St. Croix Church: Recent Episodes
St. Croix Church
This past Sunday, Jess shared some questions and reflections in advance of her coming trip to South Africa, especially considering Proverbs 13.12 and wondering how we heal from ongoing colonial wounds.
[Artwork by Joanne Spencer] In the uncertainty and unpredictability that marks our lives, acknowledging our inability to control every outcome, growing in the skills of radical acceptance, remembering [...]
During our Second Breakfast service, Jess invited us to consider the relationship between hope, faith, and the places of pain in our hearts and world that call out [...]
Rachael is back in town for a while, and shared with us about her current, nomadic life – what is challenging, as well as the learning and growth [...]
As the passage in Roman’s encourages, learn to choose to be disciplined towards good choices instead of a slave to negative patterns and choices that ultimately lead to [...]
Walter continues on the theme of “A Spirit of Hope” with a reflection on a paraphrase of Romans 5.1-6, supported by several quotes from the diaries of Etty [...]
[“Christ the Light” art by Kelly Latimore] Continuing our theme on “A Spirit of Hope,” Jess walks us through the Sermon on the Mount as a message of hope [...]
[Sketch by artist: Wanda (Brown) Thomas] Have you ever wrestled with holding on to hope? Using her own story of tragic loss, Shannon gives a picture of how [...]
Marilyn reminds us that hope is fueled in us through connection, knowing we are not alone and by having someone advocate for us. Scripture assures us this is [...]
With the help of remembered words from her mom and some words from Scripture, Lorna helped us think about what kind of inheritance we have available to us. [...]
In today’s homily, Jess reflects on the importance of communal readings of Scripture and critically thinking about the challenges that arise within it. She draws our attention to [...]
Marilyn extends the wordplay with our new teaching theme as she mingles thoughts from Brene Brown’s latest book with Ephesians 6. The armour that God offers is not about “self-protection.” It enables us to accept God’s protection, so we can be more vulnerably present. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
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As we enter into our new teaching theme, Jess invites us to reflect on the current state of the world and the tendency within evangelicalism toward escapist theology. She then underlines the significance of our connection and interdependence with the world and each other, and directs our attention toward role models like Jesus and Dorothy Day, who poured out their lives for the sake of the world. We ended the service by listening to this song by Trevor Hall. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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During our 2nd Breakfast service, Erin O’Neill invited us into a prayer practice of lament and longing for peace. Erin shared a bit about what drew her to start a monthly online prayer vigil for Palestine this year, and introduced us to the birds of gaza project. We then spent time making birds together. If you weren’t with us, this is something you can participate in easily from home as well! The online prayer vigil happens on the 4th Wednesday of the month, and anyone is welcome to join it. You can email Erin at erin.oneill88@gmail.com for the link. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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Saints, Souls and Seasons — on All Souls’ Day, Walter talks about how we pass faith on through generations by remembering those who have gone on before us. You can listen below and view his powerpoint here.
You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
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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. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
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In her last talk with us as part of our Leadership Collective, Rachael shared on how we integrate being present while seeing our moments as part of a pilgrimage with a path and destination in mind. Along the way, she includes Psalm 84, many alliterative “P”s, and an invitation for Virginia to share some of her journey with cancer treatment. Here is her power point, and you can listen below.
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On our 33rd anniversary, several of us (including guest, Bradley Jersak) shared thoughts on what they’ve appreciated about being a part of SCC. We closed with Ray’s singing of “Kingfishers” (aka “Icarus” or “The Hot Song”). Much love and gratitude was present. You can listen below.
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Walter’s homily tracks the straightforward thread through the morning’s lectionary readings. In order to live the “life that really is life,” we need to turn from our society’s love of money and turn toward the contentment that devotion makes possible.
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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. You can listen below and view his powerpoint here.
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During our second breakfast service, SCC’s writers circle shared pieces of poetry and prose spanning a spectrum of styles, topics, and emotions. It was a rich and tender morning full of vulnerability and love. Then Jacob Rose closed the morning with his song, Hold Your Head Up High. SCC’s writers circle is open to anyone — we meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm.
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Jess reflects on the deep human longing to know we’re not alone in the world, and the ways church communities have been a source of love, security and support throughout her life. She shares stories of experiencing divine presence, and explains why she wanted to pass this onto her children even as her own views of God were shifting.
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Marilyn shares about the shocking deconstruction of faith as they knew it in the first century. The rules changed with the new covenant. We have been trying to figure out what that means ever since. She shares from her own story of faith and belief transitions how she has thrown the baby out with the bathwater sometimes. Her hope and challenge to all of us is to continue to learn how we can hold a beautiful space of diversity built around some core shared values, and remind each other of the beautiful healthy parts of our faith journeys we don’t want to let go of. [“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” — Mahatma Gandhi] You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
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Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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Walter shared some reflections on the lectionary readings from a couple of weeks ago, especially the encouragement of Jesus to focus on being “rich toward God” rather than wasting time on things that don’t matter. Lots of poetry (Rilke and Rumi) were a part of the encouragement to listen to our deepest loves and longings in order to remember what matters. You can listen below and view his powerpoint here.
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This second breakfast we had a time of sharing summer recommendations for music, films and books. Walter and Vic Thiessen shared a few recommendations and Jan McPhee shared an Andrea Gibson poem alongside recollections of growing up with Andrea and their family in Calais, ME. Things also got a bit sidetracked with Jan recounting her becoming a viral sensation for her “We love you Canada…” sign at the International Festival parade (see power point), with many positive emotional responses. We trust many great examples of readings, viewings and listenings happened already the tables as well!
Here are some links for recommendations:
Andrea Gibson – “Homesick”
Dan Mangan – Natural Light
and films: The Ballad of Wallis Island, One Summer, The Life of Chuck, and The Old Oak.
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Jess invites us to imaginatively join her sitting on a rock in the sunshine next to a lake as she shares some of the things she’s been thinking about this summer, and, in doing so, she encourages us to notice the world around us and to continue the act of living amidst all that tries to separate us from life and each other. You can view her powerpoint here, and the two short videos that were shared below.
video one: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=761412333213802&rdid=2d03FeVq3mHaKhuf
video two: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLQC5WXRL9H/?igsh=dmwza2dqN3B2dWxsYou’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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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.
The full Joanna Macy video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/bQAYVKqTkKo?si=hjeJf2aamLmG95N0&t=142 (the part we watched together was 2:22 to 5:37)If you are on Instagram, the Andrea Gibson poem is here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB1ztQKSP1S/?hl=enYou’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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At Second Breakfast this week, Jess & Janell reflected on themes of Love & Lament, particularly in response to the the recent US election and the way it will impact our community and world. A time of vulnerable sharing opened up at the end of the service as we grappled with our grief and our desire to “take love seriously” in the days and months ahead. We also listened to this song by SSU aluma Karis Taylor, and this song by the Bengsons.
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After five months, Walter offers a “Part 2” for his talk from last June by emphasizing that the kind of “secure base” that God provides goes with us wherever we go, allowing for multiple attachments that can naturally correct the inevitable distortions we might otherwise hold about God if we were to only rely on one community. You can listen below and view his powerpoint here.
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Reflecting on today’s lectionary readings, Jess shares some thoughts on the importance of speaking the truth about our suffering as an essential component of our healing. She encourages us to remain rooted in reality as a form of resilience, and to acknowledge life as life is without denying the pain and injustices we face. You can read the lectionary readings here, view her powerpoint, or listen below.
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Marilyn followed up her talk on resilience by looking at the role of rest – with much interaction, she facilitated a discussion on Hebrews 4. You can listen below and view her power point here.
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In advance of a coming small group, Walter gets us thinking (and chatting) at our “2nd Breakfast” about the attitudes toward the Bible that we grew up with – some helpful and some not. You can listen below, and view his power point here.
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We recall and celebrate 32 years together with the help of three pairs of storytellers and a couple of poems. Before the recording begins, Jess shared “The Facts of Life” by Pádraig Ó Tuama to get us started.
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Rachael grapples with how to respond to hard things in the Bible and in life, and shares some learnings from her recent trip to Ireland. The sharing afterwards sadly didn’t record, but others in the community affirmed the need for honest wrestling and the power of our simplest actions in the face of struggle and complexity. And the song at the end was this moving prayer from Spencer LaJoye.
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Mark Groleau takes us on a deep and wide journey through biblical theology that leads us to three encounters: a) Chaos (the Sea), b) Calming the Sea, c) the River of Life.
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This week, special guest, Jonathan Schut from MCC (Mennonite Central Committee), shared a dynamic and creative lesson from Queen Vashti (in the book of Esther) to introduce the importance of truth-telling to organizations like MCC as they work for justice and peace – and he masterfully integrated our theme of the “Roots of Resilience.” Thanks, Jonathan, for your inspiring challenge!
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Using the Ephesians 6 text from the lectionary, Walter’s homily reminded us that Paul’s metaphor of God’s Armour was helping us to stay strong and to endure in our calling of “mutual submission” (non-violent, non-dominating love) as opposed to the spirit of our age that is often based on the “myth of redemptive violence”. Check out the power point to see the readings from Walter Wink and Nick Cave.
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[Photo Credit: Photographer Alejandro Cegarra, The New York Times/Bloomberg]
This Sunday, Jess Williams explored the role of hope when we walk through hard times in life. Starting with the pain caused by toxic positivity and the cultural pressure to put forward a polished life, Jess asks what the antidote to this might be. She thinks the blessings of Jesus in the Beatitudes have something important to teach us about the kind of life Jesus calls blessed. You can view her powerpoint and you might also enjoy listening to the song suggestion at the end: Hard Times Come Again No More.You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
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At this Sunday’s “second breakfast,” Jess invited the tables to share with each other stories of community resilience. But first there was an introduction that included Alex Henderson sharing some thoughtful material on community resilience and Walter shared a brief story of what helped SSU to be a resilient community. You can view Jess’s power point here, and Alex packed in a lot of thought into a few minutes so you may want to check out his power point here or a blog post here.
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This morning, Renate used Ephesians 4 to explore the wise use of expressive, yet gracious, language. You can see her power point, and/or listen below.
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In this Sunday’s homily, Walter suggests the odd encouragement that it has always been in the context of a very messed up world that we find our resilience with courage and love. You can listen below and view his powerpoint here. You may want to watch this pandemic version of “There’s So Much Energy in Us” after you listen – which our band played just before the talk.
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Jess Williams reflects on impulses she noticed in herself through a recent experience of asking her friends for help cleaning out her house, and found out she wasn’t alone. She points out how vulnerable it is to let others into your mess, even when that’s what you need most. Then she shares some wisdom gleaned from Fraggle Rock’s character, Marjory the Trash Heap, and Jeff Chu’s teaching on the theology of compost. She invites everyone to trust that God is most at home in the mess, and that all of our so-called failures can serve to nurture the soil of our lives. You can listen below, and view the Fraggle Rock video here.
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Mayara and Lorna share the concept of Timebanking, an exchange of skills based on the belief that every person is of value and has something to offer. They are excited to see how Timebanking can build a stronger, more connected community in St. Stephen, and invite and welcome your participation! You can listen below. You can also view the powerpoint, the information handout, and the video Lorna references.
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Pulling from the lectionary readings and our current teaching theme, Wendy VanderWal Martin offered a beautiful teaching on the significance of ‘witness’ and how bearing witness to one another (and to our own lives) as we truly are and in ways that assure us we are seen, known, and loved, is a powerful root of resilience. You can listen below.
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On Sunday, Marilyn Orr carried forward our teaching theme with a wonderful talk on Intentional Resilience. Pulling from years of insights from speaking and teaching on resilience, Marilyn opened up an engaging conversation about where resilience comes from. Due to the interactive nature of this talk, we’re using the phone recording this week so you can hear what the community had to say! You can listen below and view her powerpoint here. You can also view/listen to the video we enjoyed.
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Digging into our new teaching theme “The Roots of Resilience” Jess Williams reflects on the suffering we face throughout our lives, and what helps sustain us through it. She connects this to the history of Pride and the oppression of LGBTQ+ people, particularly in the church, and underlines why it’s so important for faith communities to listen deeply to, to learn from, to love, and to stand beside all who have been wronged by the church, whether that’s been based on race, religion, sexuality, or anything else. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
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During our 2nd Breakfast potluck, the Leadership Collective shared some thoughts on the new teaching theme. Together, we reflected on what it’s looked like to “be rooted in love together” these last months, and shared a few thoughts on what we’ll begin to explore as we consider “the roots of resilience” individually and communally in the season ahead. You can listen below and view the powerpoint here.
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Walter introduced the next season’s theme for SCC, “The Roots of Resilience,” by talking about the gift of deep trust that we all need, arising from a variety of sources like a secure attachment to our parents and/or a healing encounter with God’s ever-present Love (and most assuredly not from Divine threats of eternal abandonment). You can listen below and view his powerpoint here.
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On Trinity Sunday, Rachael explores (with the help of contributions from her parents!) the mystery of the Three-in-One as less of a doctrine and more of a relational, experiential reality to live in, and live into. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here. You can also read the poem by her mom.
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On this Pentecost Sunday, good friend and frequent guest at SCC, Bradley Jersak, gave some background on the Holy Spirit and then shared how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2 created a unity based on respectful listening and speaking that preserves diversity as opposed to the monolithic and proud empire of Babel. He closed by inviting the Spirit to transform our own listening and speaking today. You can listen below.
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During our Second Breakfast Potluck, Jess led us in a conversation about asking for help. Together, we considered the barriers we encounter when we need help, and shared our own experiences of giving and receiving help in times of need. You can listen below, and view the powerpoint here.
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Jess Williams shares what she’s been learning about letting go. She considers the ways our culture glorifies independence, success, and getting by on your own, and how this is the opposite of the good life Jesus invited us into. Jess encourages us to let go of the things that keep us isolated and alone when what we need is the help and support of a loving community. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.
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Renate shares with us the beauty and mysticality of abiding in God and God in us as we love one another. You can listen below and view her powerpoint here.–You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch.
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Mark continues where he left off in his last talk (on the temptations of Jesus – “Give Up Like Jesus “) after he shares some of his thoughts on how to read the Bible in a way that might make you more interested in being a Christian. Then he draws our attention to why it was important that Jesus started by building community with some fishermen. If you listen carefully, you’ll catch when he inserted our theme phrase! You can view his powerpoint here.
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At our Second Breakfast potluck, Janell shared about the variety of intergenerational connections she’s had throughout her life, and continues to enjoy today. From growing up in a close knit church community, to moving to St. Stephen, and now working as a piano teacher and fitness coach for older adults, Janell has experienced the value and joy of nurturing relationships across the ages, and helped us all think about this as a way of being rooted together in Love as a community. You can listen below. You can also view her powerpoint here.
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Walter uses a story to make the point of how the political methods of Jesus were not at all on the same page as others – and this remains true to this day. The church that follows Jesus has only one approach to politics: to be communities of compassion, generosity and joy. You can read the story that begins the talk if you check out our SCC Blog.
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Our Easter Sunday service wove together music, liturgy, lectionary readings, personal “life out of death” stories from three beloved members of our community – Bill, Lorna, and Moriah – and a homily from Rachael. The recording begins with the three “witnesses” and is followed by Rachael’s invitation to sit with the improbability of the resurrection of Jesus, allowing it to be less of a provable certainty and more of a miraculous mystery – that calls to us and shapes our own lived experience of loss and renewal. The lectionary readings can be found here, and the piece that Rachael read to close here. Bill’s story didn’t record well, so you can read it here instead.
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On Palm Sunday, Jess considers what happens in the space between the Palms of the Triumphal Entry and the Passion of Christ, emphasizing the way Jesus walked toward human suffering and encourages his followers to do the same. Jess invites us to pay attention to the suffering in our own lives, so that we can pay attention to the suffering of others as well. At the end of the service, we listened to a song by the Bengson’s titled, We Don’t Talk About Dying, and allowed ourselves a moment to face our grief together. You can also view her powerpoint here.
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A few months after inviting us to “Bring Our Shadows to Church,” Walter asks us to face the shadow side of God in order to prevent us from “calling evil good” (like genocide or threats of eternal torment) while also avoiding a naively optimistic minimizing of evil. We could choose to lament and wrestle with the mystery of evil that’s present in God’s Creation while trusting in the Presence of God’s co-suffering love. You can listen to his talk below, and view his powerpoint here.
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At Second Breakfast this Sunday, we invited Rick, Wilma, and Rosie to reflect on Lent practices they’ve done and are doing. Then we enjoyed sharing our own experiences with each other, as we considered together the value of rituals such as this, and the kind of space it can make in our lives. We ended with this poem by Jan Richardson, and a song by Matt Maher.
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Art by: Ivanka Demchuk
On the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Jess is drawn to return to the baptism of Jesus and the revelation of our own belovedness. Reflecting on excerpts from Henri Nouwen’s book, Life of the Beloved, she invites us to consider the people who have revealed our belovedness to us, and encourages us to deepen our experience of living into (or ‘enfleshing’) our belovedness in our everyday lives. Jess demonstrates how letting ourselves be known can be a threshold we step through that allows The Beloved to find us, too. You can listen to her talk below, and view her powerpoint here.
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On the second Sunday of Lent, Renate Gritter shares some reflections on death and mortality grounded in her recent experience of finding a lump on her neck. She tells the story of what it was like to contemplate going through cancer and even death and invites all of us to consider “giving up” going through struggles with mortality with only our own powers to aid us and tell our friends about the “lumps” in our lives, whatever they may be. You can listen to her talk below.
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On the first Sunday of Lent, Mark Groleau walks us through the temptations of Jesus and asks us to consider the things Jesus “gave up” and why. He points out that each response Jesus gives “the satan” links to Old Testament Jewish teachings and to what was happening in the cultural landscape of that time. Mark recognizes that we continue to face the same challenges the early church faced. He encourages that following The Way of Jesus still means giving up on power and doing “small things with great love” to care for our neighbours and the world. You can listen to his talk below, and view his powerpoint here.
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Jess Williams reflects on home and the longings of the heart that led her to St. Stephen. She talks about loving her heart for leading her well, and how her (sometimes messy!) life, and belonging to this community is teaching her to let go of perfectionism (fear!) and trust that our belovedness has nothing to do with what we are able to achieve or perform.
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Rachael considers what trigger warnings we might want the Romans 12 lectionary reading to come with in light of the harmful ways it’s sometimes been interpreted and used, and then how a “renewed” interpretation can offer us transformational wisdom for our real lives and beloved selves.
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Our well-being benefits greatly from healthy mutually beneficial relationships. In this conversation Marilyn and Virginia explore knowing what you need from connection and thoughts on how to intentionally work on getting our needs for community met.
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Today, Walter interviewed Ray Funk about the value of gardening in community. Listen to some of the history and hopes and outcomes of our community garden - Victoria St. Community Garden
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In the lectionary readings this week, we read how Jesus explained the Kingdom of God as “the new and the old." Mark Groleau focuses on how polarized Jesus’ time was - just like today. But Jesus’ “new way” was compassion, and the conviction that he had started a new age of healing and equality among his followers.
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Rachael shares some summer story-telling from her month in England, featuring an ancient oak tree and with a guest appearance from a moorland river. Woven through the personal stories are reflections and questions related to the nature of prayer and God
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Today Walter shared some thoughts on making it easier to endure pain and hardship if we help each other tell ourselves better stories, using a paraphrase of Romans 5.1-4 (and his own experience) as an example.
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Laurens van Esch shares some experiences with silence, connection and listening in the Quaker and Plum Village Traditions.
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We were joined today by Passionate Ncube, Atlantic Rep for MCC (Mennonite Central Committee). He encouraged us "not to grow weary in our resistance to injustice
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Jess offered some personal reflections on accepting and blessing the truth of our lives. She connected this with Hagar's experience of oppression and abuse in the home of Abraham and Sarah, and of encountering God in the desert. Then she considered how God is with us -- even and especially when things are not okay
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Walter reflects on being continually reminded of how important it is for our healing and wholeness to have the courage to 'bear honest witness to our experience' - which, as Jesus says, 'sets us free.' He also tells barely relevant stories of his trip with a few irrelevant pictures.
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Lorna introduces the practice of praying for others as another form of listening - to God and others. Later, Walter interviews Tracy Williams and Alex Henderson who have been involved in some prayer teams at SCC in past years.
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On the first Sunday of Pride month, Jess Williams reflects on the history of Pride and how it models a way of walking the path Jesus walked while highlighting the history of St. Croix Church and its decision to split paths with the Vineyard
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During a beautiful liturgy-communion service, Renate Gritter shares a Pentecost message on the beauty and diversity of all of our spiritual giftings and a call for celebrating the contributions, in particular, of those who prophesy in ways beyond the use of words and text. You can listen to her homily below. You can also view today’s lectionary readings.
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‘Thomas and the Wound’ by Jyoti Sahi, IndiaOn Ascension Sunday, Jess Williams reflects on the wisdom and courage of Thomas, and how honouring our questions can create a space and opportunity for true encounter. She considers how our human tendency to control outcomes and protect certain ideals we have for our lives keeps us from knowing and experiencing that Love is really, really, really real. You can listen to her beautiful talk below, and view her powerpoint.
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Continuing our 2nd Breakfast theme that centres on listening, Teena interviews Rick Coates and Andre Lefebvre, asking how listening to music has impacted their lives. You can listen to their beautiful responses below, including two quotes, both worth the price of admission: an original quote by Andre pictured above and this quote shared by Rick, “I believe our health and future as a species may depend on finding a balance between our driven, productive sides and our musical, embodied, sensory selves.” -Adriana Barton, Wired for Music, pg. 221. You can also listen to the song/watch the video that Rick shared just before our table-talk time.
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Walter shares how it’s possible to settle our troubled hearts if we find our refuge – and how one of his has been the Celtic Liturgy service. But there are so many more possible! You can listen to his talk below, and also view his powerpoint.
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Rachael asks how we do justice to the complexity of life in the way we hear this Sunday’s lectionary Bible readings and their visions of “Life In All Its Fullness,” and how we might live into these visions while reconciling them with “Life As It Really Is.” Please also take note of her impassioned movie plug! You can also view today’s lectionary readings, and Rachael’s powerpoint.
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This morning we had the rich opportunity to hear guest speaker, Judith Moses, share some of the challenges and possibilities in building a truly Indigenous church. Judith is chair of the Jubilee Commission (Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples) and vice-chair of the SSU board. You can listen to her encouraging talk below.
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This morning, Marilyn Orr talked about the ways that we have often misunderstood humility, especially when it comes to teaching women in the church, and how true humility means accepting our strengths and our voice. You can listen to her talk below. At the end of the talk you’ll hear the song ‘Brave’ by Sara Bareilles – you can click here to watch that video.
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In this Easter Homily, Jess Williams reflects on how a faith that centres on resurrection requires us to face the reality of death and all its anguish. Looking at Jesus’ teaching in John 12:25-27, she suggests that to walk in Jesus’ steps is to “let go of life as it is, reckless in your love” and willing to lose it all. “Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” Jn. 12:23
In the spirit of Mary Magdalene and the women of the resurrection, several others bore witness to the ways they’ve seen love overcome death throughout the service. You can listen to all of them by watching the whole service, made complete by incredible music from Hayden, Moriah & friends. It was beautiful to behold. Christ is risen. Love lives!
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Today Mark talks about exactly what Jesus did on Palm Sunday and why he did it. His coming into the city on a donkey and then shutting down the temple for a day was carefully staged, and it was a rebuke of the very domination systems we still inhabit today. Jesus insists on love so we can do economic prosperity for all, and that doesn’t sit so well with almost everyone. You can listen to his talk below.
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This morning, after a beautiful time of liturgy and communion together, Rachael led us on a guided meditation through Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, and invited us to ponder the question: “Can these bones live?” You can listen to the meditation below, as well as the the liturgy readings that preceded it. You will also hear an original song by Rick Coates, written especially for our Liturgy Sundays – and if you listen until the very end, you can join us in singing the Doxology.
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Bradley Jersak, friend of SSC, spoke about God’s dream for a new world based on the vivid imagery of Isaiah 2, 9, 25 and 35, with a nod to Revelation 21-22. These dreams are not about heaven after we die or at the end of time, but meant for real life in our world. In Luke 4, Jesus even says they are fulfilled today, wherever mustard seeds of selfless love are sown. While we await the restoration of all things, we already see signs of what’s coming in communities like SCC and St Stephen, poking through the long winter like snowdrops and crocuses. You can listen to his talk below (as well as a song from Raymond and friends at the end).
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This Sunday, keeping in mind that it was recently International Women’s Day, Walter interviewed Jess about the ways in which our society, including churches, have not listened well to women, and how that is changing or could change. Listen along below and be sure to check out this video on #MeToo (though you can hear it played on the recording). We closed with this song by Alana Levandoski. And, due to going overtime, we didn’t get to listen to Woman by Isa Ma.
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In today’s talk, ‘Vampires, Atheism, & Re-Creation’, Jacob Rose shares how he has been affected by his experience of “Atheism for Lent”, a faith decentering practice using the profane as a mode of purifying spiritual dogmatism. You can listen to his talk below.
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On this First Sunday of Lent, Rachael explores the season of Lent as an invitation to participation in Jesus’ desert experience, and suggests that his secret in the midst of it can become our secret as well. You can listen to her talk below, or you can click to read her homily. [Link to Blessing: https://paintedprayerbook.com/2016/02/11/lent-1-beloved-is-where-we-begin/]
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Today, Jess continued to explore Charles Peguy’s poem titled “God’s Dream.” She encouraged us to consider how our own identities and God’s Dream are intrinsically intertwined, and reflected on how vulnerable it can be to carry a dream. She then related this to the vulnerability and courage modelled in Jesus and in others, like Martin Luther King Jr., and Mamie Till Mobley, who both pursued dreams of racial justice and freedom with great courage. You can listen to her talk below. You can also click to see her slides.
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This week we introduced a new Second Breakfast theme that centres on listening. To get us started (after feasting on light breakfast and delicious coffee together), Rachael and Lorna helped us think about what it means to listen in community…in all it’s imperfect glory. You can listen to Rachael’s talk below, as well as Lorna’s instructions that got our rich table-time discussions flowing. If you’d like to hear those discussions, we’d love you to come join us for 2nd Breakfast on the second Sunday each month!
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This morning, after a windy cold weekend, Walter shared a talk on the homelessness of Jesus and the type of vulnerability and willingness to leave home that is a part of being his follower. You can listen to his talk below.
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On a Communion Sunday, Renate Gritter shared a brief and encouraging homily on “Good News (for Realsies),” which ends in a blessing to hear the news that is truly good for each of us. You can listen below. And we also introduced a new (to us) “Liturgy for Creation and Communion.” You can see the slides, and we hope to be able to add a recording for the liturgy soon as well. You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
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This week Vic Thiessen continued on the theme of “God’s Dream” with the help of inspiration from U2. In his introduction, Vic surveys some films that touch on matters of “beauty, justice and compassion” (which unfortunately didn’t get recorded, but you can read the intro here). The recorded talk below begins when he shifts to the impact that U2 has made on him and so many others. (You could also choose to read the transcript and watch a couple of the U2 songs, Vic played for us: Miss Sarajevo and One.)
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This week Jess shared more reflections on the poem that we used last week (“God’s Dream” by Charles Peguy) and its relevance to the season of Epiphany – recognizing the Presence of God’s heart as we experience what resonates in us. You can download Jess’s slides here or listen to her talk below.
The service also started with Matthew Paul Turner’s children’s book (I Am God’s Dream) read aloud by him. And after the service we listed to this song by Coco Love Alcorn.
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On New Year’s Day, we had a “combined service”: we used the Celtic liturgy from the early service and added a beautiful song by Ray Funk during communion followed by a short homily by Walter Thiessen in which he invited us to consider “compassionate curiosity” as a phrase for the year. Here are the lectionary readings (plus a couple of added “contemporary readings”) for this Sunday.
You can listen to the ten minute invitation to compassionate curiosity - Walter Thiessen Or if you're interested you could listen to the whole service - SCC.You’re always welcome to subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
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On Christmas Eve we had a candlelight service full of the warmth of friends and family, songs, dance, readings and a thoughtful homily by Jess Williams. Below you can watch the service, which ends with darkness and emerging candlelight (sorry that the camera wasn’t keen on focusing in the dimness…). Merry Christmas to you all!
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You can listen to the homily by Jess here:
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For the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we had a special “Intergenerational Sunday” with stories, instruments for the kids, and a pinata to wrap things up! Rachael Barham opened by sharing a song from the Bengsons: “My Joy is Heavy.” Then Janell, Lorna and Victoria took turns sharing “Stories of Intergenerational Joy.” You can listen to the talk below, and you can see the Fourth Advent Liturgy.
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Mark Groleau wonders why he should come back to church after the pandemic and thought it would help if he taught us five steps to throw Jesus off a cliff (or why it’s not a new thing that “insiders” like evangelicals have trouble with what Jesus actually wanted). You can watch his talk below (or listen at the link just below). You can also click to see his slides. (He also opened with this clip from Talladega Nights.)
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On the Second Sunday of Advent, Jess Williams gives a talk on the Jeremiah passage that emphasizes that a surface peace that doesn’t face real and present divisions is no peace at all. After the recordings, she closed with a Ben Harper song, “With My Own Two Hands.” On the video below you’ll see the worship set and the 2nd Advent liturgy, as well as a children’s story read by Janell (and the talk). Or you can read the transcript of Jess’ talk (or listen to just the talk on the audio recording below the video).
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The post “Peace, Peace” When There Is No Peace appeared first on St. Croix Church.
A beautiful service for the First Sunday of Advent came in the form of our second “communion liturgy Sunday.” With music, readings and a homily on hope by Rachael Barham, we ushered in the season together. (If you watch the service below, apologies that the recording cut out part way through the responses to the homily – and the song on hope by the Bengsons has also been removed for copyright, but you can listen with the link.) You can also read the transcript of Rachael’s talk (or listen to just the talk on the audio recording below the video) and follow along on the communion liturgy.
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Jess Williams reflects on her understandings of pastoral care as she takes on one of the pastoral roles at SCC. Click to see her slides and listen to the talk at the link below.
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Today we had our first "2nd Breakfast" since the pandemic began. After a potluck breakfast, Jess and Alex introduced a "Blue Skies" exercise to imagine how we might all be most interested in getting more involved.
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Walter used the painting that arrived recently from Krista Heide to talk about our commitment to being "rooted in the way of Jesus." The powerpoint shows some pictures from the SSU week at Camp Chiputneticook, which Walter used as an example of the importance of rootedness and commitment.
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We had our first communion liturgy service (downstairs). You can hear the readings and listen to Jess Williams share some reflections on All Saints Day with the help of Nadia Bolz-Weber and some responses from those gathered (you may have to turn your volume up to hear some of them).
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Jess Williams begins sharing about the four "core longings" that the Imagination Team heard from those that they interviewed on their hopes for the SCC community. The first is the longing for continued growth in diversity and inclusion, and Jess connected our need for diversity with Jesus' emphasis on including the marginalized and on the interdependence that is named for us so well in 1 Corinthians 12.
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This morning, as we began a new season for SCC, Jess shared some thoughts on transitions before Rachael led us in a lectio divina exercise with a John O'Donohue reading on thresholds.
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This Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of St. Croix Church. It was also Thanksgiving Weekend and the day that Peter and Mary Ellen Fitch chose as a retirement date. All of these things were celebrated with songs, an open mic for people to share what the church has meant to them, and a potluck time with cake.
The audio podcast this week is limited to the middle hour of the time together but includes all of the open mic sharing. The video contains the complete service.
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Brad Jersak talks about the humility of God that's bigger than the Christian brand. God comes to some people anonymously, but in the wounds of Jesus we find a God who suffers with us -- a God who accepts us as we are and shares our experience.
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After a beautiful worship service led by Raymond Funk, communion was offered to all. Alex Henderson shared his experience on the Imagination Team and his thoughts on the the upcoming transitions. The service concluded with a talk by Jessica Williams, who invited us to behold who we are in a loving way. Courageously, she demonstrated what this looks like for her.
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Today Carole Way led music, with help from Teena Brown and Rick Coates, and Jeff Way talked about his visit in the early summer to Eden Children's Village in Zimbabwe. The Ways have loved this orphanage/community for a long time and go there whenever possible. They have given talks about Eden in the past but today's talk was very encouraging because of all the developments that have taken place since they first got connected. Before Jeff spoke, Julie Kelly and Rachael Barham shared about their involvement in the Imagination Team that has been leading the way forward for St. Croix Church as the Fitch's retirement draws closer.
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Today, after a music set led by Teena Brown and Rick Coates, with additional help from Pam Manzer, we had several things to focus on. First, Paul Dupuis spoke about his new book, Pauper of Misfortune: Living with a Concurrent Disorder and Being Reasonably Happy in the Face of Adversity (available from him or from Amazon). Then Jessica Williams introduced Kendall Kadatz as he shared about his role on the Imagination Team. After that, Peter Fitch led prayers for the memorial service for Tony O'Leary, scheduled for that afternoon. Then Peter spoke about Julian of Norwich and her radical vision of God's love.
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After a music set led by Peter and Zoe Fitch, with help from various musicians, Walter Thiessen and Jessica Williams laid out the plans for how St. Croix Church will move forward after Peter and Mary Ellen retire next month. Then Peter gave a short talk about recent discoveries in trauma theory and the ways that we find to move from a state of "freezing" or paralysis to "fight or flight" and, finally, to "social and rest", a happier state by far. Then he compared this to coping mechanisms in religious language like "praising the Lord" that may actually serve a similar purpose. After this talk, the band closed the time with one more song.
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After Peter's talk last week about "Seeking first the kingdom," Walter explored another of the simple, foundational understandings of our faith in affirming the "fruit of the Spirit." He talked about how slowing down and being reminded of our human mortality can help us make room for the Spirit.
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Today Peter Fitch reminded people of some of Jesus' most famous words from the Sermon on the Mount. He focused on "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and God's righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Then, as he has done with other passages this summer, he asked people what this meant to them when they first began to explore faith, and what it has come to mean to them now. Some beautiful answers were given and Peter shared some of his ideas as well. In the end, he suggested that all of the answers hold meaning, from individual piety to societal transformation, to seeking the treasured atmosphere of the "already, but not yet" or the fruit of contemplation, or the creative ideas from the right hemisphere of the brain. Each of these, and others that were mentioned, can add to our understanding of what it means to "Seek first the Kingdom of God."
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Using ideas from Karl Barth, Peter Rollins, St. Augustine, Jesus, and several others, Peter Fitch speaks about the value of atheism as part of a faith-filled journey through life.
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Walter Thiessen explores the role that the church has played in
helping people to make a new start and hit a re-set button, including
the need to let go of things that can be like a death.
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Today, Jess Williams reflected on the themes we've been exploring this month, placing particular emphasis on how we get through times of struggle or growth. She invited everyone to contemplate what it feels like to be in the middle of a struggle, and the time of sharing that followed was a gift to experience. Then, using some insights from Rilke and others, she explored what it's like to treat our questions as guides, and to live our way into the answers.
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Peter Fitch continues his questions about Proverbs 3 ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"), asking how this famous passage has changed in people's belief systems over time. Some were negatively affected by this passage when they were young; others loved it then and now. Various perspectives were given by people in the room. Peter's main point was shared by some others: for him, it was learning to trust that God was not like the worst things that others taught, or even that the Bible showed in some places, but that God was good beyond all goodness. "Trust in the Lord" changed from "trust every word in a magical Bible" to a genuine trust in a more positive view of God.
The post What Kind of God? appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Today Peter Fitch gave a talk about spiritual formation and others joined in with insight after insight until it felt like we were in a rich communal experience of learning and sharing. We focused on the idea that development often comes in stages that we might characterize as simplicity, complexity, and finally, if we're lucky, to simple. Then Peter asked everyone to study Proverbs 3:1-12 over this week and to think about what it meant at first reading compared to what it might mean for you now.
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Today, Jessica Williams spoke about hope and defiance and shared how accessing her own defiance helped her to access hope. She pointed out some good reasons for defiance in these times -- and thanked SCC for the ways they've defied oppressive practices in the church and allowed the presence of God in the people around them to change and propel them toward new, more loving and inclusive ways of being a community together. She thinks that this matters more than we might know, and encourages the community to keep going.
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Peter Fitch focuses on the idealism of the early church with its communal vision. He thinks that it grows from a shared experience of wonder that opens people's hearts to share with others. This is provided as a contrast to the painful political situation that is so often in the news.
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Wendy VanderWal Martin spoke today about church denominations that have chosen to exclude churches that affirm same-sex marriage. This talk is powerful and is full of grief, lament, anger, and then hope, though Wendy resisted the temptation to tie it nicely in a bow. She asked questions and the people gathered shared their thoughts. Some of the responses were about unjust systems and some were about individual grieving. Music before and after the talk was by Wendy's husband, John Martin.
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Peter Fitch read an ancient account from Eusebius of Caesarea of a letter that a king wrote to Jesus asking to be healed. Eusebius found this letter and a letter in response from Jesus in the archives in the city of Edessa. Together we discussed this story and also commented upon some anti-Semitic references in the piece. Following this, Peter played a short video of Kumail Ninjani on racism, and spoke about the pain of Sikh people around the world after the brutal assassination this week of Sidhu Moose Wala, a hip-hop artist and inspirational hero who gave many the strength to withstand racism in Canada. Finally, he spoke about the kind of bias that has kept a story like the one Eusebius tells from becoming better known.
The post Missing View appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Walter begins with how his work
on the Reconciliation Studies program has centred "truth-telling" and
then reflects on how the church can be an example of truth-telling.
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Today, Jessica Williams explored ideas about what it means to be seen by God. She began with the story of Hagar, relying on womanist midrash for deeper insights into the lived experience of Hagar. After this introduction everyone was invited to share what they noticed through this lens, and all of these perspectives created a fuller, more empathic understanding of the text and of Hagar's life. Then she shared a personal "Hagar story" from a difficult season in her life. Reflecting on this, Jessica points out that when we understand that the God who sees us loves every part of us we can begin to come out of hiding and open ourselves up to experience what it's like to be seen, to be known, and to be loved. To end the service we listened to Everything by Alanis Morrissette, and after the service we conspired about road trips to catch Alanis on tour this summer.
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The focus of this talk was on some of the ways that the Christian Church has fallen back into cultural norms over the centuries. A moment of enlightenment and social advance is often followed by an "unlearning", resulting in the institutional side of things becoming more important than the Spirit-infused life of God's Presence, or the various ways that patriarchy has oppressed women through the ages.
The post Snapping Back appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Today, Rick Coates led us into a beautiful time of worship. This was followed by a poem and a prayer read by Jessica Williams, and a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled The Danger of a Single Story. After listening to the talk, we reflected on the themes that stood out to us, noting how much we need to seek out a variety of stories (the more the better!) about others, and about ourselves, too. Then we listened to a song by May Erlewine that helped tie it all together. Unfortunately only the first part of the service was recorded, but you can access all of these things through the links provided.
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Jessica Williams talks about the experience of deconstruction in her own life, and reflects on how the reality of this experience has been a little more like the work of careful excavation to recover something precious. She uses this metaphor and others to share a bit about her history of losing the ability to believe certain church doctrines while maintaining a deep love and affection for church communities throughout her life. She sees this process of losing, or letting go of what was, as a gift that can reveal a truer beauty that's been there all along.
The post A Love Story appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Matte Downey leads a wonderful discussion on unusual metaphors for God. The result is a broadening of the way people feel about God. This was a very rich time.
The post What’s a Metaphor? appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Peter Fitch shares from his own life and experience about the meaning of the resurrection. He sees it in the courage we receive from God in a thousand daily decisions to care for others and to face our own difficulties head-on. Before the talk, Jessica Williams reads one of her poems and Renate Gritter sings "Were You There?" Peter fills in with some worship songs at the beginning and the end of the service.
The post Rising Daily appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Walter Thiessen explores the response of the elder brother in the Prodigal Son story, as well as the father's invitation. If everything is ours, including relationships with the father, why don't we celebrate? (It was pretty interactive, and so apologies for all the bits you can't hear on the recording...)
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Peter Fitch looks at the value of deconstructing faith. He also talks about the problems that can result. This leads him in search of "the Real" thing that we must not lose. He looks at an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage for clues, then turns to ideas from the 13th century Sufi mystic, Rumi, as well as C. S. Lewis.
The post The Real Thing appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Bradley Jersak spoke today on "reading from the end." He led us through some of the Book of Revelation as a way to orient our understanding toward "God's intended result" (something that David Moore spoke about last week). Along the way, Brad included many ideas, all leading toward an understanding that Jesus is gradually causing all things to come together in a way that will bring about the healing of the world and the people in it.
The post One Day appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Today's speaker was David Moore.....
Prayer is focus. If you choose to use words in prayer, words can often support your focus. But sometimes the focus means saying or doing absolutely nothing. We may need to just let it be.
“When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the reality God intends and let it be."
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Walter Thiessen recalls how important it is for us to find meaningful, familiar and emotionally rich things to hold onto even as we need to keep using our heads about "letting go" of the systemic problems that get in the way of institutions and traditions being compassionate and just. He ended with a loose paraphrase of the "armour of God" that you can download.
The post Holding On appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Today Peter followed on from last week where we mourned together about the invasion of Ukraine, but instead of horror we focused on beautiful things. For instance, we showed the video of Aretha Franklin singing "Natural Woman" in honour of Carole King as she received a Presidential Award at the Lincoln Center. Then we showed a video of "All Who Are Thirsty, " sung by Sarah Kroger, to remind us to open our hearts to the Lord. Then, after some prayers, Peter spoke about leaders that do monstrous things and we read some passages from the Book of Daniel that promise "a little help" in desperate situations. This led us into discussions about how we might best pray for Ukraine. We finished the service with Joe Cocker singing "A Little Help from my Friends."
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Raymond Funk and Hayden Wiebe led the music this morning, and our hearts were heavy because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Peter Fitch was feeling the same things, so he didn’t bring a prepared talk. Instead, he read Psalm 31 and asked people to share their thoughts and their prayers together. We wove silent prayer together with singing and the prayers and comments that people brought forward. Together, we sensed the need for a global heart of love to encompass the militarization and pain in the heart of the aggressors in this war, and we prayed for God’s deliverance and strength.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
There is a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Heart for Ukraine appeared first on St. Croix Church.
With so many strong and polarized feelings around the Convoy Protests in Ottawa, Peter Fitch thought it was a good time to reflect together on the meaning of Jesus’ words about loving our enemies. Jacob Rose and Rick Coates, who played songs before the talk, had the same idea as they started the service with a song by The Brilliance called “Brother.” It begins, “When I look into the face of my enemy, I see my brother . . .” There were many great insights from the crowd around the various Scripture passages that we looked at. Peter made mention of a Daily podcast last week, An American-Style Protest in Canada where he thought that both sides would be able to hear some things that they appreciated. Near the end of the time, Rick Coates, shared some insights from a TED talk, I grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. Here’s why I left, by Megan Phelps-Roper.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
There is a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Enemy Love appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Walter Thiessen followed up his last talk addressing what a church community is for. This time he talked about the need to keep structure & teaching integrated with a living Spirit. Lots of chat at the end about how we keep exploring new things that resonate with the teaching of Jesus and the diverse ways that we can invite the Spirit.
Click here for today’s notes.
Here are the videos from today:
How Can I Keep from Singing
Mercy Now
Energy in Us
Higher Ground
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
There is a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Community: Structure and Spirit appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Peter Fitch shares the first part of a lecture on ancient-future orienteering. The focus of this part is the way that Jesus treated people. This leads to a discussion about whether or not “the arc of history is bending toward justice” in terms of abolishing prejudices based on ethnicity, economic status, and gender. The whole talk also relates to the expression, “Anchored with Wings.” Peter thinks that it’s possible to honour people who want to stay closer to the anchor of a tradition and, at the same time, to honour people who want to fly forward with progressive thoughts for their generation.
At the end of the talk we listened to “Apostles’ Creed” by Third Day and Friends and then to “Imagine” by Pentatonix because, together, they represent elements both old and new.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
There is a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post The Value of Tradition (Part_1) appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Photo by: Jim Chaffee
In this talk, Jessica Williams reflects on the longings that drew her to St. Stephen’s University and to the St. Croix Church community. She explores the cracks in the foundation of the church and within herself that “let the light get in,” as Leonard Cohen sings. Jessica ends this talk by reading a letter written by Walter Thiessen earlier this week, offering an update for those who “Joined Us As We Stepped Away” from Vineyard Canada in 2020.
Leonard Cohen – Anthem (Live in London)
Link to ‘Join Us As We Leave’ website and link to letter.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
There is a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Longing for a Spiritual Home appeared first on St. Croix Church.
For this Sunday’s talk at St. Croix Church, Peter Fitch gives a couple of important ideas from the Book of Romans in the New Testament, and then he follows this by introducing Rutger Bregman’s book, Humankind. Both parts of this talk challenge conventional wisdom about the nature of humanity and argue for an essential goodness in the heart of people that shows itself in crisis and in caring for others.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
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In a short (8 minute) talk, Walter asks what the reason is for having a local church community, and he suggests that it’s to create a social place that welcomes everyone interested to participate in exploring meaning together – to express it, to weave it into our lives, to act on it together, to connect it to where we’ve been and where we’re going. You can read the transcript if you’d rather read than watch the video. And after you listen, share your thoughts on what you think is the main reason to have a local church community. Transcript for today’s talk.
Here are a couple of music pieces to enjoy – Room at the Table by Carrie Newcomer
and Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) – Playing for Change – Song Around the World
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Why We Gather appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Peter Fitch shared ideas from a chapter in a book by Thomas Merton called “Tradition and Revolution.” Merton thinks that there is a form of traditionalism which is not helpful, just as there is a form of revolution which changes things only in appearance. And yet, there is something priceless, given by God, in the heart of tradition, and there is such a thing as a true revolution, which continually renews the heart as we turn back again and again to the revolutionary message of Jesus.
Link for today’s notes.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Tradition and Revolution appeared first on St. Croix Church.
The focus this morning was on a poem by Paul Dupuis called “Tears.” We began by watching a worship video from a conference in Brazil where the singers led with the song “Exalt the Lord our God.” Next, Peter Fitch read several passages of Scripture that connected with ideas in Paul’s poem. After that, Paul introduced the poem and read it. This was followed by discussion and prayers, and then we watched two videos of the same song, “One Day“, by Matisyahu. The first is one we used fairly often through pandemic services. The second is from Koolulam, a group that creates social initiative gatherings with music. Both are beautiful, but the second seems miraculous as it brings together 3,000 Jews and Muslims to sing Matisyahu’s song, crying out for the end of all violence and war. Peter explained that he thought this could be a symbol or icon of the need for the world to be reborn.
Link for today’s notes.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post New Birth appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Happy Boxing Day!
Today a few of us gathered together to watch the Christmas Eve video that Jess and Janell made with Hayden Wiebe’s help and with musicians young and old. Afterwards, we discussed ideas that we liked in the video and people shared thoughts and feelings in a beautiful way. If you haven’t seen the video yet, here is a link to it.
“We gathered a few readings, reflections and some of our community’s beloved musicians to bring a glimmer of Christmas joy to you and yours at home this year. We hope you enjoy a moment of pause with this Christmas Eve Collective. Blessings and Merry Christmas from St.Croix Church.”
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Christmas 2021 appeared first on St. Croix Church.
We gathered a few readings, reflections and some of our community’s beloved musicians to bring a glimmer of Christmas joy to you and yours at home this year. We hope you enjoy a moment of pause with this Christmas Eve Collective. Blessings and Merry Christmas from St.Croix Church.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Christmas Eve 2021 appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Today’s service began with instrumental music by Michael Leung and Advent readings by Renate Gritter. Then, after prayers, we watched part of David Moore’s talk from last week in Santa Barbara. It was called, “Mary, You did Know!” and can be found at this link. It would be good if everyone in the world could hear this talk. After that, Peter Fitch led in a conversation about Christmas presents God gave to the world in the Christian Gospel. At the end, Peter sang Stephen Foster’s song, “Hard Times, Come Again No More.”
Link to today’s notes.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Christmas Present appeared first on St. Croix Church.
Peter Fitch shares some thoughts about a subtle distinction that divides Christians, as well as others, into completely opposing attitudes toward social issues. Behind the obvious differences that come with being Orthodox, or Catholic, or Protestant, there are very different attitudes and practices in relation to power. Some individuals and groups have chosen coercion over a form of self-emptying, co-suffering love. Many have flipped and flopped from one kind of power to the other, at times looking like Jesus and at other times looking like His opposite. Understanding this may help us avoid manipulation and the temptation to oppress others in various ways.
Music by Raymond Funk.
Subscribe to the SCC podcasts. (St. Croix Church in Apple Podcasts)
Lindsay and Teena created a playlist of an assortment of songs well loved by our community. You can listen on Apple Music or Spotify . Enjoy!
Keep checking our Facebook group, St. Croix Church, for all the latest updates. We are also on Instagram as stcroixchurch
The post Power Play appeared first on St. Croix Church.