July 12, 2013

The thunderstorms are awe-inspiring. Late afternoon, right after supper, midnight, five in the morning: the sky turns cloudy, then indigo and grey-green. Delphinium and peonies bow under the hail. Cars drive through water rising halfway up their tires. Sirens shriek and dogs howl. Lightening seems to flash right down my spine. Old Testament voices spoke of the holy power of storms. Something awesome this way comes: power, might, change. They had something right. Not a personification of God, but an awareness of change. What comes to mind for you in the strength of the storm? Is it something you fear? Some change you anticipate? Worry for our environment and our stewardship of the earth? Childhood memories of storms in campgrounds, or a gentle voice singing you lullabies through the thunderclaps? In the life of faith God calls us to examine our responsibilities, face our fears, encourage our friends, comfort our children and step up to the power we have. The questions that come to mind in the seconds between the lightening and the thunder often lead us into those deep reflections. Blessings on you in the spiritual moments of these summer storms. You are not alone, The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

July 5, 2013

After the rain the roses grows thick and pink. After the thunder the sky is silent. After the river has swollen past its banks and destroyed much of what is valuable to our neighbours, the impact settles like mud on dry ground. Grief and loss sink deep into the spirit. As the cleanup proceeds, your church is present. Before you knew it, people and funds were on the ground. Volunteers are showing up. Church givings are being delivered through the local congregations in  High River, Siksika and Calgary. We can make donations through The United Church of Canada website (www.united-church.ca) and through cheques mailed to St. Paul’s. Cheques should be made out to either The United Church of Canada or St. Paul’s United Church, and marked “Alberta Floods”. All the administrative expenses are covered by our Mission and Service Fund, so every donation we make goes in its entirety to relief efforts. And we are listening to the stories, offering the spiritual care Christ taught. We will shoulder some of the work, some of the grief, some of the heavy lifting. And we will pray for our neighbours.    Blessings, The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

June 27, 2013

I let my poet’s eye fall on my neighbours’ doors as I walked with my dogs this morning. A gloriously carved oak door with a wee peephole, a completely stained-glass door through which the shadows must dance in colour in the eastern light, doors open to screens to allow the rain-refreshed breeze, other doors closed tightly against street sounds and passers-by.

Who are my neighbours? The lady with the corgis, the dad who shares his love of cycling with his daughter tucking her into in a bike trailer, the recently-widowed gardener with flowers hanging over her fence. Their doorways offer a hint of their character, their hobbies, their fears.

Friends in High River have lost their front door. Water damage has shriveled and stained the friendly, bright red paint. Who knows what will be salvageable?

Thank God for friendship, I say, and generosity and compassion. Thank God for grief out loud. Thank God for the holy call to be neighbours.

Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

June 11, 2013

We got a letter from the mailman yesterday. A real letter, written longhand and signed. Imagine! Who ever heard of getting a letter from the mailman? Delivered by the mailman, yes, but from him?

Randy brought us the mail all winter. This spring his family chose to move to Kingston. He sent us a postcard from his new home. He wrote to Joan and me, saying thank you for time together, however brief (mail carriers move quickly!). He remembered that we had shared chocolates with him too.

This church is a place of welcome and hospitality, where each person is important. You are important. You matter.

Our mail carrier found sweets and welcome in your church. I trust you share that sweet hospitality too.

I send this letter with warmth as a reminder that you are cherished at the heart of God, and here in your church.

Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

April 30, 2013

Last night I went out for ice cream. Dairy Queen makes a soft ice cream cone that is like tasting clouds. The full moon was bursting through the sky to the east and the light was rushing out of the western horizon as fast as my ice cream melted in my cone.

There is so much in this life to be grateful for, to enjoy and to savour. In the midst of difficult global situations, mayhem erupting in cities and despair at hospital bedsides, there is still so much for which I am thankful. I’m not being selfish, it’s not an escape thing, or “there but for the grace of God go I”, or even about privilege. It’s the deep sense that in the verities and realities of existence, Love holds us, Faith guides us, Hope transforms us. It’s not magic. It’s not naïve. It’s real.

And so my prayer for you is that whatever travail confronts you, you know that you are loved. You are cherished. You are not alone. You are God’s beloved. 

May sweetness and light bring you delight.

Blessings,

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

March 12, 2013

We are praying for you.

We always pray for you. During Lent, however, we are making a particular commitment to pray for one another.  

As we get acquainted, we become aware of the many ways those around us touch the city. In our congregation there are librarians and landscapers, a bus driver and a baby-group member, politicians and potters, artists and activists, researchers and reverends! Some of us are preparing for professions and others are retired. Some are mentors and others put their shoulder to the grindstone.

As we move about the city, remembering to pray for one another, we see the gifts of thoughtfulness, care, and spirit that keep us persevering in neighbourhoods, school boards, nursing homes, associations and friendships. The energy to maintain and nourish hope comes from a deep abiding place, and I for one could not keep on without it.

Or, as John Wesley said, “The best of all, God is with us.”

May the nourishment of prayer sustain you

the need to pray encourage you, and

the nearness of God hold you.

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean

February 8, 2013

The last time I saw my friend Tom Faulkner we had tea near his home in Winnipeg. I asked him about his longtime practice of Sunday church attendance. “Catherine,” he said, “Sunday worship is the only time many of us have to sit quietly.” We talked about listening to familiar scripture stories, the relationships created in preaching a sermon, music that soothes and excites, and being called to prayer.

Your church provides a time for the regular practice of worship. It takes care and welcoming and study and practice. It takes people, love, and spirit. It takes a deep affection for the city you see pictured on our bulletin. It takes our energy and the Love of God. And it takes the prayers of neighbours who attend as well as those who are not able to, but hold the worshipping community in prayer.

After the Good Samaritan story this week we gathered for the Annual Congregational Meeting. We discussed study groups and music, family faith formation and budget investments, building security and repairs, and the pleasure of being an open and invitational spiritual home.  

Jesus tells the Good Samaritan story after someone asks him “Who is my neighbour?” The answer to that question is a Samaritan who went ‘way above and beyond what a person might do to help a stranger who was an enemy too. We are called to be neighbours and it is a sacred calling.

Thank you for your spiritual practice of holding our Sunday morning worshipping community in prayer. You strengthen us to be the neighbours this city needs. May we all have a moment to sit quietly and be open to God’s presence.

Blessings of quiet, intention, and love,

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith MacLean