Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Tag: Inspirational

  • Saucer Moments!

    Saucer Moments!

    Photo by solod_sha/Pexels

    He was sitting in the dirt, covered in his burlap cloak with his hand out stretched hoping someone would drop in a coin, a piece of bread or in the very least acknowledge his presence. Then he heard the name being spoken. The Healing Rabbi was finally walking past and without hesitation he yelled, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

    “Oh, you just quiet down.  Jesus doesn’t want to hear from the likes of you!” They hissed at him.  Ignoring their taunts, Bartimaeus shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

    All the footsteps stopped, silence.  One singular voice spoke, “Call him.”

    A chorus rang out, “On your feet! He’s calling you.” 

    Throwing his cloak aside, Bartimaeus jumped to his feet and reached out.

    “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

    “Rabbi, I want to see.”

     “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately Bartimaeus could see.

    It is written that once receiving his sight Bartimaeus “followed Jesus along the road.” But I imagine he didn’t follow quietly and sedately but instead twirled, danced, and sang all the way to Jerusalem.   

    What joy and gratitude must have filled his soul!  The sheer exhilaration and celebration! 

    Have you ever experienced this kind of joy?  Perhaps at a new baby’s birth?  When you were told the cancer was gone?  Holding the winning ticket? Or, that moment you looked up at a tree ablaze in autumn finery?

    These are saucer moments; moments when we drink from our saucer because our cup runneth over.    

    That is what I imagine Bartimaeus sang as he danced behind Jesus, he sang about drinking from his saucer because his cup runneth over!

    May we all have countless saucer moments this coming week and may these moments open our eyes with such vision we see clearly the presence of the divine in our midst.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel  

  • A Secret Worth Knowing

    A Secret Worth Knowing

    Photo by Anna Tarazevich/Pexels

    There sure is a lot to worry about these days. The threat of nuclear war, increasing COVID cases, rising costs to just about everything and too many environmental disasters to count.

    How do we find peace of mind at a time like this?  Rev. Darlow Sargeant writes, “To be perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use of worrying? It never made anybody strong; never helped anybody to do God’s will; never made a way of escape for anyone out of perplexity.  Worry spoils lives which would otherwise be useful and beautiful.” 

    It would seem Jesus agrees, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25) 

    As the stoics teach, it is never wise to worry over things we cannot control. 

    What we can control is how we live our daily lives in our own little worlds. Why not trust in God’s presence and God’s call to serve others?  We have the power to help those around us.  As Mother Teresa wisely said, “I can’t help thousands.  I can help only the one who stands before me.”

    Why not spend our days counting our blessing and offering back to God our praise and gratitude?  If we are doomed anyway, why not spend our days doing and thinking that which adds beauty and comfort?  Perhaps as we do so we will draw closer to the presence of God, and as Rev. Sargeant writes, “Scale the heights of a life abandoned to God, then you will look down on the clouds beneath your feet as you rise above all the worries.”

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Grateful Reverence

    Grateful Reverence

    Photo by Pexabay/Pexels

    I was run over by the Holy Spirit this past week, it was a most disturbing experience!  One minute I was going about my business and the next I was left a speechless mess fully aware of God’s amazing presence.

    It happened while out walking my dog, Abigail, one warm afternoon early in October.  I looked up to the Canadian Geese who were practicing their V formation overhead when it happened, a humility so overwhelming I felt light headed with awe.

    I will never be able to fully understand or articulate the grandeur of God in that moment. As I looked around God’s glory shone through the salmon noisily splashing up steam.   To think God created something as remarkable as a salmon whose instincts know to return home every autumn to propagate the next generation or butterflies who began life as caterpillars are now winged beauties prepared to fly south.  This same God put into the hearts of birds to gather on hydro wires so together they may migrate and also instilled within the Canadian Geese to fly in perfect formation.  And then, one final touch God decided to have all the bushes and trees burst into celebratory colour!  

    If all of this wasn’t enough, God also created me, and you, so we can witness this beauty; an audience to God’s amazing creative genius.  The profound awareness of God’s closeness stunned me into a deep humility and gratitude that could only be expressed through reverence; a reverence for something much bigger, wiser and deeper than I could ever perceive.

    As John Milton, English Poet, wrote, “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

    May your Thanksgiving be so full of gratitude that it results in a deep reverence that tunes you into God’s closeness.

    Happy Thanksgiving,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Autumn Aroma

    Autumn Aroma

    Once autumn arrives it is pumpkin spice everything.  I even saw an advertisement last week selling pumpkin spice brake pads!  Of course the service station was just having some fun with this pumpkin spice madness.

    For me the perfect aroma for autumn is not pumpkin spice but a bouquet of sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil and oregano.

    With the threat of the first frost upon us the time had arrived to harvest my herb garden.  I cut each plant leaving the roots in place with hopes that next spring they may sprout again. Each herb released an intoxicating scent when cut, a means of departing the garden with one final farewell.

    Some of the herbs were delicately tied and hung upside down on a wooden rack in our mudroom, welcoming all who enter with a savory fragrance.  Others were prepared for a faster drying process in the oven.  With the oven warmed to 170 degrees and the necessary supplies gathered: reclaimed glass jars, parchment covered cookie sheets, and a mortar and pestle, I was ready to start.

    Soon the house filled with the best aroma autumn can offer. Not only does this process fill my home with a warm and delectable perfume it also adds a touch of summer to each winter dish. 

    Sure, pumpkin spice is nice but the signature smells of my own home grown herbs is a reminder of warmer days that help carry me through another cold Grey-Bruce winter.

    May we all find simple ways to honour this most rewarding season!

    Happy autumn everyone,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel  

  • Day-Tight Compartments!

    Day-Tight Compartments!

    Photo by Zachary Keimig/Unsplash

    In the spring of 1913 Sir William Osler, a Canadian Physician who was one of the founders of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, addressed the graduating class at Yale University with such a memorable speech it still echoes to this day.

    In his speech titled, “A Way of Life” he advised the graduates to adopt the “… practice of living for the day only and for the day’s work.”  By using the example of an air tight ocean liner that steadily sails the seas at twenty-five knots he concluded we each would journey life safely if we lightened our load by not carrying regrets of yesterday or worries about tomorrow. He warns that “the load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today makes even the strongest falter.”

    His suggestion is that we focus only on the “life lived in the now in day-tight compartments.” 

    This phrase, “day-tight compartment” has become a mantra for me; repeated often as a reminder to not borrow sorrow from the past or to think up troubles in the future.  However, it seems to me that even Sir William Osler would agree that we need to plan for the future, everyone has deadlines to meet.  Often my work of today is to prepare the next Sunday’s sermon, or the next month’s preaching series.  We all must look ahead to be prepared for commitments and deadlines.  I wonder if the difference lies in preparing happily for that which we have some control but not wasting our present time in worrying about that which we have no control.  We often waste valuable time worrying over situations that only happen in our imagination, “Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happened.” (James Russel Lowell).

    Poet Kalidasa penned this beautifully,

    “For yesterday is but a dream,

    and tomorrow is only a vision,

    but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,

    and tomorrow a vision of hope.

    Look well, therefore, to this day!”

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Healing Flames

    Healing Flames

    Photo by Dids/Pexels

    What a week we just had.  It began with terrifying news that unfolded in Saskatchewan at the James Smith Cree Nation that left 10 people dead and another 18 injured and ended with the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday September 8th, 2022.    

    Each story left us feeling untethered in one way or another.  Thankfully despite the sad headlines God’s presence continued to be on the move inviting us to look up and see beauty as it unfolded.

    Have you noticed?  The tree tops are beginning to look as though they are on fire with flames of red, yellow and orange foliage.  Looking up is the only logical stance when sad news surrounds us.

    The autumn leaves this week reminded me of how God calls us forth from difficulties into new beginnings.  Take for example what happened when the Hebrew people were under the yoke of slavery and trouble surrounded them on all sides.  God called an unlikely hero to save them all.

    Moses was out tending the flock on Mount Horeb when he saw a peculiar sight. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.  He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.  God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-5)

    Why did God use a humble bush?  Why didn’t God call to Moses from a towering tree?  The picture of God speaking from a lowly bush reminds me of a father stooping down to talk to his  children. (Reforesting Faith, Seeth)

    Also, note that God did not speak to Moses until Moses noticed the burning bush.  If we want to hear from God, especially in times of sadness, we need to pay attention to the miracles God places in front of us – even if it means turning off the computer, cell phone or television. 

    May we all hear the call of the trees to look up and pause long enough to breath in the undeniable healing of God’s renewing presence.

    As Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God: but only they who see, takes off their shoes.”

    May we all find reason to take off our shoes this coming week!

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • September Sunset

    September Sunset

    Photo by Sasha Martynov/Pexels

    This past Monday evening, the Monday of Labour Day Weekend, we enjoyed the sunset at Sauble Beach.  As we silently sat on the park bench, the sun steadily lowered itself into the distant horizon but not without vibrant shades of peach, pink and soft white.  We know that as the sun sets on one horizon it is rising on another.

    So, as we drove home in the gathering dark our thoughts turned to preparing for the week ahead, meanwhile; the sun was brightening the morning horizon for others.

    As the world turns on its axis, at 1,000 miles per hour, the sun rises, and sets and rises again.   It is a reminder of how fleeting our days truly are; weeks becoming months seemingly in a blink of an eye. 

    Now, as we head back into the busyness of September and our calendars fill with appointments, meetings and constant routine, may we remember to pause daily to acknowledge the divinity that surrounds us all and may this presence ground us in God’s enduring peace, joy and love.  

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Labour Day Weekend: It’s Not Too Late!

    Labour Day Weekend: It’s Not Too Late!

    Photo by Kyle Glenn/Unsplash

    We in Canada have been celebrating Labour Day since 1894; it has become a national statutory holiday.  Traditionally this day, the first Monday of September, was set aside for honouring laborers of the middle class. On this day there were picnics, parades and activities planned to bring together the laborers in a day of solidarity.

    Things are different now.  Today Labour Day is more about getting the children back into routine for another school year and for catching up on all the summer chores at home.  This has become the weekend when we begin to turn over the garden, pull up the bedding plants and air out the sweaters.  It has become known as the last weekend of the summer.

    But, truth is, the official last day of summer is 2 weeks after Labour Day weekend on September 21st.  That leaves almost 14 more days of warm afternoons at the beach or hiking our favorite trails or reading a good book in the shade of a tree.  The sun does set earlier by September which only creates more time for star gazing or enjoying a late summer campfire.

    The playful butterflies seem to linger in September inviting us all to enjoy the marigolds, Chrysanthemums and late summer roses.  May we accept this invitation and pause long enough to make a few more memories before this summer’s chapter closes.  As William Shakespeare writes, “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date”!

    Happy September,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Towering Acquaintances

    Towering Acquaintances

    It is our custom to walk the same path several times a week.  It is a 2.5 km trail that follows the river and twists and turns through a forest.  We have been walking this trail for many years; never tiring of the ever changing weather, landscape, flowers, shrubs and trees.

    This trail has been a stay point in our lives.  First we walked it with our small children in a stroller or carried on our backs.  We have photos of them proudly holding their first salamander, snake or crayfish.  There is the ‘Raccoon Tree’ and the ‘Owl Tree’, both having been the resting places of their namesakes. There is the tree that lovers have carved their names into for over 60 years and the tree that grows out of a big rock.

     As each of the children returned home from University they would join us for this evening stroll discussing future plans, hopes and dreams.  Now they return with their partners and we happily welcome them into our family routine. 

    One special stop on our evening stroll is a particular tree.  Nearing the end of the trail is a little pine tree that looks entirely out of place.  Somehow, the wind carried a tiny seed which managed to plant itself under tall deciduous trees.  With determination this seed dared to root, grow and stake claim to a small spot near the river.  We have been cheering him on ever since!  At first his tiny trunk was thin and bendable but now; due to strength gained from strong winds, heavy snow and from being trampled upon, he is strong.

    Last winter we dug him out after a snow storm and were thrilled to find him reaching up to us! It was then, impressed by his tenacity and persistence we gave him a name; Percival.

    Percival is a mighty fine name for such a small specimen of life.  Percival was one of King Arthur’s Knights at the Round Table.  Legend has it his courage and strength made him a hero; this little pine tree has risen to the heights of his name.

    On Sunday evening we paid Percival a visit.  We were relieved to find him at his tallest and as I ran my hands along his soft needles I decided to snap a photo.  Someday I will share this photo with my grandchildren and be able to share the story of Percival’s humble beginnings.

    I once asked members of a congregation if they could email me photos of their favorite trees.  It was amazing the photos I received.  One woman sent me five photos of the same tree spanning 3 generations; photos of weddings, birthdays, and family reunions all taken under this same tree.  Another woman sent me photos of a tree her son had planted on his first day of kindergarten and every first day of school they snapped a photo of him by his tree.  In the last photo he was in his graduation gown with the tree towering over him.  I also received photos of memorable Christmas trees and trees that held unique tree houses.  Each of these trees had their own stories to tell.

    Trees are one of God’s greatest creations; a steadfast in all our lives. So, do you have a favorite tree? 

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Thou Art With Me

    Thou Art With Me

    Painting by Canadian artist, Cecil Henry Greenhow ( January 27, 1935 – July 7, 2017)

    There is a painting that hangs in our upstairs hallway; it is oil on canvas in shades of blue depicting a city street on a blustery winter evening.  Among the snow fall and along the snow packed street two figures walk, their backs to us, one taller than the other, both huddled against the seemingly cold north wind.   

    This painting reminds me of the 23rd psalm. 

    The 23rd Psalm is a psalm for those times when life takes twists and turns leading us through the shadows of darkness.  There is no suggestion that we can take a detour around the dark valley; it is a path we all must travel.  But there is a promise that we will never travel the darkness alone. As Rev. Dr. Limburg writes, “Like a good shepherd who cares for the sheep, like a loving parent who holds the hand of a child, the Lord promises to be with us on that way through the darkness.” 

    The tall figure in the painting reminds me of God’s presence walking beside us all the way; even through the blustery storms of life.  As Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20 “Surely I am with you always.”

    The same everlasting God who cares for us today will take care of us tomorrow and every day.  As the 23rd Psalm teaches, either God will shield us from suffering or God will give us the strength to bear whatever befalls.  As Saint Francis De Sales writes, “Be at peace, then, and set aside all anxious thoughts and worries.”

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel