Temple Beth Ora - Refromed Jewish Synagogue

Shabbat Shalom everyone!

Welcome to Friday night 8 pm Shabbat at Temple Beth Ora! For those of you that haven't read much of my earlier stuff, this might surprise you.

Besides my mission to visit 100 churches, I have also decided that my project is not complete without visiting some other houses of worship besides just Christian churches.
So far I have been to a Unitarian gathering, A Tao Buddhist Temple, and now a Jewish Synagogue.

Some of you that are better educated in Judaism may assume that this Shabbat would be for the upcoming holiday of Shavuot (which was only 2 days away). Nope, this Shabbat was special alright but it was honouring another kind of celebration: GAY PRIDE WEEK!!!!!

To be clear this is actually their 3rd annual Gay Pride Shabbat.

I have had an uncle that has told me a lot of questionable things in my life.
Two of these things have been that:

#1 women can't be Rabbis', and #2 you can't be gay and Jewish.

I am sorry uncle, but you were a little off...
Today I sat in a room on Shabbat with many gay Jews, and I have watched a female Rabbi lead a service more than once in my life.

(*mic drop)

Its actually 2016 but you get the idea...

Speaking of our country's Prime Minister. Later on there was a young man in a suit that came up and spoke on behalf of a parliament member that wanted to attend, but was unable to. He sends greeting from the city, the province, and the Prime Minister. He explained that this was his first Shabbat and that he has truly enjoyed it and intends to come back! (he said this all with such enthusiasm that his Kippa (skull cap) actually fell off while giving the speech!)

It was a fun night.
Just saying.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

So I found the building, and it was not far from downtown, and very accessible by public transit. It was also surprisingly close to this famous Edmonton icon.

When I walked in the first four things I saw were a donation bin for the Fort Mac fire victims, a donation bin for the food bank, a info table with info on community activism, and a tall young African-Canadian fellow handing out program guides for the service, while wearing a rainbow skull cap and shawl around his neck.

There were roughly 70 people at this service. Ages on average ranged from 20-60. A lot of families with adult children were in attendance.

Some may think it to be a difficult and complicated task to attend a worship service at a Jewish synagogue. That fact is not necessarily true. But you need to know what you are looking for.  Some important things to keep in mind when Understanding Jews.

- This is not just a religion. It is a tribe with a religion built into it. A lot of theses people in this room have blood connections to the people spoke about in the Torah (aka Old Testament) . With the exception of some converts. Their faith is literally close to home.
- Judaism is traditionally very closed, and Jews almost never go around evangelizing.
- Jews believe that the messiah is still yet to come, and that Jesus was not the man that fit the bill. They have a very solid argument to back their position. Link- What Jews and Christians Should Know about Each Other.
 - Edmonton only has 3 synagogues (that I know of). They are in the denominations of Conservative, Orthodox, and Reformed.
- The "Sabbath" starts at sundown on Friday and goes to sun-down on Saturday.

I also must take a moment to throw my heart out to the Jewish cohort at Stony Point Centre in upstate New York, USA. If it was not for you wonderful people I would not be half as well educated in what Judaism is all about. That education is completely necessary for what I am doing today. To put an example to this, let me just say that because of that education I know that the reformed temple would be the only one in this city that I could easily walk into and report on. That is because I take notes. And that is considered working on the Sabbath, while inside the synagogue. At this synagogue they don't care, but anywhere else in this city I would be asked to stop, or possibly leave.

You gotta know your stuff when visiting our friends the Jews.

The service started out with a few acknowledgements. Including the acknowledgement that this gathering was being held on Treaty #6 Land. There was a prayer after asking for unity and peace, specifically with Canada's First Nations people. This service had some wonderful guest speakers, including some Christian pastors who came up and read while wearing the skull cap and rainbow shall around their neck. One of the main speakers was a bit of a surprise. It was a Rabbi from the other Synagogue in the local area (Beth Shalom) that was of the Conservative denomination.

Next came the lighting of the Shabbat candles. In this tradition normally two candles are lit (today they increased it to six to get more colours of the rainbow). And in a home setting, the mother of the family will go before them, and cover her eyes with both hands and recite a prayer in Hebrew, asking God to bless and protect the family. Today two women were asked to come up and perform this honour with their children at their sides. I need to say I found both of these women every interesting. The first was a Caucasian senior woman, who was caring for a young girl, elementary school aged girl who was of Asian or First Nations heritage? I was not sure. And the other lady was in her 30's, tall and thin with a short masculine hair cut. And she was caring for a young 12-year old(ish?) girl, who appeared to have some type of developmental disability. The girl hung very close to her and it was clear that this woman was very committed to the love and care of this young lady. It always feels good to see a child with a disability is in good hands.

One of the most beautiful things I saw that day actually had to do with the young girl . Like most children, they are not particularly good at sitting still. Which was perfectly fine here, and for part of the service she stood in the aisle holding her stuffy toy. As the service was going on, I saw her tracing the Star of David slowly with her finger (the engraving was in the side of the pews). It was a lovely sight to see, and I am sure many Jews would find this image quite heart-warming.

I made a point of mentioning this because the spirit of tonight's service was embodied in that image.  That Gods word and presence is not only active in the lives of the Israelite's, but also the entire world.

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."  

Then we sang the "Lecha Dodi" after which we all stood and turned towards the door to greet the Shabbat bride. One lady with a sense of humour started making hand gestures as if she was marvelling at the beauty of the bride. Even though there is clearly nothing visible that enters in through the door.

NOTE: Jews see the approach of the Shabbat (day of rest) as a joyful event. Joy that can be related to the feeling of a groom waiting for his bride to appear (and you thought you took your days off seriously).

And if any of you were wondering what the music is like in a synagogue, it is very similar to what you would hear in church. As many of you know there are a lot of songs in the Bible, and a lot of the style and music got passed down to us Christians. The major difference being is that the Jews still largely sing almost all of their songs in Hebrew.

P.S. I have tried many times, but I could not sing in Hebrew to save my life. It takes skill.

I apologize in advance for this article being exceedingly long, but there was honestly so much great stuff in this service, I would have a hard time leaving much of it out.

Such as...

Despite God not being defined as having a gender, the four letter name for "God" that the Hebrews use, actually has two letters that define God's masculine attributes, and two letters that define the feminine ones. Generally, God is referred to in the masculine sense, but that practice is not constant in the whole Torah (Old testament). For example, the Jews have a word to describe "the manifestation of God's presence, that fills the universe". That word is a feminine descriptive word known as Shechinah.


In the past, a lot of pieces of scripture have been thrown out at the gay community as a way of  oppressing, alienating and hurting anyone that falls into that spectrum. Much of this comes from the book of Leviticus. But I was very happy to see that even that can be turned positive! This was some of  what was recited.

Congregation: We are your lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children.
Rabi: Do not seek vengeance nor bear a grudge against the children of your people. (Lev 19:18) 

Congregation: We are Elderly lesbians, bisexual, gay men and transgender people.
Rabi: You shall rise before the hoary head and show deference to the aged. (Lev. 19:32)

Congregation: We are lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender victims of gay bashing and murder.
Rabi: You shall not stand Idly by while your neighbour's blood is shed. (Lev. 19:16)

There was also a talented woman that come up and sang twice during the service. One thing I  happen to notice is how she rocked her body back and forth over the table at the front of the room. As a musician, I have known drummers who intentionally rock their bodies to help keep time. But this is the first time I have seen a singer do it. I have to say that I have really noticed that us Christians are really the odd-man-out when it comes to this whole rocking thing, we don't do a lot of it.  Jews do it, Muslims do it, heck, even the Buddhists and more!

Speaking of our friends the Muslims, I was reminded on how shockingly similar the two faiths are when I saw the Rabbi face the front of the room while he covered his head with his Tallit (prayer shawl) and starting praying and rocking while also looking right to left. The shape that the shawl on his head made reminded me strongly of the high-backed robes of Christian orthodox priests. Which kind of doesn't surprise me. Judaism is our foundation of the Christian faith, and the orthodox love sticking close to the foundation.



But when it comes to Islam and Judaism, It blows my mind more each day that I learn about these two faiths, and how they are so extremely similar in so many ways. They have much more in common than Christianity has in common with either of them! And the more I notice all of these similarities, the more I am baffled at how there are still such raging conflicts between the two groups when their commonalities are clearly stronger than their differences? But let's just leave the politics at the door for now.

After all this, we heard from our guest speaker from the conservative synagogue just down the street.

He started out by making the announcement that today was significant in the fact that on this day, 13 years ago, he graduated seminary and became a rabbi. This was of course followed by applause. He explained further, that the term "Conservative" when relating to his synagogue, describes the style of rituals they follow, and not necessarily his own political views. He remarked, "If you are conservative that is fine, just don't tell my congregation!".

He went on to speak more about his graduation day, and how he gave a speech, while also being in protest. He and many other students that day were wearing rainbow buttons over their hearts, along with their grad gowns. The school had refused to graduate any students that were openly gay from the seminary. The good news is this policy was lifted a few years after his graduation.

He also revealed that he has a gay brother who is married and living in Jerusalem with his partner. He is also proud to announce that his brother and his partner are the first gay couple officially recognized by the state.... for tax purposes. And on an even more interesting note... in Israel there is something called lactation privileges. This is given to the woman of a married couple which allows her to leave work a few hours early to better care for her children.  law requires that one person in a married couple must get these privileges. So his brother has been officially granted "lactation privileges" by the state. The rabbi mentioned that he is fairly sure that his brother is not lactating.

"If you are into super-fabulous sermons! This is not it!!!"
 

Then he went on to a brief sermon which I am sure that I have heard somewhere before. This sermon asks the question as to why was the Torah given in the desert?  There are two points with this: #1, the desert forces you to think, and #2, the desert is a no-mans land. It truly belongs to no one  , and is yet accessible to all at the same time. He interpenetrates this as Gods statement of equality. Yet equality can be hard to come by in this world. He reflected on the numbers of people that were counted as the Israelite's left Egypt. In the Torah, only men that were old enough to see battle were officially counted. After some number crunching, it has been calculated that over 2 million Israelite's, including many women and children, left Egypt. Yet only a fraction of those people were ever "counted " as being significant.

He further explained the sadness he feels for the "uncounted" as he revealed that he is in a multi-faith marriage with his wife and one child. Even with the difference in faith between him and his wife, they have a positive relationship where she actively encourages his Jewish faith. Despite all this, he feels hurt living with the reality, that his wife is not allowed to visit and participate at the synagogue to some degree. She may be allowed to visit, but because she is not Jewish, she is still excluded from many "members only" events. He admits that seeing the woman he loves being excluded from important holiday rituals in his spiritual life, pulls him away from his own faith.  In conclusion, he is asking for more interfaith events to be organized, so him and his wife have a space to be recognized in their faith and celebrate together.

After that was all said and done we went to the back of the room where we blessed the Challah (Jewish egg bread) laying hands on each other in a chain fashion while one person held the bread. And then we blessed the cup of wine.

Yes, this is where the Christian tradition of communion is based out of.
But this was no regular Challah. Most Challah is just your standard yellow braided egg bread. This Shabbat we had the special edition "Rainbow Challah" for pride week. It made my day very joyful!

After indulging in one of the most wonderful buffets of rainbow-and-sweet-everything I could not be happier! Over all it was a great time and I would recommend anyone who wants a taste of Jewish tradition to drop into Temple Beth Ora. They are very friendly, I promise!

Here is a photo of everyone hanging around the table at the back of the room.

And here is the front of the room.

Don't forget to Refresh your Nefesh!
Until next time, Shabbat Shalom Everyone!

Church #64. Edmonton First Chruch of the Nazarene.

Hello and welcome back ladies and gentlemen! Today we go north! Which sounds strange when you live in one of the most northern cities on earth. But regardless we are on the NORTH end of the city today. As for this church today, I noticed two things immediately. #1. This church is almost entirely populated by seniors. Nice seniors. Friendly happy ones! And this service had roughly 60 of them.  And #2. This Church is the most white-walled octagonal room I have ever been in. Also.... the seating is much more limited than most churches. But in all  fairness, the chairs at this church are super comfy!

I also spotted an exceptionally nice guitar sitting on the stage. I may be the drummer. But I still can appreciate a nice guitar.

As some of you may know, occasionally I run into some memorable charters in my church adventures. I saw another one of these people today who was truly unforgettable.  He was in the row in front of me. It was a heavier set man, with slicked back white hair (somewhere near the senior age bracket). He was wearing white pants, a Hawaiian print shirt, a fanny pack, tinted safety glasses and a leather jacket covered in sponsorship logos one would see similar to a race-car driver. The most predominant of these had to be the large (RITZ*) logo in the center back of the jacket. Yes. Like the crackers.

Like Most churches I have been too, this Sunday service started in song. But I gotta throw out a piece of constructive criticism here. I like singing along to worship songs. I honestly do. But you need to slow it down. The band itself had no issue keeping with the quick pace with the songs, but the rest of us were struggling to keep up. Or just giving up.
Maybe because it was a room full of seniors and one crazy young blogger barely being kept alive by her cup of coffee? There was not a lot of singing participation with almost all of the songs. With the exception of the one slower song picked for a moment of quiet worship. Ironically it was during that song that everyone came together because they could actually keep up. But seriously....slow it down.

This Church also had something interesting I haven't seen before. A kneeling bar near the stage. Due to the fact that this church lacks traditional pews, there was no easy way to have kneeling benches in the seating area. So they put a free-standing one near the front.
Smart!

I am also gonna put this out there to start, the leader of this church is a FANTASTIC speaker! If you want a quality educated speaker to give you comprehensive lessons on scripture, and how to apply them to everyday life. This guy is your man. And for as much as I loved what this guy did today, I am not going to lie, the start is a little rough.

The Church leader started out by stating (almost in a joking way) that our faith and worship is valuable. And if there was "nothing on the other side"  our prayer would be pointless.  Now I have heard this before, from another high-quality speaker at the Catholic church I visited on Easter Sunday, and I let me pretty rattled.  That I am not sure what the first thought of the other people in the room was, but I then had to ask myself  "what if there is nothing on the other side?" I find this thought most disturbing.

I can't help but question if this kind of talk is really a good idea. On one hand, if this man's job is to grow my faith, this kind of talk is a very bad move. It is like taking a knife and running it down the center of my faith. Or on the other hand, if this man's job is to make my faith strong, then maybe exposing its weak points is necessary for growth. But all this remains to be seen.

The church leader started by leading the congregation in prayer. As part of the prayer, we confessed that we had followed other gods in the past ( the pursuit of money, material wealth, status, etc.) and that all of them have ultimately come up empty and unfulfilling.

After that was done. There were some quick awards handed out to church members and the children were dismissed.

The scripture focused on today was Mathew 6:25-34

Mathew 6:25-34 NIV

"Do Not Worry

25“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? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^e ?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

The church leader personally admitted to having a lot of personal struggles with this scripture. 

I can totally relate. I worry all day.... Every day. 

What I really loved about this lesson is that the leader literately took out major key words, and broke them down, to help give a full understanding of what this piece of scripture is telling us to do. 

I won't go over every word he did a break-down for, but I think the most significant one he analyzed was the word "Seek" .

In this case, the word "Seek" can be related to; desire, enquire, try to obtain, peruse, demand. He stated clearly that the command to "seek" is not a passive command but a very active one. He used the example of a parable in Luke 15, that tells the story of a poor woman that lost one of her only coins in her house. And how this woman feverishly turned the house upside-down looking for this lost coin. The church leader said he was also in a similar situation when he decided to start packing the night before his flight that was taking him out of the country to go study. And low and behold, he could not find his wallet. He was also turning the house upside-down in a state of desperation. One may also know the same feeling if you have ever lost a child in a shopping mall. He described this as what it means to "Seek". And that we should seek God's kingdom and righteousness with that kind of fever and focus in our hearts and minds. 

"Chase after that first!" 

 

Then there was also talk of what it looks like to peruse God's kingdom personally? This is when the " you can't serve both God and Money" thing came up. He also stated that "worry is tied to money and the heart", and that worry reveals a lack of faith.  Then explained the difference between belief and faith. And he used our chairs as an example. He asked us if any of us thought about the chair we sat in today? Did we question it or take a hard look at it before we sat down? Most likely not. Belief is thinking that the chair might hold you up, but you are not 100% sure. Faith is knowing without question that the chair is OK to sit in, and just simply sitting down.  

He also noted clearly, that a pagan is not an evil person. And that in fact many of them are very nice people. They just don't happen to know God.

A really interesting idea he brought up is that worry chokes out faithfulness, and he related this to Mathew 13-22.  This talks about the parable of the sower and the 4 types of ground that the seed falls on. He said we who are worried are the 3rd type of soil, which is the thorns. Relating to the faith that grows, but is choked out by its environment. 

All the church members here were exceptionally friendly and open-minded about my project and I fully appreciate the interest.  Over all, I had a good time and would recommend this church. 

Ps. Be ready for a surprise next week!

Church #63. Unitarian Church of Edmonton

First things first. I would have no idea that this church or type of faith existed if it was not for my friend and old band mate Rob Billheimer. The guy is a killer cartoon artist that is not afraid to push boundaries, ruffle feathers and make you laugh until you piss your pants! Just to prove it, here is a sample from Rob's line of comics known as The Sausage Party! 
 

For those of you that may not know, Alberta has declared a state of emergency as we are facing the most costly disaster, and biggest evacuation in the history of our country, due to the Fort McMurray Fires. In response, The Sausage party is selling limited edition, high quality prints of some of their best comic strips, and all money raised will be donated towards relief efforts.

Click here to Check it out! 

After finding my way to the back door, I entered the "OPEN" door only to find myself in a large open room full of garage sale items! A senior lady asked me if I was here for the Church service aAnd directed me to the service area. So I walked through the garage sale and found my way to the actual church service, it had already started and I took my seat at the back. the service was started with soft and almost trance like piano music... it kind of made me feel strange. Side note: today is Mothers Day. The opening prayer was one for safety, and rightfully so considering the current circumstances in this province. Then they had the young people of the Church come up and light the challis and say a quick prayer.

The offering for the service was then collected. It was announced that the group they were donating to for the month of may was Y.E.S.S (Youth Empowerment Support Services) .  The church leader mentioned that in light of recent events, they did consider changing the designation of the donation over to the Red Cross. But they ultimately decided that the now-homeless youth of Fort Mac will be benefiting from the use of Y.E.S.S. as they take refuge in Edmonton, so they decided to keep it as is.

Then the church members were able to come to the front and light a candle if they have any worries or concerns. The church leader also suggested that today they should consider straying from the norm and also doing "spoken candles" if the person feels right in doing so. FYI: Today is Mothers Day.

The spoken candles I found particularly interesting. As you can imagine, there was candles lit for mothers who had passed away or still present. But there were also two spoken candles that stood out to me.

#1. A lady came up and said she lit a candle for all of those people that are not able to be mothers.
On one side of the coin, I can totally understand this. As simple as this holiday might seem, I am sure it is down right painful for the women out there that wanted kids, and for some reason or another, were not able to have them or have lost a child.

On the other side of the coin... I am shrugging and rolling my eyes. If I haven't made this clear before in my blog, let me say it now: I am not having kids. Ever. I feel no lack or disappointment over my choice not to be a mother. My friends know this, and so do my family. And to all you hard working mom's, and children-loving women out there I ask on thing... be nice to us..... Please? Don't lecture, scold, question or attempt to convert us! We are all free women. We have all have the right to make choices. If you show respect and understanding for our choices, we will do the same for you! 

#2. Another lady in her 20s came up and lit a candle and explained that she had a mom that was "not very good", and that she was lighting this candle for anyone that has a "complicated" relationship with their mother. This I think is a great topic to bring up. Not a pretty one, but an important one... How are you supposed to feel on this day when you had a mother that was heartless, irresponsible and absent? Or you had a mother with severe mental illness, who physically abused you?!
How does one deal with that? These questions are not easy to answer, but thankfully they are now at least being addressed.
 

Links:
-To all the brave kids that broke up with their toxic moms.
-To the Mothers Hurting on Mothers Day.
-When abusive parents come crawling back....?

"These candles don't change the world, but they change our minds and hearts." 

The Church leader then went on to explain some of his thoughts and feelings about the events of the past week.  He announced to the congregation that the family of Syrian refugees that they had sponsored will be arriving soon, and that they plan to have a welcome committee come and welcome them at the airport. Strangely enough, just as they are getting ready for the family to arrive the Fort Mac fires start.
So as +80000 people are pouring out of the Fort Mac area, he can't help but feel helpless.
All their extra money has been committed to their refugee family, their extra space has been stuffed with garage sale items, and he was also not able to do anything physically because of an old injury that was bothering him. He felt empty in his lack of ability to act. He explained that sometimes "All we can do is what we can do and we need to see that, that is enough."

"Sometimes the answer is to throw money at something!" 

He related the situation to being in a flight emergency. And how they tell you to put your air mask on before helping others. Because if you pass out from no air, you cant do much to help someone else. He also pointed out that some times we are in a position to do a lot. Like the gas station owner that gave out thousands of liters of free gas for people that were fleeing in the evacuation.
He said he was brought to tears, by the competency of the people who were able to conduct this mass evacuation without any major accidents and minimal loss of life.(.... I don't really understand how someone could-be brought to tears over "human competency", but whatever speaks to you I guess?)

He spoke about how he was watching TV and how he saw the mayor of Edmonton, Don Iveson, be brought to tears! Not from the loss of home and possessions, but by the unbelievable outpour of charity by Edmontonians and the rest of Canada. I can personally tell you that I have seen what he is talking about, not just at donation centers but in my daily life in Edmonton. In this last week, everything has opened up to the evacuees. Every cafe and restaurant  has a sign up advertising free food, businesses are giving away free goods and collecting donations, artists of all types are selling their work for Charity, and even the Labatt Beer Brewery stepped up to meet the emergency need for bottled water!

Labatt brewing water to help those affected by Fort McMurray wildfire
 
I cant help but notice how this reminds me of Isaiah 2:4 ESV.

"He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."



 He also gave his thoughts on the concept of spirituality "Spirituality to me is a a connection to another human or sometimes nature." He explained that other religions try to frame spirituality in the idea of "God" or "Allah" or "Buddha". He indicated that that was "OK". but "It doesn't cover everything".

After all this we went through what one might describe as guided meditation. We were directed as a group when to breath in and breath out and what to focus on.

Then we had a moment of silence where everyone in the room bowed their head and dimmed the lights. After about a minute, the lights came back on and the service was ended. We all then received the good news that Church members get first pick at buying from the garage sale! As you can imagine I saw the room get up and all the women in their 50's and 60's get up and run like kids heading for the candy shop!

I can honestly tell you that there is some great stuff at this garage sale and it is open to the public and being held at 11715 108 Ave NW, Edmonton AB and the hours are 8am-6pm on May 13th and 8am-4pm on May 14th. 

Also! Crucial  info for for Fort Mac evacuees!

#1. Get online and register with the Red Cross! Even if you have everything materially and friends to stay with it is sill crucial that you register! They have mental health workers!

1-888-350-6070 or RedCross.ca.

 #2 You are entitled to free money from the government to help cover your expenses while being away from your homes! Follow the link to learn more and then click on "Debit Card Relief Funding."

Link-http://www.alberta.ca/emergency.cfm#financial

Now that we have this all over and done with it is now time for my RANT!

Some places have been all-killer-no-filler but this place has been just the opposite. It just feels really empty to me...

The candles felt very empty...I fail to understand how just lighting a candle would help my troubles in anyway, or replace wise human conciliation or guidance from the divine.

But what really gets me is that the word "God" was used only once in this service and in a some-what negative context. Spirituality was drilled down to a simple human emotion. Charity and aid were simply defined as "The right thing to do". It was like someone took a hypodermic needle and  purposely sucked every inch of the divine out of a church service, and left this barely living hollow-body in a post- spiritual-lobotomy state!

For some one who is used to going to common church services, this felt like living in the numbed colorless, dystopian world defined in the book : The Giver .

As I was shopping the garage sale I bought a pair of bees wax candles and as the cashier and I were marveling over them, I expressed what a beautiful piece of God's creation they were! Then is an awkward moment, she politely corrected me a she said "or Nature"....

Is "God" a bad word in this place?

I am not saying this place is bad in anyway. It has seriously introduced me to some of the most genuine people you will ever meet! But it does nothing for my spiritual thirst. I would more then suggest this church as a great resource for interfaith work and gatherings. I can also imagine an Atheist that is looking for a "church like" community would find this to be a prime option! It's just not for me.....

Church #62. Edmonton Japanese Christian Church.

Hello and welcome back!

Today I met with the only Japanese congregation in Edmonton! Technically, the congregation are just renters in this space. The actual building belongs to Zion Baptist Church. They have their service later in the day after the Baptists are done theirs, roughly around 2pm which is nice for a semi-nocturnal human like myself.

I soon found myself in the basement kitchen talking with the church leader, as I watched him work hard preparing a large pot of Japanese curry for his congregation. "They are few, but they eat a lot!" he mentioned to me as he stirred the pot.

This is definitely what I would describe a "small and close-knit" group. It was explained to me that they normally have their services upstairs in the main body of the church, but they have one Sunday a month where they have to go downstairs for the service. This allows them to get a little closer and have a much more intimate experience. The actual demographics of this Church were much younger then normal overall. There were roughly 25 people in attendance. The majority of them were between 20-40, with a few children, teens, and seniors.

For the service itself, we set up chairs in U-shaped formation centering around a tile-finished wall with a fireplace (unlit) in the middle. The church leader sat in the middle with his guitar and led the service. Along with sermon and songs, the leader also asked that members contribute by leading prayers for certain people/groups. This included: their board members, organization, missionaries abroad, the Canadian military, and the Canadian government.

One statement that really stood out to me was "Thank-god for the freedom in Canada to be able to gather publicly."  Honestly I had totally forgotten about this. As a kid I remembered hearing about places like China, where people have church services in fear of solders breaking down doors and people being arrested. I seriously forget how good we have it in this country sometimes. But always being thankful for our liberties in the land of the true north, strong and free is difficult. Especially if you haven't lived anywhere else.

If you want to know know more, you can follow the link to learn about the top 50 countries in this world where Christians are suffering from persecution.
Link- Open Door Top 50 Countries. 

After this it was children's time. The four little ones that were in attendance came up to the front of the room and sat in front of the church leader. Today started with a question: "What makes you happy?" and "What makes you sad?" Maybe they were all a bit shy or simply to young, but regardless there was silence in the room. "Is the question too difficult?" The leader said with a chuckle. He then went on to explain that there are things that make God happy and sad. He told the children that God is the most happy when you trust him, and that it makes God very sad when you do not trust him.

The scripture lesson today was from Mark 11:12. The Church leader asked for a volunteer to read. When no one stepped forward, he said "If you decide to read, you get extra curry!".

Mark 11:12-25 (NIV)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’^[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[d]”
¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[e] went out of the city.
²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

 
I am really appreciative that this piece of scripture was explained today. Mark 11:12 has what I feel to be the most strange and quite frankly, most awesome part of the gospel teachings of Christ. You can discern for yourself which one is which.

Going into the explanation, the church leader addressed a lot of the thoughts and feeling we all had around these verses. "I fell so bad for the fig tree! It was out of season!"  the church leader proclaimed! He also noted that Jesus was not himself that day. He was hungry and angry, and throwing over tables! "This is not the Jesus I know!"

Going into the explanation, the church leader explained that this was a message about faith, and the results of unfaithfulness. The tree looked good and healthy from a distance, full of bright thick leaves, but on closer inspection, it had no fruit. This tree represented the spiritual condition of the time. The temple was large and grand, filled with ornate decoration and strict ritual. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that the hearts of the people had no faith, and corruption ran rampant. "They were dead in spirit."

On a personal note, I also think there might be something said for Jesus's condition of being hungry and angry. Considering God was a part of Christ, I can imagine that it was God who was feeling hungry, because of the lack of faithful people, and also angry because of the evil that man was allowing to occur in his house.
 
For those of you that may not realize this, Jesus was an extremely political person. He also had a very strong distaste for financial corruption, specifically among the religious leaders. I suggest the book "The Politics of Jesus." by John Howard Yoder to help provide a fuller understanding of his teachings. 



Quotes of the day;

"Good deeds are not enough to reach heaven, we need Jesus". 
"Faith is about believing something impossible." 

I found it interesting that a lot of the members of the congregation were holding traditional hardback bibles. OK they were not that traditional.... they were smaller and more square then normal, some were written in Japanese and some even had plushy fabric covers on them! Maybe I should not be so quick to assume things, but I anticipated that everyone might be reading everything off their smartphones, because I have seen that to be the norm in other predominantly Asian churches.

Japan is the world center of odd things, at least to most western eyes. So as you can imagine there were a few interesting things I discovered while researching this. The major one which I thought to highlight was the fake churches and ministers of Japan. Japan has a population of roughly 126.5 million people but out of all that only about 1% are Christians. Yet interestingly enough three quarters of the weddings that are happening today in Japan are white, western-style christian weddings. That is a lot of non-Christians looking for a church and a pastor to marry them. So what do you do when the demand completely outweighs the supply? Build thousands of fake churches and fill them with fake pastors! 

Link-The Fake Christian Priests of Japan – A Booming Business

 
This is not to say that we don't have our share of fake Christian-ness in our own society. Crosses are worn by a lot of people for simply fashion statements. I know one guy I knew once and I asked him about the cross he was wearing after he took off his shirt to go swimming. He told me that he is not really Christian, but wears it to appease his strongly Catholic parents. That and bragging rights for wearing 24k Gold.

Rosaries are another big one. A lot of colorful small plastic rosaries are given out in the poor parts of this city, and it is not uncommon to see gang member's and repeat offending criminals wearing them around their necks. I am not entirely sure why. Maybe it just because they are given to them? Maybe it is gangster fashion? Or maybe they are trying to detract attention, and look more innocent before stealing *another* bottle of vodka. I literally remember a day in my store, when I saw one guy come in, who had collected all of the "free rosaries" in the 4 different colors they come in, and was wearing them all at the same time! He also had the neck tattoo's, baggy clothes and gang colors to match!

On a happier note, since it is the season for promoting local businesses (personally I always think it is the season for local business), let me introduce you to Ki-Fu-Ne Japan! 

 
This is a cute local shop that has a plethora of fun quality goods from Japan. It's address is 10046-167street NW Edmonton, and their phone number is 780-341-5424.

Over all, I really enjoyed this church, I felt very comfortable and welcome despite being being a minority in the room. This Church feels kind and genuine and I hope to visit again!

Have a good week everyone!

Church #18. First Presbyterian Church.

Hello and welcome to another chilly Alberta spring morning! The church service started at 11 am , as I was walking through the shockingly quiet and uninhabited, downtown core. It was much more humid then normal, with the snow half-melted, and a homeless man on almost every block asking for change. I highly suggest walking down Jasper ave at 10:45 am on Sundays, as you can hear all the church bells ring!

All the large churches were ringing together in there different tunes and distances. From the Basilica on one end , all the way to McDougall United at the other. I am guessing this is one of the oldest churches in the city, considering it says it is founded in 1881,  and Alberta did not become an official province in Canada until 1905.

This was the front entry.

After taking my seat the church leader came to the front along with the choir. Announcements were made, and there was a performance by the choir fallowing the lighting of the Christ candle. The population of this service was roughly 90 people, majority were caucasian and seniors among some visible minorities. There are definitely children at this church (roughly 15 is what I could count). But in contrast to the majority of the congregation, almost all of the children were African-Canadians.

And then....a hand bell performance? In April? I am not sure about you, but I am very surprised to see a performance outside of the Christmas season. But regardless, I always enjoy listening to hand-bells. For those of you that do not know what hand-bells are, here is an example.

Next was children's time, so as per usual, all the munchkins ran to the front of the church to sit on the front row. The question of the day was "Who do you want to be like when you grow up?"  There were plenty of interesting replies: some of the kids wanted to be pilots, some doctors, and even scientist. One young man declared "I want to be a YouTuber!"

Then the church leader asked them what kind of super powers they would like to have. And as you can imagine that received a variety of colourful answers. Then the church leader asked why no one said they wanted to be like Jesus? And they wanted their power to be the ability to love people? Then a young girl raised her hand  and explained that she knew that, that was the answer he was looking for, but she refrained from speaking up because she didn't want to spoil his speech.

This resulted in roaring laughter throughout the congregation.

After leading them through a simple prayer, the children were excused, and went downstairs for Sunday school and then we got our sermon of the day. Today we heard the conversion of Paul:

* Paul got a name change after his conversion. His original name was Saul. 

Acts 9:1-19 NIV.

"9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength."



In the process of creating the "100 Churches 100 Sundays" blog, it has become inevitable that I would be encountering the same sermon more than once. I have definitely heard the conversion of Paul before at other churches. (ps. Mckernan Baptist Church 100% nailed this one with the speaker they brought in! Good job!)

We also heard;

ESV — John 21:1-19
* this was the third time that Christ appeared to the disciples after his resurrection.

" After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

 
The church leader today addressed what I felt to be a really pertinent question; "Why is there evil and suffering in the world?" 

The church leader explained that a lot of it has to do with people. "We get what we want by hurting others." He went on to give a scenario of two siblings fighting over a toy and how one child finds out that hinting the other child on the head is an effective way to get what they want. And then he highlighted the cycle of abuse, pointing out that "sometimes when we get hurt, we want to hurt others back!" He also noted that sometimes people hurt others because they want power. But what I found most intriguing was the last comment, that "Some people hurt other because they think they are right!" 

This really stuck a cord with me in light of the recent Ted Talk I watched entitled. " The Doubt Essential to Faith".

This speaker highlights the importance of doubt, in keeping us in check and how it is key to preventing the raise and terror of fundamentalist religions.

The Church leader echoed this exact same message when he said;
"I cant say this loudly enough.....- Being Right is a CURSE! " 

"...Suicide bombers think they are doing the will of God! And so did Saul! " 

He also went on to say "For as much as your hurt anyone, you hurt Jesus". And that that the proper Christian response to being hurt is to forgive, because we are all guilty of such things. I found this church leader interesting in how he was very clear and real about his position stating that he doesn't believe that God is "puppet master in the sky" or a God or wrath and damnation, but a God of love and redemption.  Here are a few more quotes for the day!


" Love all people, not just some people!" 
"...may the worst conflicts between nations be on the soccer fields and basketball courts!" 

So after the service ended, I was just getting up to take pictures, and I ended up making eye contact with a woman in her 60s, appearing to be a stereotypical Church lady, wearing a gold chain with not a cross, but an ankh.

 

Now considering all, this kind of threw me back. Because I know people that wear ankhs, and they are very strong pagans, that quite frankly would never step foot in a church for fear of catching on fire. ( *but please note, that is only the ones I know.)  Not to say that is always the case, after some research I have discovered that this symbol actually is considered to be acceptable by some Coptic Christians, but overall it is a largely pagan symbol.

Link- New World Encyclopedia/Ankh

 Now as for the building, I do suggest you check this place out! Especially when you get into some of the side room, and back halls, you really get a feel of some of the "castle-like" old world architecture. The bathroom in the basement is definitely an interesting sight to behold. Picture time!

I know I have used this video clip before, but considering that this is the "First Presbyterian Church", I simply can't help myself. Yes I am doing this. 

Ps. I know that you may have noticed that I marked this Church as #18. I did this after conducting a careful re-count, and discovering that I made an unintended jump from #17 to #19.  technically this Church should be #61. Thank you for your understanding.

Have a good week everyone!

Church #61. St. Agnes Cathloic Parish.

Welcome to Easter Saturday Night!

Yes, it is 9:30 pm and Church is now starting!

As I have been venturing on my quest I have heard rumors of this "Easter Saturday night service" So I decided to check it out! But they weren't exactly easy to find.

After some research I discovered that the "Easter Vigil" is only celebrated by the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and certain types of Orthodox churches. And to top that all off, a lot of those churches don't often have a Easter Vigil service offered!

So after waiting on a few e-mails....I eventually ended up here.

I could see the crowd entering, I also noticed a large amount of men in suits. For a moment I was concerned that I might be under-dressed, but that was not the case in the end. I didn't get a full count, but I am sure there must have been around 200 people in attendance. I also noticed that people generally dressed in dark colours, vs the bright pastels common to the "Easter Sunday" service.  All ages, family groupings and ethnicities were present. Many people came in family groups, some as couples, some came as singles, and some even came as groups of friends! Ushers distributed candle sticks as well all sat in the dimly lit church, awaiting instruction. Eventually the priest came to the front and announced that we were all to proceed outside to the front lawn where they would be blessing the fire and lighting the candle.

As me and the crowd were slowly moving towards the front door, I noticed a short man in a suit standing in the corner, watching the crowd go by. For a moment there I thought I was having a "celebrity encounter". Because this guy looked almost exactly like Patrick Stewart.

 

Yes, THAT Patrick Stewart.

Beside this all being an interesting coincidence, I bring this man to your attention for an important reason. Sir. Patrick Stewart is not only a long time running British actor, this man is also an activist! I first came to realize this when I came across this quote;

“People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, Actor - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, Actor - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

"People won't listen to you or take you seriously unless you're an old white man, and since I'm an old white man I'm going to use that to help the people who need it!" 

Upon further reading I discovered that Sir Patrick Stewart, grew up with a mentally-scarred father (traumatized by WWII) , who repeatedly abused his mother throughout his childhood. This deeply effected Patrick, and drove him to take a stand to protect his mother at all costs.

In 2009 an article was published in The Guardian about his experiences in an article entitled The legacy of Domestic Violence . Since then he has become a strong partner for Amnesty International.
He is also joined a UK based group called Refuge specializing in the protection of women.

This man is a Starship Captain and a real-life freedom fighter??!!
All I have to say to this is:



And here's to you!  
 
Where were we again? The front lawn of the church! Right!

So in the middle of the lawn on a raised platform a small fire was already burning in one of those bowl shaped fire pits that you can buy at Canadian Tire. The congregation gathered around best they could (despite the serious lack of room). The priest and the clergy then went about blessing the fire, blessing a very large candle, lighting it and putting these little red stickers on it, which I did not get a close up view of until the end.

 

We then proceeded back inside the dark church and then sat in the church, (lit almost exclusively by that one candle) and waited. This waiting involved Church members coming up and reading different pieces of scripture. This alternated with performances from the worship band. I wasn't watching my clock too closely, but I am sure this lasted over an hour. I was thankful for my extra large mocha with a shot of espresso (which I sat and drunk shamelessly in the pews). I am sure I would have fallen asleep otherwise.

P.S. I don't necessarily advise this Church service to people with narcolepsy.

The readings that we heard were all over the board. There were readings from Genesis, the story of  Moses dividing the sea, and also the story of how God tested Abraham. The last one was the one that stood out to me. I have heard this piece of scripture spoken on before. This is what is being referred to:

ESV translation- Genesis 22:1-19

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy^a will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”;^b as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”^c

15And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his^d enemies, 18and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

 

I have heard other Church leaders comment on this scripture as being the most "gut-wrenching" part of the Bible to read. For the most part I would have to agree with them. One may  even suggest this is a very "un-God like" move, considering God is opposed to human sacrifices. Here is some further food for thought. 

Link- Why did God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

I find it kind of heartwarming that God literally stepped in and provided the ram for them to sacrifice. I can't be 100% sure what that looked like. But I am sure they were doing a better job then this guy:

People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, Actor - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, Actor - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

And then 11pm hit and everything changed. The lights went on in the church, bells started ringing, the draped the cross, the choir started singing, they pulled the purple sheet off the of virgin Mary statue and everything was ALIVE! A team of people even brought in large floral pieces made of Easter lilies and shoots of willow.

The priest gave an impressive sermon. I feel this man to be a very real, down to earth and forward kind of guy. After seeing how sleepy we were, he made the joke; "you can take a nap, but don't snore and disturb your neighbours."

In his sermon he stressed multiple times the profound importance of what happened when Christ rose from the grave. He made it quite clear that if Christ had not risen out of death "we would be wasting our time." And Christians would be a pitiful sight to behold.

Quote of the day: "No death! You do not win!" 

Apparently last week he gave a sermon detailing a full breakdown of the effects that the torture and crucifixion would have had on Jesus from a medically-understood perspective .

All I can say is...... this guy is good! 

“People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.” —Patrick Stewart, - See more at: http://vsotd.com/news/quote-week-rhetorical-usefulness-being-white#sthash.TTfijNhq.dpuf

But this night was not over.... not even close.

We still had baptisms to get through! Baptisms of two full grown men actually.
The "candidates for baptism" were asked to step forward and they had there families stand beside them for support. At some points their families laid hands on them to pray for them as they were blessed and took their vows. The actual baptism itself was done in a manner where which the person stood and leaned over a large glass bowl mounted on a wooden stand, and the priest scooped some of the water into a golden seashell and poured it over the crown of the persons head while making the symbol of the cross while doing it.

I truly think baptism is a beautiful thing! The room was filled with a feeling of joy and victory, as these two men became baptized (they later received white robes and another blessing form the priest).

It is just a shame how snot-nosed people can become about it! There are a lot of Christians out there that are very critical of other peoples baptisms. And personally it drives me nuts.... because in their eyes there is always something wrong.
If you are not baptized it is WRONG! If you were baptized as a baby it is WRONG, If you were baptized in a different church it is WRONG, if you were sprinkled instead of being fully dunked its WRONG!

I actually was having a conversation with a Church leader once and he asked if I was baptized, and I said yes. Then another lady standing near by cut in and demanded to know if I was "dunked" or not? I looked her in the eye and told her quite bluntly; "It doesn't matter!"

But thats my opinion anyhow....

But just when you think it is all over, there is more!..... (yes this was a damn-long night!)

The whole church renewed their baptisms, including me!... sort of.....(I actually had no idea that people could renew their baptisms!)

This process was not done by a matter of re-dunking per-say but a specific list of vows read out loud by the priest that the members of the church member's give "I do's" for as they progress. Here is a copy:

According to the paperwork I am baptized Catholic, back when I was a baby. So I guess I qualify?........

I am not gonna lie,  I value my baptism. But there are parts of the Catholic rhetoric that I can not, and will not be willing to conform to.

All things aside, it was a good service! Definitely a different experience!

  Then I noticed this...

WTF??? Why is Marry stepping on a Pike Fish???

.....Okay, so after researching this I discovered that it is supposed to be a snake......but it looks a whole lot like the a common like fish we have here in Alberta referred to as the Northern Pike Fish. And let me tell you, these thing are nasty!

Link-Why is the statue of Marry stepping on a snake?

 P.S. Yes..... I have a slight fishing hobby.

Happy Easter Everyone!