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THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT 2020

22/3/2020

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​BRINGING LIGHT INTO DARKNESS

      Good Morning and welcome to the new era of Church! We meet this week not at our usual place, as members of the Church of St James Anglican and St. Stephen and St. Bede.
      Rather, we meet as the people of God on the internet to share in our Sunday worship. As you are all aware the Manitoba government has recently declared a State of Emergency for all Manitobans. In an effort to address the pandemic and the COVID19 virus, we have been asked not to gather in public spaces of anything more than 50 people. We are to use “social distancing,” and remember to continually wash our hands.
      As human beings we are created to be in community. We are social people. To be in isolation from others is not what we are used to. To be forced into isolation may bring on anxiety, depression, and fear. In essence, it feels like darkness.
      That darkness can overwhelm us if we remain isolated, so our Bishop Geoff has asked us to “develop and share creative and imaginative ways for us to be the Body of Christ in the world in which God is already at work.”
      To repeat, God is already at work in the world. In John’s Gospel, chapter 8, verse 12, He says this:
      “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Our Gospel today highlights this message. Commentator Melinda Quivik reminds us that in the darkness we are led by human understandings and human interpretations. Consider the man born blind who was given sight by Jesus. The religious leaders of the day were horrified.
      “When the religious leaders ask for the fifth time a question using the word “how”—“How did he open your eyes?”—we see that they are fixated on method rather than going to the deeper question: Who is this healer? (Actually, it may be the “how” questions are meant to obfuscate what they really want to know in order to trip Jesus up.)[1]The question, “Who is this healer?” is still our question today.
      The formerly blind man answers, in what ends up being one of those rare places in Scripture that is actually comic, whether the religious leaders want to know what Jesus did because they want to become his disciples. We know they are not interested in becoming his followers. They want to trap a threatening rabbi (teacher) and healer who confronts them with their unmerciful rules, like not being allowed to do a holy work on the Sabbath.[2]
      In the absence of Jesus, the characters in this story get off track. The neighbors who knew the blind beggar wanted to know if it was the same person. He seemed very different of course. They could not accept what they were seeing and asked how this happened. The Pharisees, as noted were fixated on method and turned to their theology. “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others accused Jesus of being a sinner, saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?”
      When pressed for answers from the parent, religious leaders learned this was indeed the same person who was born blind. When given the truth, it was denied and the formerly blind man was tossed out of community, out of the synagogue.
      Here is when Jesus enters the picture again and restores the man who learns this is indeed the Messiah. His response was to believe and give witness. “He said, Lord I believe.”
      We get ourselves into messes when we go it on our own, thinking we have all the answers. Temptation to believe we know the way, our own decisions can take us off track and lead to nothing but darkness and confusion.
      For those who believe it is simple. “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The man born blind obeyed the voice of God and did as he was told. He was restored. We, too, need the same conviction.  As the writer to the Ephesians notes, we are children of light and the fruit of that light is in all that is good, right and true.
      Brothers and sisters in Christ, when we reach out by phone to chat with our members, we bring light. When we offer to pick up groceries for our neighbor, we bring light. When we pray for those affected by the pandemic, we bring light. When we feed the hungry and give out food from the food banks, we bring light. When we gather in cyberspace on the internet to pray, we bask in the light found in Christ.
      All this begins with our simple declaration. “Lord, I believe.” This is a moment in history that allows us to be creative, to find new ways of connecting and new ways to reach folks who have not yet heard the Good News found in John 3:16 and 17, that God so loved the world, so loved you and so loved me He gave His only begotten Son, to the end that all who believe in Him would not perish in darkness but have eternal life and live in the light.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
      Please stay in touch. Be kind and loving to one another. Reach out. Wash your hands, wash your hands, and wash your hands. Maintain distance and stay calm. Know we are not alone. We are one in the Spirit. May God bless you until we see each other in person? Amen.
      


[1]Melinda Quivik, workingpreacher.org

[2]workingpreacher.org
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​PASTORAL LETTER TO OUR CHURCHES

20/3/2020

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Be Not Afraid     Bob Dufford, Earthen Vessels Album
 
You shall not cross the barren desert,
But you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety,
Though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands,
And all will understand,
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid,
I go before you always,
Come follow Me,
And I shall give you rest.
Brothers and sisters in Christ. Grace and peace to you from God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ! In these trying times of uncertainty in the outbreak of the Corona virus COVID-19, many are anxious and fearful. Listen to the daily updates from our media sources and government, it’s easy to see how panic sets in. Restaurants are closing. Shopping numbers are minimized in the stores, libraries, theatres and entertainment venues are closing. People are restricted in numbers where they gather. Even the zoo is shut down.
 
Our health professionals are asking us to practice social distancing and if you have traveled anywhere by plane place yourself under a 14-day self-quarantine. That’s what I’m doing as I write this. 
 
Taken at face value, this is scary stuff but we have been prepared for this very moment through the baptism that unites us all in Christ. As that long ago hymn suggests, we are not to be afraid. The Bible teaches us that perfect love casts out fear. Jesus Himself promised He would never leave us alone…orphaned to struggle in insolation.
 
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
 
The Holy Spirit, given us at baptism, is within us, so we do know our God and can count on Him keeping His promises. From this moment know you are not alone. Let’s stay in touch. Those who have ability, use the internet to utilize the resources that will be sent shortly. On Sunday our hope is to livestream our Sunday worship and Tim will soon set out a virtual copy of our coming Sunday service. Pray with us at the appointed hour. I will also send weekly sermons to go with that. 
 
Those who have been studying the words of Jesus through the Red Letter Study will also go virtual as we send the passages ahead ad connect using the Internet’s Zoom electronic meeting technology. Online with will advertise and invite others to join.
 
If you are one of our user groups, plese know we hold you in prayer and are here for you. Those needing a pastoral visit simply need to ask and a visit will be arranged. 
 
We are not alone. We need only to be aware of the mighty presence of our God of love in each other and in the neighbourhood and world we serve. Our God is an awesome God. Let’s use this time to deepen our faith in Jesus and prepare for life.
 
Should you need to speak to a pastor, I can be reached at 204-391-7267 or mstill@mymts.net. From July to December, our intern pastor Andrea Grozli can be reached at andreagrozli@shaw.caor 204-791-1515.
 
Stay safe, pray for a swift end to this pandemic and remember those in need, those who have lost loved ones are are grieving, those in pain or suffering, those lost, those hungry, those in fear. Give thanks for our awesome God and His uncondiitonal love and may our Lord bless you and yours in the days ahead.
 
The Rev. Canon Dr. Murray Still
Pastor Incumbent
 
 
 
 


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    Rev Canon Dr. Murray Still

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