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myaccount82020-03-23T05:48:45-07:00March 23rd, 2020|

By Br. Richard Hendrick, priest-friar of the Irish branch of the Capuchin Franciscan Order

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St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church
Suite 100, 1022 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4S7

T/ +1 604 683 4574

(Parking available off the lane. Free parking for Sunday services. Wheelchair accessible.)

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On this Robbie Burns Day, a photo from the Isle of

On this Robbie Burns Day, a photo from the Isle of Skye honouring the poets among us who point to the holy in the ordinary, beauty in the bleak, the wonder of the everyday. So from the psalmist to Ms. Gorman, Mr. Burns to Ms. Oliver, thank you for sharing your gift. Art, Spirit, Justice walk hand in hand. #robbieburns; #hopelives; #allinthistogether; #uccan; #unitedchurchofchrist; #stillspeaking; #pacificmountainregionucc; #standrewswesley; #revdanadventures

Mark is a “hasty” gospel, so by the 20th verse

Mark is a “hasty” gospel, so by the 20th verse of the very first chapter, the Jesus movement is well launched, and four ordinary fishermen have begun to follow Jesus. I sometimes wonder if that is precisely Mark’s point -- that the Christian journey begins with a wake-up call, when we sense that Life, God, Jesus are inviting us to open our eyes, to take a chance, to go deep, to be open to spiritual adventure.

Sometimes I wonder if the “heart of Christianity” is all about having the faith to “get wet,” to jump off the diving board, or, for more cautious folk (like me), to slowly wade into the water, trusting that we won’t drown, but will be held by Love until we’re able to float, to swim. And when I use the word “faith,” I don’t mean a set of right beliefs and doctrines, but rather a wild and crazy trust that God is with us and for us, calling us into an Abundance of Life… for ourselves, our neighbours and the world.

It’s so tempting to play it safe; to not take chances; to be satisfied with surface comfort -- but that’s not the Jesus way. “Follow me,” he says, “and get ready for surprises and changes and beauty and amazement and suffering and wonder… and a whole lot of love.”

Now, Sunday’s sermon will begin and end with poetry – what a surprise, eh? And since it can be difficult to catch the sense of a poem when you hear it for the first time, here are the words, an opportunity for “pre-sermon pondering” --

First up comes the conclusion of Mary Oliver’s poem, “When Death Comes” -

[When death comes]… I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don’t want to find myself simply having visited this world.

I think Jesus would say, “Exactly – you want amazement? Love? A life that is real? You don’t want to end up “simply having visited this world”? Then here’s your chance -- follow me!”

Continue in Comments below 👇🏼

OPEN ARMS, BIG HEARTS Refugee Sponsorship Fundrais

OPEN ARMS, BIG HEARTS
Refugee Sponsorship Fundraiser (ONLINE AUCTION)
8am, January 27, 2021 – 8pm, February 10, 2021

Our Refugee Committee at St. Andrew’s-Wesley has over the past 10 years provided sponsorship for families and individuals who have found themselves in danger, threatened, and unsafe in their homeland and therefore forced to flee.

This year the committee intends to provide sponsorship for 8 more people.

A single gay man, a woman with her three young sons, and a single gay man along with his two sisters.

Working in conjunction with the United Church of Canada, Rainbow Refugee Vancouver, and Mosaic, we plan to help create a safe and welcoming home for these 8 individuals who find themselves refugees.

We invite you through your participation in this auction to share in our commitment to provide the basic needs of housing, food, and accompaniment for these people who are seeking a life that is safe and secure.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s fundraising auction will be held online. This is a new experience for us and we have worked to make it as easy and fun as possible.

openarmsbighearts.com

Our support of refugees takes a lot of resources. We always welcome additional donations whether you are bidding on an auction item or not.

Currently all donations will be matched by the Shapiro Foundation!

https://openarmsbighearts.com/

Link in Bio 👆🏼

Epiphany reading should wake you up, so I’m tack

Epiphany reading should wake you up, so I’m tackling Bob Joseph’s 21 Things about the Indian Act. Join me and we can have a zoom chat about it! Or join the live free webinar with Bob via Banyan Books Wed 20th or the VPL Thurs 28! #reconcilationmatters #reconciliationministries #reconciliation #educateyourself #progressivechristians #bookstudy #bookclub #socialjustice #localjustice #bobjoseph #bobjoseph21things #indigenouscorporatetraining #uccan #pacificmountainregionucc

This tapestry by Carol Smith (Highlands United Chu

This tapestry by Carol Smith (Highlands United Church) reflects a shared hope for the world. In the meanwhile, we have buildings boarded up in Washington DC, riot police and SWAT teams on the ready to protect the democratic transition of power and a fairly elected incoming President. May peace and wisdom (or even just sanity) prevail. #allinthistogether; #sharedhope; #uccan; #pacificmountainregionucc; #unitedchurchofchrist; #standrewswesley; #revdanadventures

Sitting around a friend’s table after a deliciou

Sitting around a friend’s table after a delicious cedar-plank salmon dinner, long before COVID, then Moderator Peter Short shared his appreciation for “simplicity on the far complexity.” The phrase triggered a memory of a university professor who made the same distinction and all these years later I listened with renewed appreciation.

There’s a simplicity on the near side of complexity, Peter shared; which has not yet discovered the complexity of a situation.

Then there’s an appreciation for complexity, which still lacks clarity for all the jumble of facts and information.

Finally, the simplicity on the far side has taken complexity into account and has distilled what is most important.

If simplicity has a sound, on the near side it rings like tin; on the far side it rings with a deep resonance.

Most people appreciate someone who’s able to distill complex information and get to the heart of the matter, whether that person is a political analyst, a public health expert, a teacher of any subject, just about anyone giving a speech (or sermon) anytime, anywhere, or a comedian who brilliantly lays bare our human foibles with such accuracy we’re led to laugh.

When/if you consider the Christian faith, what’s at the heart of it for you? What really matters to you and what is of secondary importance?

That’s what Tim Scorer is exploring with a group of people on-line, and that’s what we’ll consider in our worship series each Sunday in Epiphany until we reach the season of Lent, February 21st. If you enter this exploration with us either in the Adult Education program or worship services or both, then hopefully a few weeks down the road some things will have been distilled and clarified and you can enjoy a simplicity on the far side of the complexities of our life and faith.

The Gospel Giants (Curt Allison, Tom and Georgina Arntzen) will lift us with music and set us smiling into the Congregational Meeting which will begin 5 minutes after the service. Hope you can Zoom in! (see below)

May the grace of God bring clarity to your heart and soul through the complexities of this new year,

Dan

#heartofchristianity #epiphany #seasonofepiphany #churchonyoutube

New year, new changes! Happy to share that as of J

New year, new changes! Happy to share that as of Jan 1 Rev Dan and Rev Rhian are co-lead ministers at our church! Along with staff, volunteers and you great peeps we hope to be a light in the heart of the city by being a hub for Art, Spirit and Social Justice. #goodnews #faith #vancouverchurches #teamminister #uccan #pacificmountainregionucc #leadership #collaboration

Tonight for All Ages Worship we continue the journ

Tonight for All Ages Worship we continue the journey in Epiphany remembering how Jesus shines a light on God’s love and how we are called to live and share it! Join us on zoom as we share the story “Say Something”, pray together and welcome Jacob Autio as our Music Leader. Jake is the Artistic Director of our Spero Children’s Choir and is the Director of Kodaly Society of Canada.
@maestrojake @sperochoir

email @jen_cunnings for zoom link: j.cunnings@standrewswesley.com

#allagesworship #standrewswesley #liveandshareGodslove #zoomworship #weareallinthistogether #stawchildrenyouthandfamilies

The Heart of Christianity: Remembering Who We Are

The Heart of Christianity: Remembering Who We Are and Why We Are Together

Five Wednesday Afternoons and/or Evenings:
January 13, 20 and 27; February 3 and 10
2:00-3:30pm or 7:00-8:30pm

Email: caretakers@standrewswesley.com to register and receive zoom link.

A new way of seeing Christianity has been emerging in North America for some decades now. As with each new Christian era the question arises, ‘What is the heart of Christianity without which it would cease to live?’ Christians in North America are deeply divided about the answer to that question. We now have what Marcus Borg calls an ‘earlier’ way of seeing Christianity and a new or ‘emerging’ way.

In these five sessions we will follow Borg’s teaching and focus on four aspects of the Christian tradition – Faith, The Bible, God, and Jesus – with two intentions: to see the distinction between earlier and emerging Christianity; and to come ever more clearly to know what is at the heart of Christianity for each one of us.

Tim Scorer returns to the study guide he wrote to accompany Marcus Borg’s book to lead this faith adventure. In this season of Epiphany, we will explore the first five chapters of Borg’s book, opening ourselves to the kind of discoveries and insights that good writing and experiential learning can offer in abundance. A similar study of the remaining seven chapters will be offered in April and May – The Season of Easter.

Options for acquiring a copy of ‘The Heart of Christianity’ by Marcus Borg:

There are people in the congregation who have copies from earlier offerings of the program. If you asked around, you would likely be able to find one for borrowing.
It now comes as an audiobook through Audible. It’s an 8 hour reading of the whole text by John Pruden.
You can also get a paperback edition from Amazon
On line go to abebooks.com for access to used books from thousands of second hand book dealers. Look for Canadian sources to save on shipping and exchange.

#marcusborg #heartofchristianity #progressivechristianity #standrewswesleyunitedchurch

Epiphany is good for rituals so here’s an old on

Epiphany is good for rituals so here’s an old one: people would bless a jug or bowl or water and then walk around their home sprinkling it with this holy blessing. As we spend more time at home, try this way of giving thanks. Of course, my cat had other ideas... #blessedbeyondmeasure #spiritualpractices #ordinarymystic #revrhian #dailypractice #blessyourhome #epiphany #ancientwisdom

Squamish master carver and Order of B.C. recipient

Squamish master carver and Order of B.C. recipient, Xwalacktun, is carving a house post for our reconciliation wall and entryway to the sanctuary. This post pictured can be found on the ground floor of the atrium at Vancouver General Hospital. We are grateful for the tremendous skill and generous heart of Xwalacktun, and for the standing invitation to walk the path of reconciliation. #pathoflife; #stillspeaking; #uccan; #unitedchurchofcanada; #pmrunited; #unitedchurchofchrist; #standrewswesley; #revdanadventures

On Thursday night as we neared the end of the All-

On Thursday night as we neared the end of the All-Ages on-line service, after we had expressed heartfelt appreciation and blessing for Caitlin’s ministry with us the last 14 months, Josh blew out the candle. I was interested to hear Nicole invite him – not to ‘blow out the candle” – but to “change the light.” What a lovely turn of phrase, recognizing that when it comes to the Christ Light, we carry it with us. The flame of the candle may be extinguished, but the Light it represents is carried out into the world through our random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.

Today the cheerful Christmas lights that have decorated our strata the last month will be taken down. However, my Russian barber reminded me that yesterday (January 7th), Christmas was celebrated in Russia, which I thought was a lovely reminder that Christmas is not pinned to one day on the calendar.

This Sunday we’ll celebrate Epiphany, which is the story of how the wise ones set everything aside to follow a strange light. They took a few wrong turns (no GPS), but eventually found their way to the Christ child. In this season of divine disclosure, and in the tangle of pandemic restrictions, concerns, losses, we will do well to hone-in on what really matters.

Life is complicated. We’re not usually able to set everything aside and usually there’s no need to do so. Our practice this Epiphany season (January 6 – February 16) is to rediscover what’s at the heart of it all even in the buzz of life.

To help us with this, Tim Scorer will guide us through our Wednesday study, “The Heart of Christianity” based on the book by Marcus Borg, workbook by Tim. The series will continue for the 5 weeks of Epiphany and is offered on-line at 2:00 or 7:00 (see details in our Events) and will help clarify what’s at the heart of our faith.

This Sunday, the Gospel Giants return with Curt Allison and Tom and Georgina Arntzen, offering sweet harmonies that lift the soul. After the service, Gary unpacks meaningful moments with us in the Coffee Hour.

Tune in when you can, but we hope to see you!

Dan

Link to join us in bio ☝🏼

#epiphany2021 #sundaysonyoutube #churchonline #standrewswesleyunitedchurch

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