It’s almost seven feet when it’s rolled out full length! Connected by a dotted line through a ribbon of landscape from one end to the other are 72 entries by way of date and significant development that tell the story of “Indigenous Peoples and The Anglican Church of Canada.” Half of the entries cover 140 years and the other half the last 20 years.
In the third week of Lent I will be making a visit to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem with Andrea Mann, the director of global relations for our church. Our visit begins in Amman, Jordan, with an act of renewing baptismal vows in the Jordan River! Imagine wading into those same waters in which Jesus was baptized to renew one’s vows as a disciple and then to baptize others! That will be quite the experience.
As Mary and Joseph say, “Yes, his name is Jesus,” Simeon takes the child in his arms and blesses God saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
On Sunday, January 18, the Feast of the Confession of Peter, I will join Bishop Geoff Peddle in Upper Island Cove, Nfld., to celebrate with the faithful in Christ their 200th anniversary as a parish. It will be the first anniversary of his consecration as a bishop and the 20th of my own.
Among the glories of Canada’s great landscapes are its mountains.
On a Saturday morning in mid-September, I was seated with three other people, forming a panel at a meeting of the board of ATR (Anglican Theological Review), a quarterly publication well known for its articles, poetry and book reviews. We were invited to speak to the subject of “testing the bonds of affection” and to offer some reflections on the state of relations within and among the churches of the Anglican Communion.
Stalks of corn are tied to the ends of every pew. Apples, parsnips, carrots and tomatoes are nestled in beds of colourful leaves on every windowsill.
This summer I had some extraordinary experiences of eucharist in stately cathedral churches, in a teepee set up in a gymnasium in Kingfisher Lake, Ont., and several lovely old parish churches celebrating milestone anniversaries in the service of the gospel.
On June 4, I will be in Kingfisher Lakein northern Ontario for the inauguration of a new diocese. This occasionfulfills a vision of a deeply loved and highly respected elder, TheRev. William Winter. It had been revealed to him that some day therewould be a truly indigenous church with leadership from among his ownpeople.
In his book A Walk in Jerusalem, John Peterson writes: “No roadin the Holy Land has been more travelled than the Way of the Cross inJerusalem. It is an ecumenical phenomenon and never more so than today.”
It was literally a full house with standing room only at the eucharist on Sunday, February 16 in Luyano, a very poor area in Havana, Cuba.
In recent years I have come to deeply appreciate the rites of smudgingconducted by indigenous peoples. From a pouch containing cedar, sweetgrass, sage and tobacco, an elder draws a handful and places the mixturein a shell.
I was baptized on April 7, 1957 at Emmanuel Church in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Though my baptismal certificate is a bit yellowed and tattered, I carry it with me wherever I go. It is tucked into my Prayer Book and is sometimes the focus of a chat with the children or with adults being baptized.
While in the Eastern Townships in Quebecfor the 125th anniversary of the Church of the Advent, I enjoyed a visit to Abbaye Saint Benoit-du-Lac, a beautiful Benedictine abbey nestled in the hills surrounding Lake Memphremagog. The abbey is renowned for Gregorian chant and the production of world-class cheeses and applecider.
Chosen to carry the Christ Child in her womb and to bring him to birth, Mary asks the angel Gabriel, “How can this be?” The angel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”(Luke1:34-35).
On August 10 I went to the funeral of Sister Constance Murphy at St. James Cathedral in Toronto. For seventy-seven years, she had been a life-professed member of the Society of the Sisters of St. John the Divine (SSJD).
“For food and friends and all God sends, we give our thanks and praise.” That simple but lovely grace is best sung as a round at a potluck supper or a gathering of family and friends. Many of us will be blessed to share in such a meal on Thanksgiving weekend.
In taking time “to smell the roses,” we sometimes discover things we might not otherwise experience.
Have we ever really stopped to think about how much water has shaped the course of history? How much the use of water shapes our daily routines? How access to clean water is a given in some places in the world and such a crisis in others?
What a privilege and blessing it was to represent our belovedchurch at the inauguration of the ministry of Justin Welby, the 105thArchbishop of Canterbury. There were three aspects I shall never forget.
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