Sunday Reflection: Mountaintop hospitality

Fences to keep out the homeless...

Today's reflection is brought to you by 

Mark 9:5.

I've always liked Simon Peter. So many of his responses to the wonder of walking and working with Jesus make sense to me.

Today's Gospel reading (Mark 9: 2-10) is another case in point. Jesus, Peter, James, and John have climbed a mountain where Jesus is shown in dazzling white glory, and they are joined, quite miraculously, by Moses and Elijah. 

I can see Peter, standing in total awe of the moment, mouth open in amazement, thinking, "Wow! This is incredible! And so beautifully unexpected!" So his offer of hospitality for the three holy men he is with makes absolute sense in terms of resting in the moment and enjoying each others' company. Not to mention how he would have loved a chance to kibbitz with the holy men of old. How cool would that be?

But most of the sermons I've heard on this reading have been somewhat unkind to Peter. They don't give him any credit for his willingness to truck back down the mountain and bring back tents for Elijah, Moses, and his Rabbi, not to mention the other trappings required for hospitality -- food, water, wine, and bedding for the night. Peter was willing to go the extra mile for a heavenly camp out.

My own city isn't so hospitable. People living in poverty in downtown Edmonton have been pushed elsewhere, fences have been erected all over the inner-city to prevent camps from reappearing, and our police chief and provincial politicians are congratulating themselves that they no longer have daily reminders of the struggling poor who have no place to live. The officials have done their utmost to soothe their own consciences without lifting a finger to put permanent roofs over anyone's heads.

The provincial government is patting itself on the back for serving 300 people so far at the "reception centre" it opened a month ago for people who have been displaced. That's maybe 10 people per day who have moved into temporary shelters, when we know that there are probably 1500 more people than shelter mats available. Besides, downtown social service agencies were already doing the same work more effectively when they knew exactly where to find the folks in the camps who needed their help. Now it's much harder with folks spread throughout the city.

... and more fences...

What's really terrible is that sheriffs and clean up crews are still working daily to disrupt the lives of those who prefer to live outdoors among friends they trust than in overnight shelters where they are surrounded by strangers who might steal their few possessions. Clearly, shelter mats are not the solution to homelessness. Permanent, supportive, and affordable housing is the only answer (and costs less than the daily wages of so many ruthless sheriffs and cleanup crews!)

So today, I'm inviting St. Peter to pray with me, and you can too, if you like:

Creator,

thank you for this life you have given me.

As Peter said, it is good to be here.

Rabbi Jesus, 

as Peter enthusiastically asked 

to make dwellings for you, Moses, and Elijah,

I ask that you inspire government leaders

to make many dwellings

where people who lack

... and more fences......

the kinds of homes that work for them

may live in safety, warmth, and dignity.

Give your spirit of compassion

to those who are blind 

to all but their own needs,

who try to soothe their consciences

by choosing to hide their faces from

poverty 

in its many forms

rather than heal it.

Inspire those of us who have homes

to do what we can

for those who do not. 

Help us all

to work together to build

beloved community

by ensuring that no one is excluded

and that everyone

is cared for.

Knock down all our fences,

O God.

+Amen

P.S. My friend, Glen, wrote an excellent piece for a national paper this week. You can find it by clicking here.

#holyroodbenchproject -- update #6 -- 6 years later

Come and sit a while...

Six years later, our faithful #holyroodbenchproject beauty had seen better days. She's been sitting patiently through all the weather Edmonton seasons have thrown at her over the past six years, and we've really enjoyed seeing people (and animals) enjoying her...

A neighbour's toddler ran to the bench to try to climb up on it each time the family went for a walk, but now she's six and tall enough that no one has to lift her. Another neighbour's labour began on that bench, and she brought her swaddled baby and visited quite regularly while the wee one naps. He's two now. Squirrels and magpies like to sit on its back, and jack rabbits keep the grass trimmed around its legs. Bike riding families line their little ones up on it for snack time. And my chalk box rests under it for Julianne to use whenever she comes by. 

But someone (on a bike?) knocked one of our bench's legs off kilter, and exposure to moisture caused some rot along her backrest, so Lee and I have been working on fixing her up again. He repaired and sanded her, and I put a second coat of fresh paint on her this morning.

She looks much better again, ready for another stretch of offering a hospitable sitting space to passers-by. And she's a blank canvas -- for a new design and welcoming phrase. 

So, dear readers, if you had a blank green neighbourly bench like this one, how would you decorate her? I'm looking for suggestions.

For those who may have missed other moodlings about the #holyroodbenchproject or perhaps want to revisit them, here they are...

The #holyroodbenchproject
The #holyroodbenchproject -- an update
#holyroodbenchproject update #2 -- special edition
#holyroodbenchproject update #3 -- two blue benches

#holyroodbenchproject update #4 -- one year later

#holyroodbenchproject update #5 -- three and a half years later

Have a happy, neighbourly day.

Welcoming migrants and refugees -- in laetitia!

Today is World Day of Migrants and Refugees, a day that should be declared publicly and celebrated more than it is. I know and love many migrants, some of whom started out as refugees, and they are all wonderful, hardworking, loving individuals who have enriched our society in more ways than we will ever realize.

Why can't everyone see that welcoming those who choose to come to our countries to find a better life is a good idea? They widen our hearts and bring so many beautiful gifts to share. Many of them, coming as they do from places where life is harder and more dangerous than we can possibly imagine, have a greater sense of hospitality than we do. I often think it must be difficult to come to North America, where really, unless we are Indigenous, we are all descended from migrants or refugees from years gone by. Unfortunately, many of us have forgotten that deep sense of hospitality that came with our ancestors from the "Old Country" by sheer necessity. I think it is a sing when we fail to extend hospitality to newcomers and conveniently forget that our people were newcomers, too.

Even so, they come, they surmount the obstacles that face them, and they become valued and valuable members of our communities. Their generosity has put me to shame on occasion -- I think of the people I work with at L'Arche who add so much joy and enthusiasm to my days with their cheerful greetings and unexpected kindnesses.

If we let them, most of our migrants and refugees want only to become our friends and colleagues, and their ability to open our minds and hearts is something we ought to value more than we do. They are not coming to take our jobs or make our lives worse -- they are often fleeing situations that are untenable. We are called to let go of our paranoia and fear of the other, to be welcoming, to join hands with those who come from afar, and to raise a song of gladness. Why not learn a song of theirs, and teach them one of ours?

This evening, we had a beautiful ecumenical prayer, and our last chant was the one posted below. "Rejoice in God, people of the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness!" is the direct translation of the Latin words. As the song lifted our hearts and reverberated through the worship space, I found myself thinking of the many refugees and migrants who have come to Canada in the past year, and how they have added to the mosaic of our life here with their many languages, cultures and traditions. It's definitely something to celebrate, with gladness, in laetitia!