Drummond Hill Newsletter, Wednesday, Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Meditation (Luke 2:4)
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
Clicking the picture will take you to Kairos website where they talk about speaking up for peace.
With the war in Ukraine, we are already paying a high price even if we are not involved. Everything has gone up. Not only has the price of heating gas gone up as the winter approaches, but prices of everything including food and clothes have gone up. This is why the Bank of Canada is trying to increase interest rates in order to fight inflation. Of course, we are in a death spiral. On top of all these the Pentagon is requesting that the American Congress allow them to procure arms to prepare for a possible war with China. Drum beats for war continue to grow.
See what I mean by how the message of peace on earth for the last two millennials have gone unheard? Having peace or enjoying life in peace is not as difficult as we think. For us Christians, it is as simple as living the life of following Christ. Yes, peace begins with faith, lived in hope as we share God’s love for the world with one another. It is this basic and elementary.
Indeed, peace begins with an awareness that we are not here to solve the problems of wars in the world like the political leaders whose posturings are nothing more than displays of military and financial powers. For the entire world to enjoy true peace, everyone, especially these politicians with mighty military powers, realize that their purpose is not to become stronger by dominating others. Once everyone turns their focus away from getting peace through wars and on caring for a neighbour who is less able in life, peace will find its way into humanity.
Peace begins to take hold when individuals care for one another in a very personal way. This is why generals and leaders do not want ordinary people to get to know their enemies and find out what enemies are like. Once people talk to each other, break bread together, and shake hands, this human connection builds bonds that refuse to break over differences and dislikes. People become humane to each other in all dealings. This is why instead of rendering judgement from a far, God became a person and came among people. In this way God began forming this relationship in a very human way. God’s love is shown one person at a time. This personal relationship of love and care brings about peace among neighbours and peoples.
When the angels proclaimed peace on earth, it meant that God in Jesus established life where people are bound as one in love. Today our task is to build the relationship with our neighbours in the same way God through Jesus bound Godself to humanity creating a way of peace. What shall we be as a church?
What shall we be as a church
Let’s continue with the discussion on boundaries. As we mentioned, like our properties have boundaries showing how big or small our church properties are, our spiritual boundaries display who we are. These spiritual boundaries tell us and others what we will and will not do in the world. Spiritual boundaries are shown in actions on what we as a church will or will not allow our members to do. If we say we love all kinds of colours, but only allow shades of red and blue, our colour boundaries are set at red and blue. If we say we help everyone equally, but only give hand to those who have young children, then, our spiritual boundaries on helping is determined by whether people have young children or not.
In the similar way, our church boundary might be not clear to us, but very clear to those who are outside. Firstly, it is Presbyterian. That means we have worship services that are set in a particular order each Sunday with hymns, prayers, Scripture Readings, and a sermon. We know what we get just like we know what we get at McDonald’s. In not so subtle ways, we prefer blue over many other colours and use English as the primary language. One of our unwritten boundaries was that we were mostly Scottish descents with some from other European countries about five decades ago. Today this boundary has expanded to include people from many racial and cultural backgrounds.
Some time ago one of our members told me how she did not care for a church she attended. They were loud. They were dancing. They were speaking in tongues. Her sense of what worship should be did not include music that is piped through loudspeakers, dancing and everyone encouraged to join in on speaking in tongues. That is where she drew the line. Her boundaries were clear. Everyone of us has many hidden ways or spiritual boundaries that help us express who we are and how we worship.
The trouble is, our world has changed. Our neighbours are no longer the people who came from similar backgrounds. My street looks more and more like a United Nations each year. Our boundaries of behaviours are changing. The trouble is, it is very difficult to figure out where to draw our lines to let others know who we are anymore. Most of them cannot spell “Presbyterian.” They do not know the meaning of this word. We are trying to find a way to draw the clear lines for ourselves and for the world to know who we are as a church.
As Christians, we learned to sing with Gospel John, “They shall know we are Christians by our love…” How and where do we draw the line of what our love is for us and for the world?
Letting God Recreate Drummond Hill A Community Of Faith Through Us
Can we be a community of faith
If we learn to sing new hymns along with the old? This turns out to be a complicated question. With new hymns come new instruments. What kinds of instruments are acceptable in helping us sing during worship? Do we need to sing and pray if we want to call our gathering a worship service?
Can we use any and all instruments? Is using a set of drums okay? Do we have places for Didgeridoo (Australian indigenous musical instrument) or Jewish horns made of real bulls’ horns? Can we stop using any types of organs?
Can we worship in a hall instead of designated sanctuaries built before 2000? Can we worship in people’s living rooms? Can we meet at Tim Hortons, McDonald’s or out in Walmart’s parking lot and call it a church?
Should a church have
- A cross? No cross?
- A communion table? Any regular table as a communion table?
- A time for sermons? No time for sermon?
Can a new church as a faith community
Be a simple gathering of people who come to share a meal and read Scriptures together and discuss what God’s will for us may be?
Be a place where families of young and old come together to sing, dance, have fun with games and read Scripture together?
Be a weekly group united to help others, sharing God’s good news, pray for each other, and listen to one another’s troubles?
Or do we become just like all other social groups if we do all these because we are not gathering to worship together as we always have where a person leads worship, congregants sing, worship leaders pray and read Scripture, and a minister gives sermons?
Forward 'n Onward!
How will our Fall and Winter seasons be? What will we be doing?
Schedule:
Sunday, October 23: Past, Present, Future Sunday
Sunday, October 30: Reformation Sunday
Sunday, November 6: Remembrance Sunday
Sunday, November 13: Special Music Service at 2 pm
October Activities:
Cinnamon Bun Tuesdays (10 am Tuesdays)
Wine, Women, and Song (Thursdays, November 3, November 10, November 17)
Love Your Church
Goal: $20,000
In order to carry on our ministries, we are asking you to help us raise $20,000 on top of the regular offerings. You may choose to help us with small amounts weekly or monthly. Another way is to make a one time donation. Whatever you can help will be greatly appreciated.
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
