~Bob Wallace

Over the past few weeks we have been following the stories of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs of our faith – men and women who heard a promise spoken from beyond their everyday lives and who committed their futures to the fulfillment of that promise.

That promise has been transferred from generation to generation through what the text calls a “blessing” – words spoken, accompanied by specific actions, transferring the promise from one generation to the next. And once spoken, those words cannot be recalled. There is, then, a power in words … a power to shape and define, to create and destroy.

This year’s encounters with racism reminds us again of the power of words – words used to deny, to hurt, to enslave, to harm. The old adage: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!” is a lie! Words can hurt. Words can destroy, words can deny futures. Words are powerful.

In fact, from a biblical perspective, the power of words lies in the capacity to share (or deny) future. Such power lies in the spoken words and accompanying actions of blessing.

Walter Brueggemann writes of these stories we are reading:

(they) offer a fresh discernment of the nature of power. … (they) understand that power, the capacity to shape the future, lies not in weapons and arms, but in the use of language, gesture, and symbol.”

[Interpretation: Genesis, p. 228]

As we continue our journey through these stories, look for the way in which the stories talk about the power and use of words and the gestures that accompany those words. It is my belief that these stories, heard as promises not only to those who have gone before, but as continuing promises spoken to us, empower us to discover our new future, a future filled with promises of life in all its fullness rather than despair.

More than anything, then, these words empower us to believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that “God is with us. We are not alone.” And in that power, we are claimed once again as beloved children of our God.

And, from a world before we were concerned with gender issues in language, here’s a quote from Sigmund Freud.

Words have a magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions. Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men’s actions.

Sigmund Freud

~The United Church of Canada E-ssentials

August 1, 1834 is the day the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, ending slavery throughout most of the British Empire – including in the colonies that would become Canada. It is estimated that on that day, 800,000 enslaved Black peoples were freed, as it became illegal for anyone to be a slave in the British Empire.

There is a grassroots movement happening in the United Church and beyond to proclaim August 1 as one way to support the fair treatment of all humans and affirm that all persons are made in the image of God. The commemoration of August 1 reminds us that the fight against systemic and anti-Black racism is far from over, and that we need to continue the work for the creation of a more just society. It is one way to continue the work of becoming an anti-racist church.

Join with people across the church in remembering August 1 and use the day to further the honest dialogue about the deconstructing of racism in our country. You are invited to join in a “silent witness” activity by wearing a T-shirt commemorating the end of slavery in Canada on August 1. There are two T-shirt designs available on the United against Racism website that can be iron-transferred onto T-shirts. There are also a number of blog posts to read on the United Against Racism website.

~Jocelyn Smith

I grew up in the golden age of the video game console. But in my house we had very little screen time and no video games. As a result, I am one of the only people my age who cannot pass the first level of a traditional Mario game. I always run Mario into a hole!

My parents decision to limit our screen time continued to impact my life after I moved out. In the 20 years since I lived at home, I have never owned a television. That’s not to say that I don’t watch shows and movies. But for two decades now, I’ve consumed my media via my computer. In the current era of Disney Plus, Netflixs and Youtube, that’s not too hard to imagine. But 10+ years ago, it was not easy to find good shows online from a legitimate source. Imagine my delight when I discovered Knowledge Network online. A whole repository of great viewing, all free.

I started watching shows on Knowledge.ca and became a knowledge partner. One day, an email arrived in my inbox. Knowledge inviting us to an advanced screening of an Agatha Christie Christmas mystery. I may or may not have whooped in excitement but I did immediately rsvp.

Several weeks later I sat in the Queen Elizabeth theatre and felt right at home. The audience members closest to us in age had at least three decades on us. It felt like attending Queens United. 🙂 I enjoyed the show and the whole experience.

Aside from Agatha Christie mysteries, Knowledge hosts an excellent selection of murder mysteries online. They also host a lot of great documentaries and feature many made in BC programs. Recently, I came across Just Eat It. I watched it and now I find myself looking in my fridge a bit askew.

Just Eat It follows one Vancouver couple as they eat only waste food for 6 months. The results are surprising and somewhat confronting. Have a watch. https://www.knowledge.ca/program/just-eat-it

And now please excuse me, I need to go. I’ve got some saggy parsnips and a browning apple in my fruit bowl that can’t go to waste.

~Rev. Dr. Sharon Wilson

A few nights ago I was walking my dog in the neighbourhood. We came upon a vehicle parked on the street. The licence plate looked different so I paid special attention as we passed the back bumper. “MONTANA!!!!!!!!” I shouted in my head. Suddenly I was filled with a mixture of rage and indignation. How dare someone wantonly defy border restrictions and put all of us good, law-abiding, Bonnie Henry-loving citizens at risk????? The truck disappeared then following afternoon, but I have been wrestling with my reaction to this episode ever since.

As we enter Phase 3 of the pandemic response we are enjoying more freedom with the consequent increased vulnerability. I confess that last week I experienced the euphoria of my first haircut since early February. Freedom fills us with energy and hope. It promises a return to face-to-face encounters and, in time, the hugs we have been hungering to give and receive for so many months. Yet, all of us have seen the video clips of family gatherings and public parks brimming with people close together and often without masks. Infection rates in the United States are increasing at alarming levels even as states continue to announce the return to business as normal.

The pandemic poses a host of critical ethical issues: what are my rights?, to whom am I accountable?, who controls my life? A good place to start exploring these questions is the website of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. David E. DeCosse offers “Five Ethical Basics in the face of the Coronavirus Pandemic”:

• It’s not only about you.
• In a pandemic, ethics takes a long view
• Don’t fear everything but fear the right things
• In a pandemic, ethics stays the same—and ethics also changes
• Beware the bias in blaming

This short article does an excellent job setting out the landscape that we now occupy. We are living on the cusp of disaster and that has made us more fearful, insular and reactive. This is the natural response to threat but that does not mean that those gut reactions should have free-range in our lives.

I want to focus on the notion of the common good. We are not islands. We exist in this world in relationships of family, friendship, work, community and so many more. Our interdependence has revealed itself clearly for those of us who had to self-isolate and depended on others to pick up and deliver our groceries, mail, and prescriptions. We can now chuckle about the shortages of toilet paper that had us yearning for the good old days when at least you had an Eaton’s catalogue for emergencies!

The common good is a notion that originated over two thousand years ago in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. More recently, the ethicist John Rawls defined the common good as “certain general conditions that are…equally to everyone’s advantage”.

The enemy of the common good is individualism. This is fueled by the notion of ‘me first’. We have seen both the common good and individualism on display throughout this pandemic. They seem to be constantly in tension with one another and we are all being drawn into the conflict.

Deeply rooted in our faith is the notion of the ‘neighbour’. In the Hebrew it is rea and in Greek it is plesion. The neighbour is one who is near or sometimes defined as a friend. However, the meaning of neighbour was expanded and deepened in Leviticus 19:18 which set out how the Israelites were to treat each other and the stranger. The ‘Golden Rule’ made clear in the ministry of Jesus further points us to an ethic of the common good.

So consider what you are saying and doing that promotes the common good. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Keep social distance. Avoid crowds. Don’t travel unnecessarily. Be mindful of your neighbours. Keep in touch by phone, text or email. Support the charities that are working harder than ever in this trying time. Don’t point fingers.

We are being called to consider and embody ethical living in this unprecedented time. Let us embrace the challenge to uphold the common good. Let us be good neighbours. The only person whose behaviour we can control is our own.