Welcome to this next instalment of a quirky remote service/connection!

I invite you to take a few deep breathe, notice your surrounding, and your internal state.

With a few deep breathe, arrive to yourself, and this mysterious shared time together.

Opening Prayer:

Mystery of Sky and Mountains and Water and everything in between, thank you that we get to gather in creative ways, and we are still connected.  And I ask that these stories and words I have to share would connect us further to ourselves and to each other and to the Spirit of Love and Light and Christ.

Sorry for this week: MELCHIZEDEK

Mentioned three times in the Bible, in: Genesis, Psalms, Hebrews.

The first time is in the middle of the ongoing story of Abram (beginning of tribe of Israel)

Genesis 14: 18-20

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.  He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, 

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.  

–note how this is a strange little interlude in the middle of the continuing story.  Why didn’t this get edited out? It must be important

-bread and wine…what do you think of? ….this is what became the classic symbol of Christian communion…fascinating because this is way before Jesus.

-the simplistic reading of the Old Testament can be narrowed to be that only the Israelites were “chosen” and blessed, but note that Melchizedek is not a child of Abram….Abram hasn’t even had kids yet…there is not tribe of Israel, and yet there is this king who is already a priest of God Most High

-there is no one people group who has a monopoly on having a direct connection to the Divine

-a tenth of everything is like a thythe (an offering to God)

Check out Psalm 110

Check out and read along through Hebrews 7

Especially note verse 18

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

-I feel really encouraged by this section because it reminds me that within our Christian history, the question “who’s in”, who has a connection to God, keeps coming up.  And along side it, if we look carefully, there is this thread of something new coming.  That’s the whole Jesus story…. he keeps saying, You’ve heard it said, but now I say…

-I believe that this keeps going, that the Spirit of Love and Creation is still at work, and that this Christ consciousness is still at work saying You’ve heard it said, but now I say…

As in, there is still The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

–We are part of this ever growing and expanding and deepening understanding of what it means to draw near to God

-Melchizedek is also a reminder that unexpected people come into our lives who have an unexpected connection to the Divine.  Sometimes they are not wearing the right garment or have the right degree.

-Last summer my “God-send” who showed up unexpectedly for me was an avid mountain bike (not who I would normally label as having a special connection to God) and gave me a much needed anchor of peace and reminder of love

-if we limit ourselves to the Divine showing up only from the tribe we expect it to come from, we would miss out on a lot of blessing.

-lining into the Pro-Vision group: as we imagine the new and additional ways that DIU can offer spiritual services to the Denman Community, and to those who are not of a Christian background, we can remember that there is a long history of people outside of the “designated tribe” having a connection to the divine.  We may even find ourselves receiving blessing from those “outside”.

– this feels healing because the way the church has been in the world has been so damaging to other people, and opportunity to be in connection with people (or groups) who have previously been hurt by the church is humbling and beautiful.

-also, we are encountering questions around old structures needing to be re-examined.  This is happening in many churches, looking at the structures we’ve been operating within and questioning whether it’s cramping what the Spirit is up to

-thankfully “God is not limited by the structures we’ve built.

Matthew 9: 16-17

No one sew a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.  Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins, if they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

-in some ways as a Church we are coming up against this new thing that want to be birthed so we can bring Divine Love to our communities, and we’re feeling some of this “Ah, does it fit in the old wineskin!?” Not wanting to ruin a new thing with too much old patterning, but also wanting to honour what’s come before us.

-like even the Melchizedek story, thousands of years later keeps getting richer and takes on more meaning

-Do you have things in your life like that, that are kind of strange but memorable and then over time they take on more meaning and significance?

-remember that I don’t mean to give a definite “end of discussion” with all this, I mean to just fuel the fire of discussion

Poem by David Whyte

 It doesn’t interest me if there is one God

or many gods.

I want to know if you belong or feel

abandoned. 

If you know despair or can see it in others.

I want to know

If you are prepared to live in the world

with its harsh need

to change you.  If you can look back 

with firm eyes

saying this is where I stand.  I want to know

If you know

how to melt into that fierce heat of living

falling toward

The centre of your longing.  I want to know

if you are willing

to live, day by day, with the consequence of love

and the bitter 

unwanted passion of your sure defeat.

I have heard, in that  fierce embrace, even

the gods speak of God.

Benediction

O Holy Spirit of Mystery, thank you for these stories of Melchizedek.  As we interact with people in this coming week and month and even years, may we remember that everyone might be someone who has a special connection to You.  May we bless others, may we be open to blessings from unexpected places.

May we know when to give up the law and regulations, when to use a new wine skin, and may we appreciate the wine that gets older and better with time.

Thank you for your grace in unexpected places, and always.

Amen.