Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Category: Community Building

  • Easter Memories

    Easter Memories

    The very first country church I served was an hour and 20-minute drive from my home which, on Easter Sunday meant I left home at 5:30 a.m. so to be on time for the 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service.  The drive was one of my favorites all year with the morning mist rising out of the quiet fields and the soft choral music of CBC Radio playing in the background.

     We would gather in the church basement with the coffee percolating, tea brewing and a long table laden with Easter treats awaiting our return.   As the piper warmed up his bagpipes we would tighten the scarves around our necks, pull up our hoods and quietly follow  “Amazing Grace” across the road, through the cemetery and up the hill to where the statue of a soldier had been erected. 

    The cool air would warm enough to rise from our singing lips and the view of rolling country hills dotted by trees was the perfect view for this most sacred sun rise. 

    Years earlier, just after WWII, the congregation had started this Easter tradition.  It was started with the belief that Jesus’ resurrection meant all who had died would also rise some day, especially those young men lost to war. So, each Easter began with a sunrise service in the cemetery; a traditional celebration of the promise of resurrection bridging many generations.

    We would bring ourselves into worship with a prayer followed by fiddle and banjo accompanied hymns. One of the youth would read the resurrection scriptures, the minister would offer a short reflection and finally one last “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” chorus before following the piper back down to the church basement for warmed hot cross buns, homemade jam on a freshly baked tea bisque and a cup of strong coffee. 

    This year, as we celebrate our second COVID Easter, may we all be warmed by fond memories while rejoicing that the resurrection cannot be stopped even by a pandemic!

    May the power of Christ’s resurrection and the promise and hope of Easter go with us into the days ahead.  May we sing, pray, live, love, act and serve all for the glory of God. 

    May everyone have a joyous Easter, 

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Hugo Fergusson used with permission/ Unsplash

  • Time to Flaneur

    Time to Flaneur

    Now that these warm and sunny days have arrived the time has come to flaneur about!  Have you ever flaneured?  Sure you have!

    In fact about the same time each weekday afternoon a group of us flaneur through Harrison Park in Owen Sound.  We don’t really know each other very well, meeting each afternoon with a nod, a smile and a “How are you doing today?”  Our dogs sniff at each other, wag their tales and then we flaneur on for another day!

    Flaneuring is a French word which originated in the nineteenth century and it referred to a well-to-do man, usually a Parisian, who would stroll through the streets leisurely observing his everyday surroundings finding beauty in the ordinary and the mundane. 

    Today flaneuring has become a deliberate habit of healthy living.  As Erika Owen writes in her book, The Art of Flaneuring, “ the objective of a flaneur is to enjoy the journey for what it is-to look outward and let what you see influence your inward thoughts, to be a part of the scenery while also taking a moment to deeply appreciate the environment that surrounds you.”

    Flaneuring is to wander with intention.  It isn’t a walk to the bank or to the post office; instead it is a deliberate time of just walking, breathing and taking in the scenery.

    This deliberate time of strolling is a time of renewal, refreshment and a time when the world becomes a source of great wonder!

    May we all take time during this Lenten Season to flaneur our way to awe!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Annie Spratt used with permission/Unsplash

  • Hidden Promises

    Hidden Promises

    In my neighbor’s yard there are 3 milkweed plants that stand tall and stately against the snow and winds of a Georgian Bay winter.  Months ago most of the pods released their feathery seeds with the autumn wind scattering them about, but there are two pods which remain tightly closed.

    These two-snow covered and wind battered pods have become a powerful symbol for me.  Most of us are arriving to this Lenten season a bit battered; COVID-19 having reigned large in our day to day living for nearly a year now.  I feel we need a new and more contextual symbol for such a time as this and the milkweed pod is the perfect symbol!

    Each snow-covered pod contains immeasurable and unimaginable potential; each packed full of God’s promises of new life, new beginnings and of a faith-filled optimism.  These pods represent God’s hidden promises.

    As the Apostle Paul writes, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1).

    Lent is the journey of newness for all of us; it is a time when we rejoice that God is a God of promises.  And these promises are not empty but full of the power that comes from the Christ who comes back to life in resurrection. During Lent, we can have confidence that Christ is bringing us with him into a new and wonderful beginning.

    As the hymn, In The Bulb There Is a Flower, proclaims:

    In the bulb that is a flower;

    in the seed, an apple tree;

    in cocoons, a hidden promise:

    butterflies will soon be free!

    In the cold and snow of winter

    there’s a spring that waits to be,

    unrevealed until its season,

    something God alone can see. (Natalie Sleeth)

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel  

  • Before We Rush Back…

    Before We Rush Back…

    Last week I went for a walk along the shoreline and was shocked by what I found!  Where, just a week prior, a tall tree had stood there now was just a gnawed off trunk and a pile of wood chips.  As I walked further similar destruction laid along the path; several trees downed, and gnawed trunks left in their place.

    I learned that Beavers do not hibernate and need to keep gnawing at wood to file down their ever-growing teeth.  Apparently, they stockpile sticks and bits of wood in case things become scarce over the winter months and they also become bored and simply gnaw down trees to keep busy. 

    This Beaver certainly had outdone himself, with at least 5 trees downed and plenty of sticks left to decay; it would seem he lived well into his reputation of being a “Busy Beaver”.

    It all reminded me of our recent lock-down.

    Since Boxing Day on December 26th, 2020 to February 16th, 2021 we have been in a State of Emergency in the province of Ontario with “Stay at Home” orders. 

    This was the longest winter in my life.  By the first of February, my home office felt half the size it did two months earlier- the walls just kept moving in closer and closer and closer!

    The morning of Tuesday, February 16th I felt like a sprinter at the starting line ready to leap into action, but God had different plans.  A terrific snowstorm arrived shutting down buses, closing roads and keeping us stuck at home for one more day.

    Much like that Beaver, I was ready to get out and be busy again.  I wanted to go to Winners, Michaels and the hair salon. There were pastoral visits needing my attention and I wanted to work out of the church office for the first time in weeks instead of my ever shrinking home office.

    Remembering the destruction the Beaver left behind because of his untamed need to be busy I paused to consider why I was so tempted to become busy again.  

    If we are not careful, we could jump back into bad habits for no other reason except to feel important, exhausting our finances, time and energy in the process.  Perhaps we should pause before jumping back in and ask ourselves some questions.

    Nothing could be easier than to live our lives totally immersed in our busy everyday activities with only the occasional thought of what it all really means.

    Lent arrives this week, a time when we are asked to once again make space for what is at the heart of our lives.  To look closely at what motivates our words and actions; to evaluate if we are truly living a Christ like life. 

    May we not rush back without reflecting on how we want to spend the moments of our days.

    Blessings, Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The Photo with this Blog was taken by Braedon McLeod used with permission/Unsplash

  • Unexpected Delight

    Unexpected Delight

    There are moments in life when the unexpected happens and we are taken by surprise.  Such moments as a fender bender, spilled coffee, or when the bottom gives way on our grocery bag half way to the car! These moments cause us dismay, aggravation and stress.

    Thankfully, these are not the only kind of unexpected moments.  All around us is the presence of a Great Creator who delights in surprising us with beauty and awe.

    Such was the case early one morning last week when an unusual light caught my eye. It was the light of a full moon shining through a row of icicles hanging across our upstairs window.  Have you even seen moonlight through icicles?  It is a sight to be held; their gilded edges glimmering with an otherworldly glow. I stepped closer trying to capture this magical light in my palm, full of gratitude that I came along when I did. This was a gift given to awaken a part of my soul that was slowly closing off due to days of boredom as I obediently stayed “safe at home.”

    Later that same day I again was captured by God’s unexpected beauty.  This time it was along the shores of Georgian Bay as I stood captivated by a strange music of ice, waves and rocks.  We stood along the water’s edge, each trying to find the words to describe the mesmerizing sound of small ice pieces riding the cold waves back and forth from the jagged water’s edge.  A stranger, drawn in by the melody, joined us and she too cocked her head to listen and before walking on quietly said, “It sounds like a thousand pieces of broken glass. “ 

    It reminded me of a wind chime that hung in my bedroom window as a child; clear plastic rectangles that held pressed dried flowers and filled my room with a cascade of melody with each breathe of the wind.  I haven’t thought of that wind chime in years; funny how a sound or a scent can carry us back to places long forgotten.

    These unexpected moments of God’s beauty fill us with all we need to carry on during these pandemic days; reminders that we are not alone and there is much more to our living then just the daily routine.

    Rev. J.R. Miller wrote, “We are meant as Christians to live amid all circumstances in quiet calmness and unbroken peace, in sweet restfulness of soul, wholly independent of the strife’s and storms about us…” and we do this by keeping our hearts open to receive God’s unexpected gifts and to delight in God’s abiding presence.

    May you be surprised by beauty today,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The Photo with today’s Blog was taken by Oleg Gaspodarec used with permission/Unsplash

  • Never Go Negative!

    Never Go Negative!

    When we bought our home it came with a few extra treasures such as an armoire in the attic, gardening tools in the garage and an old thermometer screwed into the outside kitchen window frame facing inward.

    For over 20 years this thermometer was checked daily indicating whether a jacket was needed or not.  That was until mid-February 2020 when a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof taking the thermometer with it.   

    A few days later we replaced it with a brand model from Home Depot and things have never been the same since.

    After a few days of waiting for the new thermometer to kick into action my husband went outside and gave it a hardy shake – that seemed to do very little.  A couple more days later I went, unhooked it and brought it inside.  As I leaned it on the counter the little arrow sprang into action and within no time it read +22o Celsius.

    We decided after a night or two inside it was time for it to go back out and do its job.  Even before we were done hooking it into place the little arrow went to 0o Celsius, wobbled and settled into place.

    By mid-March the days warmed and we discovered this thermometer would follow the temperature upward but never below 0o; as if taking a stand against any kind of negativity, it simply would not read any temperature below 0o!

    As the COVID lockdown moved from weeks into months and autumn returned we once again began depending on this thermometer.  And yet, each morning it refused to share any negative news!  So, a few weeks before Christmas, while at Home Depot, my husband and I found ourselves standing in front of a row of shiny new thermometers and I ask, “Do you want to get a new one?” 

    After a long pause he replied, “I kinda like the one we have.”

     I nodded, “Me too.”

    And we left all the obedient thermometers behind.

    In these mid-January days of chilly weather our stubborn thermometer has been reading 0o even on the coldest of days.  

    It has become a daily reminder for us to “Never Go Negative” but instead find ways to buoy our spirits.  I have discovered one little ditty that lifts my spirits well above 0o:

    “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay.

    My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.

    Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way,

    Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!”

    May you find ways to lift your spirits so that you “Never Go Negative” until the spring birds return singing of snowdrops, daffodils and tulips.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken one evening this week of the thermometer. 

  • A Season For Everything

    We have been enjoying a rather balmy January along these southern shores of Georgian Bay and along the sandier shores of Lake Huron.  Balmy as in temperatures hovering around 0 to -7 degrees Celsius.  This is so warm for us that I saw a guy in shorts the other day!

    Abby, my canine sidekick, and I have been lingering longer on our daily walks listening to the gurgling of the unfrozen rivers, the dripping of icicles and the gathering of chatty birds.  It was all fun and games until Sunday afternoon. 

    On Sunday afternoon my enjoyment turned to concern when both my husband I noticed unseasonal buds forming on a tree along our pathway.  Upon closer investigation we noticed other trees along the trail were also beginning to wake early from what should be a long winter’s nap.

    As we pulled into our driveway, we were alarmed to notice the crocuses had already begun to grow and were at least an inch above ground (the photo with today’s Blog)!  This took us back 9 years ago when the fruit industry in Ontario and Quebec were devasted by a mild winter.  It was the apple orchards hit particularly hard because the buds formed way too early and by mid-March the blossoms started appearing and in April a terrific frost killed off an entire years’ worth of fruit.  

    As the Author of Ecclesiastes writes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  This is an ancient wisdom teaching us to trust in the rhythm of life.  There is a time for things to grow, a time to thrive, and a time to rest.  When we mess with that rhythm terrible things can happen.

    It is the same with people.  There is a time to be together and a time to let them go.  It isn’t wise to try to hold onto something or someone longer then the season allows, and it makes life a sad affair if we spend our time yearning for things that have yet to come or if their time has passed.

    As a Mother I have had to learn this the hard way.  As each of my children have grown and started lives of their own, I have had to let them go; out into a world I cannot control. To hold them here, safely at home, would have stunted their growth and they would have missed out on what God had in store for them.

    It takes trust in God to release those we love.  Knowing God goes with us wherever we go makes the parting easier and aids us to take the necessary steps in new directions.

    I have decided to trust God with the crocuses and apple trees promising not to complain when the north wind returns; understanding its chilly breezes renders the trees and flowers back to their necessary winter repose.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Spying On The Neighbors

    Spying On The Neighbors

    On December 26th, 2020 the Ontario government placed the entire Province of Ontario into a lockdown due to the pandemic.  There are few stores open, no recreation centres or gyms open and don’t even think about going to a movie theatre or a play.  We have been left to find our own COVID safe entertainment.  So, with binoculars in hand I stepped outside and began to watch my neighbors a little bit closer. 

    I have discovered neighbors I didn’t even know lived in my neighborhood and I have even snapped a photo or two without them knowing!

    It all began one rainy afternoon as I drove down the road.  There he was looking a bit miffed as he sat on top of a rather large fence post dripping wet.  I slowed so to get a better look and we held each other’s gaze for a second or two.  His cold eyes pierced right through me as I studied his plumage and decided with certainty that we had never met before.

    Later, with the help of Google Images I pinned down his lineage.  He was my first Rough-legged Hawk! 

    Two days later, while pumping gas I spotted a snowy owl on the light post and that very evening I stood transfixed listening to the deep hooting of what later was classified as a Great Horned Owl.  In the morning we were able to clearly see which tree he had spent the night; it is called “whitewashing” for a reason, all the way down one of the tall evergreens.

    Since then I have become enthralled with winter birdwatching.  I have now seen 3 Rough-legged Hawks, countless Red-tail Hawks (there is one who lives along the way between my house and the church.  Daily we nod to each other so I have named him Oscar!), a large flock of Redpolls, 2 more snowy owls, and two Emus (they were in a farmer’s yard but I decided to count them in my log book anyway)! And, the most magnificent of all neighbors, an Eagle!

    While walking along the shores of Georgian Bay I spied buffleheads, mallards and swans.  My birdfeeders have invited such neighbors as Juncos, Cardinals, Chickadees, Doves, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, and Siskins.

    What has amazed me is how many impressive birds are right in my neck of the woods that I never noticed before.  It makes me wonder what else I am missing in all my hustle and bustle, what other beauty am I passing by.

    It has been a life changing lesson.  When this lock down is over I have promised myself not to pick up the pace so much that I forget to pause daily to glean God’s beauty.

    What beauty have you noticed recently?

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel    

  • Sunrise on New Year’s Day

    Sunrise on New Year’s Day

    There are some who can party well past midnight, staying up to ring in the New Year under starry skies and a full moon.  And, there are others like myself, who instead wake well before dawn so to celebrate the New Year as its first rays stretch over the horizon.

    It was a beautiful sunrise in a cold blue sky with just enough wispy clouds to reflect the pink and peach shades of this virgin sunrise of 2021.  I watched in silence thanking God for the gift of new beginnings and fresh starts.

    Last year was well worn and tatty; it needed replacing. There had been too much difficulty in 2020, a world caught in the snares of COVID-19, anxiety levels that spilled over to violence, racism, and the rise of fake news and unaccountable gossip and bullying. 

    I wonder what we will carry forward from the past year.  What lessons were learned and which habits have taken root.   It is my hope we have learned much about the need for each other and we never again take for granted the power of community, the touch of a hand or a comforting smile.  I hope we value more enduring things such as hope, faith, love and respect.  I fear the habit of “fake news”, misinformation and devastating gossip has become a pandemic hobby, one that keeps bored folks busy providing a sense of power and authority and has filled Facebook pages.  Have you ever noticed the very word gossip hisses?  Kind-a like a snake luring folks into temptation that leads to darkness and depravation.

    As the sunrises on this new year I am looking forward to sharing smiles more with others (when we can again go without masks), I plan on hugging longer holding close those who are dear to me, I plan on making the most of each day, rising above those who want to waddle around in muddy gossip and not once will I allow such words to pass my lips.

    This year is a new beginning like I have never experienced in my lifetime; a year of healing, rebuilding and readjusting to new priorities.  Sure, it will take time, true healing always does but it will be worth every little step forward.

    What are your plans for 2021?  What path will you tread in this New Year?

    Blessings,

    Rev.Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Vincent Ledvina/Unsplash

  • A COVID Christmas

    A COVID Christmas

    Like everyone else around the globe we are having a COVID Christmas this year.  For those of us living in Ontario the government has set guidelines for our gatherings, only those who live in our household or those in our “Bubble” can celebrate Christmas together.

    For my husband and I it means this year we won’t be pulling the dining room table to its fullest length and fitting in all the leaves.  It means we won’t be going around the house gathering all the available chairs and placing them snugly around the dining room.   It means we won’t be preparing a meal for 17-20 folks or cleaning up all the dishes, cutlery and stemware of 17-20 folks!

    We won’t be spending time this holiday season lined up in stuffy stores to either purchase unnecessary gifts or return them. 

    In fact, I have so fully embraced the simplicity of this COVID Christmas I didn’t even get out any Christmas decorations; not one!  Instead I went to the local Walmart and bought a pre-lit 3 foot imitation tree, which, after some garland and plastic decorations looks mighty nice sitting on top of a table in my living room. The plastic decorations will make it easier to put this tree away.  One clear plastic garbage bag should do the trick: cover the tree and away it goes.  Next Christmas when we return to a house full of decorations and a table full of guests this little tree will be used to brighten up a small corner on our second floor.

     If I dwelled on it I would be sad during this COVID Christmas; missing my children, wider family, church services and all the busyness of a typical Christmas season. But, what good would that do me?  Instead I have decided to embrace this COVID Christmas. While at the grocery store I purchased a few extra treats and my husband and I were reminiscing on how romantic it will be.  Like our first few years of marriage when it was only our dog, cat and the two of us.  Now, three children, three dogs and four cats later we have arrived full circle to a quieter Christmas!

    It also helps to remember we are not alone, everyone is having to pare down their Christmas this year and we are certain next Christmas we will be celebrating enough to make up for two Christmases!

    And, as for all the money we will be saving this Christmas.   In every community there are opportunities to donate to worthy causes, families that haven’t fared well during this pandemic and front line workers who are exhausted to the point of burnout.  The opportunities to be the hands, feet and heart of Christ are everywhere. 

    How about you?  Have you decided to embrace this once in a lifetime Christmas?  And, despite COVID have you found ways to mark this holiest of seasons? I certainly hope so!

    Wishing you the spirit of Christmas which is peace, the blessing of Christmas which is hope and the heart of Christmas which is love!

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog is of my COVID Christmas tree !