"The Smell of Baking Bread" ... "Mark's Midweek Musings ... September 29, 2021

October 1, 2021

Dear Friends in Christ,

For the first time since the fall of 2019, the Canadian House of Bishops gathered at the Mount Carmel Retreat Center in Niagara Falls this week. Over the last 18 months, the House has convened its meetings like everyone else, online. Since the last in-person meeting, eight new bishops have been elected in dioceses across the land. We were meeting in person for the first time. Some of our fold joined us by Zoom for this first ever hybrid assembly.

I can say without hesitation, it was a very fine gathering, my favourite to date. It was the first time we could be together face to face since the pandemic began. How are you holding up? How are things going in your diocese? How are your clergy faring? What’s been happening in your parishes? Questions of the sort rolled off the tongue as we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner or went for a stroll by the Falls or gathered for our formal sessions. It didn’t take long to become pretty candid and honest with each other. While virtual platforms are really helpful, they cannot mimic the full effect of being in each other’s presence.

Our days were structured around important discussions on matters such as ecumenical dialogues, COVID-19 reopening, vaccination policies and liturgical guidelines, models of formation for ministry and future directions of the national church. Our Indigenous bishops guided our discussion, contemplation and reflections as we marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Grief mingled with sorrow was peppered with words of hope. It was a powerful moment.

I suppose if there was one thing that will linger most from this meeting for me, it was the time we spent in prayer together. Our meetings were infused with Bible study, liturgy and meditation, from the beginning of the day to the close. We had time to intentionally pray for one another, for our personal and ministry needs and for the hopes and worries facing our dioceses. We bishops may not always agree with one another on issues facing the Church. We sometimes argue and wrestle with difference, and not always in a helpful way. The Church does that from time to time. Yet over the last four days, our eyes were turned in the direction we needed the most. Our gaze was fixed on each other, on those who suffer in these difficult times, on our communities of faith dotting every region of this land, on the providence and love of God in Jesus Christ our Saviour, and upon you.

Yours in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto

Professional Development and Training for Public Servants

57. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skillsbased training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

Mark is on vacation this week from October 11 to 18th. Please contact the wardens if there is a pastoral emergency. The Rev. Don Shields will be convering for the worship service on October 17.

There will be no Tuesday evening prayer group, Midweek Musings or Thursday Conference Call Bible study.

Week starting Wed Oct 6

Week starting Wed Oct 13

"Spirit of Gratitude"

Gratitude ... thanksgiving ... appreciation. These are the words that come to mind as we enter into this intentional time of remembering our many blessings. We have received gifts in abundance from God and yet how often do we remember to express our thanks. Are there times when in fact, as unintentional as it might be, that we take those blessings for granted simply because they are always there.

The scriptures call us to give voice to our thanks and praise to God for the bountiful blessings He bestows upon us. God enjoys nothing more than lavishing His children with all we need to live life to the fullest and more. God is generous beyond belief, even when we may not deserve it. And our response should be a continual expression of our gratitude and praise.

Here's a list of only some of the scripture passages that deal with thanksgiving ...

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." Psalm 28:7
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. Ezra 3:11
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving Psalm 69:30
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Day to day life gets hectic, with many stresses as we are often over scheduled and even over extended. These are the times when our attention gets drawn to the micro details of everyday we have to attend to and deal with. These can at times be overwhelming and leave us tired and weary. And in those moments, we may neglect to remained attuned to how blessed we are even in the midst of what may be causing us chaos.

A good exercise is to take an intentional inventory of the blessings we have received and enjoy in our lives ... a gratitude journal. So, what am I aware of that I need to express my thanks to God for:

my relationship with Beth and love and support we share in our everyday lives
our children who are so attentive to issues of justice and act proactively for the dignity of all people
that our immediate family and their partners are double vaccinated against Covid 19 so that, unlike last year, we can enjoy thanksgiving together
for the joy Honey has brought into our lives
that most of our extended family has also been vaccinated, especially our mothers, meaning we can spend time with them
for the gift of my faith in Jesus Christ that sustains and comforts me no matter what is happening in my life or in the world
for my calling and vocation as a priest, having served for over 30 years in ordained ministry
for calling me to serve at St. Paul's
that St. Paul's is engaged with reaching out to the wider community around us and especially responding to the needs of the most vulnerable on the margins of our society
for the decreasing number of Covid cases despite the reality we are in a fourth wave
for the medical professionals on the front lines who continue to care for the sick in our hospitals
that we are able to resume our in person worship and come together in our beautiful church
for the gift of technology that has opened up opportunities to remain connected even when we couldn't be physically together
for the glorious colours of the changing leaves, even though I know what is coming next
for the sumptuous fresh tomatoes from the field and even still local grown corn that is delicious and sweet

And I'm sure that there are more things I could add to my list.

As we head into this weekend when we focus on thanksgiving and gratitude, I encourage you to be intentionally mindful of the blessings you have received. And then, take that next important step of offering a prayer of thanks for all the gifts God has given you.

One last thought ... we set aside this weekend for thanksgiving. But shouldn't there be room everyday to show gratitude. I know personally, and maybe for you too, I want to commit to that attentiveness and awareness everyday and in turn say my prayer of gratitude to God who is the source of all my blessings always.

A prayer for Thanksgiving ...

God of all blessings,
source of all life, giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath that sustains life,
for the food of this earth that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
and the gift of community.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty that the eye can see,
for the joy that the ear may hear,
for the unknown that we cannot behold
filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families who nurture our becoming,
for friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children who lighten our moments with delight,

We thank you for this day:
for life and one more day to love,
for opportunity
and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors
and one more person to love and by whom be loved,
for your grace
and one more experience of your presence,
for your promise:
to be with us, to be our God,
and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,
we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

"Spirit of Gratitude" "Mark's Midweek Musings ... October 6, 2021

"Spirit of Gratitude"

"Mark's Midweek Musings ... October 6, 2021