As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional, unceded lands
of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves
to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building
with our First Nations neighbours.     

Call to Worship:

 The ruler of this world shall now be cast out;
and when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw all people to 
myself.

John 12.31, 32

O Come. Let Us Worship. 

Gathering

Today, I stand with the window depicting David; and if you look closely (because of the lighting it is a little hard to see) but you can see David is ready to approach the army of the Philistines, and he has his slingshot in his hand; and it’s interesting because the artist depicts sheep or the lamb, representing the Lamb of God, following behind David, as he approaches in this scene that we know so well out of scripture.

‘In Christ, there is no east or west;
in Christ no south or north;
but one community of love
throughout the whole wide earth.’

Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the
inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Collect for Today

O God,
You have assured the human family of eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Deliver us from the death of sin
and raise us to new life in him,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

Mark 3. 20-23

Sermon:  The Ven.  Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be ever acceptable to you, O Lord.  Amen.

       “Who Is My Family?"

Abraham Lincoln is reported as saying when he as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” At the same time, I’m sure, Lincoln could not have imagined a few years later as President, he would be in the political battle of his life, attempting to unify a country at war with itself.  

We do not have to look far to find examples of internal disagreements. At times, it appears our cultural and political differences divide us, and they increase the intensity of our divisions. Building divisions appears more popular than building relationships. Clubs, workplaces, teams, associations and congregations are often rife with conflict.

Sadly, these differences often become so polarized, they become irreparable.

The question I am asking today then, “Who Is My Family?”

Well, travelling back from Oliver on Thursday, I was afforded the opportunity to listen to a few hours of coverage from CBC on a tribute to one of the greatest moments, if not the greatest effort, to bring an end to World War II: D-Day.

Some statistics from 80 years ago: The Normandy Invasion

5, 333 Allied ships and landing aircraft;

75, 215 British and Canadian troops;

57, 500 Americans;

Plus 20, 000 Allied airborne troopers.

The numbers of lives lost are unimaginable. It’s reported approximately 15, 000 French civilians died in the Normandy campaign, partly from Allied bombing, and partly from combat actions of Allied and German ground forces.

These are just a few of the statistics.

Two of the “take-aways” for myself, from those 3 hours of radio are, one Survivor who is now in his centenarian year observed what it was like—riding in a landing craft across the English Channel. He shared how they were crowded into these landing crafts, and before leaving, they were told that there was a good possibility that 6 out of 10 of them could lose their lives—could pay the supreme sacrifice.

When asked about the numbers, and that statistic, he said, “The whole sense of the force of the engines, and the roar of the planes, and comradery of the troops, thought not of pain and death. They thought, and did, what they were trained to do."

Second, and what will be most lasting, was the words of wisdom from one of the members of the Canadian forces, from a First Nations’ perspective.

And if I remember right, when he was asked about his reflection today on the participation of so many First Nations people, at a time when they weren’t even allowed a vote in this country—weren’t even named as citizens.

And he said, “The reason we went—because we knew what it was like to be a nation under suppression and clamp-down. We knew it was not right, and we needed to do our part.”

And so, today, I ask the question for each of us and the circumstances we are in—'Who is my family?’

With the background of Mark’s gospel account of Jesus, after choosing his disciples, he goes to a house to share a meal. The crowds became so strong and so great forcing upon them, that they could not even eat.

There’re two factions at play.

On the one side was the rulers of the day, comprised of certain cultural backgrounds. On the other, is this new community, a new community of believers with a new vision of how community should be shared—how better it is when we’re not divided homes and divided kingdoms.

I believe Jesus is saying more to us when he says,

‘a crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside and asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers and sisters?” And looking at those who sat around him he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers and sisters. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother.”’

If we are to take a tour around this sanctuary, there are 3 occasions for us to stop and observe.

The first would be to stop at the Font—that place where we all were adopted into a family, a family of Christians, a family of believers—a community who were living and sharing faith together.

And then, we might go directed towards the Ambo—not a pulpit—a small diversion about the nature of the word ‘pulpit’ which I found rather humorous.

It said that the word stems from the Latin ‘pulpitum’ and was originally used to denote a theatrical stage in medieval churches. It became a platform primarily used for preaching.

And so, why the difference? Well, the Ambo is the place from which the Word of God is shared, from the Scriptures, with the people.

And then, we go a little further, and we come to our table, our Altar—that place where we commune together in a common meal, like family.

These 3 locations are here in our Christian worship spaces, indicating the place at which family gathers—the Christian family—the Parish family—the worshipping community.

And so, we ask the question then, “What does it mean to be part of The Family?”

One of our common praise songs is “We are part of the family.”

I know that it’s not everyone’s favourite, but it is an indication of what, I believe, Jesus was meaning when he said, “Here are my family.” The Christian family. The Parish family.

One of the first observations Jesus would make, if he was standing among us today, would be the love and respect that we have for each other.

When Jesus looked around the crowd gathered on that day, we hear from our Gospel,

“Who are my mother and my siblings?”, Jesus asked.  Then, he looked at those seated and said, “Here are my mother and siblings.”’

Jesus shares the importance of family. Jesus shares the importance of family for us as Christians, and the importance of our Christian family cannot be over-estimated.

For Jesus—not in terms that we would use today.  Biology was only one form of defining family.

The other side is the deep commitment it takes to maintain family.

In our secular celebrations-- last month we celebrated Mothers’ Day. In a week, we will celebrate Fathers’ Day. In our Christian Cycle of Prayer each year, within those two celebrations, in the Christian cycle of prayer we observe Pentecost Sunday, the great day to celebrate our Christian family.

It is in those days, that I reflect on the two people who brought me as a small child to the Font, to join a larger family, and to be part of a larger family.

I also reflect on the number of parents that I have stood beside as they, too, have brought their children to join the Christian family.

And I also think of those, who as mature adults, came and said, “I wish to be baptized.” Have come seeking baptism, but our understanding needs to be “to come and seek Baptism is to come and be prepared to seek family.”

So, who is your family? Amen.

Let Us Pray

We come before the triune God to pray for our communities, ourselves, and our world. 

You awaken our hearts to your mercy.
We give you thanks for renewers of the Church in every age. Enliven the creativity and persistence of all seeking to transform the Church into a closer vision of your beloved community.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Your presence is revealed in the shade of trees, the growth of seeds into flowers, and in the blessing of plants granting food in their right season. Heal lands scarred by deforestation, pollution, or infestation. Teach us to cultivate the earth with respect and reverence.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Our nations and communities are divided, O God. Teach us to listen with curiosity and mercy, even in disagreement. Grant us the humility to acknowledge our hardness of heart and make us bold in modelling cooperation for the sake of the common good.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Hear the prayers of all who cry out to you from the depths of fear, despair, or hopelessness. With haste, rescue victims of trafficking, exploitation, and abuse, and bless organizations and individuals who work on their behalf.
In our parish this week, we especially pray for: Gail; Sue; John; Sheila; and Blake, as he recovers from liver transplant surgery; and those on our hearts, naming them now aloud, or in the silence of our hearts.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Grant wisdom and clarity to all who are in seasons of discernment and transition: high school graduates preparing for first jobs or new educational journeys; those who are shifting careers; and those who are navigating changes in their relationships. Accompany them with your peace. 
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer. 

Praise to you for our ancestors in faith who believed, spoke, and lived in you. Give us confidence that as Jesus was raised, so we too will be raised, with all the saints, into your everlasting presence.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer. 

Receive our prayers, O God, and come quickly to our aid, through the power of the Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.

As our Saviour taught us:
Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us  not into temptation,
but deliver us fom evil.  
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.  Amen.

The Blessing: 

The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and
love of God, and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with you, and remain with you, always.  Amen.

May we go into the world giving thanks to God in all we do, and the challenges that He presents before us so that we may continually proclaim the glory of God. Amen.