HELLO!

In case you missed our 142^nd Anniversary service today, here is a recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p4gtJnL2E

On Monday, October 26^th at 11 am we celebrate the life of David Halozan https://tjtracey.com/tribute/details/4321 David’s family chose to have his funeral at Woodlawn United in light of his mother Margaret’s long association with our church. https://tjtracey.com/tribute/details/3094

I enjoy some of the lighter moments of life. I am grateful for the “Squirrel Sister” (her code name, she does not wish to be identified) who gifted me the squirrel costume I wore last year at our various Halloween gatherings. Some think this “silly side” of me is unbecoming of the serious work of an ordained minister. They would be wrong. I have met persons who deflect all serious matters with comedy and humour. That is problematic behaviour as life is constantly about challenges. How could it be otherwise? All of us, all those we love, will one day die. Our mortality is a given, yet one we rarely engage. I am not afraid of serious conversations, hard truths, and I speak about them every Sunday, in my pastoral visits, in the columns I write, in these blogs I send out. 

And yet…There has to be an outlet for our need to laugh, at ourselves, at our predicament, at what is coming for all of us. Laughter, when it is not a deflection or avoidance, is healthy, necessary and at times, a healing agent. I use humour during funerals, though with care and only after a steady dose of reality and tenderness. When clergy laugh, especially at themselves, at church culture, it humanizes us. Everyone knows clergy and churches make mistakes, we mess up. When we acknowledge this, we send a signal that we get it, it is a form of repentance. Part of our problem, as clergy and churches, is we assume we “know”, we have all the answers, we speak for God, we tell others what to think, believe.

I do offer prophetic words, I believe love is not just a feeling but a way of life, love comes alive when it is offered with a genuine hunger for relationship. My definition of good preaching is “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” (which is usually me). When I was in Model Parliament as a teen one of the most memorable lines I heard came from an old friend, Michael. He would get to his feet and exclaim, “I fully support this legislation, it is the only way to protect society from the likes of me!”. Laughter filled the House of Assembly. We understood what he was saying, human nature can lead to problematic outcomes. But instead of pointing fingers, Michael used himself as the foil. It worked.

Today Jerry took this photo of Gordon and Adelia’s footwear in the choir. His words? “Gordon has finally found his sole-mate!” Peace, Kevin