Reflecting on the Gift of Life and How We Use It

You have likely seen this phrase as a fridge magnet, or postcard, or as a small sign in someone’s home. It would make a good T-shirt slogan. We are all a work in progress. God hasn’t given up on us, and God’s Spirit gracefully nudges us along. There is compassion, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, and gentle encouragement in how the Spirit nudges us along. We may defer to this slogan, not as an act of our will – or a plea for someone to cut us some slack – but as a life lived in the knowledge that God has faith in us – loves us – God’s Spirit is a work in our lives – even to the very corners that may be seen as the least productive. We are called to work the turf God gives us. And let God work the various turf or terrain that is our lives. We might ask ourselves: Where have I shut God out? How can I be more receptive to God’s nudging Spirit? What does God desire to do in and through me that I have not yet discerned? How can I best (or better) follow Jesus, my Lord? We let God be at work in us. And we work our turf for God. Each of us works a different turf. Each of us navigates a different set of circumstances. And our God is interested in the whole terrain of our lives. Douglas Malloch has written a wonderful little poem called, "Be The Best of Whatever You Are." If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub in the valley - but be The best little scrub by the side of the hill; Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass, And some highway happier make; If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass - But the liveliest bass in the lake! We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew, There's something for all of us here, There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do, And the task you must do is the near. If you can't be a highway then just be a trail, If you can't be the sun be a star; It isn't by size that you win or you fail - Be the best of whatever you are! As people of faith, we seek to be the best we can for God. It’s about “Progress not perfection.” With you on the journey of faith,  Reverend Jim Cairney

Friends, Sometimes, best wishes for a happy thanksgiving roll off our lips without thinking. We often assume everyone is having a happy thanksgiving. And, yes, most people are! But sometimes, events and circumstances, losses and disappointments, make thanks-giving difficult, or harder to get to that point of gratitude. We can be more aware of life’s imperfections, and losses, and hurts, than its blessings and delights . Let me say upfront that such feelings are honest – and human – and maybe even necessary from time to time. Sometimes thanks-giving is hard. Sometimes our horizons feel narrower – and our burdens greater -- than when we observed this holiday a year ago. It’s been a challenging year economically for some families, in variety of ways. Some of you have lived through – or are living through -- set-backs of various kinds .Changes in circumstances – changes in health – the loss of loved ones and friends challenge our buoyancy. So, I wonder if our starting point for thanks-giving might be the invitational words of 1 Peter 5 – verse 7. “Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you. ” We know this. But we need to be reminded, because we rumble around in your anxieties, before you give them to God. Our handing them over isn’t automatic . So, whatever ramps up your anxiety -- whatever circles through your mind when you are trying to sleep -- like planes circling the airport unable to land -- give it to God. Lay it down at the throne of grace. Trust God with it. Give it to God and let God be God. We give it to God, so that God might take your anxiety, and grace your life in that area of concern and hope. Sometimes when we give that anxiety and concer nover to God, we can step-back and gain perspective on it. Sometimes we will experience God gracing that situation. Sometimes we see that God is with us – and already at work – in those problematic circumstances . J. B. Phillips' translation is helpful: “You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.” God has broad shoulders – can take it all. Never be afraid of burdening God – neither because your burdens are too big – or too small . In a somewhat troubling interview on his 64th birthday, actor Paul Newman expressed some thoughts that -- maybe -- we all have felt from time to time : “I look like I am having a lot of fun, but I should be having a lot more fun than I am. In work, I'm unhappy because I will never be good enough. I'll never be a proper father, or a great lover, or an extraordinary boxer, or a capable skier, or an astronaut. These are things I'm missing. If they say you are accomplished or a great lover, but you don't feel it, what good is it? They make that up about you; it has nothing really to do with you. I'm just a little kid from Shaker Heights who had some luck. I suggest this for my epitaph: ‘Here lies Paul Newman, who died a flop because his eyes turned brown.’” (Beacon Journal) Now, let's be kind. We've all had moments like that, haven't we? (Maybe that’s how you are feeling at this moment.) What is so sad in his statement, is that instead of celebrating what he can still give -- his marvellous creativity, his compassion -- he is stuck in the rut of self-doubt and lamenting what he has already lost. He’s stuck in what might have been. St. Paul, in the third chapter of the letter to the Philippians – reflecting on his life, and God’s call and claim on his life says, “… this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” There is wisdom, in letting what is behind us, be behind us, while continuing to live open to God’s presence and encouragement and call in the present. In God’s grace we learn to be at peace about the past. One of the worst habits of life that we can get into, is counting our losses – counting our “should have’s, could have’s” – comparing ourselves to others – falling short of the expectation of perfection that we lay on ourselves. In such situations self-doubt wins out most of the time. Imagine that these thoughts – these burdens -- are also the ones we are welcome to cast upon the Lord. We discover that our focus shifts to where and how we are blessed. It invites God into those circumstances. In our best moments, we know that gratefulness, cannot be manufactured – or demanded. It comes from the heart – from recognizing how our lives are being enriched – blessed -- by God and God’s gifts. Writer Kris Haig says, “True gratitude bears little resemblance to the forced optimism underlying the admonition to count your blessings.” “Gratitude is not a denial of real pain and loss. It is not a stoic effort to concentrate on the good things in life. It isn't the power of positive thinking.” “We cannot attain a state of gratitude by presenting God with a list of things we think we should feel grateful for, but by presenting our selves and our desire to know God more closely.” (Kris Haig, Grateful Hearts, Presbyterians Today, November 1999, 7.) Gratitude brings us closer to the heart of God. When you heard the words of St. Paul earlier – from the fourth chapter of the letter to the Philippians -- do they wash over you as one quaint platitude after another, or even as a kind of unrealistic demand? We might like to cross-examine Paul and say, “Hey, where’s this coming from? Do you actually know anything about struggling to give thanks? It may help to know Paul's letter to the Philippians was written from a prison cell. Not only is he behind bars, but his great desire, to continue travelling, preaching the gospel in new and distant places, was a lost cause. There he sat old -- and ill -- in a jail, only able to write letters of encouragement and counsel to those he’d already reached. And what of the flipping Philippians? The church in Philippi was not experiencing the best of times. In 1:28, Paul mentioned the opponents the faithful encountered every day. A series of “bewares” in chapter 3, further reveal the tensions and threats facing the Philippians. There’s a conflict between two people noted in chapter four. All this gives evidence to the existence of pressures mounting within the church, as well as disruptive elements clashing outside its family of faith. It is to a full set of problems and anxieties in the Church at Philippi that Paul speaks. It is from a place where it would be hard for most of us to be thankful – and to a place where it isn’t easy to be thankful -- that Paul writes these wonderful encouraging words: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in every-thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in what God has done for us. Be gentle with one another – be gentle with yourself. The Lord is near – in the best and the worst of circumstances. Do not worry. Worry intimates a lack of trust in God's care. We give your worries to God. Be prayerful and thankful about your situation. For those able to rejoice in the Lord, and go to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving, Paul promises a thanksgiving gift -- the peace of the Lord. And he goes on to say… Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Is this not the foundation of thanksgiving – to call to mind and heart what is true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing, excellent -- and things worthy of praise? Maybe this is our homework as people of faith – to meditate on this little list and see where it takes you. I dare say, it will take us to gratitude – it will take us to God – it will take us deeply into thanks-giving. -- Reverend Jim Cairney

Dear Friends, Almost every Sunday, when I been at Heart Lake United Church, we have been warmly and generously greeted by Linda Guennel on the way into the sanctuary. She was a ray of sunshine. She set the tone for our time together. And she often hobbled around quietly attending to other tasks related to our gathering in Christ’s name. She was tireless -- and deeply committed to her Lord, her faith, her family, and our faith community. Sadly, she died of pancreatic cancer August 8. In the months before, we observed how she battled her cancer with faith and grace and courage. Now, quite a number of us are aware of her absence, we are missing her, and we are grieving her death. This is a natural and healthy response. Good grief! Years ago, I had the privilege of hearing Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who had written profoundly and helpfully about grief and death and dying. At some point she wrote, “Over the years, I have learned that every life circumstance, even a crisis, can nourish your soul. Recently, the farm and home that I have loved so much -- for so many years -- burned down in a horrible fire. Everything that I owned, without exception, was lost. There was even speculation that foul play was involved.” “At moments like this, we stand at a fork in the road. If we take the fork most commonly traveled, we collapse, we give up, feeling hopeless and defeated. We focus on the negatives, losing ourselves in the problem. We point to our unhappy circumstances to rationalize our negative feelings.” “This is the easy way out. It takes, after all, very little effort to feel victimized. We can, however, take the other fork. We can view the unhappy experience as an opportunity for a new beginning. We can keep our perspective, look for the growth opportunities, and find an inner reservoir of strength.” How true! God’s people -- even if we are victims -- do not have to behave as victims. An unhappy experience is an opportunity for a new beginning. God can be at work in us! We can keep our perspective, find the growth opportunities, and find in our God an inner reservoir of strength. The prophet Isaiah said, “In quietness and trust shall be your strength.” (30:15) A woman once spoke of her husband’s death, which followed long months of illness. During those months, this woman tended to her husband, cared for the children, managed the home and looked after the business. It was obviously much more than one person could have accomplished, but she described it like this: “I had a strength on the inside, which came from the outside. An inside power from an outside source.” That was the way this woman described the Holy Spirit.” Indeed, God’s Spirit is at work in our lives -- to love -- to bless -- to encourage -- to direct -- to heal – and to strengthen us. The Spirit channels God’s grace. The Spirit conveys God’s grace. We are often in some degree of grief – grieving someone or some thing – or many people and many things. It is part of life in all its fullness. We grieve knowing that God is with us and for us – life, in death, and in life beyond death. Grace and peace, Reverend Jim Cairney

Dear Friends, Already September? Oh my -- yes! And it’s always such a mixed month, isn’t it? We may try to cram in the tail-end of summer, even hoping for a few days of a glorious so called ‘Indian summer.’ It is also “new years’ in many respects, as our young people start new chapters in school, college, work, or university. Many activities begin anew, and we find ourselves rather busy. We look again at our worship life, and we struggle to keep pace with all the choices we have made about how to spend our time and energies. Despite it being a time of revving-up, we do well to seek balance -- and set a healthy pace that tends to body, mind and spirit (Spirit). Recently, I found this prayer: SLOW ME DOWN LORD Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations of slowing down. To look at a flower; to chat with an old friend or make a new one; to pat a stray dog; to watch a spider build a web; to smile at a child; or to read from a good book. Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed. Let me look upward into the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Like the oaks, may we grow slowly and well. May we be attentive to the spiritual well- being and balance in our lives -- as we share worship, education, fellowship and service in Christ`s name. With you on the journey of faith…. -- Reverend Jim Cairney

While our minister, Rev. Jim, is away, we are blessed to welcome Quintin Looy, who will be sharing God’s Word with us this Sunday. Come with open hearts as we gather in worship, listen to the message God has placed on their heart, and grow in faith together.  We are also excited to have joining us, Edwin Baah Gyabeng, offering their musical gifts to help lead us in praise and reflection. We invite you to join us this Sunday for a meaningful time of worship, community, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Blessings, Kamya Anand, Church Administrator

Slight confession: I am a terrible golfer. Because I only get in a round of golf every five years or so. But I do own second hand clubs when I need to get a grip. Some of you may remember golfer Greg Norman, “The Shark.” He had a seemingly insurmountable six- stroke lead over Nick Faldo going into the final round of the 1996 Masters golf tournament. A short shot on the unforgiving ninth hole at Augusta caused something in Norman to snap. He began to hit shots into the water, missed short putts, and shot bogey golf for the rest of the round. By the time he and Faldo walked up to the 18th hole, Nick had a four-stroke lead. When it was over, mercifully, the victorious Faldo embraced Norman in a gesture of compassion. “I don’t know what to say ... I feel horrible about what happened. I’m so sorry — I just want to give you a hug.” And with that, both men began to cry. Compassion is a wonderful gift, when given or received. Quite remarkably, God treats us with great compassion. That generous compassion comes to us on the way to someone else. Sunday coming, I will be sharing a message about compassion. Compassion is one of the best responses to these challenging times. Being compassionate with ourselves and being compassionate with others. Compassion is one of the very best antidotes to Trumpism -- and all the influences that resemble Trumpism in our own world. May the compassionate of God surround you and flow through you. Reverend Jim Cairney

Dear Friends, Sunday, June 19, was Indigenous Day of Prayer. We did pray for our Indigenous sisters and brothers, but we did not make the occasion a focus of our worship. When I was in ministry in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, at the bottom of our street was the graveyard of the former Shingwauk Indian Residential School. Several times I walked among the graves. There are 120 graves: students and staff. Many mark the death of young children, who died while away from their home reserves -- attending that residential school. These are students who went to a school and never returned home. For me, it was holy ground. Contemplating children dying far away from the love of their parents, grand-parents, extended family and villages made me profoundly sad. It was very sobering and very disturbing. Ideally, no child should die. If it does happen, it should not happen away from the comfort and compassion and support of their families. And those families, should have been able to gather, grieve, honour, and bury their children on their home turf. I do not know the causes of death of those children. Yes, there were many childhood illnesses at the time. But we also know that loneliness, deprivation, and isolation from family and culture are among the determinants of health for all of us. I believe you can die of a broken heart. Periodically, we hear of the possibility of more graves on residential school sites. Sometimes, this is authenticated. Sometimes they are not authenticated. It always raises deep emotions within me: profound anger at the injustice of it all – and a disgust with our colonial mindset about of how to deal with ‘the Indians’ after we successfully acquired their lands by one means or another. We do well to not consider ourselves superior to the United States on matters of race, racism and systemic injustice. Shame on us, as well. Our apologies are not the end of the conversation, but the beginning. And we who are now the dominant culture need to hear difficult things, painful stories, and face the nature of systemic racism. Unfortunately, the damage from residential schools will play out for generations to come. We need to own our part, lament our past, lament our present, and work at justice and right relations. We continue to be on a learning curve on this – as individuals, as newcomers for Canada -- and as the United Church of Canada. We do well to proceed with compassion, openness, humility and grace. We do well to seek justice and right relations. May God save us from suggesting we have reached our saturation point, or that we know all there is to know on this. With you on this journey of faith, Reverend Jim Cairney

Friends,  Tomorrow, we are celebrating the 100 th Anniversary of the formation of the United Church of Canada. We are also observing Pentecost – that amazing day 2,000 plus years ago, when the Spirit descended on believers and non-believers in Jerusalem. It was a chaotic and amazing event. As we recognize the United Church’s 100 years, I am aware that the Spirit was very active calling us into union – and pushing against the divisions that have marked the wider Christian church. The movement toward union began long before 1925. In fact, it was delayed by World War I. Finally, in 1925, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Union Churches (that already existed) came together. It took an act of parliament as much property was already involved. Not all Presbyterians came into union, but they did in Australia, some years later, creating the Uniting Church of Australia – a sister denomination. We have many sister denominations and partners around the world and we share a global mission with a number of them. In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren (Eastern Conference) came into the United Church. The original vision was to bring Christ to a young Canada. There was also a pragmatic understanding that it was not wise to plant three or four churches in new communities. As we look back on 100 years, we can see many ways and places where The Spirit has been at work: When we decided to ordain women in 1938. When women could be elders in the church. When we elected our first black Moderator, Dr. Wilbur Howard. Then, our first lay Moderator, medical missionary Dr. Robert McClure, and then our first woman Moderator, the Rev. Lois Wilson. When we apologized to our indigenous brothers and sisters for their treatment over decades. When we voted to ordain gay and lesbian persons who were fit and trained for ministry. The Spirit has been at work in hundreds of other ways --invited us to follow Christ, inviting us to justice, and inviting us to plant new congregations like Heart Lake United Church. We are a Spirited bunch! We have made some mistakes – but God isn’t done with us! I hope that you can share our celebrations this Sunday. Wishing you grace and peace in these challenging times. Reverend Jim Cairney

Friends, I recently came across this prayer or reflection by the late Loretta Girzaitis. I invite you to read it over, then pray it slowly, and consider its various thoughts. Take time to appreciate yourself in God’s abundant love and grace. It reminds me of the bold declaration of the psalmist (139:14.) “I praise you, for I am fearfully* and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well." *fearfully meaning with awe and gratitude. O Holy One, in my mother's womb you fashioned me a home. My skin is the tent protecting the goods within. The furnishings are priceless: gifts of talent, skill, ability, and yearning. I am your temple, O God, and even when I place idols within the niches of my heart, you topple them to make your rightful claim. Because I am precious in your eyes, you set up your kingdom deep, deep into the core of my being. You, who are love, lodge adamantly within, unwilling to give up dominion of territory that is yours. Immersed in this love, I live and move and exist, content to be your property. May I never separate myself from you, or force you to leave the premises of my spirit. My home is yours. Abide within forever! -- Loretta Girzaitis alive now! M/J '89 Grace and peace to you and yours, Reverend Jim Cairney