It’s an interesting week…

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear… 1 John 4:18 

Dear Friends,It’s Monday, June 30th as I’m writing this… so tomorrow is Canada Day! As you are probably aware, I lived in the United States for 5 decades so I am also aware that Friday is July 4th, Independence Day. It’s an interesting week because on Tuesday I’ll celebrate being a citizen of Canada with loyalty to the Crown and on Friday is the celebration of how the States won independence from that same Crown! Curious… It does raise the question of how we, as Christians, navigate the various loyalties and allegiances that we have. We can feel these loyalties to not only our nation, but also our: sports team, family, tribe, ancestry, ideology, company, political party, homeland, friends, religion, peer group, social media followers, bird-watching club, and the list goes on and on. Each of us is a web of loyalties and associations. Each of these loyalties and associations brings with it its own conversation:

• This is what it means to be a fan of a sports team…

• This is what it means to be a member of the family…

• This is what it means to be a part of this tribe…

It can be quite dizzying to try to keep all these loyalties and conversations straight and… what do we do when they come into conflict (like the dissonance between Canada Day and Independence Day for me)?

As your pastor, I invite you to take on--as your fundamental loyalty and conversation—being a Christian.

What does that mean?

Fundamentally, it means: believing and trusting in God as revealed in Jesus Christ and striving to live the way he taught (and teaches) us.

Jesus said it this way when asked what the greatest commandment was:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second commandment is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.

In our interactions with others, Loving your neighbour is our guiding light and principle. It means we love the people who are part of or followers of our nation, sports team, family, tribe, ancestry, ideology, company, political party, homeland, friends, religion, peer group, social media followers, and bird-watching club. But it also means loving all those other people whom we encounter who are not part of or followers of our nation, sports team, family, tribe, ancestry, ideology, company, political party, homeland, friends, religion, peer group, social media followers, and bird-watching club!

When I lived in Texas, I strove to love my neighbors in Texas and to work toward a healthy and just society there. Now that I live in Canada, I strive to love my neighbours here in Canada and to work toward a healthy and just society here. With this foundational identity and way of being with others, it allows me to navigate life wherever I am living… and in so doing to allow the kingdom of God to be present through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I hope you had a great Canada Day!

Enjoy living and loving in Canada!

Peace,

Pastor Phil