I have been thinking a lot about my dad these days. Ten days ago I visited his grave with Steve and Cheryl and my mom to mark the eighth anniversary of his passing. Yesterday was Father’s Day and today would have been his ninety-third birthday. He was born the morning after the longest day and like the midnight sun he lives on in our hearts. As I have been remembering him it hasn’t been one of his memorable sermons or his leadership of the church, but some of the tender moments shared between a father and son. The following verse was prompted by a recollection of the countless times we played catch – the mere thought brought a smile to my heart. I wrote the second poem a year ago, but thought it worth sharing again. Happy Birthday Dad and Happy Father’s Day too. You always were a double blessing.
The summer solstice arrives later this afternoon and with it the season of the midnight sun. I wrote this poem for Anne Lindsay’s recent concert, ‘Songs of the Midnight Sun,’ which was webcast from the church last Sunday. I was honoured to have my poem read there for the first time.
I have put a link to the concert after the poem.
The Midnight Sun
At the dawn of the Midnight Sun
deeds of darkness shall come undone
and death at last shall lose its say
as all shall rest in light of day
The stinging tears of grief are gone
festering fears are silenced in song
nets are filled and the hungry fed
eternity rises in the breaking of bread
Streetlights at last shall be no more
As starlight of heaven opens a door
to a world where all shall live in love
and on earth shall be as heaven above
Come out of the shadows into the light
pick up your mat and make things right
living, forgiving with strength, with soul
kindness and tenderness heartedly whole
May this solstice offer a glimpse to see
Eternity always as yet it can be
alive in our hearts from this day forth
reaching east, west, south and north
O Light the darkness could not put out
help us to glow when gloamings about.
May the brightly hours of this midnight sun
live on in our hearts and make of us one.
A glitch somewhere in cyberspace prevented my newsletter entry making it into the YP newsletter which came out today. Here it is.
From Peter’s Pen
Lessons From the Waiting Room of Life
I am so grateful to God for the love and concern of the church family during this time of unexpected medical need. As I await my pending surgery your cards, messages and emails have come to mean a great deal to me. Thank you, but above all, thank you for keeping me in your prayers.
There has been a lot of waiting involved in this medical process and waiting is not my strong suit, but all of this has been a gentle reminder to live in the moment aware of God’s many blessings. While waiting I have been more or less quarantined, but this has not prevented me from being able to enjoy the sights and scents as spring has brought new colour to the garden day by day. Many of you have been quarantined too and are anxiously awaiting the arrival or a vaccine, or good medical news, or word about a job, or even just the opportunity to be with loved ones again. I hope that the arrival of summer boosts your spirits as well and that in the midst of this time you will be aware of God’s faithfulness each and every day and of his mercies which are new every morning.
Covid-19 has without question given rise to fears and has taken a toll on many, but it has also led to lower pollution levels, and opportunities to connect with old friends we had lost touch with in the busy times. While on a daily basis we must support and pray for those effected by the virus, those offering service in these times, and those seeking solutions, I also pray we come alive in new ways to many of the blessings that may have gone unnoticed in busier times.
I am also grateful to God for the medical solutions that are available to me and for the team that are caring for me. We live in a great country and part of what makes it great is the medical system we have and the countless staff at all levels who make it so wonderful. Previously I had never spent a night in the hospital in my life, but now I have seen first hand the incredible efforts 24/7.
One of the wonders of our health care system is that it has brought together some of the finest and most knowledgable professionals and workers from around the world. I was cared for by a team of doctors and nurses who had come to this country from far away places like Iraq, Iran, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Jamaica. Each one was wise and compassionate, but they were also putting their lives on the line during these days of Covid-19.
I have been deeply disturbed, as we all have, by the reports of growing racism against Asians in response to the coronavirus. It is human nature when we are afraid to look for a scapegoat to blame, but this always makes things worse. In the midst of this there has been an explosion of tension in response to longstanding racism against African Americans south of the border. We may be on the other side of the border, but racism is real here too and we must stand and work against it.
Many in these Covid-19 days are suggesting that working from home as we have been doing since March may present a good alternative for the long term. While it cuts down on commute time thus eliminating many a traffic jam and offers companies significant savings on rent, we should be very cautious. The modern workplace brings people of many ethnicities together and offers them the opportunity to build relationships and friendships with people of different economic, cultural, and ethnic identities. Whereas working from home will rob us of these opportunities to put a face on other ethnicities and hear and value their traditions. In a world where we come and work together face to face we should be less prone to fear and prejudice.
In recent years we have had the privilege of visiting a First Nations reserve with a team of volunteers, but with Covid-19 there will be no Oneida experience this year. These opportunities also widen our understanding and appreciation of our indigenous neighbours. I pray our friends at Oneida and all our first nations peoples will remain close to our hears in this times and we will continue to build bridges of healing and understanding.
The church must stand against all racism, but at the same time, like the hospital we must be a community in which all people come together as a team. We too must work and serve together from east and west, north and south as one great fellowship born of the love of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.
Corona Creativity
With all the talk and fear of the coronavirus we may have forgotten what a real corona is and I am not referring to a brand of beer. The corona is the bright pearly glow of the sun that only becomes visible during a total eclipse when like a crown it surrounds the dark face of the moon. It is the light that reminds us the sun is still with us during a time of sudden darkness. I pray the life and witness of our church is like the corona of the sun during these days of Covid-19 as we continue to bear witness to the risen Christ.
We are so grateful for the gift of webcasting that was made to the church more than ten years ago and the manner in which David King and his team have been able to strengthen this ministry during these days. Apart from our Sunday worship it has afforded us the opportunity to offer some beautiful concerts in the empty sanctuary – these can still be viewed online. It also enabled Dale Rose and I the opportunity to offer daily devotional conversations during Lent and to follow these up with a ten session online Discipleship 101 class posted to our website in the weeks that followed Easter. These along with our Walking Together daily devotional edited by Paula Willis, a roster of volunteers and pastors offering phone calls, resources and messaging from our Director of Family Ministries have been strengthening our fellowship when it would be so easy to drift apart. In the midst of all this Janice Ivory Smith has been a guiding hand. Thank you to all who have helped us bear witness to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, whom the the fear of the coronavirus, the economic hardship and the racial tension nor anything else in the world can put out. Let us continue to let our light shine!
As many of you know I have been waiting for major surgery since I was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumour in early May. My wait seems to be almost over as I received a call this morning with a date for next week.
My family, my ministry team and my friends have all been so supportive and encouraging and I am as pleased for them as I am for me. My family of course also includes the people of the church whose prayers, cards, emails and messages have been a tremendous source of encouragement. Thank you to one and all.
Waiting is not always easy especially in these Covid-19 times when it means living in isolation, but I have filled my days with quiet walks, gentle gardening, reading, writing, rest and prayer.
I have written a few poems including the following poem called, ‘Waiting,’ which was read at the beautiful concert Anne Lindsay offered yesterday at the church. If you didn’t have a chance to see and hear one of Canada’s greatest fiddlers, you can still enjoy it at
I am waiting in a line
that winds around a corner
I know not where
it goes from here or there
yet already it stretches
me beyond belief
I am waiting on a call
that never seems to come
It holds out hope
which helps one cope
but the endless silence
deafens my spirit
I’m waiting in a room
all the doors are closed
the chairs are marked
with signs to keep us apart
an exclamation mark
leaving me alone
Yet in the line when I can not see
a garden scent catches up to me
there’s lilac and lavender in the air
and in the silence I cannot bear
the birds sing and the winds give voice
now’s the time to pray and rejoice.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church has been blessed through the years by the preaching and presence of many remarkable American friends, some of whom are close to the front lines of today’s tensions following the violent murder of George Floyd.
Over the last week I have been reaching out to assure them of our concern and prayers. This is a time for us to be praying for our American neighbours and friends. Those to whom I have reached out include the Rev. Dr. Karoline Lewis of Minneapolis; our dear friend Milton Fletcher of Detroit; Dr. Marvin McMickle of Rochester, the Rev. Susan Sparks of NYC, and the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III of Chicago.
I am pleased to post the following messages back to our Yorkminster Park family from both Milton and Karoline.
Prayer for America after the death of George Floyd
Gracious and merciful God we give you thanks for our country Canada. We rejoice in the rich beauty of her landscape and of the marvellous mosaic of her peoples. We give you thanks for her collective consciousness by which she offers compassionate care to all who are sick. We thank you too for the border we share with United States of America and for America’s love of liberty and her historic desire to make the world a better and safer place.
We pause and pray the blessing of your peace upon America as she grapples in new ways with the racism that has plagued her for generations. We pray for the family of George Floyd as they mark his death and grieve his loss. We thank you for their pleas for justice and peace. Comfort them in the knowledge that they are not alone and that George will not have died in vain. May his death open doors in new ways to deep conversation about the justifiable fears of young African American men, the prayers of their parents, and the tensions that exist with police authorities.
We thank you for courageous civil leaders who welcome the conversation and in humility bend their knee acknowledging the need for change. We thank you too for all who seek to be faithful in offering their service as officers of the peace both here and there. May this death bring true and resolute action and accountability to make streets safe and free for one and all.
We thank you for those who protest peacefully and hold their breath in the hope that another will not have his breath taken away. Fulfill the vision of the prophet Amos of old that justice might flow like a river and righteousness like a never ending stream. Breathe new life into America not by might nor power, but by your Holy Spirit and bring to fruition the dream of Martin Luther King and all who continue to work and pray to keep alive the flame of love and hope. May the pains of these recent days give birth to new life and true liberty for all her peoples.
We acknowledge too O God, our need as Canadians to continue to fight against racism in the system and in our hearts. Grant to us sensitivity and kindness towards all peoples. We thank you that we live in a time and place when people from so many diverse backgrounds can work, play and live together in this vast land. Open us to each other’s treasured stories and timeless truths that together we might grow in wisdom and live in harmony. Grant that we might see in each and every person the divine image and the beautiful uniqueness that includes people of all colours, creeds, shapes and sizes, ages and orientations.
We thank you for American friends and family and pray for their peace. We thank you too for Americans who have blessed our pulpit and church with their presence and ministry. Watch over each of them and use their gifts to bring healing and hope. Bless them with wisdom and grace as they seek to guide and encourage, shelter and protect their flock.
Now may we as your body, the church, be an instrument of justice and mercy, of unification and peace in our cities. May we stay close to Jesus who is always moving on the margins to include the excluded, to bind up the brokenhearted, to set the prisoner free and to raise us all to newness of life. May the love of Jesus shine in our hearts and in this world, until your kingdom comes in all its fullness and your will is done on earth as it is in heaven, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Donald MacDonald died this evening at home surrounded by his loving family.
Donald was an internationally renowned veterinarian who joined our church twenty-five years ago along with his late wife Carol-Ann and daughter Meredith. During his years with us Don served on several boards and chaired the Board of Finance and Administration.
After the passing of Carol-Ann, Don met and married Judy Gerred at the church. Together they rediscovered love and joy in each other’s company and we rejoiced as they shared their gifts and talents so freely in the fellowship of the church. We all treasured Don’s warmth, kindness and humour. Don and Judy were appreciated as leaders of our annual pilgrimage of sacred spaces and Don was also deeply grateful for his regular luncheons with a small group of men from the church.
But perhaps it was his remarkably positive response to the health challenges he faced in recent years that made the greatest impression on all of us. When John Fenton led our Coldest Night of the Year charity walk for the Yonge Street Mission again this year he informed the church that he was dedicating the walk to Don MacDonald who was his inspiration for the way he keeps fighting his illness with a smile and encouraging others along the way. It was hard to fight back the tears that day, because John was so right. Don truly was an inspiration to all of us and we thank God for him.
Don loved jazz and there have been times in the life of our church when great artists like Jackie Richardson, Guido Basso and John McDermott have all payed tribute to him for his friendship and support.
In the end Don spoke openly about his death and being ready to meet the Lord. He gave testimony to his faith and what a difference it had made in his life. We give thanks that our faith makes a difference not only in life but also in death. For Christ has conquered the grave and carries us home to the Father’s House.
Don’s roots were in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and he loved Cape Breton’s Song of the Mira which ends with these wonderful words of promise;
Now I’ll conclude with a wish you go well:
Sweet be your dreams—and your happiness swell.
I’ll leave you here, for my journey begins;
I’m going to be with them again,
I’m going to be with them again.
We will be together again. Let us continue to keep Judy, Meredith, David and Gavin and the whole family in our prayers. A memorial will be held at a date to be determined.
May this dear friend rest in peace and rise in glory.
We were saddened to learn that Fraser Fell died yesterday. Fraser was a giant and left a remarkable legacy in our church through his leadership and generosity, and in our community through both his business acumen and his philanthropic heart. Though there is a hospital wing named after Fraser and many things we can point to in the church as evidence of his goodness and generosity, his greatest legacy is his family. His partnership with his late wife Margot was an example and inspiration to us all. His children David, Susan, Leslie, Martha and Mark and their families were always the source of great pride and joy for Fraser and Margot. Throughout his life, but especially in these final months, they have all surrounded him with love and care. There is so much to be thankful for in the midst of this loss.
Dale Rose and I had the privilege of sharing Communion with Fraser just before the home where he lived went into lockdown and since that time we have taken turns checking in on him by phone. To the end, Fraser loved Yorkminster Park and was always a source of encouragement to his ministers and wisdom to the lay leadership. Fraser always looked for the good in others and was so quick to express appreciation and many a blessing flowed from his grateful heart. We can’t help but give thanks to God for Fraser.
There is more than one line in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If, which makes me think of Fraser, but perhaps especially this line. “If you can walk with Kings, nor lose the common touch.” Everyone mattered to Fraser and oh how he mattered to us. News of his loss will sadden people near and far, but let us remember in this season of Easter that death does not have the last word. Christ has risen and conquered the grave and death. Fraser is safe in the arms of Jesus, freed from the frailty of these final months, reunited with Margot and home with the God he loved and served so well. Thanks be to God for this good and faithful servant and for the hope we share in Jesus Christ.
A public memorial will be held at the church on a date to be announced. Arrangements are through the Morley Bedford Funeral Home and condolences can be left on their website. Let us continue to keep Fraser’s family in our prayers.
Since Sunday’s shocking massacre of at least twenty-two good and innocent folk in rural Nova Scotia we have all been thinking of idyllic places and special friends in that beautiful part of our country and trying our best to pray. Our whole nation grieves, but in Nova Scotia where, as my colleague Dale Rose has reminded me, the traditional six degrees of separation can be reduced to two or three degrees, everyone is feeling a personal connection to this horrific loss of life.
And so many of the stories emerging about those whose lives were taken only serve to affirm the goodness we associate with the Maritimes and with rural life across our country, where people feel such a connection with the earth below and God above and the neighbour beside that doors are left unlocked and pantries open. One need only think of the iconic words in the beautiful ‘Song of the Mira,’ which champions the wonder of small town life in Nova Scotia.
Can you imagine a piece of the universe More fit for princes and kings? I’ll trade you ten of your cities for Marion Bridge And the pleasure it brings…
And then into this good and pleasant land on a Sunday morning a wolf came in sheep’s clothing devouring the inhabitants of the green pastures. The only word for what happened on Sunday is evil and while I too struggle to find the words to pray, perhaps it doesn’t need to be so complicated. I find it helps to go back to the prayer Jesus gave us.
“Our Father, who art in heaven.” O God, we turn from our focus on the source of this evil, to tune our hearts and minds afresh to you. For you alone are above the chaos and madness of this event. You invite us to call you Father and in your love to rediscover our connectedness to you and to all your children. O Father, we open our hearts to your love and lean on you in the hope of healing and restoration for the shattered lives and communities of Nova Scotia and beyond. May all those who grieve know they are forever near and dear to your heart.
“Hallowed be thy name.” In the midst of this darkness and evil when we might well turn to hatred and fear, we turn instead to you that our minds might be rooted in all that is good and precious in this life. And so we thank you for the wonder and beauty of each day and the blessings of life and love, for you are the source of every good and perfect gift.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Lord God, these incidents of violence and so many other things happening in these days are not heavenly. We therefore make no room for them in our hearts and homes and instead long and pray for the day when the voice of evil will be forever silenced by goodness and mercy and when death will be no more and when love and kindness will breath through every fabric of this planet.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Today is all we have O God. Help us not to fixate on the glories or failures of the past, or hoard and worry for tomorrow, but to trust you in the here and now where day by day you meet us full of mercy and grace. O Bread of Life meet the grieving families of Nova Scotia on this day and nurture them through to your eternal day.
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” God cleanse us of the sin that lies within and enable us to meet both friend and foe with the same grace Christ extends to us. Help me to forgive and forget the sins of the other that I might be freed to forgive myself as you have already forgiven and forgotten my sin through Jesus Christ.
“And lead us not into temptation.” We are weak, but you are strong. Help us to lean on you in times of trial and testing that we might be true to you and to our best selves. And when we fall and fail, carry us in your mercy as only you can for you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Carry the grieving folk of Nova Scotia through this chapter and lead them on to your Promised Land.
“But deliver us from evil.” O Christ, we commit to your care all the victims of this evil, believing that you were with them in their moments of despair. In that you have overcome all things we pray that you would carry them over and indeed deliver all those who grieve and mourn from the fears, tears, and scars of evil that your love might reign supreme in Nova Scotia and across this land.
“For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory…” Yes, you are the sovereign Lord of the Universe and so in silence we lift up all who grieve the violence in Nova Scotia and all who fight the battles against Covid-19 across this country and around the world and those too who struggle with other troubles and fears and in the quiet we wait, acknowledging the last word and the best word are yours.
“Forever…” Break the silence as you broke the spell of death at Easter and usher in your eternal day reassuring those who have lost loved ones along the way that In Christ we will be together again and all will be well forever. Amen.
We sang ‘Song of the Mira’ at the conclusion of the funeral of the Very Reverend Angus MacQueen, one of Nova Scotia’s finest sons and one of the greatest leaders the Canadian church has known. It was fitting as this song of Nova Scotia ends with a beautiful verse about being together again with those who have gone before us. Last Sunday morning an evil messenger rose up to spread bad news and fear, but every Sunday we celebrate the messenger of goodness and grace who God raised up to ensure that love will win and we will indeed be together again in Christ! Love wins.
Now I’ll conclude with a wish you go well:
Sweet be your dreams—and your happiness swell.
I’ll leave you here, for my journey begins;
I’m going to be with them again,
I’m going to be with them again.
The following link will take you to a rendition of this song by our friend John McDermott.
Thank you to the families who have honoured their loved ones by placing memorial flowers in the church on recent Sundays when they have not been able to be there to appreciate them.
During these strange days of COVID-19 protocol when only a few of us are able to offer worship inside an empty church, the memorial flowers have served as a powerful reminder of the deeper communion we share beyond the physical presence and beyond even death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As we lead worship in an empty space we still sense the presence of those we know are watching or the task would be impossible. So too the flowers symbolize the communion we share with those who have gone on before us. Just as we know that the many in isolation will one day be back, we believe that we will all be together again through the victory Christ has won over the grave and death.
The above arrangements were placed to the glory of God an in memory of Norman, Grace and Elizabeth Bishop; John Stevens and Kerr Spiers; Mary Jefferies; and Donna Britten. These arrangements have been a true blessing.
