June 22, 2024
Dear Friends,
This Sunday (June 23rd) is our scheduled Outdoor Service and BBQ. I have been keeping my eye on the weather network all week, and as I write this, it looks like a rainy Sunday morning. Therefore we will postpone the outdoor service until next Sunday (July 30th) however, we will still have the BBQ after the church service this Sunday (June 23rd). This is a joint BBQ with our Campus partners St. Thomas aBeckett with whom we share the campus facility.
We are continuing our summer series on The Beatitudes of Jesus as found in Matthew 5:1-12. The Beatitudes (latin for “blessed”) as they have come to be called are eight “Blessed are…” statements through which Jesus began to describe the kind of people who are transformed by the Spirit. People who recognize that they are blessed by God. As we have discovered the word “Blessed” could be translated literally as “happy” or “fortunate” which is surprising considering the qualities and the attitudes of people Jesus describes.
This week we will explore the third beatitude which is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The English word “meek” is perhaps an causality of how the meaning of words can change over time, because when we think of “meek” we perhaps think of “weak” or even “wimpy”. However, in this beatitude this is far from Jesus’ meaning. In fact with Jesus as our example, meekness is not a weakness, but an inner trust in God and an outward practice of gentleness and holy restraint. It is trusting in God’s power and strength even when we are tempted to act out in uncontrolled anger and inappropriate aggression. We live in a world in which extravagant displays of power and bravado seem to suggest that the strong will survive and inherit the earth. The virtue of meekness has fallen on hard times, and yet as Jesus suggests, in the end it is the meek, the gentle who shall inherit the earth. Really? But perhaps Jesus blesses those who are called to imitate his meekness - strength under control - revealed most vividly in the act of giving his life for his friends. Are we those who exercise meekness? Are we those who follow the path of servant leadership? Do we trust God’s timing? Patient under pressure? Self-controlled when things don’t always go our way? Never returning evil for evil? Who said being meek was for wimps! So please join me on Sunday as we explore this beatitude a little more this coming Sunday.
The Presbytery of Brampton will hold their regular meeting on Tuesday night (June 25th) here at Glenbrook. I will be leading a short worship and communion service at the start of the meeting. I continue as the the Co-interim Moderator for Mississauga Chinese Presbyterian Church and the Convenor of the Pastoral Guidance Committee.
Kathleen and Victoria Chui are participants in our Tuesday morning Bible Study group and a member of the Toronto Formosan Presbyterian Church. They asked me to publicize an event they are having on the topic of “worship”. On July 6th and July 13th and are inviting anyone interested in exploring the questions “Why do we worship?” and “How music functions and how to use it effectively in worship?”. There are guest speakers and lunch is provided. Registration is https://form.jotform.com/241388606517260 . Please sign up before June 30th.
Have a lovely weekend
Pastor Ian
