Return of the Canadian Churchman

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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 have started YouTube pages, while still others are posting audio of their sermons or podcasting.  The world seems also to be discovering Zoom.  When I thought, what might I do, I thought that perhaps it was time to resurrect this old blog.  Blogs seem to have gone a bit out style over the past few years as social media has moved forward, but I could never be accused of being an innovator.  When many of my friends and colleagues were rushing headlong into "Fresh Expressions of Church" I remained a staunch defender of "Stale Expressions".  For me, nothing resonates more than, "O Lord, open Thou our lips..."  I have a feeling I am not alone. 

So hear I am, on a stale expression of social media, back again, an extrovert trapped at home, hoping I might offer a little something during this time. It is my intention to post a few times throughout the week and offer some reflections in the time-honoured Canadian Churchman tradition on where we are in these most interesting of days. 

Since it is Lent, one thing that I will be starting over the next few days is an online Bible study of the Passion according to St. Matthew.  I intend to work through St. Matthew's version of the Passion, offers some background, reflection, and teaching on the text, and to pose some questions that you may reflect on privately, or for you fellow extroverts, to comment on in the comments section of the blog post. 

I pray that each of you remain well in body, mind, and spirit and I look forward to making this journey together.

Comments

Holdens said…
Welcome back!
Art & Lynne
March 21, 2020 at 7:48 PM
Bill White said…
Great to see your blog back up! And your expressions were traditional, but never stale. :)
March 21, 2020 at 8:31 PM
Mei said…
Fr. Dan, welcome back! Glad reading your blog, please keep sending it, we shall stay together in whatever way and we will go through it all together!
March 21, 2020 at 8:46 PM
Daniel Graves said…
Thanks for your comments everyone. It's great to be back!
Fr. Dan
March 23, 2020 at 11:58 AM
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