With a nod to Dolly Parton and Bill Murray, it seems like a bit of "deja vu all over again." Groundhog Day. For the third time in less than a year, we are transitioning (or to use the current parlance, "pivoting") to in-person face-to-face worship, still masked and distanced, but looking forward to the physicality of being in the same space. Abraham Heschel, the famous Jewish essayist, says, "the soul cannot celebrate alone, so the body must be invited to partake in the rejoicing of the Sabbath."
This time, our first steps towards normality will be outside (weather permitting, otherwise inside). Something less formal and more easily adapted makes sense, and perhaps we can celebrate the joy of creation.
But our joy is tempered by many things. We must be mindful of the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous First Nations children at the sites of former residential schools. As a church, we must -- we absolutely must -- repent of our participation in the residential schools system and acknowledge with regret our role, and with our indigenous sisters and brothers be guided towards reconciliation and renewal of our relationship.
We must also be mindful of our differences, especially regarding gender and sexuality. In many parts of the world, PRIDE is observed in June, with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and police action in New York City on the night of June 28, 1969. In Nova Scotia, our PRIDE month will be observed in August, but it is still important to remember and include our sisters and brothers in their full humanity.
And we must be mindful of our relationship with the civil authorities. We are, like everyone else, frustrated by constant changes in guidelines, sometimes with very short notice. There are likely to be both federal and provincial elections this year, and the candidates will be hard-pressed (regardless of party affiliation) to show how they might have done anything better over the last two years. The campaigns will probably be ugly and bitter, given the polarization of the last few years, and will pit eastern, central and western interests against each other. But it won't be the first time (anybody remember 2015?). So hear we go again.
This time, our first steps towards normality will be outside (weather permitting, otherwise inside). Something less formal and more easily adapted makes sense, and perhaps we can celebrate the joy of creation.
But our joy is tempered by many things. We must be mindful of the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of indigenous First Nations children at the sites of former residential schools. As a church, we must -- we absolutely must -- repent of our participation in the residential schools system and acknowledge with regret our role, and with our indigenous sisters and brothers be guided towards reconciliation and renewal of our relationship.
We must also be mindful of our differences, especially regarding gender and sexuality. In many parts of the world, PRIDE is observed in June, with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and police action in New York City on the night of June 28, 1969. In Nova Scotia, our PRIDE month will be observed in August, but it is still important to remember and include our sisters and brothers in their full humanity.
And we must be mindful of our relationship with the civil authorities. We are, like everyone else, frustrated by constant changes in guidelines, sometimes with very short notice. There are likely to be both federal and provincial elections this year, and the candidates will be hard-pressed (regardless of party affiliation) to show how they might have done anything better over the last two years. The campaigns will probably be ugly and bitter, given the polarization of the last few years, and will pit eastern, central and western interests against each other. But it won't be the first time (anybody remember 2015?). So hear we go again.
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