Thanksgiving 2007
Dear Friends,
They say that the Monarch butterfly is making a comeback and I
believe it. I have seen more in recent years fluttering around in a
seemingly haphazard manner through the air as they make their long
trek southward. How on earth do they ever get to Mexico at this
speed? It’s really a wonder isn’t it?
At this time of the year you can see them out on your walk or just
winging by your living room window. A creature of beauty and a
symbol of hope. Encountering them on the highway is another story.
Too slow to escape the speed and bulk of your car bearing down upon
them at 100 kph, they can end up as a messy spot on your windshield.
You can’t pick up the newspaper today or watch the television news
at night without hearing one more story about the collision course
we’re on with the planet. By virtue of our sheer numbers and the
speed at which we are industrializing and polluting our planet,
human beings seem to hurtling down the highway in reckless abandon,
unconcerned about the fragility of the life they are obliterating
along the way. We have behaved as if we weren’t a part of this
delicate ecosystem which affects all of life – our lives included.
Now we are waking up to the fact that what we do the planet, we do
to ourselves. We are part of the created order and we cannot escape
the repercussions of our polluting lifestyles. The planet is
reacting, the glaciers are retreating, the polar regions are
melting, the CO² buildup continues and politicians and large
corporations seem to be reacting too slowly to make a difference.
It’s no longer possible to ignore the challenges of our times
because the Mother Earth is giving us an ultimatum – repent or
perish. (Which of course, is a very biblical theme.)
My thanksgiving this year will include pumpkins, turkey, and a
prayer of thanks for family and friends. But it also will include
some sense of anxiety and uncertainty about the future of this
wonderful creation we have been blessed to be a part of. What will
it take for us to return to the biblical understanding that we are
called to stewards of the earth, and not rapists and pillagers of
earth, sea and sky? What will it take for us to turn away from this
restless consumerism and become people who are satisfied with less
stuff but more inner peace?
My thanksgiving this year will include a prayer that we may find a
way back to that place where we may live in harmony within God’s
creation. The wisdom for this journey is contained within our own
Judeo-Christian heritage and found by example in the words of the
prophet Micah 6:8.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord
require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God.”
Let us all come together this Thanksgiving Sunday, October 7th at
10:30 am at Grace Church to give thanks for all the good gifts
around us, and also to pray that we might be better stewards of
those gifts that are being threatened by our lifestyle.
Holy Baptism Since our last newsletter we have welcomed into the
Church through Holy Baptism:
Nicole McLeod, daughter of Christine MacCormack and John-Paul
McLean;
Celina Simone, daughter of Samira Jafari and Jason Simone;
Ava St. Amour-Algier, daughter of Victoria St. Amour and Eric Algier;
Landon Colecchio, son of Kimberly Lawlor and Mario Colecchio.
And we remember in our prayers all those who have died: Collin Macey
buried on June 2nd in Fairmount Cemetery; Lucille (Brown) Safford
buried on June 10th in Grace Church Cemetery; Margaret (Burchmore)
McCarthy on July 13th in Grace Church Cemetery; Ronald Shufelt in
Grace Church Cemetery; and Margaret (Dunnett) DuVall buried on
September 6th in Fairmount Cemetery.
Seen around town: We were pleased to welcome back Anne and Mike
Summerton this September as they visited friends here in Sutton
before continuing on their journey to the Maritimes.
On Sunday, October 21st Calvary United Church here in Sutton will be
celebrating their 130th anniversary with a special service followed
by a luncheon. Contact Cathy Edgar or Gail Booth for further
details.
Upcoming Events
• Our Ecumenical Study Group continues on Monday mornings here at
Grace Church. Mondays from 10:30 am to 12 noon. Currently we are
watching and discussing the DVD program, God’s Unfinished Future,
which explores various scenarios of the future and asks what we as
Christians believe about the work of God in the present and in the
future. Everyone is welcome to these informal gatherings. The coffee
is good and the muffins are warm.
• Remembrance Day is on Sunday, November 11th and all the churches
of Sutton will gather outside at the Cenotaph at 10:45 am for a
brief outdoor service (laying of the wreaths), followed by an
ecumenical service indoors at the Canadian Legion. After the
service, a soup luncheon will be served.
• Christian Faith: Social Action a lecture by Professor Gregory Baum
at Grace Church on Thursday, October 18th at 7:30 pm. Gregory Baum
is professor emeritus of theology at McGill University and founder
of The Ecumenist: A Journal of Theology, Culture and Society. His
publications include Religion and Alienation, Religion and Ethics,
and Amazing Church: A Catholic Theologian Remembers a Half-Century
of Change. His most recent book (2007) is entitled Signs of the
Times: Religious Pluralism and Economic Justice. This lecture is
part of this Sutton Ecumenical fall series sponsored by the
Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Churches of Sutton.
• Christmas Bazaar hosted by the ladies of Grace Church ACW on
Saturday, November 10th at 2 pm. Come out and buy the baked goods,
books and other interesting items and then sit down with some
friends for some lovely tea with sandwiches and dessert.
• And looking forward to 2008 we are pleased to host an Ecumenical
OutMass: Celebrating the Gifts of Gay and Lesbian People in our
Churches and Communities; on Saturday, January 12th, at 3:00 pm. We
will have a special guest speaker, celebrate the Eucharist together,
and enjoy a reception in the parish hall following the service.
Everyone is welcome to participate. With participation from the
Anglican, Roman Catholic and United Churches of Sutton.
On behalf of the churchwardens, Doreen Page and Terry O’Regan, we
wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving season.