Message from the Minister

A few years ago there was an article in The Toronto Star entitled “The audacity of nope’” The article was about the proliferation of signs in Toronto telling you what you can and cannot do. The photo illustration was of a lamp standard with six signs attached:  To the left – No Parking/Taxi stand vehicles; and Tow-away Zone, and to the right, but indicating left: No Parking 8 am to 6 pm; and then also on the right: No Parking; No Stopping 7 am to 9 am – 4 pm to 6 pm Mon. to Fri; and a sign for both directions: No Standing 11:30-1:30 pm Monday to Friday. Obviously, you could get ticketed for pausing the length of time it takes to sort out in a human brain the seemingly contradictory messages and time constraints. I saved the article because I suspect that the dominant perception of the Christian life – by people who do not practice it – and some who do – is that we live in the land of nope. A suggestion that our faith, its teachings, and our God -- are all in the business of saying, “No!” and being a kill joy and a spoil sport. We are up against the dominant notion that to follow God is to navigate in the land with a colossal list of “Thou shalt not’s…” Don’t drink… Don’t smoke… Don’t gamble… Sit up straight in church… Don’t stick your gum under the pew… Don’t shop on Sunday’s… Don’t have sex standing up, it might lead to dancing… Don’t fool around… Don’t smile… Don’t mix with non-believers…Don’t have a good time… You get the picture! The article about street signs, contained a comment by Marcel Danesi, a semiotics professor at the U. of T. Danesi said, “This was the stuff of the priests who populated my childhood and adolescence, but now’ it’s the politicians and those people out there who try to impose. That official level... has taken over from God, hasn’t it?” Behind his comment, is the lingering or dominant perception that God’s business is still about saying, “Don’t…” And that religious faith inhibits or thwarts our happiness. But in our faith tradition, and our Biblical understanding, happiness comes as a bi-product – not the goal of life. As Christians, we learn that happiness is the bi-product of loving God, loving self, and loving one’s neighbour, and caring for this wonderful world that is God’s gift to us. The purpose of life is not self-indulgence, but loving God, serving others, and serving God’s world with justice, and compassion, and care. When we read the Gospels, we discover that the Christian life is not primarily about getting to heaven, avoiding hell, or fearing God. It is about loving God – being loved by God – and our whole-hearted participation in the Kingdom of God – here and now. That is, living-out God’s best hopes and dreams for the world – for the commonwealth of all. There are far more ‘Go and do...” or ‘Go and serve...’ or “Love as I love…” or “Let my joy be in you…” -- that there is ‘nope.’ It is a wonderful discovery that faith includes the opening up of the world, an opening up of possibilities -- rather than a narrowing. With you on the journey… Reverend Jim