The Revs. Smiths’ Message for August 9, 2020

It is an idea born out of fear, anxiety and disease.

When Covid 19 hit, Renfrew County started up VTS — Virtual Triage System, where paramedics go into the homes of those without family doctors, those who have difficulty getting to the doctor, and/or do not want to sit in waiting rooms, or those who don’t need or want an Emergency Room visit. The paramedics provide a friendly face to those who live alone. They take blood for testing, administer shots and just generally check up on people. The authorities, imagining new ways to care for people at home so that they can recover at home, are calling it a better way to deliver healthcare.

“Calling of the Apostles” (1481), fresco at the Sistine Chapel by Italian painter Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448–1494); taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

In the church, are we also learning new, better, ways of doing things? Can some work be handled quite easily over a ZOOM meeting? Probably, although we still miss the fellowship of meeting in person.

What are we learning about using technology to reach beyond our borders, to learn of life from others beyond our borders? Are we discovering creative ideas for worship? What are we learning about the importance of keeping in touch and about ways we can do that, in a world of physical distancing? What have we learned about what is important to hang on to, and what can we let go – at least for now?

As this peculiar time continues on and on, God grant us inquisitive spirits, open to new ways of following Jesus and participating in the work of God’s kingdom.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the August 8, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for August 2, 2020

Major League Baseball has finally started up and the first pitch thrown, about four months late.

The Blue Jays’ home field this season is in Buffalo.  And worst of all, they lost their season opener.  What is wrong with this picture?

As Hamlet said, “the times are out of joint.”

There is a lot that feels out of joint these days, and it goes far deeper than baseball.  There is our isolation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly difficult for the church where so much focus is placed on the community of faith.

There is our impatience regarding when we will be given the green light to move back toward “normal,” along with our fear that the loosening of restrictions will bring on a second wave, threatening us or our loved ones.  It can leave us wondering:  Where do we go? What can we do?

I have always loved the hope and confidence of Isaiah 40:31:

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

It’s not easy to wait, but pausing, reflecting, focussing on God and the Word, can give us some perspective, remind us of how God has guided us in the past, and assure us that we are not alone as we move through these out-of-joint times. May the peace of God be with you.

Rev. Bob Smith

This message first appeared in the August 1, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for July 26, 2020

We recently had the occasion to be down by the church for the first time in quite a while.

How exciting that Bike Share Toronto has established a station on Livingston, right beside the church. This is a great addition to the area near the church building and right in line with caring for creation.

Another addition is the Heart Garden. When you are out and about in the area, keep your eye on the garden on your left as you face the front doors of the church. Maggie Donnelly, as part of her school community service, has taken on this project.

View of a stretch of garden with schrubs, bushes and painted stones
Wide view of the Heart Garden project by youth member Maggie Donnelly, showing painted stones, shrubs and bushes. Laura Alary: “Heart Gardens are planted in memory of children lost to the residential school system, to honour residential school survivors and their families, and to support the legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Image: © Laura Alary, used by permission.

A Heart Garden is planted in memory of children lost to the residential school system, to honour residential school survivors and their families and to support the legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Watch as sage, bee balm and knowledge and understanding grow. [Ed.: Learn more about Heart Gardens.]

Painted stones, each with a person's name, placed on the earth next to a flowering shrub
Heart Garden Closeup detail of stones

We are grateful to Maggie for undertaking this work, and to her helpers, Cindy Similas, Sandra Robertson and Kay Galbraith.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the July 25, 2020, edition of Tidbits. Last updated July 29, 2020.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for July 19, 2020

So we now live under a rule in Toronto that requires us to wear a mask when we are in an indoor public space.  It’s a sensible requirement to help us stay safe in a world still dealing with a pandemic, and one that many people are trying to follow. 

We have noticed that while a mask may keep us safe from the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the face covering makes it hard to read the mood of another person.  Is that a scowl or a smile that I am being offered?  Is the person I’m facing exhausted and world-weary, or filled with energy and enthusiasm?   Sometimes it is hard to tell.

As people that like to offer a smile even to a stranger we pass on the street, or a look of invitation or welcome to someone we meet, it occurred to us that we are going to have to go overboard in our smile to make sure the message is received.  An enthusiastic smile can be read in the eyes — maybe we need to greet others with that kind of expression.

Maybe another approach would be to recognize that if a mask creates a barrier from our neighbour, we could use our voices as well, and reach out by speaking to them an uplifting, positive word.  It may not be much, but the circumstances of the past several months have been tough for many people, and maybe even a small word of greeting or caring could make a big difference.

St. Paul writing to the Thessalonians” (1629) by Dutch painter Jan Lievens (1607–1674); from the collection of the Kunsthalle Bremen; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

The apostle Paul admonishes the church in Thessalonians to “encourage one another.” (1 Thess. 5:11)  Elsewhere he also calls them to love, build up, care for, honour, and bear the burdens of one another.  Do you think Paul is onto something here?

It’s easy, it won’t cost us a cent and it is grounded in the foundations of our faith.  These days of “distancing” call for this behaviour, and we are a perfect group to take it on as a gift of the grace of God that we can pass on to another in love.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the July 18, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for July 12, 2020

It is warm out there!

If you get the chance, and preferably before it gets too hot, or after it cools down a bit in the evening, go out and enjoy the beauty of summer, the sound of the birds, the wind in the trees, the sparkling water on the lake, the stars at night.

Starry Night” (1888) by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890); from the collection of the Musée d’Orsay; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

Psalm 148 speaks of praising God.
The whole of creation is in on it.
Praise God sun and moon, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, wild animals and cattle, creeping things and flying birds, young men and women, old and young together.
Praise is not about speaking as most of these parts of creation do not use words. It is more about being.

Here is how [American writer] Frederick Buechner (1926–) describes it in his book “Wishful Thinking”:

We learn to praise God not by paying compliments but by paying attention.
Watch how the trees exult when the wind is in them.
Mark the utter stillness of the great blue heron in the swamp.
Listen to the sound of the rain.
Learn how to say “Hallelujah” from the ones who say it right.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the July 10, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for July 5, 2020

With the arrival of some really lovely weather, and turning the calendar over to July, it really feels like summer is here.

If you’re a student, this year it doesn’t bring the usual relief of a break from school, and the holiday might not feel like much of a change.

If you’re a parent who has been balancing work and child care, it might feel like just two more months of the same old thing.

But we hope the nicer weather, and maybe some summer travel or recreational activities bring something of a change and a break for us all.

The word recreation, we might remember, offers us some help in what we might plan for and expect from a holiday season. “Re-creation” suggests being “remade”, “renewed”, even “reborn”, with all the connotations that brings to mind from Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3.

Two seated figures of Christ and Nicodemus at a small table illuminated by a single candle, with a boy standing behind them holding a book
Jesus Christ and Nicodemus” (between 1640 and 1650) by Dutch painter Matthias Stom (c. 1600–1652), from the collection of the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

A time of recreation then means not just packing in as many activities as we can, or rushing from one special activity to the next in a frantic desire to make the most of our time off. It means making it a time of renewal, of being restored in body, mind and spirit. It will mean including times of rest and reflection, time to take stock of ourselves and our relationships with family, friends and with God. It can mean taking the time to embrace the creation itself, and the wonder and beauty of this great gift God has given us.

Regardless of what your plans are this summer, we wish for you a time of true recreation. And that the end of summer might even bring us opportunities to return from our pandemic exile and draw closer to one another once again.

We live in hope.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the July 3, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for June 28, 2020

Summer is here!

Mary Oliver has a wonderful poem, The Summer Day, that ends with “Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

The Landmannalaugar area in summer, as seen from Laugavegur hiking trail, Iceland. Image: author Petr Brož/Chmee2; license Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

In whatever we plan to do with this gift from God, this gift of life on this earth, while it is ours, the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16: 13, 14 charges us to stand firm in our faith, to let all that we do be done in love.

Tasman Jude is a reggae band from, of all places, Grande Prairie, Alberta. Hear the words of their song, Every Breath: “Live each day like it’s your last — Every breath is a second chance — to fill your hearts with love — on earth as it is above.” Or listen to it on YouTube.

And let all that you do be done in love.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the June 27, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for June 21, 2020

This week, with the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, our 4-year old granddaughter, Ellie came for a sleep-over party. We were looking forward to this as much as she was, but of course it took a lot of energy on our part to keep up with her. Her tireless ability to try new things and to explore new adventures are a delight to watch, and to try to keep up with.

Sunrise in Pieniny mountains, Poland. Image: Author – Pudelek. License – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. Photo taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

First thing in the morning she was there. Ellie woke us at 6:15. She came running into our room, pulled back the blinds to let in the bright morning sun shine in, and said, “Grandma, Grandpa, you’ve got to get up! The whole day is here!”

How can you resist that? Her joy, her enthusiasm and her wonder, were infectious. In a time when racial tensions have boiled over, and when a virus now seems to define our lives in terms of where we cannot go and what we cannot do, what a wonderful moment of grace we were given — the reminder that a whole new day stretched out before us, a gift from God filled with opportunities to discover grace and blessing in our lives, and to bring to it the best of who we are.

Yes, we are going through unprecedented and challenging times that can be draining and uncertain. But thank God for the delightful reminder of the wonderful opportunities and possibilities that come to us all, renewed every day. “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

With every good wish for your new days.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the June 19, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for June 14, 2020

According to the first book of Samuel, chapter 16, when King Saul was feeling down, he would call on David to play the harp for him. Saul found that this relieved his pain and helped him feel better.

King David Playing the Harp – modello (detail); by Peter Paul Rubens, from the collection of the Barnes Foundation, courtesy the Wikimedia Commons.

The 17th century poet, William Congreve, wrote that music has charms to soothe a savage breast.

Music has great power to move us. Were we not excited when Rachelle offered the Widor piece on Easter Sunday in the worship resources (available on our YouTube channel)? And she has continued to minister to us through music posted each week on the website.

Three months plus into the pandemic, is there a particular piece of music that has helped you cope? One that lifts your spirits or gives you peace? Or makes you smile? There is Diana Ross & the Supremes with “Someday We’ll be Together”. Perhaps it is Sonny & Cher’s, “I Got You Babe”, that song that woke up Bill Murray same day after same day after same day after same day in the movie Groundhog Day. In our house as we work on the worship resources we often think of that chap in “Eleanor Rigby”, “Father Mackenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear. No one comes near.”

On a more serious note, we have recently discovered Canadian Gordon Lightfoot’s “My Love Colours Outside The Lines”, about doing things differently.

So can we come up with a GCPC Pandemic Playlist? Let us know what you would put on the list, and we will publish the list in a couple of weeks on Tidbits. Maybe someday we can have a Pandemic Playlist concert. Just send an email to the Tidbits editor using the email address tidbits AT guildwoodchurch.ca to give your suggestion.

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the June 13, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for June 7, 2020

Our pandemic lock-down is about three months long at this point.

Over that time we have become accustomed to the daily press conferences by the Prime Minister and Premier, and daily counts of jobs lost, new infections recorded, and deaths due to the virus. The numbers are staggering, and even if we remain healthy, the impact on the lives of all of us is significant. It becomes a different thing altogether if it is ourselves, a family member or friend who is infected, or someone whom we know who has died. That makes it all so much more personal.

Image credit: Author Sneha ss. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Courtesy the Wikimedia Commons.

You will be aware how distressing this virus has been in long-term care institutions, and we were struck this week to learn that Extendicare Guildwood, a neighbour of ours in Guildwood — scarcely a five-minute walk from the church — has been particularly devastated by it. Over half of the residents there have been found to have contracted the virus, 40 have died, and infections amongst staff have made the delivery of care difficult. These are our neighbours, friends, and family.

The Session is sending a letter of support to Extendicare, and we invite you to join with us in a prayer that God would be with them through all that they are going through:

Gracious and loving God, we pray for the residents, their families, and the staff of Extendicare Guildwood, that you would be present to them in the ordeal that they are going through and your peace would surround them.

For the residents, we pray for your healing and support, that they would be renewed in body and spirit, and that all their needs would be met.

For their families, we pray your peace and consolation, that you would be present to answer their fear and concern, and that they would be given hope in the assurance that you will hold their loved ones in your love.

And for the staff, we give thanks for their commitment to the care of the residents, and pray for their health, renewal and continued dedication to their work in the face of the ravages of the pandemic.

God of hope, we know that you have promised to be with your people in the darkest of the valleys through which we must travel.

Hold in your love the people of Extendicare Guildwood that they may find hope and healing in this assurance, and be given strength for their trials.

It is in the name of Jesus that we ask these things. Amen.

Wishing you all of God’s richest blessings,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

This message first appeared in the June 6, 2020, edition of Tidbits.