Editorial

by Janice Seto
Spring 2009

This is the first issue of Aspire since the economy profoundly changed. It is tough for everyone when finances we counted on to be safe and reliable – mutual funds, real estate, and blue-chip equity – fall in value. Most of us did everything right. We followed the conventional wisdom of financial leaders to put money into RRSPs and diversify. The road ahead is not what we had planned for. For the majority of us, it is exactly what we planned against.

We now grieve the loss of this secure vision of the future regarding career, job, family size, retirement. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross outlined the stages of grief. We have to muster up a bit more understanding for others who express their feelings through denial, anger, bargaining, depression. We have to be compassionate towards ourselves as we fitfully but collectively move towards acceptance of this new reality.

Yet, as a body of God, as the parish of St John the Divine, we still have costs associated with operations, maintenance, and property. Every church I have ever participated in mentions the roof. How can we creatively address these needs, do outreach, grow spiritually, and still put food on the table?

I know all is possible with God. For now, most of us are still rearranging our priorities with regards to our budget. Adios to cable, landline, wireless Internet at home, the conveniences we have gotten used to. Replacements include a Blackberry with unlimited browsing, better organizing of tasks to check the Internet at the library, and reconnecting personally the wisdom of the Bible. The new frugality extends to buying local, cooking, not using the dryer, biking. As for travel to see family, that is a hard decision to cut down on when we have aging parents, friends, young ones growing up.

So how are we to give, if we have so much less to give? And when we have already given up so much? As always, the most precious giving comes from the heart . As the hymn goes, “Count your blessings, count them one by one.” before the day begins so you can be filled with some optimism and a generous spirit. You then walk into the world, replenished, ready to live by example, prepared to lead by example.

In the May 4, 2009 edition of USA Today, I came across “Seniors at home in Co-Housing.” People living together for the common purpose of avoiding "the three plagues of aging: isolation, boredom, and helplessness”, according to resident Arthur Okner. Isn’t that what a good home is: not the physical environment under the roof but the psychological milieu of supportive and caring people. That is what makes a place thrive: like-minded people who are living life to the fullest. That why we gather together at St John the Divine, and choose this as our spiritual home.

A new contributor, Bill Huzar, heeded a suggestion from a friend, that if you want good music and liturgy, head to St John the Divine. The intrepid couple (Bill and his wife) did exactly that, and after the service, was told by greeter, Diane Clements, to join everyone for refreshments, and as Bill puts it, “ and so the saga began.”

Now that is a good homecoming story. How in just going about our business and striving to live to our fullest potential, we each serve as leaders of St John the Divine.

The world needs more leaders like us in our families, our neighbourhoods, our church . With everyone affected by the current economic climate, I view limousine-swaggering politicians with their entourage as out of step with the times and out of touch with the people. Whom do they think they are inspiring? What kind of fruit does that type of behavior bear?

We at St John’s instead derive our inspiration through the example of the Lord.

The Lord talked about how to live and lead. In the Beatitudes, he spoke to the attitudes and character traits that inform our behaviours while preparing to take our turn as leaders and as participants in the world. So simple a message, but then He was a straightforward type of guy: treat people with dignity;. be humble, and connect with lonely people as He did.

His entourage was his disciples and the five thousand or the ten thousand. He did not mistreat his followers and dependents. He fed them, and He walked with them. Then the Lord washed their feet.

The efforts of each of us in the St John the Divine community to make our home welcoming ultimately abide by the Lord’s message to Peter, “Feed my lambs.” Unlike some politicians who seem to be feeding their egos, we parishioners are nourishing our selves, our church and other people. We keep up with the advances in communications technology in order to widen our outreach and inner spirit www.stjohnthedivine.bc.ca . The recent site updates enable long-distance members like myself to listen to the sermons on podcast http://stjohnthedivine.podomatic.com/ the day after and add to the virtual collection plate (and the roof repair) via online contributions http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=d13102 .

What unites us is a belief that here, in this space, we each can bear the fruit of minute-by-minute action worship of the Ultimate Leader . Although physically, we at St John the Divine meet under a roof, spiritually, St John the Divine itself is an expanding tent that we all support as a space to gather and grow, to feed and be fed, and to worship with integrity geographically, virtually, and spiritually. Truly we have come to a meeting of the minds that “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.”

Shalom