Photo From Orientation

Last week I attended Internship Orientation in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland. It was a wonderful experience, and I thought I would share this photo from that event. From left to right, we have the Conference Personnel Minister, Rev. Faith March-MacCuish, myself, and three members of my Lay Supervision Team, Judy Spracklin, Donna Hollett, and Keith Mercer. Not pictured are my supervisor, Rev. Wayne Cole, and the fourth member of my team, Roy Warren, who were unable to make it to the event.

There is one other Intern Minister in Newfoundland & Labrador Conference right now, and she was also present, with her supervisor and one member of her lay team (her supervisor took the photo; that is her finger in the top corner.) The other Intern's name is Wendy, and she is from Ontario, studying in Montreal, and doing her Internship in St. John's.

We had a lovely two days together. I drove down to Grand Falls with my team and we got to know each other in the car. The orientation was held at a former convent, that is now a retreat center operated by the sisters. Apparently, NL Conference does most of its orientations and retreats there, because of its central location on the TCH between Port-aux-Basques and St. John's. The accommodations were wonderful and the sisters were very friendly and supportive. Plus, there was a laundry chute that kept Judy very amused.

I think often of all the folks in my first four homes of Fort Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Richmond who I have left behind for this fifth home, and I enjoy hearing from everyone via e-mail, IM, and phone.

Love and blessings,
Murray

Sermon from September 10, 2006

Wow! It's been a month and a half and so much has happened. It's taken some time to process everything, and now that I've gained some perspective I should be able to start telling stories again for you folk... but we'll start with something I've already written.

July 30 was my last Sunday at Gilmore Park United Church, and on September 10 I started at First United Church in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, almost 7000 km away! (Well, I don't kn0w how far it is as the crow flies; that's the distance as the Dodge Caravan drives, though!)

Here is the manuscript of the sermon I delivered last Sunday at First United, on what we called "Rally Day" - the first day back from summer and the start of the church programs for the year.

Once again, I am making this caveat: the manuscript is not the sermon. It is the visual cue that gives the sermon its structure and flow; the sermon is what is spoken and heard, not what is written. I invite your comments and feedback!

September 10, 2006
Sermon
Murray Speer

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.

So here we are. Here I am. Reverend Cole suggested that I should take this opportunity to tell you something about myself, here on Rally Day and on my first Sunday morning in leadership here. So here I am.

I’m not really accustomed to talking about myself. I usually think that folks will learn about me what they need to know, and I am more than willing to share personal details when the situation calls for it, or when someone asks… but to stand up and intentionally talk about myself is not something I’m used to doing. For one thing, when I’m preaching the gospel, it’s really not about me. I am called by God and given certain gifts to do this task… but it’s not about me.

So preparing to talk about myself has been more difficult than I imagined it would be when I agreed to it. On the one hand, mine is just the same old story, of a young man traveling from Alberta to Newfoundland… for work. I grew up near Edmonton, Alberta where my family grows canola, wheat, and peas. Edmonton is the northernmost metropolis in the western hemisphere, and when you live there, you know it. The winter lasts six months, and the schools don’t close until the temperature reaches -50. But in the summer, at midnight on midsummer day, the horizon due north glows with the light of a sun which you almost believe is hiding just out of sight, waiting to burst forth only a few hours later.

I worked on the farm when I was a teenager, but I was never really a farmer. After high school I moved into Edmonton to attend University. I worked in various jobs during my degree… I worked at a living history site called Fort Edmonton Park, where I wore period costume and operating the penny arcade, shooting gallery, and miniature golf course. In the summer of 2001, when the UK and Europe suffered major outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease in their livestock, I worked for the federal government at the Edmonton Airport in Plant and Animal Health, interviewing arriving travelers and protecting Canada’s plants and animals. I was a blackjack dealer at a local casino, and I did telephone interviews for a market research company. But with all of these jobs, I knew that I was biding my time, getting ready for what I was supposed to be doing, which was this. Preaching, leading worship, and caring for people.

In the meantime, I was involved at my local church, First United in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. My mother had been a member there when she was young, and I started attending there when I was 19, eventually becoming both the Chair of the Congregation and the Chair of the Church Council, and being confirmed as a member when I was 21. I did my discernment for ministry there, and I am a candidate for ordination in Yellowhead Presbytery in Alberta.

Two years ago, I left Edmonton and started my Master of Divinity degree at the Vancouver School of Theology. VST is a multi-denominational school, with three different sponsoring churches and several others who recognize its programs, so I have studied alongside students from the United, Anglican, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Unitarian, Reformed, and Baptist streams. It also has the only Divinity program in North America that is specifically tailored for First Nations students and communities.

I did my first and second-year field placement work at a congregation called Gilmore Park United in Richmond, British Columbia. Gilmore Park is one of many churches in BC and Alberta (and across the country) that are working very hard to answer the questions of what it means to be church in today’s world, and what that will look like. As a group, they have experienced the ending of an old paradigm and committed themselves to faithfully embodying Christian principles in whatever new paradigm is emerging. It was a very special experience for me to work with them in this endeavour, and I hope the things I saw and did there have something to offer to us here at First United.

So these are the places I have been, and now I have driven across the country and arrived here. At each step along the way, I have tried to trust the call of God, show up where I am needed, and do my best with what I had, and I am committed to continuing to show up and do my best with all of you folk. I know that I will make mistakes, and I know that there will be many of you who are also trusting the call of God, showing up where you are needed, and doing your best with what you have. Together, maybe we can get some things done.

This morning, I was up putting the finishing touches on my words for you all, and on CBC radio they played an old Beatles song… “Love is all you need.” Do you know that one? It’s a favourite of mine… there are some words in that song that always give me the shivers. Have you ever paid attention to the words in that song?

“There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done… Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung… Nothing you can make that can’t be made… No one you can saved that can’t be saved…”

“Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time. It’s easy.”

Well, learning how to be me has not been easy. I’m not asking for sympathy or pity or even attention… after all, when I’m up here in front of you, it’s not about me. But so often, life has seemed so difficult. And IS, so difficult. But here we have John telling us… sorry, not the gospel of John; John Lennon… telling us that it’s easy. Has it really been easy for any of us?

Well, I can tell you this. It’s a lot easier when you do it in a community of faithful and caring people. And I don’t think John means that it’s “easy” in the sense that it doesn’t take work, because it does. And I don’t think he means “easy” in the sense that it doesn’t hurt, because it does.

I think he means it’s a simple process. Hard, yes. Painful, yes. But simple. Because every time he says, “it’s easy” he follows it with all the instructions you need: all you need is love.

And Jesus said, the greatest commandment is “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: love your neighbour as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”

Love. It’s difficult. It’s painful. It was difficult and painful for Christ; why should it not be for us? But it’s simple. It’s easy.

And it calls us to show up, trust the call of God, and do the best we can with what we have.

Here we are. Here I am.

“There’s nothing you can know that can’t be known… Nothing you can see that isn’t shown… There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.”

It’s easy. All you need is love.