May 28, 2006
Gretta cites the model of Ghandi who was transformed by the experience of being thrown off a train in South Africa. In a lonely night in Pietermaritzburg, he found himself in a place between the way things are and the way things ought to be, and in that night, he found the courage to bring about change. How do we find such courage? One source of courage lies in the faith community. Today’s readings are from the Essential Jesus, trans. by John Dominic Crossan, and The Essential Ghandi, ed. by Louis Fisher.
29.6 Mb; 24:37 min.
May 21, 2006
Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Intertextuality, oh my! At its simplest, this morning’s reflection is about possibilities. These complex theories imply that one individual has the power to initiate huge change, and further, that each of us enjoys extraordinary interconnectedness. Impact and interconnectedness impose upon us a great responsibility in the exercise of our choices, in terms of both what we receive into ourselves, and also what we put back into the world.
26.2 Mb; 22:51 min.
May 14, 2006
On Mother’s day, Gretta Vosper considers the image of motherhood. Although there is a long tradition of honouring mothers, our religious institutions, historically, have preferred the honour of fathers. This tendency has been pasted over earlier matriarchal (or egalitarian) social organizations. We need to recover one important element of motherhood — compassion — which is often absent from today’s paternalistic institutions and the patterns of domination which these can impose.
The meditation refers to Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation and Riane Eisler’s The Chalic and The Blade.
23.4 Mb; 25:00 min.
May 07, 2006
Traditions and Transitions — transitions upset our familiar traditions and such passages are cause for grieving. Everyone lives in transition in one form or another. As a progressive community of faith, Westhill United Church is engaged in transitions around the matter of believing. After reflecting upon life transitions generally, Janice Meighan considers one tradition (the Lord’s prayer) and how it is the focus of a transition in her own believing. Texts which support this morning’s meditation: Matt. 6:7—15 (The Disciple’s Prayer); and an excerpt from the Gospel of Thomas.
35.6 Mb; 37:13 min.