Monday Music Appreciation #45: I Heard the Bells (Johnny Reid)

Last week I had the privilege of working both evenings at the Winspear Centre for Music for Christmas with Johnny Reid. The man is definitely an entertainer, cracking jokes in his Scottish brogue and singing with an energy and enthusiasm that proves he loves his work and his fans.

The song below was quite powerful both evenings, as his band was backed up by our Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and he had the crowd singing like the Gospel choir and waving their phone lights. The second evening, my usher seat was near the front of the chamber, so I was able to look back at the sold-out room, main floor and three balconies full of people standing with their lights shining, singing Peace On Earth.That phrase has stuck with me ever since... something my heart is yearning for this season of Advent like never before.

Here's the song, for your enjoyment.

Monday Music Appreciation #44: An old hymn in honour of Jim

Yesterday was the last Community of Emmanuel service led by our dear Associate Pastor, Jim Gurnett, who has decided to retire after seven plus years of serving with Inner City Pastoral Ministry. As we began, Pastor Quinn announced Jim's retirement at the end of December, and I suspect that had an impact on Jim's listeners -- what a special service it was! It started with a Land Acknowledgment and Jim's special brand of groan-inducing humour, and once two Advent Candles were lit and those who wanted to smudge had that opportunity, Jim launched into a beautiful reflection on the Canticle of Zechariah.

I have always loved listening to Jim, but his sermon yesterday was exceptionally good, probably because of his unshakeable belief in the words of Zechariah, and because his love for the community shone through more brightly than ever. 

At the close of his sermon, Jim used the following words from St. Paul after telling everyone gathered that Paul's words to the Philippians (1:3-11) reflected his own sentiments toward them:

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer,

(here Jim had to pause for a long moment, a bit choked up) 

that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Jim then spoke beautifully about the value of community, of caring for one another and helping each other, especially when times are hard. 

Jim is truly a community elder, full of kindness, wisdom and generosity, always gentle and encouraging, but also not afraid to speak hard words to the powers that be when injustice rears its head. I'd go so far as to call him a living saint, though I'm sure that would embarrass him. 

Jim Gurnett is the man local journalists turn to every time they need news commentary on homelessness -- and he's schooled more than a few politicians -- and me -- about the struggles faced by those living on our streets because they have nowhere else to go due to governmental neglect. And in these past few years, as I've really struggled with my faith, Jim's certainty about God's love and his belief in people in spite of the injustices he always stands against has helped me more than words can say. 

Jim will continue with the Community of Emmanuel as a participant rather than a leader. He's leaving the role of associate pastor to me, though I have no hope of ever filling his shoes. I am hopeful that I can be of special assistance to the women of our inner-city community, and anyone else who needs a listening ear. There's a women's group who looks forward to some spiritual input, and I'll continue with music ministry and lead the second service of each month, and meet folks on the streets with my ministry partner, Pastor Quinn, two mornings a week. We work well together, Quinn and I... but I'll miss that third partner, Jim, though he'll still be around whenever I need advice. The Community of Emmanuel is his church.

Another thing I have really appreciated about Jim is his willingness to colour outside the lines when it comes to liturgy. His services often had a show-and-tell quality to them, including little activities or small items shared for people to carry with them to remind them of the day's message. He invited me to sing a Roy Rogers song one Sunday, and yesterday, he asked for a beautiful old hymn that we used to close the service. It was very fitting, as he has called the Community of Emmanuel to gather near the throne of God more than a hundred times over his time of ministry.

Here's a more modern take on Jim's song request. This version of Shall We Gather at the River is a pretty amazing listening experience, especially toward the end. In the video's comments, someone noted that the singers can't hold in their joy at making this music together. 

Enjoy! and God bless Jim in his retirement!

Relentless

Tuesday is "table time." Pastor Quinn and I set up our table on the corner near the Bissell Centre to hand out clothing and winter boots. Folks came by and politely took what they needed, and loaded up on Halloween candies and bananas that were possibly frozen (it was -14 and the wind was cold; the bananas had no chance).

And the people didn't have much of a chance either. Eight police officers and a group of cheerful city workers in hazmat suits came to throw the tarps and belongings of people huddled against the building into a waiting garbage truck. I can't imagine how those workers can do what they do every day of the week. I almost cried.

Police and clean up crews are paid outrageous amounts of money -- this is what our tax dollars get us, when they should be used for building supportive, non-market housing and offering the necessary physical and mental health care to the downtown community. My heart breaks every time our homeless folks are relentlessly forced to march on as if they're only as valuable as their belongings being tossed into that garbage truck...

But I helped three people into warm winter coats this morning, shared chocolate bars, and gave away eight pairs of boots. 

Small comfort.

Please, write your politicians. Housing is a human right. If we were all as relentless in demanding housing as Police and clean up crews are forced to be in clearing encampments, there wouldn't be a housing issue.

Monday Music Appreciation #43: William Prince and Serena Ryder "Sing me a song"

This song just played through my radio on good old CKUA (if you haven't listened to CKUA yet, it's available through the link on the right side bar lower down, here on these moodlings). This song always makes me smile. I have come to love the voices of these two wonderful Canadian musicians, Serena Ryder and William Prince -- they're less polished than a lot of the singers I hear on other stations, but that's definitely part of their charm. 

Too many people have been told in their pasts that they can't sing, and that makes me sad. True, some are less tuneful singers than others, but singing is good for the soul, so I'm always encouraging people to sing. Plus, as someone who has always loved to be sung to, I just love this tune's message -- it ain't gotta be good, it ain't gotta be long, just sing me a song...

Rallying for housing

Back in early fall (or was it even as far back as June?) the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH) planned its HOUSING HEALS HOMELESSNESS Rally at the Alberta Legislature for November 23rd, the day after National Housing Day. We figured more people would be able to attend on a Saturday. Of course, no one knew we'd be rallying in a blizzard!

In the initial planning, there were hopes that 4,000 people might show up to stand in solidarity with (and bring blankets for) the well over that many homeless individuals braving the cold in our city right now. As we set up in the snow this afternoon, those expectations dropped significantly.

In the end, we did have about 80 intrepid folks out (I made an effort to count them), which was actually pretty amazing given the snowstorm. We also managed to keep our program to 45 minutes so people's feet wouldn't freeze. Martin Kerr and Maria Dunn sang for us, and Jim Gurnett, Nadine Chalifoux, Bernadette Iahtail and Rylan Kafara offered personal reflections and information on the present affordable housing crisis. Lloyd Cardinal and his drummer friends sang for us, and Johnny Lee offered the opportunity to smudge.

Christina (my kiddo) and I periodically led a stomping chant with arm actions to try to keep the crowd warm. "Build Housing!" had everyone's arms over their heads in a roof position, and "Not Shelters" had them crossing their arms over their chests. As you might imagine, it was rather effective at keeping blood flowing on a chilly day. That kind of motion is what folks who stay in homeless shelters have to do when it's cold, walk and swing their arms and stomp their feet, often over 30,000 steps per day. How else does a person stay warm when they're forced to leave their shelter for most of the day only to have mall or transit security chasing them out of public spaces?

Below is today's chant, my first attempt at interactive slam poetry. If you're having a housing rally, you're welcome to adapt it for your own purposes. All of the situations in the verses are experienced by people in our city; I'm making nothing up.

Please consider writing your politicians to demand affordable and supportive housing with rents no more than 30% of peoples' wages. That kind of effort is the only way things will improve for all the people out on our streets across this wintry country...

Housing Heals Homelessness! Build Housing, Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

1.     Danielle Smith, you gotta help me (Got no place to live)

It's freezing cold here on the streets (Got no place to live)

Jason Nixon, build me a home (Got no place to live)

Your shelters force me out to roam (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

2.     Shelter beds can be worse than a tent (Got no place to live)

And I can NOT afford to rent (Got no place to live)

There's bugs and thugs and trouble inside (Got no place to live)

I need a private place to hide (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)

 

3.     Our family came from a place of war (Got no place to live)

We’re not sure what we came here for (Got no place to live)

Our apartment's small, our rent is high (Got no place to live)

We live so tight; we want to cry (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

4.     I have a disability (Got no place to live)

There's little accessibility (Got no place to live)

Medicine -- or a roof overhead? (Got no place to live)

Can't afford both; there's trouble ahead (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)

 

5.     My partner's abusive, my marriage is done (Got no place to live)

I'm on the streets and on the run (Got no place to live)

We live in my car; it's much too cold (Got no place to live)

but my daughter's school is across the road (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

 

6.     My student loans are way too high (Got no place to live)

I work three jobs and can't get by (Got no place to live)

Couch surfing's all I can afford (Got no place to live)

Or homelessness is my reward (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)

 

7.     I broke my leg; boss fired me (Got no place to live)

Depression got the best of me (Got no place to live)

Addiction's become my best friend (Got no place to live)

Some days I wish the world would end (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

8.     Justin Trudeau, you must know (Got no place to live)

You have the funds, just make it so (Got no place to live)

Sean Fraser, we're tired of this fight (Got no place to live)

Feds and Province must do what’s right! (Got no place to live)

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not Shelters!

Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!

 

Build Housing – Not Shelters!

Build Housing – Not Shelters!

Build Housing – Not Shelters!

Your humble poet, Maria K.

Meet Remi

On November 2, my husband's birthday, we picked up our furry little bundle of joy. On the three-hour drive home, we debated names as the little one chewed on toys or slept on the back seat between my daughter and me. None of us could agree on anything name-wise, and our puppy was still nameless when we went to bed that evening (not that he let us sleep much... puppies are like that).

So the next morning, I told Lee that if he and Suzanna could come up with something they agreed upon by the time I got home from Inner City Pastoral Ministry, I would go along with it. And so Remi was named for his little moustache (French?) and his tendency to paddle his feet when held in the air (Remi translates as "little oarsman" or something like it in some language or other).

I'm not sure I've ever been as tired as I have been in the past few weeks. We've been taking turns when the puppy wakes at night, but we're not young like when our babies needed overnight care. We're managing, though, and we're loving this little critter, marveling as he learns new things, laughing at his antics, and enjoying puppy kisses and cuddles. His delight with the first snowfall was hilarious, and on Sunday night, he managed the entire 20 minute evening walk Lee and I take every night, though it took 30 minutes with all of Remi's exploratory starts and stops.

We've had visits from a few friends who can't resist puppies, and this post will have a few more folks showing up on our doorstep, I expect. Just call before you come to make sure I'm not taking a nap!

Elli's documentary

I first met Elli fourteen months ago today and was immediately struck by her warmth and kindness. In the space of a very short period of time and subsequent conversations and texts, I knew I had met someone incredibly authentic and deep, someone who had been through a lot, but who knew herself better than many human beings ever do because of her own personal struggle to be true to herself. Now, Elli is all about finding and creating joy.

Over the past year, Elli, with the help of a Telus Story Hive grant and some good friends, has put together a wonderful documentary to share her life experiences so that trans young people can learn that they are not alone, and hopefully, find joy on their own journeys. Elli's honesty and her willingness to open her life up so that others can learn and understand is incredibly brave and generous, especially as the government of Alberta prepares to enact some terrible anti-trans legislation, to put it mildly.

Coming Home -- at least the first 5 episodes (I have yet to view the 6th) -- is definitely worth watching. That I am even saying so is a sign of how far I have come as a human being -- ten years ago (as my own trans child was coming out), the conversations in these videos would have made me deeply uncomfortable, but because I now know many people in the queer and trans community as friends (and family), my perspective has shifted in a major way. I know in my bones that our gender/sexuality is a special part of each of us, and that no matter how we identify, we are all Creator's beloved children and must do what we need to do to be true to ourselves, or risk dying inside.

As mom of a trans child, I have found hope and joy in Elli's documentary in spite of present circumstances. I want to believe that we as human beings can all become more accepting and inclusive of those who are different from us by welcoming them into our lives as they are.

Today is Trans Day of Remembrance, a day when we honour the lives of Trans persons who have died because of anti-trans violence over the past year. It's a very difficult day for many people who have lost friends or who already don't feel safe because of their gender difference. The day I met Elli, as I walked with a different trans person, a full water bottle narrowly missed is. It was hurled by some teens yelling slurs.

I hesitate to offer Elli's first episode because Trans Day of Remembrance is a day of mourning, and Coming Home is about joy. 

But if mourning prejudice and the injustices perpetrated against trans people can be combined with a deeper understanding of what it's actually like to be a trans person, it can bring about healing, too. So I offer the first episode of Coming Home here because Elli and her friendship have helped me to heal and grow in unexpected ways. If you are able to watch this on YouTube, the other episodes should follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okZjq3SMk-U&t=7s

May we all be as kind and courageous as Elli!

Important event November 23rd

The week ahead is National Housing Week, a time for people to become more aware of the lack of supportive, non-market housing available to those living on the margins of our society due to 30 years of government inaction in providing such housing.

As a ministry team member for Inner City Pastoral Ministry, I'm only too aware of many people who live on the streets of downtown Edmonton because they can't afford a home of their own. Shelter beds will never be an answer to the problem as I've noted many times in these moodlings. Unfortunately, the family of Alberta's Minister for Housing and Seniors started the first shelter in Edmonton, and he is so proud of that legacy, he can't see how terrible shelters are for the health and well-being of community members who are already living with trauma. He ignores the need for permanent homes for the homeless. Nor is our premier interested in solving the problem beyond hiring police and clean up crews to continually displace the tents and tarps of homeless people who have nowhere else to live.

If you share my concern about the lack of housing, which is a nation-wide problem, please consider supporting events going on across the country for National Housing Day -- the easiest way to find one is to use your internet browser, type in the name of your community along with National Housing Day 2024, and see what comes up. 

Here in Edmonton, I'll save you the trouble of looking -- join me at the Alberta Legislature North Plaza at 1 p.m. Please, spread the word and bring friends! The program will be short and family friendly. The poster below holds all the key information. Hope to see you there!

Monday Music Appreciation #42 for Remembrance Day -- In Paradisum from Fauré's Requiem

I'd never heard Fauré's Requiem until Friday night, and with 200 voices from four choirs -- the Richard Eaton Singers, Chorale Saint-Jean, the University of Alberta's Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers -- and some wonderful soloists, I was blown away. It was a beautiful thing to hear on this Remembrance Day weekend, and at the end of it, the audience held silence a few moments longer than usual before breaking into a standing ovation. Long enough for me to breathe, "Wow!" and take another deep breath in and out.

Here is a beautiful version of In Paradisum from 2013, a video of the Royal Choral Society recorded at St. Giles, Cripplegate, near the Barbican in London. I tried to find a video with orchestra and 200 voices, but this was the largest choir I could discover on YouTube, so you'll have to imagine what it would be like to hear it with twice to three times as many singers and a full orchestra to boot. Just amazing.

In honour of those who have fallen in the World Wars that we remember today -- may the angels indeed lead them into paradise -- and with a deep desire for peace on our planet, I leave this with you. 

Music and meditation

I've been meaning to leave this here in my moodlings since before Canadian Thanksgiving! Sharing this information isn't just about appreciating music like my usual Music Appreciation Mondays, but about inviting my readers to participate in it and use it for prayer.

I've posted many times about Taizé in these moodlings, as I've been singing and praying the music of the Community since the early 90s or maybe even earlier, but I only managed to visit what I soon recognized as my spiritual home for the first time in 2014. My experience there was an affirmation of the importance of ecumenism in my life, and it's part of my reason for serving with the Community of Emmanuel at Inner City Pastoral Ministry. 

I deeply believe that Christians can and should pray together as much as possible, regardless of theological and dogmatic differences between churches, and the prayer of the Taizé community is a beautiful way to do that. We gather to listen to scripture and let it speak to our hearts without interpretation, we spend time in silence together, opening ourselves to God, we offer the prayers of our hearts, and we sing beautiful harmonies together, uniting our spirits.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the 2024-2025 season, and an invitation to a very special evening's peace prayer the day before Remembrance Day (this Sunday already!) We will gather, as the brothers of Taizé do every Sunday evening, and sit in silence before God for 30 minutes, praying for peace. The remainder of the hour-long prayer will be a simplified version of what happens in Taizé three times a day. 

I hope you can join us. If you would like a printable version of this poster, please contact me @ the email address under "The Moodler -- Maria K." on the right sidebar, and I'll be happy to email you a copy. Or better yet, come to the prayer and you can have a hard copy that I've already printed.

With the wars happening in our world and concerns about the election for our neighbours to the south, we can use all the peace we can pray for!

50 years of gratitude

This week marks 50 years since my family of origin moved 
from small town Saskatchewan to the big city of Edmonton, Alberta. 
The picture below was taken the month before we came 
(in September of 1974). 

The colour picture below is from winter of 2011...

and the next picture is from the last day of September this year.

Our city has grown a lot since we came, 

from a population of about 445,000

to the present 1.1 million people.

The roads are busier (and always under construction).

The people are more diverse, 

and the arts and culture scene has grown

by more than leaps and bounds!

Unfortunately, homelessness has increased

(doubled since last year to 4,700 people lacking homes,

or so Homeward Trust tells us today)

mostly because successive governments have failed 

over the past 30+ years to build and maintain

housing stock that is affordable.

(I'll have news about a housing rally coming up 

for National Housing Day on November 23rd.

Watch this space.)

I am grateful for life in this city, 

first known as amiskwaciswâskahikan in Cree

or Beaver Hills House in English.

Thanks, Dad and Mom,

for your decision to move to this beautiful place

50 years ago -- how time flies!

Thank you, beautiful place on a beautiful river,

for being home for 50 years.

I am grateful.

Ninanaskomun.

Wednesday music appreciation?

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Monday Music Appreciation, does it?

But Monday was my dear friend Farley's memorial service, and I wasn't thinking much about moodling. I did manage to hold myself together to sing Part of the Family because my friend Julie -- and everyone present -- really sang along. It was Farley's song, and they belted it out for him!

And his son Paul sang this beautiful song, too, which I had never heard until I met Farley. I loved Farley's version, and didn't know about Bob Franke, who wrote it, or that Stan Rogers had recorded it in a key that Farley appreciated and likely kept when he sang it.

Here it is for your enjoyment -- Thanksgiving Eve by Bob Franke, as sung by Stan Rogers.

Monday Music Appreciation #41: Everything reminds me of my dog

What would you call him?

Since Friday, my favourite radio station, CKUA, has been running its annual fall fundraising drive, and I've been enjoying the hosts teaming up and playing listener requests while they invite listeners to donate to the station. 

It's a unique and wonderful thing, this province-wide, listener-funded radio station that's been running for 97 years. It doesn't play top-40 hits -- rather, it caters to local musicians and other talented folks I would otherwise never hear of. Sometimes it plays stuff I'm not crazy about, but if I wait a few minutes, I hear something more to my taste, and I've fallen in love with a few of the announcers.

It's the only station that has played So Fine, a joyful tune my kids recorded, and it has helped launch the careers of many artists through its arts and culture programming. It can be heard anywhere in the world if you click this link.

On Saturday, as I was planting the last of my spring bulbs, the song below came through my earbuds, and made me laugh with delight. I saw Jane Siberry perform it live once, and enjoyed its humour then. I'm not sure if I'd heard it since, but I offer it below as a bit of music to be appreciated this Monday.

Not everything reminds me of my dog, but I'm posting a picture of the Havanese puppy who will be joining our household in two weeks. As yet, he's still with his mama and seven litter mates, and we are in the process of preparing for him to live here -- and throwing names around. We want to avoid common human names, and are compiling a list of possibilities. If you look at this picture and a name springs to mind, please send it my way. You might have better ideas than I do!

Here's Jane Siberry's Everything Reminds Me of My Dog. Enjoy!

Sunday Reflection: Top or bottom of the heap?

Today's reflection is brought to you by

Mark 10:35-45.

It was a gorgeous morning as I drove to ICPM this morning -- a stunning, fiery sunrise was reflected in the windows of the downtown skyscrapers, so I quickly pulled off and took a picture.

It was also a challenging morning for me at the Community of Emmanuel. It was my first time sitting in my friend Farley's chair and playing and singing Part of the Family, a song we always sang together, without him. Let's just say I was a mess, but people sang along and we got through it. I'm grateful that I don't have to lead the music for his memorial service in a week's time.

It was also my turn to give a reflection on the reading. I'll leave it here for my readers. I hope you all have a good week.

* * * * * * *

This is an interesting Sunday reading, don’t you think? Here we have James and John, two of Jesus’ friends and disciples, and basically, they’re asking Jesus to make them his “main men.” They’ve seen how popular and amazing Jesus is and want some of his amazingness to rub off on them – so they can be more important than Jesus' other followers. So they’re kinda sneaky with their request to Jesus, probably because they know the other guys won’t like it if they’re seen as more important. 

I suspect that if we look inside ourselves – if I look inside myself – I know that there’s a little bit of James and John in me too. There’s a bit of insecurity, maybe, that sometimes makes me want to be seen as important, or special, or maybe I want to feel like I’m better than others, especially people I don’t like. 

This little episode with Jesus and James and John makes me think of one of my friends, who isn't really a friend. All my life, my relationship with her has felt like a competition for some reason that I can’t quite understand. Maybe it’s all in my head, but many of my interactions with her have felt like a contest when I really didn’t want to compete. For example, when I was six, my parents bought me my first bike, and my friend started bragging about her bike being bigger than mine, and she could ride without training wheels! Her teachers were always better than my teachers, to hear her tell it. As we went through High School, she bragged about her grades, which were always better than mine. In our twenties, my friend boasted about being so busy, having the best job, and having so many friends, but I was more introverted and didn’t feel like my work or my friends were part of a competition. And when we got married and had our families, she made even the arrival of our babies feel like some sort of contest. It was weird. It's puzzled me all my life, and makes me a little sad too, because I just wanted us to be true friends, but I ended up avoiding her. 

Here’s the thing about competition – it divides people into two categories: winners and losers. What happens next is that the losers have an inferiority complex because they’ve lost, and the winners have a superiority complex because they’ve won, and the two groups don’t mix because of resentments that build up in a win-lose world. The losers are unhappy with losing and become more determined to get the winner’s prize, and the winners are watching their backs because they know the losers might beat them next time and they have to protect their status as winners. In this scripture reading today, the other disciples got mad when they heard about James and John’s request to be Jesus’ hot shot helpers. 

One of my favourite spiritual writers, Henri Nouwen, explains it well. This is what he says: “The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record - that's what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us [big] rewards....” 

James and John are so excited about the “big reward” of sitting beside Jesus in his glory that they don’t think about how the others might feel, or even hear what Jesus says to them about the suffering he, and by association, they, will have to endure. “Oh, yes, yes, we can drink your cup and follow your path” they say, but we all know where that path ultimately led. To the cross. Jesus’ glory is not a King-dom, like the Roman Empire. It’s a Kin-dom, a place where we are all kin, all brothers and sisters, equal in every way. Jesus’ heaven isn’t a race up a ladder. It’s a wide open gate for everyone who lives in love, where nobody is top dog because we all have our own unique and special qualities. 

Henry Nouwen continues by saying, “The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is … the way Jesus took… the way that brings everlasting life.” 

Jesus offers a completely different kind of world than what James and John were expecting. And when the disciples got angry with James and John for trying to be the top dogs, Jesus told them all to sit down and listen, and he explained that his Kin-dom is about serving one another, not trying to be the greatest. In Jesus’ books, the great ones in this life aren’t the ones who climb over everyone else on their way to the top of the heap, but are the ones hustling around the bottom of it, trying to help everybody else up too. 

Of course, when we look around the world we are in right now, we can see that there are a lot of so-called “hot shots” or “top dogs” who think they are the winners in this life because they’ve clawed their way to positions of power over other people. But what would Jesus say to them? The same thing he says to his disciples and to us: “The great ones among you will humble themselves and serve all the others.” 

So the next question is, what does it mean to serve? Let’s look at Jesus and how he did it. He spent his ministry listening to people, reminding them by his actions that God loved them. He healed the sick. He cared for the broken hearted. He walked alongside people where they were at, and forgave what needed forgiveness to free them from their burdens. He encouraged people to choose the good path. He was generous to everyone, not interested in piling up possessions, but sharing all that he had. Above all, he loved everyone, no matter if they were powerful or small in the world’s eyes. As he said in the reading, he offered his life in the place of many, to set them free. 

Can we be that kind of servant to others? Can we listen? Can our actions be an extension of God’s care for the people we meet? Can we listen to other people’s broken hearts and share ours and find healing as a community? Can we walk alongside each other and forgive what needs forgiveness? Can we choose the good path and share what we have? Can we love everyone, even when the world seems stuck on making everyone either a winner or a loser? Can we set each other and ourselves free by letting go of grudges and anger and choosing the way of love above all? 

Let’s talk to Creator about it. I invite you to pray in your heart with me: 

Creator, 

Here I am, 

just the way you made me. 

You know me. 

You know everything about me – 

the good things, 

the things I am proud of, 

the things I like to brag about… 

and the things about myself that I’m not proud of,

that make me ashamed.

You know everything.

 

And still, you love me. 

You love me! 

And you love everybody else too. 

Help me, 

Creator, 

to remember that everyone is your beloved child. 

Help me to be like your son, Jesus, 

who made himself a servant to everyone. 

Help me to listen with love. 

Help me to accept people without judging them. 

Help me to go the extra mile for others who need help. 

Help me to love and forgive and serve others, 

 to see where I can help, 

 and to do what Jesus would do with kindness and compassion.

 

+AMEN.

About all that gobbledygook

(If you're not receiving these moodlings by e-mail, feel free to ignore all but the last paragraph of  this moodling!)

Those of you who receive these moodlings in your e-mail inbox because you signed up to "Get Simple Moodlings by E-mail" are subject to a fair bit of gobbledygook (yes, that's the incorrect technical term for strange computer language about error codes and IP address restrictions) whenever I try to put a video into my moodlings. This is what I'm talking about, right here:

I'm not someone who knows enough about computer coding to be able to figure out how to fix this problem and save you from all that gibberish, and I'm very sorry about that. All I can do is tell you this much: if you see this kind of strange language, it means that the videos in my e-mailed moodlings are not appearing so that you can see them.

That's why I've put a sort of cheeky comment below the e-mail heading: 

Here's my latest moodling in basic format.
To see it in all its glory , visit https://simplemoodlings.blogspot.com/.

The above link will take you to the page where the pretty colour version of Simple Moodlings and its videos should be visible, clickable, and viewable. I post this here because I don't want my friends to miss Farley's song in yesterday's moodling... or any other Monday Music or video that's worth some appreciation.

And one more thing -- thanks for reading, friends. I've been moodling online for 14 years already, and I appreciate hearing from you whenever feel like responding to something you see here. The odd little comment here and there is a good part of the reason I've been at this so long. You make my day!

Be well!

Monday Music Appreciation #40: Love Waits by Farley Magee

My heart broke on Friday afternoon when I received word that my musical and faith-filled friend, Farley, had died. He hadn't been feeling well of late, and missed our last two Sundays at Inner City Pastoral Ministry, where I liked to tease him about me being his favourite (well, only, perhaps) back up singer. No one expected this news, and we at ICPM are pretty heartbroken, though we know that Farley is with God, doing just fine, and still alive in our hearts.

I didn't know Farley very long, but what I knew of him, I loved. He was a gentle man with an ironic sense of humour, and a very talented guitarist. The day we met, I had brought my guitar because I was told I could help with the music at ICPM, but Farley's reception to that was a bit cool -- likely because I was an unknown quantity. I told him I'd just back him up and play what I could, and it worked out okay. By the end of the morning, he had warmed up and we had a good conversation -- I guess he realized that I had enough ability that I might make the music a little richer than it would have been otherwise.

It was five years later when I joined the ministry team at ICPM, right in the middle of Covid. It was a fall day, and Farley was sitting outside, playing his guitar to entertain the folks waiting in line for lunches, and I recognized a hymn he was playing and started to sing it. His head swiveled toward me, and he grinned, and from that Sunday on, he often played the tune to see if I'd catch it and sing along. It was like an unspoken communication between us.

But my favourite memory of Farley by far is a September day when we were waiting for an event we were both attending in St. Albert at the invitation of Pastor Quinn. We arrived a few hours before other folks were due, and I asked Farley if he'd like to go for a walk. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, and we walked down the hill to the Sturgeon River and wandered its banks all the way to the St. Albert community garden, enjoying the warm sun, the scents of autumn, the lazy river, and good company. I learned a bit about Farley's life, his long time grief from losing his daughter to cancer when she was only 7, and I shared some of my own grief at that time. We became better friends that afternoon.

I will really, really miss Farley every Sunday morning. His was a talent that can't be replaced. He often started our Sunday mornings with "Here Comes the Sun," and segued into bluesy riffs on a theme sounding like Fred Penner's "The Cat Came Back" or Woodie Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant." My friend, Linda, and I would dance, and people would smile. Farley's music lent a peaceful calm to many otherwise chaotic Sunday mornings. His "smudge music" was one of my favourite sounds. I only wish I had recorded it.

And this song, written by Farley, is another favourite. The first time he played it as a meditation for the Community of Emmanuel, the tears rolled down my face. It's such a beautiful expression of what Love does, what Love is. As Linda commented today, it pretty much summarizes Farley's theology and belief. I'm so grateful that he allowed me to record it. I asked him once, if his favourite artist could record his song so it became famous, who would that be? "I'll have to think about that," he said, but he never got back to me on that question.

I know I've posted the song in these moodlings twice already, but third time is the charm, or something.

I will always miss harmonizing with you, Farley, your philosophical commentaries on life and the goodness and omnipotence of God, and the twinkle in your eye when anyone made you laugh. You liked to say, "God knows. I don't." Well, now you know God's love for you in its fullness.

Farley, my musical brother, you were one in a million. Rest in peace, beloved friend.

Monday Music Appreciation #39: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3

I'm so delighted that the symphony season has started once again (I'm back to my dream job!), and I must say that the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Guest Conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni, and 25-year-old Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko started the season with a triumphant rendition of the concerto you'll hear if you click on the video below. Jaeden was just incredible and deserved every one of his three (or was it four?) standing ovations on Friday night. Wow.

I'll never cease to be amazed by musicians. Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote this exceedingly technically challenging concerto in the summer of 1909, but didn't have enough time to practice it before taking it (on an ocean crossing -- I think Orville and Wilbur Wright were still working the bugs out of their aeroplane at that point) to New York for its premiere that November. No piano on the ship, so he practiced on a paper keyboard! Imagine!

And the young man below is just as accomplished -- Yunchan Lim from South Korea is just 20, and knows his way around a keyboard with his eyes closed, I'm sure. The beauty and complexity of this concerto has been singing with me all day as I process tomatoes and relive the magic of symphony and piano working together so beautifully (I especially love from about 35 minutes onward). I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Sunday Reflection: You're adorable

Today's reflection is brought to you by

Mark 10:13-16, 

and partly inspired by Pastor Quinn's sermon for the Community of Emmanuel 

in downtown Edmonton this morning.

They wanted to bring their little ones

for you to touch 

and hold 

and bless.

We don't know who they were

or why your disciples tried to send them away.

We do know that you were indignant, 

even angry, 

speaking sternly.

You welcomed those little ones, 

cuddled some,

laid your hands upon others,

and blessed them

and all their sweet, 

adorable innocence.

Just as Creator wants to do with all his children,

whether we are sweet,

adorable,

or innocent

or not.

(Though you reminded us those qualities

are the way into God's heart.)

The Good News is

that it doesn't matter who you are

what you do,

how you vote,

or how many mistakes you have made.

You're as adorable

in the eyes of God

as a little one is

in the eyes of a loving parent.

Thank you, 

Creator,

for sending Jesus

to remind us how fully and deeply

we are loved.

Help us to remember

that every person who crosses our path

is loved just as fully and deeply

by you.

Remind me not to judge,

but to love as you do.

You want to touch

and hold

and bless us all.

May we touch

and hold 

and bless each other

just as you would.

+Amen

This week my dad celebrated an important birthday. There are no words to express how much he means to me, and how much he has to do with my understanding of God as a loving parent.

Thanks, Dad. I love you so much! M

2024's last garden moodling

It was another good garden year in most respects. A heatwave in July meant I had hardly any broad beans because the blossoms dried out on the vines, my cabbages didn't manage to get anywhere, and the strawberries had a hard go of it because of some wood shaving mulch that must've had chemicals in it. But Mother Nature did well with the help of a lot of watering from our 4000 L rain tank and my daughter's vigilance when we were away looking after my father-in-law. 

So here's a little 4 minute video from mid-September, before Lee got busy dismantling things, and a few pictures of what's left this morning. It's supposed to freeze tonight, so my basement is full of ripening tomatoes and peppers, and I'll turn the kale into chips and soups very soon (I'm pretty sure they can stand a bit of frost.

Thanks to Creator for this garden space, and for the produce we enjoy from it.

Lee took apart the double-high raised box

next to the compost pile so that our leaf bin

could be closer to the compost, so a few meters 

of dirt are spread around in other boxes.

All that's left: cherry tomatoes, carrots, beets 

and a few potatoes still in the ground

And our new leaf bin next to the compost pile,

waiting for this year's leaves to fall...

We'll cover all the beds with leaves, and start fresh in 2025.

This is your garden moodler, signing off till then.

Further thoughts on National Truth and Reconciliation Day

After feeling so frustrated with my church on Sunday because there was no mention of National Truth and Reconciliation Day, I attended a special Truth and Reconciliation Day mass at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples with Lee on Monday morning. It was a beautiful service with singing that raised the roof at times, and I was very happy to be there.

But as the presider noted, Truth and Reconciliation Day should be more than a day -- it should be every day of the year. When I got home, I looked in my September missalette a second time to determine whether I had missed any prayers or mention of care for First Peoples in its pages, other than the somewhat offensive reference to Jean Brebeuf and Companions' response to the call for "missionaries to the Indians" -- in other words, the earliest attempts to colonize Indigenous people away from their own understanding of Creator toward Eurocentric thinking. That was the only mention of anything to do with Indigenous People in the entire September booklet.

So today I am writing a letter to the company who puts out the missalette, as well as to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. I want to remind them all that one morning's prayers in one church in my city is not an adequate effort toward Truth and Reconciliation from a church that was so much a part of Residential Schools and the resulting intergenerational trauma they left as a horrifying legacy of colonialism. We should be praying for and participating in the healing of these wounds on a regular basis. 

And to have an entire September missalette that doesn't acknowledge Truth and Reconcilation Day? That needs to be fixed!

Enough about my frustrations. I also want to share good writings about Truth and Reconciliation by some young folks who work for the Council of Canadians, a social-justice oriented organization here. They ask us to rethink our own ideas about important issues, and though that's never comfortable, it is essential if we really want the world to heal. Click the links below to read some excellent and thought-provoking stuff... and see what else you can learn in this Reconciliation week.

Every Child Matters, Not Just the Ones in Orange by Eagleclaw Thom

Truth, Reconciliation and the Violence that Never Stopped by Christina Kruszewski

Guest Moodler: Be Real

Today's reflection was given by my friend, Cathy, for her United Church Community. The United Church and many other churches mark today as Truth and Reconciliation Sunday because it is the day closest to National Truth and Reconciliation Day, a day that was declared in Canada in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action. 

Truth and Reconciliation Sunday
at the Community of Emmanuel

So our little Community of Emmanuel prayed heartfelt prayers several times and in different ways for Truth and Reconciliation during our 45 minute service. 

Then at the Catholic Mass I attended afterward with my parents and Lee, there was not one word about Truth and Reconciliation. Not one word. 

So this afternoon, I walked to my nearest Anglican Church to enjoy their commemoration of the day with sharings by people who are survivors of residential schools and intergenerational trauma, honour songs, and a round dance. At the end there was a wonderful spirit of community and bannock to share. 

Today I feel the poverty of my own church's neglect of a day that should be important to all Canadians, no matter their faith. It's not even mentioned in the Canadian Catholic Liturgical Calendar in my monthly missalette, though other churches have been commemorating it since it was declared in 2021, and have been acknowledging the need for truth and reconciliation efforts since long before that!

In the spirit of reconciliation, I share my friend Cathy's reflection. May a willingness to hear the Truth and to work for Reconciliation be the basis for all our interactions with Indigenous People who have suffered so much because of past abuse and neglect and the forcing of foreign world views that were not in keeping with their respect for all people and Creator's creation.

* * * * * * *

Sermon September 29, 2024

“Face Facts: Be Real”

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Cathy Coulter

When I was mulling over ideas for a sermon for our challenging reading today, I was doing a crossword and I read this clue: Face Facts, 6 letters. Answer? Be real. And I thought, that's what Jesus is doing in this passage from Mark as he teaches his disciples and us. Face facts. Sin and evil are real. There's no sugar coating it.

Tomorrow is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The truth and reconciliation process and the day marking it is a time to face the facts of the tragic legacy of residential schools and a long history of injustice towards Indigenous people. Over the last few decades many of us in this country were waking up to facing the facts of these harms. I know I was, having never been exposed to history from an indigenous point of view. It has been an uncomfortable wake up call as we think about our history as a country.

Last year I also led the service for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and I spoke about my own journey of reconciliation. My journey and my reactions were painful at times, and beautiful at times. I experienced growth and change. We do grow. We increase our awareness, our understanding, our compassion. This is good. And as time marches on we will continue to grow and get better and better. The world will get better and better. Kinder, safer, better for all. More equality. More caring and sharing.

At least that's how I used to think the world worked. Progress. Maybe a few setbacks. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. In popular movies and books that I like, the good guys ultimately win over evil. The Psalms and other scripture often talk about the goodness of God prevailing. Psalm 27 says, “I am sure I shall see the goodness of our God in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

And I believe that with all my heart. But at the same time, as I age, as I see what's happening in the world, I think I've been naïve to believe that things will always get better. I remember the moment I lost my naïve optimism. It was the 2016 US election. Then there was the pandemic and more and more polarization on social media and wars and political discord and environmental destruction with no evidence that humanity will turn it around. Increasing homelessness. Increasing addiction. Increasing anger and random acts of violence.  A young generation awash in anxiety. Backlashes to issues I thought were progressing. The complication of doing what we think is the right thing and the confusion when the ripple effects turn out to be the wrong thing. The dangers of black and white thinking.

Does anyone else feel this way? I  know they do because I've heard lots of people talk about not looking forward to the future in this current time. It's easy to feel despair when we think things are getting worse. But difficult times present an opportunity; an opportunity to face facts. To be real. To look at some hard truths. Jesus was not one to shy away from talking hard truths. Talking about sin and evil, like in our reading today. It sure can be uncomfortable. So bear with the discomfort while I explore it, but know that I'll get around to some good news as well, because Jesus is also all about good news.

Sin is a word I sort of rejected many years ago. The sin and redemption model of Christianity was very harsh and hard to relate to, frankly. I tried to be a good person. I didn't think I'd racked up a lot of big sins. The thought of people I loved, or even anyone, going to hell because they were so called sinners or they didn't believe in Christ didn't make sense to me. The word sin can be very triggering for people who associate it with fire and brimstone preachers who judge everyone who doesn't fit into their very narrow view of what is acceptable. I remember a mentor talking about how the prayer of confession in church would be more helpful if it became a prayer of affirmation for all those people who had trouble feeling worthy. That made sense to me. The image of God as a harsh judge who punished sin was gradually replaced in my imagination by a more loving God who loves us in all that we are. I began to see that getting better and better in an effort to become perfect is not a requirement to earn God's love.

This was all very important for me to address my own feelings of unworthiness. But gradually, as I became more grounded, I began to consider the concept of sin again with more nuance. What was it in me that didn't do the good I wanted to do, but the harmful things that I do not want to do, as Paul says in Romans? Why did I feel stuck so much of the time and not the person I wanted to be?  Why did I feel close to God one day, and completely distant the next? Why couldn't I understand myself?

Answering all that required me to look within, at all the faults and compulsions and shadows that hide there. Doing that with the security that God loves me no matter what, allowed me to admit I'm a flawed human being and not try to pretend otherwise. And while I do my best to correct what is hampering me or harming others, I'm never going to reach perfection. Can I learn to accept myself as God does, even as the loser that I am?

I heard a story once that struck a chord in me. A spiritual teacher named James Finley has problems with being forgetful and disorganized and he went to give a talk one evening and realized he'd forgotten all his notes. So he had to quickly jot some thoughts down just before he went on and in exasperation at himself, he talked to God saying, “God, am I ever going to get over this problem of not getting it all together?” and he heard God reply, “It's not looking good, Jim. But I love you anyway.” I loved that story. I felt something relax in me when I heard it. My striving for perfection for getting better and better all the time wasn't likely going to work nor was it a necessity to my being okay.

So the word sin for me became another way of saying my human limitations. Flaws that hamper me and harm others, whether intentionally or not. And yes, I can work on these things as best I can to grow in understanding and compassion. But first and foremost I have to humbly acknowledge them.

So what is Jesus saying in our reading today about cutting off our hand or foot or taking out our eye if it causes us to lose our faith rather than be thrown into hell? Well, I'm not sure, but one thing seems clear and it's that Jesus is telling us to take sin seriously. To face facts. To be real. To practice telling the truth about our lives, as we said in the prayer of confession this morning.

But there is more to sin than just recognizing our own faults. There is sin in the rest of humanity, in society. This is where my naïve optimism that the world was getting nicer and nicer kind of crashed as I wonder if that is even possible for humanity.

I came across a book in the library whose title caught my eye. It was “I Don't Believe in Atheists ” by Chris Hedges. In it he talks about the belief in our society that we progress morally as a species. The belief that science and reason will save us. That we think humans are “the culmination...of centuries of human advancement, rather than creatures unable to escape from the irrevocable follies and blunders of human nature.” Unless we face the facts of the sinfulness in the human condition, we will ignore or minimize catastrophes, thinking eventually things will get better. I think this has been true of the climate crisis or war, with us thinking “we'll figure it out in time” or “we are better than that now” while it has become clear that we haven't figured it out in time and that we are not better than that. While I do see the amazing goodness in people and am optimistic that our better natures can prevail, I think it's important to be real that when given the opportunity and in many circumstances, people can behave very, very badly. How many people, famous and otherwise, have I admired, heroes to me even, who have been exposed in scandal? Too many to count.

Hedges writes, “We have nothing to fear from those who do or do not believe in God; we have much to fear from those who do not believe in sin. The concept of sin is a stark acknowledgement that we can never be omnipotent, that we are bound and limited by human flaws and self-interest.” By acknowledging and being alert to sin in humanity and society, we are better prepared to address it, work to limit it, and not sweep it under the rug. Being awake to humans'  propensity to cause harm means we are more awake to the harms humans are causing, preventing us from hiding in a comfortable bubble while we passively wait for the world to change. It's like the work to look at our own individual faults and flaws. We become clear-eyed about sin and evil in the world, not in a despairing way and not in a way that leaves us feeling nothing but guilt, but in a real way that gives us courage to understand it and to stand up to it. Just as Jesus did.

For that we need to be rooted in hope. As Jesus was. But before I talk about that I'll mention one more idea from the Christ Hedges' book because it fits with our reading.

Hedges talks about the dangerous path of fundamentalist religion that needs to convert or overcome non-believers even by violent means. The Crusades of the Middle Ages, witch burnings, the Spanish Inquisition, the missionaries in the new world. And on and on into our present time. But Hedges argues that just as dangerous are the new atheists who have a utopian belief that science and reason will allow humanity to master its destiny and everyone standing in the way of that need to be cancelled or overcome, including and especially, religious people. He says these two groups, the fundamentalists and the more extreme and vocal atheists, both peddle in absolutes and call for the conversion or eradication of those who aren't on-side. I find there is more and more of that “our side vs your side” in today's world and I find it disturbing. People who feel they are on the right side of history can be very scathing about those who they feel are on the wrong side of history. Those who think they are right can be violent towards those they think are wrong, no matter what the issue. “If you're not with us, you're part of the problem and we can't associate with you,” seems to be the attitude.

Jesus warns about this in the first part of our reading when the disciples were a little peeved with those weren't in their group but were driving out demons. Jesus told them to let those demon-expellers be. It would soon be clear enough who was legitimate and who wasn't. I think this is a warning to us not to be too quick to dismiss those who aren't in the correct group or don't think the way we do. This is the lesson of small communities who have to get along with everyone, no matter what their politics or religious beliefs are, if they are to have any kind of community life. “Have the salt of friendship among yourselves, and live in peace with one another,” Jesus says at the end of our reading.

Be real about sin but live in hope that God's goodness will prevail. Be clear-eyed about human frailty but live in peace with one another. And while I didn't finish the Chris Hedges' book, I couldn't help thinking that there was something missing in what he was saying. I think he was missing love. The power of love to transform our frailties into a power for good. Yes, the world has big problems and this will never change. We progress morally, we fall back. And on and on it goes. But we don't need to despair because somehow God is present in all of it. The suffering and the goodness. The human weakness and the courage. The arc of the moral universe bending towards justice. Thanks be to God for all that we are, and all that we can be, but mostly for all that we are. May we be real with ourselves and our humanity, just as real as God is and hope is and love is. Amen.