A Story, God and Us

Our shared journey began on World Wide Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of October, 2010. We have travelled far together. New people joined us along the way. Others no longer travel with us in body but their spirit holds us. We have journeyed together through much change. Thanks to God’s leading we have been faithful in some things and been a witness to God’s love in this time and place. In some ways we have fallen short of God’s calling – sometimes our fears have got the best of us and we have hesitated to take a leap of faith. We are human. On June 30th I will finish my journey with you and begin my journey with the people of St. George United Church in the town of St. George, not too far from Paris, ON. After eight and a half years in ministry with you the time is right for a change. I recognize that a new minister with a different set of skills and priorities is what is needed here as you seek to continue to be a vibrant and faithful community in the midst of profound changes all around us. I will have the opportunity to start fresh with a new community. I will be at St. George for six months to a year as they seek to find a minister to call. I will take short appointments in the Hamilton area until my retirement in October 2021. This will enable me to have more time with my wife, Pat, who retired this past February, and enable me to be home in Binbrook every night. Living in two places and the drive has taken its toll on me. The Chair of our Executive Leadership Team with fifteen talented people from our congregation are working on our Congregational Profile, the first step in moving towards interviewing persons for the ministry position. The Shining Waters Region of The United Church of Canada will support this group in their important work. I have felt greatly loved by you and I cherish the relationship we have shared. My overall feeling is gratitude for God leading me to Mayfield and blessing me abundantly. On Sunday, June 23rd we will have the opportunity during worship and sharing lunch in the hall to say thank you for our shared journey and to wish each other well in all the exciting things that await us. I hope to see many of you then and be able to say a warm goodbye. “Faith. Friends. Fellowship.” Thanks be to God. In Christian Love Lloyd

“Mayfield Choir Sings at Carnegie Hall!” Our Mayfield United Church Choir has just returned from singing at Carnegie Hall! What a privilege! What a shared experience! What an honour! We were part of a mass choir of 280 voices + full orchestra which took to the stage under the leadership of composer and director Pepper Choplin. Nine pieces were sung in the magnificent, historical and famous Carnegie Hall. I was among a group of ten of us from Mayfield who had the privilege of being in the audience and seeing our choir up on stage. We were so proud of our Choir and this wonderful accomplishment. We were the only choir from Canada. It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences that we will never forget. Our thanks to our Carnegie Hall Steering Committee who made this all possible: Gary Walker, Howard Lopez, Nicole Judge, Dale Cation, Joe Gray, Mari-Anne Tate and Andrea Sauro. Our thanks to our congregation who supported this endeavour. We will receive one copy of the performance and the plan is that sometime in the Autumn we will show it so that as many people as possible can experience this great event. Our thanks to our superb choir who represented us so proudly in New York City and at Carnegie Hall: Our Music Director, Howard Lopez, Mari-Anne Tate, Katie Moddle, Vicki Forsyth, Bonnie Martin, Shirley Grice, Andrea Sauro, Jonelle St. Aubyn, Sara Clarkson, Linda Dunford, Holly Armstrong, Norma Jean Thompson, Trevor Rodie, Neil Whiteford, Gary Walker, Rob Thompson and Peter Armstrong. You should be so proud of them. And the music was wonderful, with that many voices + the full orchestra the sound was huge and beautiful. For the song ‘Sweet Are The Prayers of a Friend’, Sara Clarkson made her way down front to offer a solo. Another huge and proud moment for all of us! For some of us the experience still feels almost unreal. Our choir sang at Carnegie Hall! Let that sink in! Thanks be to God for Music! This Sunday our choir will be singing “If God Is For Us” one of the pieces sung at Carnegie Hall. See you in worship. Rev. Lloyd

Woman’s Creed: By Rachel Wahlberg “I believe in God who created woman and man in God’s own image, who created the world and gave both sexes the care of the earth. I believe in Jesus, child of God, chosen of God, born of the woman Mary, who listened to women and liked them, who stayed in their homes, who discussed the Kingdom with them, who was followed and financed by women disciples. I believe in Jesus, who discussed theology with a woman at a well and first confided in her his messiahship, who motivated her to go and tell her great news to the city. I believe in Jesus who received anointing from a woman at Simon’s house, who rebuked the men guests who scorned her. I believe in Jesus who said this woman will be remembered for what she did – minister for Jesus. I believe in Jesus who healed a woman on the sabbath and made her straight because she was a human being. I believe in Jesus who spoke of God as a woman seeking the lost coin, as a woman who swept seeking the lost. I believe in Jesus who thought of pregnancy and birth with reverence, not as punishment – but as wrenching event, a metaphor for transformation, born again, anguish-into-joy. I believe in Jesus who spoke of himself as a mother hen who would gather her chicks under her wing. I believe in Jesus who appeared first to Mary Magdalene, who sent her with the bursting message: GO AND TELL. I believe in the wholeness of the Saviour in whom there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in salvation. I believe in the Holy Spirit as she moves over the waters of creation and over the earth. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the women spirit of God, who like a hen, created us and gave us birth and covers us with her wings.”

Some Thoughts from “The Roots of Christian Mysticism” by Olivier Clement in this Great 50 Day Season of Easter + “The power of resurrection is given definitively to the Church in the Eucharist and offered to human beings; it then is up to us to live in that power”…. Olivier Clement + “God came among human beings that we might meet him”…… Balai + “Were not Christians during the first centuries called ‘those who have no fear of death’? Being now set free from anguish, we are able to love.” Olivier Clement + We have to learn to get round obstacles, to tear away dead skin, to let the very life of Christ arise in us by the power of his resurrection.” Olivier Clement + “God is Breath, for the breath of the wind is shared by all, goes everywhere; nothing shuts it in, nothing holds it prisoner.” Maximus the Confessor + “Spiritual birth is the result of free choice and we are thus, in a sense, our own parents, creating ourselves as we want to be, freely fashioning ourselves according to the pattern of our choice.” Gregory of Nyssa + “Who gave you the ability to contemplate the beauty of the skies, the course of the sun, the round moon, the millions of stars, the harmony and rhythm that issue from the world as from a lyre, the return of the seasons, the alternation of the months, the demarcation of day and night, the fruits of the earth, the vastness of the air, the ceaseless motion of the waves, the sound of the wind? Who gave you the rain, the soil to cultivate, food to eat, arts, houses, laws, a republic, cultivated manners, friendship with your fellows?” Gregory Nazianzen + “Birds fly, fishes swim, and humans pray. Islamic spiritual writers would later express the same idea, saying that the first cry of the new-born babe and the last breath of the dying person together make up and proclaim the divine name.” Jean-Claude Barreau From “ Dogmatics in Outline ” by Karl Barth + “This is the promise that God gives us: I am there for you……….. Because God is for us, we may also be for God.” + “Faith is not concerned with a special realm, that of religion, say, but with real life in its totality, the outward as well as the inward questions, that which is bodily as well as that which is spiritual, the brightness as well as the gloom in our life. Faith is concerned with our being permitted to rely on God as regards ourselves and also as regards what moves us on behalf of others, of the whole humanity; it is concerned with the whole of living and the whole of dying. The freedom to have this trust is faith.”

I started this Blogging about a month ago. Blogging is a conversation which says that ‘two heads are better than one’. ‘Earth Day’ was officially this past Monday, April 22nd. As we know, in order to turn things around we all need to be living as if every day is Earth Day. So this blog will now become an ‘everyday is earth day’ conversation. The more feedback and ideas we share the better news it is for the earth. On facebook there is lots of good stuff about care of the earth. I liked the ‘Green Anglican’s’ page and have learned a lot. It is appropriate that Earth Day is on April 22nd – the time of year when so much of the earth and its creatures are coming back to life. As we think about the care of our lawns are their decisions we can make that are friendly to the creatures in the soil and grass, an important link in the food chain? Are there earth friendly products we can use instead of chemicals? What about planting flowers, shrubs, greenery that provide a home and food for various insects and other creatures? What about having less monoculture lawn and more other stuff in our front and back yards? As we think about time on our patio and camping and other outdoor activities are there ways to keep away the mosquitos and black flies without killing all the other flying things? What about a product that doesn’t kill the flying insects but just keeps them away from us so they and we can live in peace? I have an insect bottle that I use to catch outside insects that have found their way inside. I catch them and let them out into their natural environment where they belong. So in this blog I have asked some questions. Please join the conversation with your questions and ideas that you can share with others. And together we can learn practical ways to care for the earth. Together we make a difference. Earth Thought for the Day: “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” Marshall McLuhan Cheers to the Earth, our home! Rev. Lloyd

We are invited to gather around the Good News Story of God’s love for the world revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Tonight, Maundy Thursday, we share in the sacrament of Holy Communion, participate in hand washing, and are invited to pray and receive anointing with oil – all experiences that Jesus shared with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. 7 PM at Heart Lake United Church, 85 Sandalwood Pky. West Tomorrow is Good Friday. Jesus is crucified because he was seen as a threat to the religious and political establishment, the people of power. Suffering love is faithful even unto death. We will hear the story once more from John’s Gospel. 10:15 AM Mayfield United Church Easter morning we are invited to gather out front of the church around the cross and the fire and proclaim together the Good News “Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen Indeed!” 7:30 AM Mayfield United Church All are invited to Easter morning breakfast in the Hall. At 10:15 we gather to celebrate God’s victory even over death, to sing the songs of our faith and to gather around the Table to share in Holy Communion. In response to the Good News we bring our Lenten/Easter offerings in support of Heart Lake Community Food Cupboard and ‘Chop and Chat’, a weekly meal program for people who live in poverty in inner city Saskatoon. Together we make a difference for good. Thanks be to God! May the good news of God’s love for the world revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus dwell in our hearts, our homes, and in this world God loves so much. Happy Easter! Rev. Lloyd

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. We will gather in the hall for a Palm Sunday parade waving our palm branches and singing: “Sing Hosanna! Sing Hosanna! Sing Hosanna to the Servant King. Sing Hosanna! Sing Hosanna! Sing Hosanna let us sing.” We re-enact the joy of the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with the people. “Hosanna”, is an expression of great joy, ‘the one who saves is here!’ In worship this Palm Sunday we move from ‘Hosannas’ to Jesus’s betrayal, trial and crucifixion – the Passion. Passion Sunday is combined with Palm Sunday so that those of us who are unable to attend worship on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday hear the whole story. At the end of the service this Sunday we will strip the Sanctuary and then gather around the cross outside to begin Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday we are invited to gather at Heart Lake United Church at 7pm for worship. Maundy Thursday is unfamiliar to some of us not having been a tradition here at Mayfield. On Maundy Thursday we remember Jesus gathering on the eve of his crucifixion to share in the Last Supper with his disciples and washes their feet as a sign of his love and their calling to serve. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. The word ‘Maundy’ comes from the Latin for ‘commandment’ given by Jesus as they shared in the Last Supper. “A new commandment I give you that you love one another”……. (John 13:34) In Roman Catholic churches the anthem ‘Mandatum novum do vobis’ – ‘A new commandment I give to you’ is sung on Maundy Thursday. At our gathering at Heart Lake we will have the opportunity to wash one another’s hands, to share in Communion and to be blessed with oil and healing prayer. Good Friday worship is at 10:15 AM. We gather around the story of Jesus’s suffering and death. At the end of the service a black cloth will be draped on the cross outside. Easter morning we gather at 7:30 AM on the front steps around the fire and the cross singing: “Joy comes with the dawn, joy comes with the morning sun; joy springs from the tomb and scatters the night with her song, joy comes with the dawn.” We will place flowers on the cross and then gather in the hall for Easter breakfast. At 10:15 we gather to sing the Easter hymns, to hear the story of God’s victory even over death, and to gather around the table to share in Holy Communion. This is the beginning of the Great Fifty Day Season of Easter. Holy Week and Easter – we are invited to gather around the story and celebrate that life is stronger than death. Thanks be to God! Rev. Lloyd

In my early 20’s I worked for Fisher’s Flowers in Windsor. I was a driver. It was a good job but got a bit crazy on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day! The catch phrase for FTD (‘Florists Transworld Delivery’) was ‘Say It with Flowers”. The catch phrase reminds us that there are ways to express our feelings that don’t involve words. Words can be good but our actions can also communicate powerful feelings to others. FTD tells us that we can express our love for someone, that we are thinking about them, that they are important to us, through flowers. One of the powerful emotions to communicate to others is love. The Scripture story we gather around this Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Lent and the celebration of Baptism, is John 12:1-8. Read the passage. Love is in the air and the one who is expressing her love, Mary, uses no words. Mary has a deep love of Jesus and expresses this love by anointing his feet for burial using costly nard and then wiping his feet with her hair. No words are exchanged between Mary and Jesus. And yet Mary’s love is expressed through the anointing and the room is full of the perfume. Love indeed is in the air. At the heart of life is giving and receiving love. Sometimes we express or receive love using words and sometimes we express or receive love through actions. One way is not necessarily better than the other. The important thing is that love is expressed. It takes a life time to learn how to show and receive love. We are all learners when it comes to love. Others teach us how to show and receive love. In our story Mary shows her great love of Jesus. Judas Iscariot judges Mary’s action as a total waste of money, money that could have made a much bigger difference by giving it to the poor. Voices within or without will sometimes question our acts of love and devotion. What were you thinking? But perhaps expressions of love are less about thinking and more about responding from the heart, responding with gratitude. Mary’s loving anointing of Jesus’ feet is her response to how Jesus has blessed her, befriended her and given her life purpose and meaning and joy. In life, God initiates the love and our invitation is to respond in kind, with acts of love expressed from the heart and expressed with deep gratitude. In this 40 day Season of Lent God may be showing us how to love. Rev. Lloyd

A note that was sent this week to the people of Jamiat-ul-Ansar – Great Lakes Mosque in Brampton: Dear Imam Zahir Bacchus: I write to you and your community on behalf of the congregation of Mayfield United Church in Caledon. Three of us from Mayfield had the privilege of being at Jamiat-ul-Ansar on December 9th, 2017 when we were invited to an evening of prayer, speeches, exchange of ideas, dinner and socializing. It was good to be together and connect with one another. Now we reach out to you and your community with love and prayers at this sad time in the life of the world community. On Sunday in worship we offered prayers for all those who had their lives taken from them and all who grieve the deaths of their loved ones murdered in their mosque in Christchurch. Blood shed in our holy places breaks the heart of God/Allah. We grieve the deaths of these beloved children of Allah/God. We know that the hate in this world is contrary to the will of God/Allah. At this time we are called as sisters and brothers to seek ways to build bridges connecting our religions and our cultures, creating friendships and good will. I would value conversation with you to explore how our communities can deepen our relationships and learn from one another in a spirit of mutual respect and peace. In solidarity, Rev. Lloyd Paul Mayfield United Church, Caledon