On the second Sunday of Advent, Jess invites a conversation about the kind of peace that Jesus came to bring, and how he went about bringing it. In the midst of social and political turmoil, she encourages an approach to those who differ from us that centres our shared humanity and the reality that our own well being is intrinsically connected to the well being of everyone else.
This Sunday, Jess directed her homily toward blessing and saying goodbye to our beloved Rachael Barham as she and her family prepare for a move and a new season ahead. Themes of beauty, imperfection, interconnectedness, and the divine in all things were woven through the service, as well as much love and gratitude for the many ways Rachael has blessed and shaped our lives and community.
Vic Thiessen offered a reflection on the recent film, The Life of Chuck, and all the ways that a series of ‘coincidences’ in his life keep pointing to the deep significance of our connectedness and how God’s role in those connections underlines the meaning of life and death.
In relaxed “summer sharing mode,” Rachael brings a random collection of things: a book she loves, news about her upcoming move, a poem, and wisdom from two beautiful humans who passed away this week – poet Andrea Gibson (d. 14th July) and environmental activist Joanna Macy (d. 19th). A thread weaving through them all is the call to let the co-existing beauty and pain of life and the state of our world keep on breaking us open to more love and interconnectedness, daring to trust that this is in itself a big part of the solution we need.