This is the last week for peace month. For this last week we are focusing on what it means to make peace with creation. There is a lot to consider when we think about the issue of creation or Earthcare (as some Quakers refer to it as). From the biblical, to the social and cultural, to the scientific, economic, spiritual and personal there is much to be said about the Earth, our reliance upon it, its impact on us and our impact on it, all of which are intertwined and held together by God.
For this week we will take a narrow scope and look at our own journey’s of taking care of the Earth (when did you first recognize a need to pay attention to creation) and what it means for us to be peacemakers with creation.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.” (Colossians 1:15–23 NRSV)
Query 19 (NWYM)
- As a Christian steward, do you treat the earth with respect and with a sense of God’s splendor in creation, guarding it against abuse by greed, misapplied technology, or your own carelessness?
Here are a few testimonies from other Quaker yearly meetings dealing with creation care.
This past Sunday we watched two short films on human trafficking, both of which are available to borrow from our meeting’s library (check the foyer). We also had a guest come and share with us about her personal experience of working with victims of human trafficking. If you’re interested in contacting her for more information please contact the office and we will put you in touch with Candice.
I mentioned that I would post information on our website with links to organizations doing work and places where you can find more details. So here is a rough list I’ve compiled.
Human Trafficking Defined
The TVPA defines “severe forms of trafficking” as:
- sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or
- the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. (Wikipedia)
A victim need not be physically transported from one location to another in order for the crime to fall within these definitions. (Trafficking Report)
27 million are estimated to be trafficked world-wide and an estimated 2 million women and children are held in sexual servitude throughout the world.
There between 50, 000 and 100, 000 in the US (depending on whose statistics you check). I have also heard that 1 and 3 runaways in the US are trafficked. Trafficking is especially a problem for immigrants who are vulnerable because of language and legal disadvantages. read more…
The Friend is the only Quaker magazine published weekly. For Christmas, they emailed the office looking for an example of how Evangelical Friends celebrate the holiday. Carolyn and Ron Myers wrote an article and it was published in the magazine.
Every Evangelical Friends Meeting we have attended considers Christmas a celebration of great importance since it celebrates the birth of Jesus and thus the arrival of the long-promised Saviour. Christmas for Evangelical Friends is a season for personally reminding ourselves that God’s love for each of us is fulfilled in the gift of the Messiah.
Here’s the link to the rest of the article.
In continuation of Peace Month we are excited to welcome two more guests from our Yearly Meeting this coming Sunday, Cherice and Joel Bock. Cherice will be speaking on her experience with Christian Peacemaker Teams and their work with the conflict between Palestine and Israel. She will also be reflecting on Jesus’ mission statement found in Luke 4:18-19 (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2):
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Query (which is a question Christian Peacemaker Teams use):
- “What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?”
If you are interested in learning more about the work of CPT you can visit their website: www.cpt.org
Friends peace month continues this week with a discussion on peace and community. We’re looking at Romans 12:14-17:
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.” (Romans 12:14-17)
I’m interested in hearing from you and your experiences on how you have been a part of communities that have brought you peace and how you have seen communities bring peace to others.
Queries:
- What strikes you about this passage?
- What’s your experience of community been? And how do (or don’t) you see this passage relating to community?
- What might it look like for us to live as an inspiring and contrast community?
Activities:
- Can you think of communities past or present that have lived out this passage in one way or another?
A number of us from the church are headed over to St. Luke’s tomorrow evening (Jan 19) to watch the film “The Power of Forgiveness.” It is “a powerful documentary offering stories with Elie Wiesel, Thich Nhat Hanh, and features on the Amish, Ground Zero of 9/11, Beirut , Belfast , and others.” The film is sponsored by the group Vancouver for Peace. If you’re interested in going with us we will be gathering at our meetinghouse at 6:20pm tomorrow evening and will carpool from there.
Here is more information:
For more info on the film go to www.thepowerofforgiveness.com
Download a flyer to post and share: full page | half page
Location: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 426 E. 4th Plain Blvd, Vancouver. (Parking off F Street)
Time: Doors open at 6:45 PM. Movie starts at 7:00. Discussion following.
Open to all. Admission free.
We’re continuing our month of peace by discussing peace as it pertains to our own family and friends. We’ll be discussing Romans 12:3-13 on Sunday.
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” (Romans 12:3-13)
Queries:
- When was a time when you received great hospitality?
- When was a time when you experienced great hostility?
- Where do you think God was in each instance?
Here are some things that are happening at Camas Friends Church:
- Manna and Mercy book discussion group every Monday evening. Contact Wess for information.
- Sunday, January 17–After church we will have our internet cafe again. The main topic will be Facebook.
- Cherise Bock will be giving the message on Sunday, January 31 on Christian Peacemaking Teams.
- Sunday, January 31–6:30-8:30 pm–Film Night. We will be showing the “Fields of Mudan” which is on the topic of human trafficking.
- Another film of interest is “The Power of Forgiveness” about the act of forgiveness can have powerful consequences. It will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 426 Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver on Tuesday, January 19 at 7:00 pm.
If you’re interested in more information, contact the church office at 834-2446.
Here is the download the handout we used last Sunday – Readings on various Quaker testimonies of peace. It is made up of a number of quotes from Jesus, to Quakers and includes a number of peace testimonies from differing Yearly Meetings (though many are not represented here, it is just a small sample).
Questions to be used with the handout:
- What according to this statement is peace? How might this connect to the author’s understanding of God? How does it relate to your understanding of God?
- What are connections you can draw to other things we’ve discussed or you have been learning about recently?
- Following this statement, how might you respond, in ways big or small, to Christ’s call to love God and others.
- What would you like to learn more about?
I hope those of you who were able to be with us this past Sunday found the discussion fruitful and engaging. There is much to be learned not only about our tradition and how it has practiced peacemaking over four hundred years in different countries, contexts, and through different periods of peace and unrest, but also about how we can follow the Prince of Peace in our own world and right here in the Northwest (I tend to think that we need both these, tradition and contemporary context, working in tandem in order to make sense of things in our world). Hopefully, we can all find areas we can grow in related to peacemaking.
Therefore, while we are continuing our theme of peace this week we are shifting gears ever so slightly and will be looking at peace with God and self. To guide us in this discussion, I’ve invited my good friend Jason Minnix from the Rivers Way Community in Beaverton. I think you’ll really enjoy Jason’s perspective (among many things he is a beekeeper, gardener, father, mirco-farmer (is that right?), spiritual director, pastor, massage therapist, and fellow podcaster with me and another minister on the “Composting Quakerism” podcast.
He’s been so kind as to send a passage of Scripture to us along with some queries for reflection. See you Sunday.
“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word throughout the region and brought all who were sick to him, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.” (Matthew 14:22-36)
Questions to live with this week . . .
1) When do I feel at peace with myself? (consider peace as a feeling of contentment and deep acceptance)
2) How has God been a source of peace for me in my journey?
3) Name some of the storms in your life now. Consider spending some time this week inviting Christ to give you a glimpse of his presence in these places of chaos and turmoil.
