This Week at Trinity, Beamsville

For Friday, June 26, 2020

Dear Friends,

            This week brought the very clear reminder that there is no such thing as a sure thing.  You know that already, and generally I remember that, too… although I have been known to be taken by surprise when disappointments make their way in and through.

            You may remember that this time last week, I shared with anticipation my plans to be part of a two-part webinar with Cameron Trimble.  Ordained minister, author, speaker, and wise counsellor on all things church in this present world, Cameron was to be reaching out across our Horseshoe Falls Region, this past Monday and Thursday.  Hers is a highly sought after perspective and the event had very quickly reached capacity.

            Sadly, it was only a few hours before Monday’s session that we received news of its indefinite postponement.  Cameron has tested positive for COVID-19, and while she offered selflessly to carry on in leading, already from the distance of her home in the United States, Regional Staff wisely said it is time for her to focus on her recovery.  The webinar can wait.  Cameron’s health cannot. 

            I’ve been staring at these paragraphs for a little while now, trying to figure out why I think you need to know this.  You likely don’t know Cameron.  I’ve barely met her.  In many ways, her diagnosis and experience with this virus will be one of the staggering global statistics, quite removed from the particulars of her life and her beloveds.  But then I guess, that’s entirely the point – or at least that’s where my heart keeps returning.  There is no such thing as a statistic that stands apart from a whole being.  For every person, anywhere, diagnosed with COVID-19, there can be nothing but a very personal response, encompassing the beautiful depth of that whole person.  Every webinar leader is someone’s beloved.  Every migrant farm worker has a name, a family, a cherished life beyond here.  Every patient is someone’s person.  Every person is beloved to God.

            When we gather in worship this Sunday, we’ll be looking ahead to Canada Day. Of course, next week’s celebration is going to be remarkably different than any year I’ve known.  Traditional gatherings are on hold, and the joy of it all still feels quite far away.  Even so, I’m grateful for the timing of a national holiday, if only that it would strengthen our collective resolve.  Fireworks and block barbecues aside, may this be a time for refocusing our wisdom and resources on building communities where each one is known and named, with intention.  May we care for one another, selflessly, however long we or they have had feet on this shared soil.  May we know and wrestle with the heartbreaking statistics, and may we live toward their eradication, for all; for a day when there is no longer we and they. 

            With love to you all,

Heather

“We pray for Canada, for our fellow Canadians and our governments, that working together we may face the future with confident hope and faith in your purpose for our world. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.” 

(‘A Prayer for Canada Day’, by J. Allan McIntosh, Celebrate God’s Presence, p. 532)