Every night when I leave our church building I fix my eyes upon the pendant light shining in our church's front entry way which we keep on 24 hrs as a beacon of hope in the downtown.  I often gaze at this light and pray for all those folks that I couldn’t get to that day, for all the folks that I was able to be with and, for all those who might cross my path tomorrow.  I imagine the light guiding those who need hope, peace, healing, and love in their lives to “safe harbour”—to safe respectful sanctuary—to the unconditional...

November 11, 2017   Good morning everyone.  I invite you to hear these words from poet and writer, Susan Bentall Boersma:   There is a yearning  in hearts weighed down by ancient grief  and in centuries of sorrow.  There is a yearning  in hearts that in the darkness hide  and in the shades of death abide,  a yearning for tomorrow.   Captured in the ritual of today’s ceremony of remembering and silence, there is a yearning.  There is a yearning for an end to strife and violence and needless suffering.  There is a yearning for right relationships and justice amongst all...

I just made a coffee date with a friend.  We meet about once a month to check in about life, the universe and everything. The topics flow from what’s going on at home, to what we’re noticing around us, to recent discoveries in the world of science or how to best come alongside our adolescent sons.  It’s great.  I’m grateful.   I just wanted to share that.  Partly because I have the sense that this is becoming a rare practice (which is why I feel grateful).  Lately and for whatever reason, I am aware that in our North American context, there...

For a lot of people, populist Christianity makes no sense, isn’t credible or relevant.  I think these folks have a point.  I don’t blame them for thinking so, especially if their source of information is primarily TV, radio, angry editorials, scathing social media posts, or some hapless simpleton blaming the recent hurricanes on God’s judgement against gays and lesbians—yes, that was really said.  And sadly, similar pronouncements continue to be voiced out-loud that are equally vitriolic and full of hate against “others”.  No wonder many steer away from church and Christianity.    At times, it feels like an up-hill struggle to...

I’m comfortably settled in seat 13E for the 5 ½ hour flight home from Halifax.  I scan through the selections of onboard entertainment and select a film called “Lion”.  After a light-hearted chat with the young landscape design guy on my right who has somehow managed to fold his lanky 6’ plus frame into the window seat, he puts his hat over his face to catch some shut-eye after a long and shall we say… arduous Cape Breton family reunion.  Susan, seated on my left is well into her book.  I pop my ear buds in and press “play”.    The...

I have long held onto the wisdom that there is no “them” or “us”.  We are all human.  When we cause harm to another we harm ourselves.  When we act compassionately toward one another we appeal to the human heart—we become aware of not only our experiences of pain and suffering, but we also “see” each other as wondrous creatures full of capacities for love, understanding and gratitude.  When one or more of these capacities emerge, any notion of “them” and “us” fades away and we experience a deep and simple joy.   The deep and simple joy that I am...

Easter joy is soul joy.  It cares nothing for how much we have, what we own, how busy we are, or however we understand success.  Most of us know that none of those things foster soul joy.  Easter’s transforming joy is deep.  It comes along side our soul and when joy and soul connect, we know we are OK no matter what.  We can rest in the midst of all the demands we face or the hard labour that we endure.   So you might wonder how do we place soul joy alongside the gospel’s account of the resurrection which ends...

Almost a year ago the HRUC Council and a small visioning team began the work of discerning our congregation's mission goals for the next few years.  At that time, we invited the congregation to imagine what it would be like if we were Noah and his family standing on the threshold of the Ark’s big doors peering out and across the landscape of their new normal.    The story of Noah is a powerful narrative for us.  We know the territory of the flood very well.  And we know what it’s like to live into a new normal post disaster.  I imagine that...

Earlier this month we sent the following text to our sisters and brothers at the High  River Islamic Centre:   Greetings and peace to our brothers and sisters of the High River Islamic Center.  We are writing on behalf of our faith community to express our compassion and concern following the recent violence committed in Quebec City against the Muslim community.  We are all deeply saddened by this atrocity.  We are without adequate words.     Your faith community remains to be a treasure in our hearts and it hurts us deeply as we try to imagine how this shooting impacts each of...

I woke up at 4:45 this morning.  I was gripped by some form of deep-seated fear—the kind of feeling that seems all pervasive, lacks logic and often occupies that precious place between sleep and awake.  For some reason, I started praying to the 5th century Irish Saint Brigid who is known for her gifts of protection and healing.  It was enough to get me through to 6:45 when the clock radio goes off.   Why the fear, I wondered?  I mentioned my pre-dawn fear to my partner Susan during breakfast.  Turns out, she was awake about the same time with the...