Dear friends, colleagues and members of the church,

The future of the United Church of Canada concerns me. The statistics over the last 20 years have been alarming, and the projection for the next 20 years are heart-breaking as we watch a once influential and well respected church decline so dramatically.

And we’re letting it happen.

To say I’m frustrated with the state of the church today is an understatement. I came into this church by the clear call of God in my life, and all I do is bump against bureaucracy and resignation for what is to come.

The latest straw laid upon my back is the recent letter informing us that pension contributions will increase by 2% for both ministry personnel and pastoral charges effective January 1, 2013. I know full well there will not be cent left for me in 30 years, should I be able to retire. Does this seem particularly fair given that the shortfall should have been predicted a number of years ago.

Couple this with the immense greed shown to us by our government and financial institutions in recent years where boomers approaching retirement seek to find the golden goose on which they can live comfortably into their golden years.

This goose ain’t got no eggs to lay. Much less golden ones.

But this issue is more than about financial comfort and retirement for me. This is about the future of the church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or at least it should be.

The stats do not lie. 50% of the clergy of the United Church of Canada will reach the age of retirement in the next 10 years. For the mathematically challenged, that’s half, or every other minister.

We as a denomination and a presbytery already acknowledge that we have too many churches and too few people. As I look forward over the next 30 years, I don’t like what I see.

In this presbytery we have 5 young ministers. Each of us passionate for the church and for Jesus Christ. We want to lead a spiritual church. We want people to be excited about the Gospel and we want people to love the Lord as much as we do.

But we are in palliative care. We run our churches with an end date in mind. We may not know the date, but we know it’s coming, so what we are doing is making ourselves as comfortable as possible as the end draws near.

I can’t speak for the other 4, but it disturbs me greatly that we are missing out on opportunities to create life in our churches because all we can focus on is death. This is not what I have signed up for.

Suggestions for change, suggestions for opportunities for renewal, shared ministries, spiritual events, all have been for not as people ignore what we do and settle in for the short trip to death.

We are looking at inheriting leadership of a church with dire financial projections, too many buildings, too few people and too few clergy. What in the world are we going to do with these things? What are we doing to address the problem TODAY? Not tomorrow, next month, or next meeting, but today!

Think carefully about how you want to respond. None of us have any strong ties to this part of the world. Yes we love being here, the people are wonderful, but I for one will not stand and watch the church die. It is just too draining of my energy. So I’ll have to consider leaving, to a church, a region, or even a denomination which is willing to work by the guidance of the Holy Spirit into a time of renewal and new life. A place where Jesus Christ is Lord and people take to heart his message for sharing and growing people in him. I cannot continue to sit around and mourn something that isn’t dead yet. I was not ordained to help the church die.

As a group of leaders in the church I am sensing we’re ok with this. Why? Because we aren’t doing a thing about it. Our words are not leading to action. So if we are comfortable with the status quo, then don’t expect me to be part of it.

Who here has been on an airplane? Do you remember the first time you flew? How did you feel? Maybe a little excited? Maybe a little bit nervous (you know, just a little)? It can be a little nerve-racking for sure. You are, after all, flying. You are hurtling through the air at thousands of feet above the ground in a little metal tube. So it’s ok to be a little nervous. You do get used to it though. Ask anyone who has flown regularly, it’s not so bad over time.

I still remember the fourth time I was on an airplane. It was in my final year of university in the fall of 1997 and I was invited to Ottawa for a job fair by a very large company. In fact, so were about 1000 other students. Over the weekend we were interviewed be numerous groups, and if we were lucky, we got a job offer on the spot.

I was one of the lucky ones. I had exactly what I had hoped for offered to me on Sunday morning. Man was I excited! I got to visit some friends and relax before my flight back to Halifax. It was a great day. It was also my girlfriends birthday, and I had already began the plans for how I was going to propose to her when I saw her later in the week. I had the world in the palm of my hand!

When I got to the airport for my flight home, the weather had picked up a bit. My friends and I who had gone didn’t care that our flight was slightly delayed, we all had new jobs!

When we finally got on the plane, the captain warned us it might be a bit of a bumpy ride, the wind had picked up quite strongly.

As we took off, literally just seconds after we left the runway, a gust of wind shook and tossed the plane sharply to the left. How dinner stayed down is beyond me! My buddy, who was next to me, looked at me, and without words we knew what each other were thinking… “It’s been nice knowin’ ya!”

For the next few minutes, it was a hair-raising ride. They don’t build rides like that in amusement parks. It felt like an eternity, but it was probably something like 20 minutes. Once we got through the front that was passing through, it was smooth sailing, er… flying.

I remember looking around the cabin and seeing some people look completely relaxed. And I thought to myself, are these people crazy? Don’t they know we’re going to die!! These of course were the people in the suits, those who travel all the time. They trusted the pilots and their ability to fly in this weather. Who knows, maybe they have seen worse? I hope I never see worse.

This is the story I think about when I read the story of Jesus and the disciples on the stormy sea. Of course Jesus traveled with fishermen, and they knew this body of water well. If anyone knew how to sail through the storm, it would be them.

But they can’t. They’re scared that this is it! Their lives are over, no one can do a thing about it. So they turn to Jesus, asleep in the back of the boat, and they grab him and shout, “WE’RE GONNA DIE!!”

Jesus wakes up, rubs the sleep out of his eyes, maybe looks around at the disciples and the terror on their faces, then he sits up and calls out, “BE QUIET!”

And silence falls over the sea.

The wind stops. The water becomes like glass.

The disciples, who were just moments ago afraid of dying at sea, now look at one another, and we’re told they are now filled with even greater fear.

The problem is solved, they are safe in the boat, and they are filled with greater fear? What is up with that?

These men have just witnessed one of the worst storms on the sea they have ever encountered. The power of nature is very real to them. No doubt, over the years they have been warned over and over again about the dangers of working on the water. We too know full well the power of the earth in this part of the world. We know the dangers of working in mines, just as we also know the dangers of working at sea. We’ve heard the stories over and over again. They are part of who we are, how we were brought up, how we live.

So imagine if everything we believed about the power of the earth was completely turned over and upside down just when we thought we were at its mercy? Imagine if we felt our lives were about to end as we have always been told is might end, and someone stands up and says, “STOP!” And just like that it’s over.

Just like that someone has shown us that he has power over the most terrifying thing we can imagine. Someone has the power over life and death. How would you feel?

And what about what Jesus had to say after he calmed the storm? “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

It seems like a bit of a silly question really. “Why are you so afraid?” Well, wasn’t it obvious? They were afraid because they were about to die. They were scared of dying. Can you blame them?

Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at miracle stories in the Bible and how the stories often hold a deeper meaning than what we might initially see at first glance.

Today, I believe the key in these verses from Mark is what Jesus says to the disciples. It’s not just he calms the storm with a few words, it’s the interaction with his friends that matters.

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Such straightforward questions from the Son of God.

Jesus is asking them why they feel the need to be afraid. Jesus sees their fear as an indication that they do not have faith. Faith, it seems, is the key to calming their fear.

If they have faith in knowing they are following the Son of God, who is leading and teaching them, then they should not be afraid for a few reasons. First, it’s not time for Jesus to die yet. Sure it’s a bad storm, but Jesus still has work to do. It’s not his time.

Also, if they believe that he is the Son of God, then there still is nothing to worry about, even if the storm does take their lives. If they believe in Jesus the Christ then there is something even greater waiting for them should they perish on the stormy sea. This being eternal life with the Father and the Son.

Before they set out in the boat, Jesus had just been teaching parables about the kingdom of heaven. Teaching about the goodness of God in the sharing of His Word.

If the disciples had listened and learned, then there would be nothing to fear about death. Jesus was with them; not only in the boat, but for all eternity.

The storms of life can be mighty hard to navigate. There may be times when we just want to throw in the towel and give up. There may also be times when we’re nearly frightened to death as to what life may have in store for us next. But Jesus is teaching we need not be afraid. He is with us in the storms.

When we open up our lives to Jesus Christ, we don’t need to be afraid any more. He will care for us. Jesus will be with us in those tough times and only he can calm our fears.

And should our day come, when all else fails and our lives are finished, Jesus will still be with us. Jesus still calms the storms, because we will be with him in the eternal presence of God, our Father, joining with them in the heavenly kingdom prepared for those who believe in Him.

The invitation is to follow him, the one who gives life, both here on earth and forevermore, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Why are you so afraid?

There’s nothing to fear, God is with us when we follow Christ. It just takes a little faith to believe and by doing so you can go a long way.

Currently there is only one “full-time” party leader in Canadian Politics. Three of the four traditional parties represented in the House of Commons are currently under the direction of “interim leaders”. So it’s sort of interesting to see how these parties are beginning to ramp up their leadership campaigns and the list of folks who have stepped forward or are rumoured to be stepping forward.

Except it’s really boring. None of these people are really well known, some even largely unknown even in their own parties.

What we are seeing are the effects of a lack of proper leadership.

My definition of a leader is someone who not only helps direct the organization in which he or she leads, but someone who also empowers people within the organization to step up and help in this function.

In Canadian politics it’s all about the leader, and anyone who is seen as a threat to the leadership is “taken care of.”

Let’s look at the Liberal Party of Canada. In the last 10 years they have had 4 different leaders. The last two almost appeared to be elected leaders out of desperation. “We need somebody! Quick!”

The NDP party, and their success in the last 5 years has been all about their leader, and no one else. And with his unexpected death last summer, there is no one who can step in and fill those charming, charismatic shoes.

I can predict fairly confidently that when our current Prime Minister steps down, the Conservative Party of Canada will experience the same leadership hole. Like the other parties, anyone who has shown any ability to lead has been silenced.

The circle will be unbroken.

And now what can the church learn from this? We can learn the importance of having someone to pass the torch to. We can learn it is critical that we identify new leaders in our midst to be nurtured, mentored and educated on what it means to lead. This process will also give our upcoming, younger leaders a strong voice in how things are being run.

Our political leaders are ignoring this important role in our society at federal, provincial and municipal levels, and we are paying for it in the state of our communities.

Our churches are also beginning to face this same reality. In fact, many have, and the rest of us are starting to see it as well. There are too few young leaders in our church who are grounded in Christ Jesus and who are able to be leaders in our communities of faith. Why? Because they just aren’t here in our churches.

Do you have young people in your church (under 50)? If you do, what are you doing to help them grow in faith in Jesus Christ so they can be the spiritual leaders of the next generation?

Photo by http://www.sxc.hu/profile/_cheese

So this weekend we introduced the kids to Star Wars. It started when they wanted to play Star Wars Monopoly. Well it was a hit. But of course it’s a little tricky to explain places, ships and characters when they haven’t seen the movie. So last night we had a movie night and watched the first movie, Episode IV.

Again, it was a huge hit. There’s even a rumour it may have ousted Cars 2 out of the top spot of hit movies in the house. Who would have thought that was even possible?

However, as we watched the movie I was very glad I have seen it many times before. “Who’s that?” “Is that a good guy or a bad guy?” “What are they doing?” “Who’s that?” “Is that a good guy or a bad guy?” “Where are they going?” “Where’s that place?” “Is that earth?” “Who’s that?” “What blew up?” “Is that a good guy or a bad guy?” “What did he say?” “Is he a good guy or a bad guy?” “Is he dead?” “What’s ‘terminated’ mean?” “Do the good guys win?” I think you get my drift.

Star Wars is an entertaining movie, for sure. But the dialogue and action may be a little advanced for 7 and 5 year olds. They tried to pay attention, but details just don’t sink in that quickly. So they watch carefully, but also ask a lot of questions when they don’t understand what is happening. It’s a little more complicated than a lot of movies they tend to watch, that’s for sure.

But, is it really that different for adults? Have you ever had company over and you were sitting down to watch your favourite show when your guests start to ask questions about who the characters are, and maybe what the storyline is about since they’ve never seen the show before? It can get a little frustrating can’t it. You just want to sit and enjoy your show, but you can’t because you have to explain everything as it goes.

“Well, she doesn’t like him because….” “Oh, he’s like that because one time…” And so on.

Think for a moment what it would have been like for Jesus. Everywhere Jesus went people were watching him and asking questions. “What’s he doing now?” “Who’s that he’s talking to?” “Why would he be going there now?”

Well this morning we hear of Jesus going into the synagogue, a place he was going to be watched very closely by those who thought they knew everything.

After Jesus entered the synagogue, he encountered a man with a withered hand. It’s interesting that the questions of the crowd watching wasn’t so much “could he do it?” but rather “would he?”

Jesus, as we found out last week, would know what they were thinking. He knew they were watching and wondering. So he says to the man, “Come here.”

And as the man approaches, Jesus asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”

No one answered. There was just silence.

Notice how Jesus responded. “He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…”

Jesus was angry. He was not pleased at all that they were just waiting to judge what he might do, forgetting anything to do with the man who was suffering and his needs.

So Jesus offered a simple request to the man. “Let’s see that hand!”

As the man lifted his arm to show, his hand was made whole, completely restored.

Today, we continue our look into some of the miracles Jesus performed. We are doing this because it is often very easy to read a story like the one we read this morning and miss out on some details. To look at it and think, “That’s nice of Jesus, I wish he would heal my friend,” and then continue along. But if we do this, we might miss out on a key message from Jesus. Not just to the people he was surrounded by, but also for ourselves.

The key phrase in this rather short encounter is the question Jesus asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”

Let’s forget about that first part of the question for a moment and just look at “Is it good to do good or to do harm?”

Of course the answer to this seems pretty straight forward doesn’t it. It’s good to do good! What else could it be? I don’t think anyone would argue at all with Jesus on this one.

But Jesus says, “Is it lawful…?” Yes, of course, it’s lawful, it is allowed to do good to another. It is lawful to save a life. There’s little debate in this area.

But it’s the Sabbath. The day of rest. Rules are very strict on this day of the week. There is to be no work at all. No work in the gardens or fields. This is the Lord’s day, and everyone is expected to honour God on His day. Some of you have shared stories yourselves about what you could and could not do on Sunday’s when you were growing up. From what you’ve told me, there was a lot more could not’s than could’s!

So healing, feeding, helping, saving, these things are forbidden by law simply because it’s the Sabbath. Well, at least that’s what the religious leaders had been telling everyone. That was their interpretation of the law. Unless it was extreme circumstances, then you could save someone’s life.

So it’s against the law to do this? Just because of the day of the week? I suppose what’s the deal with one more day? We don’t know that this man is on death’s door, but I’m not sure a withered hand would be all that comfortable and willing to wait another day.

So when Jesus asks the question and he gets no answer, he’s mad. They know full well he can do it, he’s done all sorts of miracles so far. They know what he’s capable of, and yet they want him to let a man suffer just because of the day of the week?

I think we know full well that’s not how Jesus works. Jesus has come not to live by the laws put out by the religious leaders, he has come to show the world how the laws were meant to be followed. He came to show that love, grace, and mercy were to be the norm. Those are the primary laws. So to withhold helping someone who was in need simply because it was the Sabbath? Not cool.

Our own lives have their own limitations. Society has imposed it’s own laws upon us. There are professionals in our society who cannot act to help a family or children in need because there are rules that don’t let them do what needs to be done. I talk with teachers who see children come from homes that are unhealthy for the kids, maybe even life threatening, but their hands are tied by the system. They all want very much to help, but they aren’t allowed. Those are the rules.

It wasn’t always that way. It used to be that the community would pick up on the loose ends. The community used to help out the families around who were in trouble and struggling. People used to care about their neighbours and do something about it.

But times are different now. We’ve handed the helping function of our neighbourhoods off to professionals: social workers, police, psychologists, doctors and so on. Don’t get me wrong, these people care a lot about the people they help. They must, because it’s hard work and if you weren’t passionate about helping, it’d be a hard career to live through.

But they can only do so much. To protect themselves and the people they work with, they set up very clear boundaries. It makes sense to do this.

And the community sits around and watches.

Here’s another thought I have about these rules around helping and watching.

We’ve stopped going to church.

We have eight churches in this town. If we polled each church about their attendance this morning, I seriously doubt any of them would be over half full.

We’ve abandoned the one place where we learned what it means to live morally in our communities. We’re missing the instruction on what it truly means to “love your neighbour as yourself.”

A couple of you have shared with me that when you were growing up and you did a little bit of mischief around town, you might be better off not going home. Someone would know what you did, and if someone knew what you did, so did your parents. So staying away from the house sounded like a good idea at times.

The community used to look out for one another. It used to police itself in many ways. The old saying that it takes a community to raise a child is still very true, we just don’t live it out any more.

The love of Christ is unknown to us. God’s commandment to love one another as we love ourselves is forgotten. We prefer instead to live at a distance, to let rules determine our involvement with one another.

That’s not how Jesus shows us to live. Jesus shows us to question those rules, and if they are not helping our neighbours, then we need to get mad and do something about it. Who cares what others think? The love of God is more than the rules, it’s about changing lives for the better.

So if society starts to question us, asking “What are you doing?”

We simply answer, I am doing the will of God. I’m making the world a better place by showing His love to the world, and to you.

Thanks be to God for the love, grace and mercy shown to us in Jesus Christ. Showing us rules are not always good, but love most certainly is.

May the love of Christ flow through you, and into others as we serve our awesome God.

But there are so many horror stories out there from clergy that I wonder why were are in this business at all, especially with the focus being more on the party than the actual purpose we are gathering together.

My wife came across this interesting article and shared it with me, “A Call to Clergy: Stop Performing (Legal) Marriages!”

While I don’t agree with everything he says, it certainly does put an interesting thought before us.

Should clergy be performing legal marriages?

Here’s what I think.

There was a time when clergy were once the local “educated” people. They were the ones with the university degrees and seen as smart folk living in rural places.

As a result, they became trusted, not just by locals, but also by government in being able to do certain tasks on their behalf. Such as sign marriage licenses. This has evolved to include things like passports as well. In a way, it kind of made sense since they were there in positions of trusted leadership in the community, and often the only option for such services.

But that’s changed.

Now the world is much more connected than it had been. Now people travel much further as services are being consolidated in regional centres (shopping, government services, education, employment, etc…) and the need to have these services available in every community has been diminished. There is also, at least in Canada, a growing dependence on people called “justice of the peace” or “marriage commissioners” who are able to perform marriages on the government’s behalf in place of clergy.

So, Tony raises a very fine question in the link above. Should we still be performing services on behalf of the government?

My response is “No.”

If the state wants to manage licenses for marriage, then it should be state appointed representatives who perform them. Yes, I am appointed by the state, but I agree with Tony in saying we should be separate from them for it makes it tricky when we stand up against the what we see the government doing in the face of what we see needing to be done in our communities.

Add to this the increasing secularization of our “sacraments”; random families calling to get their children “done” (baptized); increasingly asking for “less God” in marriages and funerals; all of this makes it harder on someone like me to proclaim the Truth when no one cares to listen. (this does not stop me by the way)

I would like to see marriages look like this… When planning your wedding, plan your state appointed service at the location of your choice, but also approach the church to seek a service of blessing for you and your loved one. I would love to see this happen as we do for our other sacraments, incorporated right into our time of public worship (ie. Sunday mornings). This way your biological family and your church family can support and celebrate with you in union with each other.

For those who don’t want God in their services, the option is there. For those who do, the option is there as well. As for right now, if you ask me to do a wedding for you, don’t even ask if I can leave God out of it. It’s not going to happen. But I do know some nice people who can act as a justice of the peace who would love to preside over your wedding.

Of course, whatever you choose, may God bless you on your journey.

Thoughts?