Together, in song
The last time my church sang together was March 8, the second Sunday in Lent. Since then, my singing has consisted of one backyard, physically distant, “Happy Birthday” and my lone voice following the congregation’s pre-recorded music on the screen. For those of us who count congregational music as a vital part of our…
Potluck faith
Every year around this time, the congregation I belong to makes plans for Gathering Sunday. After a summer of sparser attendance at worship services, our gathering on the first Sunday after Labour Day is always a celebration, a reunion for those of us who vacationed outside the area and for those who stayed put during…
Shattering spears and bows
Setsuko Nakamura was 13 years old in 1945, the day American forces dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where she lived. She recalls the horrific aftermath of that event and still tells her own story of survival and of the death and desolation visited on her city. By the end of…
A COVID-19 commandment
It is now month five for Canadian communities struggling with the COVID-19 crisis. In this time, we’ve heard many pronouncements by health authorities on what members of the public should and should not do to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus. As it spreads, health experts continue to research and learn, experiment and make recommendations.…
Reading, watching, listening: A buffet
When the conversation is lagging in social situations, one of my favourite questions to ask is, “What are you reading?” This inquiry often leads to an interesting interchange of ideas and suggestions. Today, I’ll turn the table and tell you about some things that I’ve been reading. And watching. And listening to. Here are a…
Life together online
Since the middle of March, when church buildings closed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, I’ve been visiting many churches. Not in person, of course, but on the internet. Each week I click on the link to a worship service that a Mennonite congregation, or group of congregations, has prepared to share with members of…
What lingers in the air
At the end of May and into June, as news outlets reported on demonstrations in cities across North America, we witnessed something more powerful than tear gas hanging in the air. Demonstrators were angry at recent events in which individuals had experienced death at the hands of the police. But the size of the crowds…
Our fathers
Mother’s Day is past, and Pentecost and Father’s Day are still ahead. In this in-between time, I’ve been considering the ways in which we describe God. Humans long to know, to understand and to name God. But how can mortal imaginations grasp the Eternal One? In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Divine Presence manifests itself as…
Some things that need to be said
As this issue goes to press, much of Canada is still practising measures to hold COVID-19 at bay. Fatigue has set in; we’re tired of thinking about it, talking about it and praying about it. Yet some things still must be said: God did not cause this pandemic COVID-19 is not God’s punishment. We do…
Testing the ties that bind
More than a month into physical distancing in Canada, and the church seems to be flourishing. Does it seem that way to you? Having been forced to disrupt our usual worship traditions, many congregations have energetically jumped into trying new ways of being the church together. Mennonite Church Canada has been at the forefront to…
