things.

We are to work with creation, for without it we cannot survive for creation, for all of creation needs our loving help.,
We are to work

This kind of understanding is referred to as Creation Centered Spirituality which in our time has been brought to the attention of many believers by Matthew Fox, a teacher, theologian, author, historian and pastor.

He calls us to recognize creation as the Original Blessing of God. celebrating

• the beauty of the fall leaves
• the magic of a starlit night
• the wonder of flowers
• the variety of creatures and critters

We need to be involved in ministry with creation, to recognize where there is distress and work to alleviate it, to be helpful and good stewards. Just like our ministry with one another, we will not all do the same thing. We have to match a cause to our time, talent and treasure.

We have to discover our passion for creation. And find our ministry and act with compassion.

The Dalai Lama says:

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion—if you want to be happy, practice compassion

To extend this idea to creation if we want creation to be happy, practice compassion, if we want to be happy practice compassion.