St. David's United Church

“I have come that you may have life, and have life abundant,” Jesus said. The question we’re asking today is this: as we look to the future, what offers the promise of abundant life for the community of St. David’s? And where is Christ most present? We need to discern what is the most faithful and fruitful future for us.

Wherever you choose to begin your story, after a moment’s reflection you may notice that your story is not yours alone. Your story is intertwined with a thousand other stories. Your story touches thousands, millions of other stories. Your story is woven into a larger tapestry of stories.

While our past clearly colours the present, it does not determine the present. The present always brings with it a barrel of new possibilities. There is always something creatively new to be discovered or chosen that keeps the present ever fresh, ever new. Our spiritual practice is to be open to the creative newness of the present. The degree by which we feel ourselves alive, the degree by which we can be touched by awe or filled with wonder is the same degree we’re able to remain open before this creatively new moment. That’s what we’ll turn to today.

We’ve taken a major turn in our household. For 12 years Colleen and Katherine have shared a room. For 12 years they’ve fallen asleep side by side, often sharing their inner thoughts in whispers long after the light has been turned off and they’ve been kissed goodnight. And now, simply because it’s time, Katherine’s moved out and we’ve transformed the computer/guest room into Katherine’s bedroom, freshly painted a dusty rose.

When someone mentions the word “heaven” what comes to mind? I don’t know this for a fact but suspect that many think of a “place” of some kind, somewhere we “go” after death. Even if this isn’t what we believe, exactly, it’s often our “default” image, the one we readily go to. While perhaps annoying to theologians, it’s common to imagine heaven as a fairly cloudy place where we go and maybe even reunite with loved ones. It’s not surprising we imagine heaven this way. It’s comforting. It’s familiar. It removes the discomfort of the mystery of the unknown.

St. David’s United Church Rev. Dan Chambers July 17, 2011 (scroll to the bottom to view or add comments)

St. David’s United Church Rev. Bob Burrows July 3, 2011 (scroll to the bottom to view or add comments) For many days and weeks we have been reading and hearing about William and Kate coming to Canada for their first official visit as a married couple – scheduled so that they would be in Ottawa [...]