Series: (Un)Ordinary Time

Series Details

(Un)Ordinary Time

June 7, 2020 - August 28, 2020

Ordinary Time is the season after Pentecost which continues until Advent. Or, as Joan Chittister says, “It is the time between times, but it is much more than that. It is the period after each of the major seasons and cycles that immerses us in the implications of what it means to wait for the coming of Christ into our own [ordinary] lives, to wait for the fullness of time in the next.” Let’s be clear. There is nothing “ordinary” about these times…. From the current events surrounding George Floyd’s death to the ongoing effects of the worldwide pandemic. Things are not as they should be, and we long for renewal. Alongside all the anguish, heartache, and tension going on in the world right now, one of the hopeful threads we’re seeing in our present moment—in many places including Vancouver—is a heightened attention to systemic racism, white supremacy and other deep-seated injustices. We believe joining God in the renewal of these things requires first taking a look within—naming and repenting of the ways we have contributed to these problems. As a church, for example, we have not addressed racial injustice as consistently and intentionally as we should. We are sorry about this, and we want to do better. Joining God then requires giving ourselves to anti-racist postures and projects, which is the work of ongoing knowledge, empathy and action. To truly engage such work, we need each other’s compassionate help. We need the help of those outside our immediate community. And we need the Breath, Fire and Wisdom of God’s Holy Spirit.

Sermons: 11