Will your anchor hold?

This is the name of the hymn in worship this week.  Will your anchor hold?  It seems to me that our anchors are being tested during this pandemic.  Where have you anchored?  Is it solid?

Have you actually thrown or released an anchor?

For me, it was one of the stressful parts of sailing.  We had a sailboat on Georgian Bay and we loved spending time in the many anchorages, to stay a few days and explore the area.  To do this, you had to set an anchor.  You enter the area slowly and gauge the distance between the boats already there.  Then pick the spot you think gives you enough room to set an anchor and "swing".  For us, this became a family affair.  One at the bow giving directions and ready to throw the anchor, one relaying the detailed directions (so that you're not yelling) and one at the wheel.  (I could never imagine how solo sailor's manage to do this.)  Once the boat is manoeuvred to the spot, the anchor is tossed.  Now the person at the wheel has to switch to reverse.  Enough "rode" (cable and line) needs to be let out and then you have to pull on the anchor enough to ensure it is set.

Sometimes this goes smoothly.  Sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes it takes more than one attempt.  And at a busy anchorage, you can be assured that you have an audience.  There has been many a collision in an anchorage!  In fact, most boaters carry a pole they can use to push a boat away if it's getting too close.

Once the anchor's set, you can't assume that all is OK.  You need to keep an eye on where you are in the water relative to the other boats and shore to make sure you aren't dragging.  With only one anchor from the bow of the boat, the boats "swing".  When you go to sleep at night, you will be facing a different direction than when you wake in the morning.  So, again you need to be sure that you are well-positioned.  

We were at an anchorage where a boat dragged and went aground overnight.  Another time it stormed overnight and several boats were dragged.  We saw a massive boat (75-feet) trying to use a small anchor that would never hold its mass.  We saw a boater try to set the anchor so many times we lost count, and then he'd move to another spot and start again.  And we also saw skilled boaters who could come in after dark and back in to tie off to another boat and throw anchors for the boats to be "rafted" together.  

And then when it's time to leave the anchorage, the whole thing is done in reverse to pull up the anchor.  Our worst experience at this was realizing we had caught an underwater cable with our anchor.  If we couldn't get free, we'd have to cut and leave the anchor.  Of course, this happened during a storm and with company on board.  Fortunately, our teamwork and forcing ourselves to stay calm led to a successful end.

So when I heard the hymn this week was "Will your anchor hold?" it brought back lots of memories.

From my sailing experience, I see this involves many factors.  The type of ground, the depth, where it's positioned, that it's better with a team than on your own, and that adjustments may be needed.

Where is your anchor?  Is it in need of some adjustment?  The pandemic is going to be with us for the foreseeable future.  If you feel your anchor is slipping or not set, stay calm and don't let stress cloud your ability to reset.  Know that God's love is holding you. 

Be Patient

Given the times we are living in, we need patience.  This is a part of hope.  We need to be patient with those around us as a way of showing our love and compassion.  We need patience with the virus that is plaguing us -- listen to the experts and follow their guidance, especially now that the cases are declining.  We need to persevere.  We are all in this together, with masks on.  Here are some bible verses about patience to consider:

Ecclesiastes 7:8

“The end of something is better than its beginning. Patience is better than pride.”

1 Corinthians 13:4

“Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; it is not arrogant.”

James 5:8

“You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord’s coming is near.”

Philippians 4:6

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Romans 12:12

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

Psalm 40:1

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."

Romans 8:25

"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Colossians 3:12

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Romans 15:5

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”

2 Chronicles 15:7

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Hebrew 10:36

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Lamentations 3:25-26

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Ephesians 4:2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Psalm 37:7

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Stone Soup

Sunday's Gospel reading, the feeding of the 5,000, got me thinking how we have been feeding our neighbours (and each other) through the programs we offer:  the Good Food Market, and Good Food boxes, and the Neighbourhood Table (pre-pandemic).  And, then, the train of thought branched and I arrived at Stone Soup.  Do you remember this story?  It's a European folk tale that apparently is told in many variations.  But the basic story is always the same:

Some travelers come to a village.  They carry only an empty cook pot.  Hungry, they approach the villagers and ask for them to share their food.  The villagers are protective of what little they have and refuse the requests.  So, the travelers find a nearby stream and fill their pot.  They find a large stone, place it in the pot of water and then return to the village.  They build a fire and put the pot over it to heat.  

Now the villagers are curious.  One by one they approach the travellers and ask, "What are you doing?"  The travellers explain they are making stone soup, and how wonderful it will taste.  When it's ready, they state, they would love to share it with the villager. "But," they say, "it still needs a little bit of garnish to improve the flavour".  Each villager in turn offers what they have to go in the pot.  One offers carrots, another onion, and one shares potatoes.  Soon there is salt and pepper added and cabbage and so on.  The travellers stir the pot and all anticipate a bowl of stone soup as the smell fills the village square.

Finally, the soup is ready, and a delicious and nourishing pot of soup is enjoyed by travelers and villagers alike. The travelers have inspired the villagers into sharing their food with them, they have successfully transformed it into a tasty meal which they all share.

I love this story.  It speaks to neighbours together accomplishing something.  It feeds people.  It shows how what little we have can be made into something better.  That we each have something to offer. How one person's idea (the stone), can be transformational. 

The story makes it seem all so simple.  Is it?  Can we each add something we have to the pot and it become nourishing and feed our neighbours?  As our efforts have grown at St. Philip's, I think we are witness to how the idea of a few members, their efforts and those who joined in, have made a difference.  How many did we feed weekly with the Good Food Boxes?  Maybe 200?  

I imagine the story of the feeding of the 5,000 is similar.  That once the bread and fish are shared, the people who had "nothing" found their reserves and shared them.  

In this potluck of life, we each bring to the table what has first been given us.  May we always be at the table together.  We can feed others and ourselves.  

Your kingdom come

The kingdom is like a mustard seed, yeast, treasure, the finest pearl, and a net full of good fish. That’s what this week’s Gospel tells us.  His teachings were many about the kingdom.  The second petition in the “perfect” prayer he taught was to ask for the kingdom to come.  And we are told to, “Seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).

So, the kingdom is something that we need to pay attention to. Remember the catechism?  Luther explains:

The Second Petition
Thy Kingdom come.
What does this mean?
The kingdom of God certainly comes of itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How does God’s kingdom come?
The kingdom of God comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and live godly lives here in time and hereafter in eter­nity.

And in the Large Catechism, he speaks of the coming of God’s kingdom in two ways: “first, it comes here, in time, through the Word and faith, and secondly, in eternity, it comes through the final revelation,” in Christ’s return.

To seek first means to live in the kingdom now. This week’s parables although each noticeably short, reflect the great value of being in the kingdom.  Nothing is worth more than this. And though we might seem small and weak, with God we can grow to be great and strong. 

Through his teachings, Jesus tells us repeatedly that how we live today is what matters.  How we build the kingdom together.  How we make this world a better place.  How we connect with our neighbour.  How we show God’s love in all we do.

And so, during these times, we can still do much to bring the kingdom.  From the simple act of wearing a face mask or checking in on those who are isolated, we make a difference.  From the harder tasks of making changes in our lives and attitudes to care for the environment and for all people (e.g. by checking “white privilege”), we make a better world. 

So let us pray together, “your kingdom come” and work together to make it so.

Good or evil?

What do you see when you look at the image below?

This week's reading is another parable that Jesus told.  This time about the seeds sewn to harvest (good) and those sewn that were weeds to hurt the harvest (evil).  In the picture above, both Good and Evil are there.  Can you see them both?

 

One way to see this parable is to recognize that there is good and evil everywhere, so how do we confront the evil?  Do we dig up the field and start again with just the good seed (and hope that the evil seed will not be sewn this time)?  Do we wait until the evil seed has taken root and then destroy it? Or do we wait, as in the story, and only harvest the good seed's growth?  The long wait ensures that the good seed is not destroyed along with the bad seed.  God's kingdom is not a "quick fix".  God's patience with his children ensures every opportunity for our growth.

 

As His children, though, we are not purely "good seed".  We do have bad in us.  How do we ensure that the good triumphs over the bad?  I like the picture above having both "good" and "evil" in it, like us.  But which do you see first?  And when you are looking at others, which do you see first?  Do you see the good in others or are you waiting for them to prove to you they're good and trustworthy?

 

It's easy to have a chip on your shoulder, to distrust others, and to look at others with judgement.  That's where we need to do the work to have a balanced view.  And this is also where prejudice and bias come in.  Can we say that we offer each person we encounter the opportunity for good?  To see them as they are, like us good and bad, and not as we perceive based on our own issues?

 

Thankfully, Jesus' parable tells us that God has the long view on things.  He knows we need it.  He is patient with us and gives us the time to do the work.  There is evil in the world.  But we don't need to create it by the way we look at others.  See the good.