Kayak Church? Amen!

 

Pastor Jes Kast shares a message with the congregation of Faith United Church of Christ during a floating service at Bald Eagle State Park, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 30, 2020. RNS photo by Abby Drey

We have paddled a lot in 2020 -- approaching 40 outings since the end of March. It has been a great way to physically distance from others. We've explored creeks and rivers, lakes and bays in a bunch of different watersheds. Ruth and I canoed together the first time 48 summers ago (gulp!) and still enjoy it. During the past 20 years of so we've kayaked as well and our excellent boats have been the craft of choice when we are ocean paddling. So often it is a spiritual experience for us and we usually take a few moments to ponder, to pray, to give thanks to the Creator.

What we do is not formally worship, and our congregation is almost always the pair of us. Can you imagine if there was a "kayak church" for those who sense the presence of God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer while on the water. 

A few weeks ago Rev. Jen Kast gathered members of her congregation for a service on the water after months of virtual worship. According to a Religion News Service article: 

More than two dozen people joined the brightly colored flotilla for Kayak Church on Sunday (Aug. 30) as Faith, like so many other churches across the country, dips its toes into meeting together in person after months apart during the novel coronavirus pandemic. For some, it was the first time they’d been together for worship in months. “Isn’t it good to see people? It just feels good to be here together,” Kast said.

It sounds as though this was a meaningful experience for the members of the flock, or flotilla, or whatever we want to call it. 

I love the tranquility of our outings, but it wouldn't take much paddle-twisting to convince me to provide leadership for something similar. God has certainly blessed us with venues in this part of Ontario. 

 

Moving Beyond Differences for the Care of Creation

 

One of the things I've come to realize about what Christians have in common is our uncommon ability to squabble about our differences. At the same time there are meaningful examples of how we celebrate being united in Christ, people of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." In recent years a growing number of Christian communions have come together to acknowledge God as Creator and ask how we might celebrate and care for Creation. 

Today is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, established by the global Orthodox Church and now including Romans Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and many dogs-body Protestants, including the United Church. This day marks the beginning of Creation Time or the Season of Creation which is recognized by all these Christian denominations and a growing  number of evangelical groups. I find this very hopeful that we are finding common ground, literally and figuratively.  

Here is what I think is a prayer from a Lutheran source.which you might use today, or any time in the next few weeks: 

Season of Creation 2020 Prayer 

Creator of Life, 

At Your word, the Earth brought forth plants yielding seed and trees of every kind bearing fruit. The rivers, mountains, minerals, seas and forests sustained life. The eyes of all looked to You to satisfy the needs of every living thing. And throughout time the Earth has sustained life. Through the planetary cycles of days and seasons, renewal and growth, you open your hand to give creatures our food in the proper time. 

In your Wisdom, you granted a Sabbath; a blessed time to rest in gratitude for all that you have given; a time to liberate ourselves from vicious consumption; a time to allow the land and all creatures to rest from the burden of production. But these days our living pushes the planet beyond its limits. Our demands for growth, and our never-ending cycle of production and consumption are exhausting our world. The forests are leached, the topsoil erodes, the fields fail, the deserts advance, the seas acidify, the storms intensify. We have not allowed the land to observe her Sabbath, and the Earth is struggling to be renewed. 

During this Season of Creation, we ask you to grant us courage to observe a Sabbath for our planet. Strengthen us with the faith to trust in your providence. Inspire us with the creativity to share what we have been given. Teach us to be satisfied with enough. And as we proclaim a Jubilee for the Earth, send Your Holy Spirit to renew the face of creation. 

In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Moses Goes Camping

Moses and the Burning Bush mosaic Joe Moorman 

 Who wouda thunk that a global plague would result in people on different continents enthusiastically  heading to the wilderness, or at least the closest approximation? Here in Canada it's a challenge to purchase camping equipment because the multitude of people who were confined to quarters for months are high-tailing it to the great out-of-doors. 

In some respects this is wonderful. The use of provincial and national parks had been on the decline in recent years, yet it's difficult to book a camping site this summer because of the throngs. While most are respectful, appreciating that they are on "holy ground", others are desecrating both formal campgrounds and back country sites. The garbage left behind, including human waste, is disgusting. 

I wonder whether these newer campers have experienced "come to Yahweh" moments, a sense of the presence of the Creator? For many of us the natural world is deeply spiritual, as powerful as anything we experience in even the most magnificent indoor place of worship. 

Yesterday the ecumenical lectionary (weekly Sunday schedule of scripture lessons) took us to Exodus 3 and the call of Moses. This central figure of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may not immediately come to mind as being a camper, but he was tending sheep in the wilderness and likely sleeping in a tent or under the stars.

Yahweh, or God, communicates with Moses in a powerful experience which involves the ultimate campfire, a burning bush which is miraculously not consumed. The angel/messenger/God tells Moses to kick off his sandals and come no further because he is on holy ground. 

This story has launched untold sermons with a thousand different interpretations. Preachers always hope for something fresh which speaks to our moment in time. Why not an awareness that God the Creator speaks to us Groundlings in the uncertainty of a pandemic? We can have a sense of the holy through our experience of Creation as a way of healing and restoring hope.

Creation Time and Watershed Moments

1 Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod;

with its crystal tide for ever flowing by the throne of God?

Yes, we'll gather at the river, the beautiful, the beautiful river;

gather with the saints at the river  that flows by the throne of God.

Voices United 710

We are on the cusp of September, the month when many United Church of  Canada congregations will return to gathering in a physical space for worship after nearly six months of coronavirus hiatus. 

 September 1st also marks the beginning of Creation Time, the "season within a season"  which celebrates God the Creator, within the context of our biblical and Trinitarian faith. Augsburg Fortress press offer an explanation of what Creation Time or the Season of Creation is, and here is an excerpt: 

 ...the Season of Creation recognizes that our relationship with the rest of nature is a religious and spiritual matter that views life as “creation.” The Season of Creation challenges us to reorient our relationship with creation, with the Creator, with Christ, and with the Holy Spirit. While this challenge may have been provoked, in part, by the current ecological crisis and a growing awareness of our place in the web of life, the origins of our reorientation lie deep in our Christian tradition, both in our biblical roots and in our theological heritage. 

During these nearly six months of radically reordering our lives many of us have become more aware of the natural world as a source of solace, even those who would not describe themselves as religious. Unfortunately many governments have taken this opportunity to weaken and dismantle environmental protections, with the United States being a notable example. Here in Canada it's rumoured that the departure of Finance Minister from government was because of clashing views on economic recovery for the country, with Prime Minister Trudeau looking to a greener approach. whatever that means.

The pandemic has also meant that fossil fuel prices have collapsed, changing the economic prospects of nations and provinces such as Alberta. This may be a permanent shift as oil producing behemoths such as Exxon find themselves in dire straits. 

Later in September I will lead worship at Trenton United with the theme of the Watershed. We all live in watersheds which are a source of sustenance and pleasure. We also live in a watershed moment in human history.

This may be the best possible time to recognize Creation Time, even though we are anxious about what gathering again may mean, and we wonder about our survival as congregations. The Creator invites us to live with hope, to express our gratitude for Creation, and to be courageous rather than fearful as we enter into change.

A New Heaven & Earth in Downtown Toronto?

I see a new heaven.

I see a new earth as the old one will pass away,

where the fountain of life flows and without price goes

to all people who abide in the land.

1 There, there on the banks of a river bright and free,

yielding her fruit, firm in her root, the Tree of Life will be.  R

                             Voices United 713

The vision of a new heaven and a new earth in the Revelation of John includes a city, Jerusalem, with a healthy river running through it. Even though it is a downtown river it is crystal clear and there are fruit trees growing on the banks. The Green Bible highlights passages which mention Creator and Creation and those first verses of Revelation 22 is one of them.

We have paddled and explored wilderness rivers through our lifetime but I am also partial to urban rivers which have been shown respect as part of Creation. Too often suburban and urban waterways have been used as conduits for waste, or buried, out of sight and mind.

I'm impressed by the 1.25 billion dollar project well underway in Toronto which will transform the mouth of the Don River from an industrial wasteland into marshland, as it once was, and an urban park. This will benefit many species, including humans. and mitigate flooding in that portion of the city. Ultimately over a million cubic metres will be excavated and rearranged, much of it needing cleaning because of the toxic substances dumped in the area over the decades.

By the time this park is opened fully in 2024 2 million herbaceous plants and 5 thousand tree will be planted, while 3 kilometres of new waterfront access will be created, along with 11 kilometres of new park space. I am impressed that work on the project continues and is on time despite the pandemic. 

I'm delighted that the vision for this transformation is more than "pie in the sky." This certainly fits my notion of a new creation and I would like to think that Jesus approves  It might be worth travelling down the Don Valley Parkway to explore it when its completed. 

Apocalypse Now in the USA

 

We have been grateful for rain in recent days here in Southern Ontario although we'll be pleased if it holds off while we're camping this week. The drought and high temperatures of the hottest July on record were nothing compared to what's happening in California. Death Valley experienced the highest temperature ever verified (54 degrees Celsius) and the drought there has meant massive wildfires which are among the largest ever experienced in the state. Virtually everyone who is honest, from the governor to fire officials, to scientists say the conditions have been exacerbated by climate change. Old growth forest has been burned, including protected areas, and thousands have been evacuate. 

Meanwhile, Iowa experienced an  unusually strong and long-lasting line of thunderstorms called a derecho which battered vast acreages of corn and soybeans in what looked to be an excellent harvest. Hundreds of thousands were left without power for days..

These catastrophic events are happening with greater frequency in America even as the Trump administration dismantles laws which protect the environment and withdraws from international climate agreements. 

Through the decades I've tried to understand conservative Christians who are rhapsodic about the return of Christ in an apocalyptic extravaganza which will destroy the Earth as we know it. Why they would anticipate that the Christ of love and compassion would return this way is beyond me. And why can't they look around them and see the human-made devastation which is affecting the planet which was brought into being by the God they claim to worship and revere. The apocalypse, or cosmic cataclysm is at hand for those who will open their eyes. The Creator waits for us to respond. 

Loving Polar Bears --- from a Distance

 

When the film An Inconvenient Truth was released in 2006 it got a lot of attention around the globe, won an Oscar, and was instrumental in former Veep Al Gore being presented with a Nobel Peace Prize the following year. Not bad for what is really an illustrated talk about what we then called climate change rather than the climate crisis or emergency. It was the right documentary at the right time.

Along with the praise there were the critics who felt that Gore's conclusions were extreme in their interpretation of the science. More than a decade later some of those conclusions may actually have been optimistic. And some mocked a brief animated segment about polar bears risking extinction because of diminishing Arctic ice. A lack of ice makes it difficult for the bears to hunt and they risk starvation. The image of the starving bears was greeted with derision by climate change deniers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whWvXkK0HJ8

A recent study of two-thirds of the 19 populations of polar bears in the Arctic (there are about 25,000 polar bears remaining) suggests that they may in fact face extinction by the end of the 21st century. Decline is already well under way in southern areas, with the Southern Beaufort Sea sub-population reduced by 40 percent, to about 900 bears, in the first decade of this century. 

This seems to be the constant refrain about species around the planet, with comparatively few success stories of  protection and restoration (thankfully there are some.) And every time scientists describe their findings they are met with indifference or hostility by those who are ideologically disposed toward climate change denial. 

There are references to bears in the bible, but there ain't no white ones. It hasn't stopped illustrators from including them on Noah's Ark. because we all think they're cute providing they're not 20 metres away. 

I figure it is our Christian responsibility to protect all species, regardless of the the cuteness factor. The intricate balance of Creation is essential to existence.