Reflections of a Canadian Churchman

Birthdays - a story of the Rev. Mr. William Perkins   Occasionally, I like to share stories about a fictional clergyman of my acquaintance.  His name is the Rev. William Perkins.  He is a bit of a shy, diminutive fellow. I think he is quite a good priest, if a bit uptight. He is the rector of the rural parish of Christ Church, Hampton's Corners.  It is one of those quiet little rural parishes that sits on the cusp of suburbia.  Mr. Perkins has been rector of the parish for quite a number of years now, but this is a story from the early days of his ministry in Hampton's Corners. I hope you enjoy it. This story is called "Birthdays."   In church-land there are certain little customs that seem to develop over time.   At first, they are innocuous, charming, even quaint; but it doesn’t take long before they begin to attain a sacrosanct and inviolable character.   Any clergyperson who has inherited this sort of custom (and I believe we all have, of some sort or

Jesus before Caiaphas; Peter's Denial   Read: Matthew 26:57-75 As Jesus is taken before Caiaphas the High Priest, Matthew gives us a long shot of Peter following at a distance, going as far as the High Priest's courtyard.  It is clear that in Peter's mind he has not given up on Jesus. There is no indication that any of the other disciples were with him or followed along.  Peter is a solitary figure.  His presence is ambivalent, though.  On the one hand, he surely sees himself as continuing to follow Jesus, literally. On the other, he makes no show of who is he is.  He is incognito, as it were. It is only when a servant girl recognizes him that he flips into self-preservation mode and denies he was with Jesus. Three times, he protests, even when he is called out for his Galilean accent. It is clear that in his own mind, he did not think he was being faithless, he was still following his master.  But then the cock crowed and the arrow pierces his heart. He has done e

The Garden of Gethsemane Read: Matthew 26:31-56 This passage is often read on Maundy Thursday, after the liturgy has been celebrated, the altar stripped, and the barren sanctuary lies in darkness.  After the words "Get up, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand", the church sits in silence.  The congregation begins to disperse, disappear, just as Jesus' disciples dispersed and disappeared as the Passion began to unfold.  Some will keep watch and hold vigil. Others will simply slip away.  In some places a watch will be kept through the night while in others the church will sit empty in darkness.  When Jesus prophesied at the last supper that one of the disciples would betray him, the resounding response from all of them was "surely not I, Lord?!"  And while it is true that there was a single one who betrayed him, who handed him over to his death, each of the disciples betrayed him in their own way.  As we continue with the story today we begin with Je

"Can these Bones Live? Texts: Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 11:1-45 Click HERE for the audio version Some time after the people of Judah were taken into captivity in 587 B.C., the prophet Ezekiel was swept up in a vision in which he was transported to a valley of dry bones – a valley of bone piled upon bone, as far as the eye could see.   It was an unimaginable sight and he stood within its midst.   One can only imagine the revulsion he felt at the palpable taste of death . Frightfully, Ezekiel was confronted with the utter a reality of death itself, not a single death, but the death of multitudes.   Could he have kept himself from weeping?   What were the emotions that welled deep within his heart in that moment?   He knew that these bones represented the fate of his nation; he knew that this vision of death was not simply a vision, but rather a sign of the frightening reality faced by a people in exile.   Had God forsaken them? Had God forsaken him? Was this to be the ul

Today I'm offering a little diversion.  I will return with the Passion According to St. Matthew tomorrow, but for today, I thought I would offers something a bit different. Those who know me know that I am an avid ballroom dancer.  Although I'm probably just half-decent at it, I find it a joyful and life-giving experience.  It is one of the things I am deeply missing during this time of social distancing. A few years ago I wrote a little book about what dancing means to me, Let's Keep Dancing: What I have learned about Life, Love, and Relationships from Ballroom Dancing .  It has never been published, although I have done a couple of public readings of certain chapters.  I thought I had finished the book, but it still seems a work in progress as I continue to dance and continue to learn.  With every new experience there are new insights.  Since I wrote it, I have written a few additional reflections, and I see the need to go back and do quite of bit of re-writing.  Havi

The Last Supper  Read Matthew 26:17-30 The story of the Last Supper is an important one for all Christians.  Each scriptural version has its own unique cadences and no two are exactly alike. This is something we ought to keep in mind as we reflect on what Holy Communion means to us, and remember that different interpretations have existed since the event of the Last Supper, itself.  The question of what the Eucharist means, what it is, and what it does was a cause of deep division at the time of the Reformation. Alongside questions of justification by faith, predestination and election, and ecclesiology, it did not seem like there was much agreement. Not only were there the division between Catholics and Protestants, but amongst the reformers, themselves, there was considerable (and often violent) disagreement.  Was Christ truly present in the sacrament? If so, how? Was he carnally present, mystically present, sacramentally present?  Was the Eucharist only symbolic? Was it s

Anointed for Burial  Read: Matthew 26:1-16 We jump ahead a few chapters now to Jesus' announcement of his death, his anointing at Bethany, and his betrayal by Judas. After Jesus proclaims his coming death and the elders and chief priests plot to destroy him, Jesus is anointed.  The tender scene at the house of Simon the Leper is a familiar one and it has its own unique cadences in Matthew's telling of the story.  While the disciples complain in shock about the waste of such valuable oil and how the money could have been used to help the poor, Judas is not the one who makes the charge, nor are we told of his stealing from the common purse (See John 12).  Judas is not mentioned until the next paragraph in which he sells out Jesus to the high priests and elders.  What is going on in this story of the anointing? Jesus makes a proclamation that she has "prepared him for burial".  Did the woman think that this is what she was doing?  We must wonder at that.  Given

The Triumphal Entry Read: Matthew 21:1-17 If the last days of Jesus were to unfold in our time, things would be very different. Beyond the mode of transportation (a motorcade instead of a donkey and colt?) and the mode of acclamation (cell phones held high with faux candles instead of palms and scattered garments?), would be the problem of social distancing.  Would a parade even be allowed? Would the Temple, which was Jesus' destination, be closed due to an outbreak?  If the triumphal entry were to take place in our day, perhaps the tables of the money lenders would not need to be overturned, for the economy has already turned upside down.  What might the triumphal entry look like in this moment?  In all likelihood, this year we will not even be able to ritually re-enact it as we do on Palm Sunday every year in our churches.  Would Jesus Zoom or Skype the triumphal entry far and wide, or post it on Facebook Live? Would the acclamation take the form of "likes" floating

It has been some time since I posted on this blog.  The COVID-19 Pandemic has many of us working from home.  A few days ago, I saw this meme on Facebook and reposted it. I am amongst the breed of extroverts and I am certainly feeling a bit of cabin fever.  I try to get out for my walk every morning, and have jumped at every chance to go to the grocery store to pick up some necessities.  This past week I was on my "winter week" holiday.  I did not go away and it was a strange time to be at home, watching all the world shut down. As the week unfolded I admired so many of my clergy colleagues looking for ways to reach out not only to our church communities but to the wider community and offer words of hope, encouragement, and comfort during difficult times. There are so many innovative approaches to keeping people connected. Our cathedral has begun live-streaming liturgies, many clergy have offered Morning and Evening Prayer, as well as Compline using Facebook Live, others hav