There is some strange parallels between climate change and Jesus.
If one goes up to a 'normal' secular human in our society, and starts talking about Jesus, they wonder what planet you're from. Their life is going fine. It's under control. The mortgage just got paid off, the promotion at work just happened, and retirement is only five years off. Life is good and under control. What on earth are you talking about Jesus for?
Questions about jobs at the United Church come to our office all the time. A number of new postings are now up on the General Council website, www.united-church.ca.
Take a look and share this information with anyone you feel may be interested!
The following is an essay I started writing in order to help me figure out what is happening with the church, and also to reconcile that all things are loved by God and have a place in her world. Even those people and processes, and structure that I see as destructive.
Nothing I say is something that I might change my mind. In fact I do change my mind about it several times in the same day, as I my mood and optimism changes. It is also not really an esay but a gathering of some of my thoughts, which are always changing.
Yesterday a story was related to me. I won't go into the story but it started out "A drunk Indian woman approached me..............." If it were a Chinese woman I would presume it would be "A drunk Chinese womaan..........." but if it were a white woman, it would be said ."A drunk woman approached me ...." with no reference to race.
I have heard "My neighbour has two cars." but on the other side of me "My East Indian neighbour has two cars."
The confession is that, with the exception of a few times when I led the service, I have not attended church for a full year. Partly it's because I moved, leaving behind what was both a community and a congregation (and it's my former church that I occasionally returned to as a preacher. I don't yet feel any such sense of community where I now live. But that's not the whole story.
As for us, we didn't go to church this morning. We were working instead. The cafeteria I work in has just been renovated, and the grand reopening is tomorrow. Everyone was called in for an extra work day to make sure everything is right. They hired my Yobo as an extra worker for the day. Somehow, without church, this just doesn't feel like Sunday to me.
"Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Somewhere where we can be free."
There is a hunger for meaning.and community. People are looking to belong. Their souls cry out to make a difference. Life kills them unless they make something of their own. And they are not finding it in our houses of worship.
A friend of mine once wrote there is no meaning to find; there is only meaning to make. How true!
The Bible speaks about "seek the kingdom of God and everything will be added onto you." (Luke 12:31) For many, the path to the Kingdom of God often doesn't go through our churches.
So I started to attend a new church, and regularly. This is the third Sunday in a row I've gone (the previous record was like once in a row).
It's urban, gay affirming, pretty large and uses projector screens for following along. There's a lot of people my age (20-30) in the choir. By my second visit everyone knew my name.
