RANDOM MUSINGS FROM THE REV…
written by Anthony Robinson
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side — let Israel now say —if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive.” – Psalm 124:1-3 In his anti-war anthem, “With God on Our Side,” Bob Dylan hammered home how often God is invoked to sanction the most ungodly of human causes and wars. Dylan was right.
And so too was Abraham Lincoln who said our concern ought to be less whether God is on our side than to ask if we are on God’s side. So the joyous acclamation of Psalm 124 — “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” — is tempered. Can we sing it? Can we say it? Can we not? In the psalm, those who have been delivered, who rejoice that God has taken their side, are not the powerful or the cocksure.
They are those with little apparent power and with zero social clout. They are like the tiny bird that has escaped the fowler’s snare (verse 7). This is David with his five stones versus Goliath and the Philistine army.
It is Mary with her baby stalked by Herod.
This is Paul clinging to the flotsam of yet another shipwreck and singing God’s praise. Claims of God’s astonishing grace lie best on the tongues of the least, of those who know they absolutely, desperately, need God.
They ring true in the songs of the stunned and grateful, not the smug and powerful. They do not belong to those who use God to sanctify their own causes or way of life, but to those used by God to, as Mary sang, “scatter those who are proud in the imagination of their hearts” and to “bring down the powerful.”
WHAT’S ON AT GRACE UNITED!…
WHAT: Meditation Walk
WHEN: Wednesday, October 10 at 6:00 pm
WHERE: Kivi Park
Note the change of date 😊
WHAT: Exploring Our Faith
WHEN: Friday, October 26 at 1:00 pm
WHERE: 518 Morris St.
Continuing on in our thought-provoking series on The Ten Commandments.
WHAT: Grace Christmas Bazaar!
WHEN: Saturday, November 3
WHERE: Grace
Baking, bazaar items and gifts for the door prize basket will be needed.
More details to come!
SAY “CHEESE”!:
As part of our growing into becoming one faith family at Grace, and because we’ve had so many new families join us, the council has decided to have a congregational photo directory done this fall!
HUGE thanks to Samantha Taylor for agreeing to take on the role of coordinator.
Details are still being worked out; so stay tuned for the date, expect to be contacted in the next few weeks to schedule your family’s sitting time.
Beside the directory, family portrait packages will be available for purchase.
NEWSBITE FROM NATIONAL …
It’s an anniversary year for the United Church as we celebrate and reflect on numerous milestone events that have played a significant role in shaping the church that we know and love today…
30 Years: The Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women
Women play a prominent role in all levels of the United Church, and in other churches, today. But that was not always the case.
The World Council of Churches declared the decade, which spanned 1988 to 1998, and its objective was to raise awareness of women’s issues and spark change in the church and society.
“It was part of the second wave of feminism in secular society,” says the Very. Rev. Lois Wilson, the first female Moderator of the United Church (1980–1982) and a former Canadian senator.
THIS WEEK IN WORSHIP…
There’s no shortage of themes to choose from for this week’s worship service!
As happens once every seven years, Thanksgiving and World Communion Sunday fall on the SAME day, which makes for LOTS of creative worship possibilities.
Please note that Sunday’s service will be INTER-GENERATIONAL, which means that our little folk will remain in the sanctuary—taking part with us—as much as they are able.
In a lively, interactive way, our worship will explore the significance of communion: what it all means; what it’s supposed to mean; how we can reclaim this ancient practice as a primary expression of our faith today.
“20 DAYS OF GRATITUDE” CHALLENGE …
The season of Thanksgiving is upon us: a time to reflect deeply on God’s goodness and generosity; shown to us, sometimes, in strange places and unexpected ways.
So here’s our mission, “should we choose to accept it”: for the next 20 days, a “gratitude challenge” will turn up in your email box.
Feel free to do with it what you will; but know that—if you DO decide to take up the challenge of intentional gratitude—your soul, even your life, might be changed forever 😉
Let’s start today:
Say grace at every meal you have today; no matter where you are, or who you are with…
Grace United Church Sudbury 