Holiday/Vacation/Time Off/Sabbath ~August 6

I've been with you for six weeks now, and I'm about to take some holiday time from August 10th until the 30th. Some of you might wonder why I'd step away so soon after just starting ministry here. In the past, I've traditionally taken August as holiday time so I can be off when my own children are on summer break. Rest is something all of us need to keep going well. We aren't built to go and go and go without it catching up with us eventually. “Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.”(Mark Buchanan, The Holy Wild: Trusting in the Character of God)

This timing also happens to line up with our full move. When we arrived on July 1st, we brought only enough to live in the house day to day. Our daughter has been working in Southampton for the summer and living in the Southampton house, which closes on the 24th, so the real move- all the rest of the furniture and belongings will happen the week of the 17th.

While I'm away, Rev. Heather Kincaid has kindly agreed to be the emergency pastoral care contact for the next three weeks.

And coming on Sunday…

We continue in the Gospel of Matthew this week, witnessing Jesus’ walking on water — and Peter's attempt to do the same, with mixed results. It's easy to get caught up in the wonder of the moment, watching Jesus defy natural law, and we'll spend some time unpacking that on Sunday. But the passage begins with Jesus stepping away from the crowds, from his disciples, to rest and to grieve, because he has just had word that John the Baptist has died.

If Jesus needed to step away to rest and restore, chances are you do too. So as summer continues, I hope you'll give yourself permission- even just for a little while to slow down, breathe, and let yourself be restored.

Blessings, Heather

Your vision will become clearer only when you look into your heart.



Who looks outside.. Dreams. 



Who looks inside.. Awakens. (Carl Jung)

Then Let Us Sing 🎶

I love hymns. Music is another way we worship, and it also expresses theology what we believe about God. Some of the older hymns are hard for me to sing, since their language and theology reflect a different worldview than the one many of us hold today. The United Church has a long history of updating its hymnody to keep pace with the times.

You may remember the black or dark blue hymn book — the first United Church hymnal, published in the 1930s, bringing together hymns from the three founding denominations (Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist). We sang from it until the 1970s, when the red hymn book arrived. That one came out of conversations between the United and Anglican churches about a possible amalgamation which never happened, but the joint hymnal did, and we used it for the next twenty years.

In 1987, the green supplement, Songs for a Gospel People, was released, followed by Voices United in the 1990s, which we still sing from today. More Voices followed in 2007, bringing more world music, praise songs, and Indigenous hymns to reflect a rapidly changing and diverse church.

Now there's a new hymnal: Then Let Us Sing. It was created for release on a digital platform to coincide with the United Church's 100th anniversary. After a few hiccups, the hard copies, both pew and organ editions, are now available. 🎵🎶

The following description of the collection is from the Then Let Us Sing:

“This collection includes:

· New hymns and songs with fresh language for God and accessible musical styles

· Hymns that lift up racialized, Indigenous, francophone, disabled, and LGBTQQITTPA+ and Two-Spirit voices

· Amplification of historically marginalized voices

· Music that helps us sing together — including nearly twenty hymns interpreted into American Sign Language (ASL) and five into langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), with videos available on YouTube

· Songs in 24 languages, reflecting the United Church's growing intercultural life

More to come about this…🎶🎵

So what is coming Sunday…

We continue our journey through Matthew, moving into chapter 14. Jesus tries to slip away in a boat for some time alone, but the crowds follow him anyway. Rather than turning them away, he's moved with compassion and heals the sick among them. Then, as evening falls, he feeds them, body and soul.

~Heather~

Your vision will become clearer only when you look into your heart.



Who looks outside.. Dreams. 



Who looks inside.. Awakens. (Carl Jung).