How was church today?

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Our minister talked about dark mysteries and the splitting of Hebrews from the land of imagination ... Egypt ...

I fit as many theologians and proposed theologians don't get me ... as a gripe ...

I must be some kind of alien god ... fitting in with the Hebrew aspect of not wanting to know god ... thus they didn't ... and the mystery of why continues ...

His rael people just don't know ...
 
This gripe about gods people loving everything is an enigma to me ...

Then my mother's minister told me I was going to hell early in life experience ... my understanding that people who follow his way question nothing ... thus love as nothing is unknown to them?

My mother told me I was stupid from Day to Dei ... so my questions increased ... because of increasing naïveté ...
 
Visited at Topsail United Church in, umm, Topsail, NL.

Service was led by the Reverend Bruce Kearley, a name I remember from my time in NL but never a colleague I had the pleasure to meet. Until today.

Bruce invited me to lead the prayers of the people and the Lord's prayer which I found to be a very warm and generous gesture. I will have to think about paying that forward in the future.

The congregation was very full and very friendly. Very warm as a sexton went around popping open windows half-way through the service.

One member of the congregation remembered me from my first stint in St. Anthony when he went visiting up on the Northern Peninsula
 
Must be interesting to attend worship as a participant if you are accustomed to presiding over the service.
 
paradox3 said:
Must be interesting to attend worship as a participant if you are accustomed to presiding over the service.
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It takes some practice.

You have to work most on getting past the "why would you go there with that text?" stuff most. Or, maybe it is safer to say, I had to work on that most.

Not that wrestling with the text of the sermon is a bad thing. You just have to be careful about what that mental wrestling looks like to the rest of the world.

So, no frowning or WTF faces during sermon time. I think I am getting better at it.

Occasional theology cringes.

The subtle variations in liturgical practice and language.
 
Worship today was at First Metropolitan in Victoria. Some young folks spoke of their experiences at a United Youth Event this summer in Montreal. Sounded like a fun time. Then Rev. Ivy Thomas did a sermon on the Eve and Adam story about the fruit tree. I have never seen a United church Rev. preach on that story. To my surprise it was a good sermon. The sermon had Eve as a hero for eating the fruit since it showed she was a knowledge seeker. Glad I was in worship at First Met this day. Also had a nice vegetarian lunch after church at a fave Victoria restaurant.
 
Smalleer than usual crowd at the church this morning; one minister was with a group of canoe and kayak enthusists who worshipped on an island in the beautiful St. John river. At the church we read both the Exodus and the Romans passages for the day and our minister did a very meaningful sermon on Romans (12: 8-10). We closed with a rousing rendition of "Greaat if Thy Faithfulness" which the minister claimed as a favourite hymn.
Significant to me and discussed with a friend after the service was one of the announcements "Sept. 30 Silent Gathering to Resist Hate", giving the time and location. Apparently there is a White Supremist event planned at a different location at that time. It's hard to believe that they would spend time at a quiet little place like Fredericton. And unfortunately, because I would like to attend the silent gathering, I will be away on that date.
 
revjohn said:
"why would you go there with that text?" stuff most
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Isn't that a hoot in the dark place with no name ... perhaps because it is nothing? My grandfather stated that love was nothing ... when people lost all good common sense ... a great holiday as a void! Like Christmas Eve ... tis coming too!
 
Seeler said:
Smalleer than usual crowd at the church this morning; one minister was with a group of canoe and kayak enthusists who worshipped on an island in the beautiful St. John river. At the church we read both the Exodus and the Romans passages for the day and our minister did a very meaningful sermon on Romans (12: 8-10). We closed with a rousing rendition of "Greaat if Thy Faithfulness" which the minister claimed as a favourite hymn.
Significant to me and discussed with a friend after the service was one of the announcements "Sept. 30 Silent Gathering to Resist Hate", giving the time and location. Apparently there is a White Supremist event planned at a different location at that time. It's hard to believe that they would spend time at a quiet little place like Fredericton. And unfortunately, because I would like to attend the silent gathering, I will be away on that date.
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Blanc out can occur at any times ... the flash of pure angelic loss of responses and responsibility of the sibling trend.

In our church the minister spoke of cognizant dissonance ... a mental conflict .. it is said for those that believe in the essence of sol ... the balance of those cognizant being beyond us with a small portion to assist our opinionated selves ... the signature whole being? God is that ankh ... a stretch of senses? I added the part ofter the underlining to elaborate of people thinking about strange cognizance ... an outside attribute to those following opinion alone. Did you know that opinion is related to emotional out put? Like hubris when it rises ... nemesis comes down ... sort of quantum wave-like ... resembles mental activity that comes and goes ...
 
I tried to come up with a pair of words that match dissonant cognizance and all I could conjure was scattered intelligence that may be gathered from distribution and how that happens ... tribulation of love?

Tribulation:
noun
noun: tribulation; plural noun: tribulations
  1. a cause of great trouble or suffering.
    "the tribulations of being a megastar"
    synonyms: suffering, distress, trouble, misery, wretchedness, unhappiness, sadness, heartache, woe, grief, sorrow, pain, anguish, agony;
    literarytravail
    "his time of tribulation was just beginning"
    • a state of great trouble or suffering.
      "his time of tribulation was just beginning"
      synonyms: trouble, difficulty, problem, worry, anxiety, burden, cross to bear, ordeal, trial, adversity, hardship, tragedy, sorrow, trauma, affliction;
    Is good sense a tribulation for love or vice versa? People following life emotionally would then have trouble thinking! Good God ... thanks for the advocate ...
Thus love is a pain to the sol ... bottom line ass ecce meant! In logic and logos ... it follows like Midnight and Walter Brennan ... That Mule Old Reverse and Meis ... it sa mitey Muse ...
 
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Today Rev. John spoke of generosity and the many forms and levels that it can operate on. One story was interesting that at a street event each year Hillhurst sells hotdogs for $2. This year they decided to have no price and suggested folks pay what they wanted or pay nothing if they wished. This year raised twice the funds from the hot dog sale than was raised in earlier years. The gist of the sermon was that God's generosity is overflowing and this would be good to emulate in our relations with others, not just monetary, but also our time, our love and so on. A challenge to try to live with a giving forward approach to others in our many relationships.
 
This was my first Sunday at my own church since early August. But, as fate would have it, I was called on to teach Sunday School, so missed the sermon. I had three 6 year olds in Sunday School...2 who were new to our church. The little boy seemed a bit hyper, so I started the lesson off with a rowdy game of Simon Says before we settled in to the lesson. I knew that reading the lesson wouldn't work with this group, so I acted it out, using the crayon container, the pencil container and the marker container as Jesse's sons, while I was Samuel. They certainly were keen on the pretend sons of Jesse. When I was ready to have a look at David, they grabbed the glue container and said "Here's another son!" Later, they looked at the poster of Samuel's timeline and asked: "Is this your mother?" I guess I was a pretty convincing Samuel! I have to admit: I thoroughly enjoyed church today.
 
I attended First United in Mt Pearl, NL yesterday morning. Worship was lead by the Reverend Ian March-McCuish. We've met once or twice before. I've had more interaction with his wife, The Reverend Faith March-McCuish who has been NL Conference Executive Secretary for some years.

I sat up front and was swarmed by families pretty early. Which I found unusual since UCCAN congregations typically fill from back to front. Taking a moment to glance around I noticed the place was packed.

Large Choir of nearly 30 voices led by a very competent director and a lively accompaniest on Piano.

Reverend March-McCuish preached a very strong message on love of neighbour.

Congregation was evenly split between Seniors and young families. very friendly folk as well.
 
revjohn said:
I attended First United in Mt Pearl, NL yesterday morning. Worship was lead by the Reverend Ian March-McCuish. We've met once or twice before. I've had more interaction with his wife, The Reverend Faith March-McCuish who has been NL Conference Executive Secretary for some years.

I sat up front and was swarmed by families pretty early. Which I found unusual since UCCAN congregations typically fill from back to front. Taking a moment to glance around I noticed the place was packed.

Large Choir of nearly 30 voices led by a very competent director and a lively accompaniest on Piano.

Reverend March-McCuish preached a very strong message on love of neighbour.

Congregation was evenly split between Seniors and young families. very friendly folk as well.
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Love of the neighbour? Defeating, defeatist, or defeating mode in reality of being a success? Thus sibling rivalry to see who could learn bore from the collapse of the other end in the ontological opposition ... that was to be defeated physically? Is real life fair? My fair lady must be elsewhere ... a psyche sophistication that could only fit in a state of mine ... a strange void? Thing of virtue by spooky in the fact there's nothing there? Nothing tuit ... everyone should get one ... a circle of thought ... or an aura ... the glow in the darker corona ...
 
This small community has several churches who use 'suppers' as a fundraising device. We have beef suppers, turkey suppers, Irish suppers and Scottish suppers etc. occurring regularly. I find it fascinating that all the churches but one have a set charge to join in the eating. Mostly they are quite busy. The church that is 'odd man out' operates with a free will donation. They aren't as busy but take in more money than the others!
 
KayTheCurler said:
This small community has several churches who use 'suppers' as a fundraising device. We have beef suppers, turkey suppers, Irish suppers and Scottish suppers etc. occurring regularly. I find it fascinating that all the churches but one have a set charge to join in the eating. Mostly they are quite busy. The church that is 'odd man out' operates with a free will donation. They aren't as busy but take in more money than the others!
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Do these suppers serve as a way of outreach to people in the greater community? Where my Mom lives in northern NB, many of the churches have such suppers. In my experience, the suppers are routinely filled with people from other churches who return to their own churches to put on their suppers. It's like a circuit. I hope that all the churches who charge make it known that they do.
 
Didn't go to church this Sunday, having returned home from vacation the evening prior. Sorry in a way to have missed it tho, as all three of our Syrian refugee families attended and spoke during the service. Afterward there was a BBQ in their honour, with our neighbour church who were also great financial supporters of the refugee sponsorship.

Last Sunday, I was in the small town of Val Marie Saskatchewan. In the morning, before leaving, we stopped by a stone labyrinth that our hosts had built on their property this summer. We had passed this site several times in our comings and goings, wondering what that big stone thing was down in the field. Then by chance the evening before we left I learned it was a labyrinth - and I do love labyrinths. It was quite wonderful - such a peaceful and silent setting. They plan to plant some trees around it and open it to their wider community in future. It must have been quite an effortful construction project for them.

Hopefully I can upload a photo -
P1000724 (640x473).jpg P1000725 (640x475).jpg
Yes! that worked! The second photo is the centre stone - there was a tiny rose quartz madonna figure, some large iron links, other bits of stone and crystals that people had left, a few small puddles from the rain on the night prior. Loved it.
 
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