Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Tag: encouraging

  • 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

  • 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 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 !

  • Thankful Joy!

    Thankful Joy!

    This week is Thanksgiving in Canada.  For us this usually means a long weekend full of family gatherings, fine foods and long walks under colourful canopies.

    But not this year.

    This year, a 2nd wave of COVID-19 has swept over us.  We are under a tidal wave of record-breaking case counts, unnecessary death losses and sturdy warnings to stay safe at home.  Only those who are in our “bubble” can dine around our Thanksgiving table.

    Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped God from blessing us with endless beauty that cleanses our souls and fills us with enough gratitude to last all year.

    The autumn colours have arrived and it is as though a spell has been cast, leaving us in a state of awe. The mystical beauty of autumn is causing traffic jams as folks, drawn in, leave their cars behind and step into the scenery.  I saw a photo yesterday of the highway through Algonquin Park, there were so many countless cars pulled over it forced the closure of the park!  

    Gladys Taber wrote of this luring of autumn in her book , Still Meadow Seasons, “I would be hard put to think of anything better on earth or in heaven than October…the world is lit with splendor, there are surely more colours than on any artist’s palette, and you can walk down the shining glory of the lanes breathing deep of an air that is cool wine to the lungs.” (153).

    May you decide to have a joyful and thankful Thanksgiving despite the COVID-19 restrictions and may God’s shining glory fill your days with awe and wonderment.

    Happy Thanksgiving,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel 

    The photo with this Blog was taken in Algonquin Park by Chelsea Lin, used with permission/Unsplash

  • What Lies Ahead?

    What Lies Ahead?

    Flight school is now in session and each morning I wake to the loud calls of Canadian Geese as they practice their flight formations readying themselves for their autumn trip south.  These young geese have no idea what lies ahead but they instinctively begin to prepare for this new journey, stretching their wings wide and learning when to pull ahead and when to ride on the tide of those ahead of them.

    The same is true for all the lovely butterflies who emerged this summer; they too are preparing for a new journey.  They truly are great explorers who after one transformational journey into and back out of chrysalids now, only a matter of weeks later, take flight to warmer climates.

    And we too are setting off in parts unknown.  This COVID-19 has set the pace, once again, and we follow into autumn not exactly sure what we will find.  We wonder what will happen when schools open, when some churches resume in-person worship services and office workers return to their cubicles. 

    It has been an anxious time, thankfully, there are some who have settled into this unknown rather stoically and like the Canadian Geese or butterflies seem to instinctively enjoy the unexpected.

    One thing we can be sure of is that no matter where this new journey takes us, we will not travel alone.  God, the one who is known to do new things, is with us and if we relax into that presence there will be many joyful surprises along the way.

    So, let us with trust and faith do as the Psalmist directs, “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalm 100:2)

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    (Photo by Grace Reany; member of Port Elgin United Church and used with permission)

  • A Persistent Hope!

    A Persistent Hope!

    It started as a tiny, thin stem shooting up in the most unlikely of places- right between the patio stones and my driveway. I paused daily to cheer it on all the while thinking “It doesn’t have a chance to grow in such a place.”  But grow it did. In fact, it grew so tall it outgrew the side of our deck, and as I write it reaches up about 2.5 feet.

    And is it ever beautiful; full of lovely purple flowers! Google tells me its name is Harebell and it grows wild, which means it has the tenacity to root even in the most desolate places adding indescribable beauty.

    I have been calling her “Hope” for the past two weeks.  I asked my one son if he could snap a photo of Hope and he knew immediately what I meant (his photo is what I used for this Blog).

    Hope has a way of growing in the most difficult places such as discouraged hearts, downcast spirits, and pandemic fatigued souls.  These are not easy times; many are struggling with the endurance of living under the influence of COVID-19.  As I write it is the twentieth week of the pandemic in Grey and Bruce Counties with no end in sight.  I know I am feeling frustrated, bored, and restless.  There are moments I lament, “When will this all be behind us?”

    Then I commit myself to find signs of hope around me; I refuse to despair when God has filled creation with so much beauty.  I remind myself that this is but a part of the story, joy will return.

    The Psalmist knew this as well. Being honest about our discouragement is the best way to navigate ourselves back to hope, as Psalm 42 reminds us, the discouragement is only for a while:

    “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42: 5 & 11)

    Poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) also found hope in this same flower for she wrote, “Hope is like a Harebell…” and I add because it is determined to root and blossom into all its beauty despite everything.

    So, go and be a Harebell!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • The Rain Barrel Runneth Over

    The Rain Barrel Runneth Over

    Two weeks ago, the grass had turned a dull shade of yellow and made a crunching sound with every step. Water bans were placed on several cities forbidding lawns and flower beds to be watered.   We were not under a water ban as of yet, but in anticipation of its arrival I was tempted to fill my almost empty rain barrel with the water from the back yard hose.

    Thankfully, it didn’t come to such delinquent behavior!

    The rain arrived first with short “isolated” showers and eventually, within a few days, the sky burst open and torrential rain bounced off the hard and barren front lawn.

    We sat on our front porch debating if we should risk getting soaked so to spread grass seed on the brown spots that had formed.  We needn’t worry.  The perennial grass filled itself with the fresh warm rain returning to a lushness which seemed near impossible the day prior.

    The same can be said about the almost empty rain barrel; fresh summer water now spills over its top, nourishing the once wilted flowers by its side.

    Such is life. We go through some journeys that leave us dry and parched; convinced that we cannot possible carry on and all flourishing has passed.  Then, out of the blue something happens.  Sometimes it is as simple as a phone call from a friend, a card in the mail or an email that leaves us smiling and able to take the next step.

    God has promised we will not be left alone in such difficult times. If we hold onto our faith and trust in God’s presence our dried up souls will once again be filled with refreshing waters.

    As promised in the 23rd Psalm,  “My cup runneth over .  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life;…” (Psalm 23:5-6)

    Join us this Sunday for a shortened summer worship service at Port Elgin United Church (virtually via YouTube, Facebook or our website) as we spend some time singing, reflecting and praying to our ever abiding Shepherd!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Waldemar Brandt used with permission/Unsplashed

  • Enchanted Wonders!

    Enchanted Wonders!

    We went out to our backyard late in the evening on July 4th, lit up a campfire, set up the telescope, and after applying a few generous layers of bug repellent sat back to view the night sky.

    We had gathered to witness the lunar eclipse but were held in awe by so many other “hosts” on that enchanted evening.

    The full “Buck” moon graced the sky as it silently kept its course toward other horizons.  We slowly readjusted our chairs several times to keep a clear view hoping not to miss the moment that the sun and moon met but were distracted by the skilled aerodynamics of the bats.

    And, just as the light of the moon was dimmed by the treetops a few flickering lights appeared in the lilac bush.  A group of Fireflies had joined us and were putting on a most magical light show!

    The smell of the fire, the warmth of the summer air, the star-filled sky, the magnificent moon moving ever steadily toward an unseen sun, the antics of the bats, and the enchanted fireflies made for a most blessed evening.

    As I sat there savoring every bit of it the words of Psalm 8 came to mind,

    “When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
    what is humankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?”

    Like the Psalmist, I asked, ‘why would a Creator who has put so much detail into star-filled skies, full moons, and magical eclipses be mindful of me?’

    As the bats entertained and the Fireflies charmed I decided God created me to offer praise and worship in response to such beauty.  I suspect God is deeply praised by my wonder and awe. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mat 18:3)

    As the author and Theologian G.K. Chesterton wrote,  “We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.”

    May your summer be filled with childish awe at the sight of God’s countless wonders!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Patrick Hendry

  • Resting Well

    Resting Well

    Through the vantage point of my second-floor office window, I have had the opportunity to observe squirrels during their mid-day naps!  As they lay on their tummies across the shaded branch one or two of their limbs hang carelessly down while their tiny faces are contently tucked against the nook of a branch. I found myself yawning as I watched and soon had to return to my work or I too would have been napping!

    One afternoon, without any notice, the poor napping squirrel rolled just a bit too far and fell off the tree limb!  As I ran down the stairs to rescue him my mind raced; what to do with an injured squirrel?  However, my concerns were unfounded as he was already running across the lawn and I watched as he scrambled back up the tree.

    It would seem resting takes a bit of practice and skill!

    I too have learned the value of resting well.  I haven’t fallen out of any trees but I have worked myself into exhaustion and even worse over the years.  I have learned the value of a good rest.

    For the past 4 months, we all have been striving to do our best against COVID-19.  I have learned new tricks such as washing all my groceries before bringing them into the house, how to enhance online worship, how to engage in over the phone pastoral visiting, how to ZOOM in for weekly Bible Study, Fellowship, meetings and support groups.  Now, it is time to rest.

    There is value in knowing when the striving needs to cease and rest is required.

    Even God, the mighty Creator, knew when to pause, “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:3)

    This summer I will be taking three weeks of holidays, next week is one of those three and there will not be a Blog written.  I will return for a few weeks before taking two more weeks of vacation in August.

    May you all be blessed this summer to find a restful patch of shade in which to refuel!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Zhana Kenny/Unsplash