Rev. Dr. Caz Ducros CLW – Year C – Epiphany 7 Feb 23, 2025
Gen 45:3-11; Ps 37:1-12, 41-42; 1 Cor 15:35-38; Luke 6:27-38
In this morning’s Collect we prayed:
Almighty God, your Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving love.
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
It’s through the saving love of God’s heavenly grace that we are renewed… Today’s reading
from Genesis shows how Joseph manifests the true notion of pure compassion, mercy and
forgiveness. We find Joseph, now in a position of power. He has become the dream analyst to the
Pharoah, whose dreams led the Pharoah to prepare for the famine that was upon them, ensuring that
the people would be well looked after. Now, Joseph’s brothers have come for help. The very brothers
who had sold him as a youth to slavery in Egypt… who had let their jealousy get the better of them,
who resented their father’s love for him, who saw red… sold him to what they thought would be his
demise. When Joseph sees his brothers, instead of taking revenge on them, as would be customary in
their culture, and certainly normative and understandable in ours, Joseph receives them with open
arms, with love and genuine concern. When he sees them, he weeps so loudly that he is heard outside
the walls. Then, he asks about his beloved father, and tries to reassure them, saying, “…and now, do
not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to
preserve life… to keep you alive!”
Then Joseph promises to look after them, their children, their children’s children, and their
flocks… so that they do not fall into poverty. He is there to bring in a new creation – one based on
life and abundance, not one that sees through the eyes of drought and famine… but one that loves his
enemies, does good to those who hated him, prayed for those who had mistreated him. He truly does
unto others as he would have them do onto him.
Today, we will meet for our Annual Vestry meeting. A Vestry Meeting is called that because
it originally it was a meeting of parishioners that took place in the vestry (the room used for getting
into liturgical vestments), for the conduct of parochial / church related matters. So, whenever you lose
hope in the future of the church, have a look behind me at our vestry…. and consider how many of us
would be able to fit in there. Many years ago, while I was on a seminary retreat, Bishop Peers said
that when he looked out at all the seminarians there present, it gave him hope for the future of the
church, or in his words, “There is life in the Old Gal yet!”. I feel the exact same way when I look out
at you all in front of me now. I have probably myself said, and I have certainly heard others define
the Annual Vestry meeting as an Annual General Meeting. While some of the topics are the same,
like the election of officers, going over past budgets and budget forecasts, approving minutes… there
is a distinct difference which goes back to the definition of a Vestry, as a meeting of parishioners, on
parochial matters. If we adopt the wonderful definition of The Church from Vatican II, namely that
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the Church is the people of God, who are a pilgrim people on a journey to God’s renewal of creation.
This puts a whole new lens through which to consider the important matters of Vestry today!
We are the Church of Christ in our parish, in our community, in our deanery, in our society
and in the world. So, when we discuss today’s agenda, we are discussing fundamental questions
about our discipleship; How should we spend our time? How should we spend our money? How do
we relate to others in our community…parish…village/ town… province, country, world? Or like
Joseph did for the Pharoah, how do we ensure we have the resources to care for those within our walls
and within our communities, whether we consider them friends or not, whether they are Christian or
not, whether they agree with our politics or not… How do we give, without expecting anything in
return?
Our mission is lived out in our local context, through our roles as members of this
congregation and the many other roles we play in our lives. This is where we can begin to dream of a
new creation. We have so many wonderful ministries that have been described in the Vestry Report.
There is so much enthusiasm, generosity and comradery in this community. Let’s never lose this…
and let us also consider the broader context of our ministry and how we can carry on our ministry,
without exhausting ourselves. Are there opportunities for collaboration, are there new ways that God
is calling our community to proclaim the good news in our time and place – both in our actions and in
our words? Are we listening to the needs of those outside our walls? How will we respond to what we
hear, as we pray and listen? Much of what we do is contextual mission, but I would like us to
participate in a more concerted process to determine how God is calling. Contextual Mission is
“mission” because we are participating in Jesus’ mission, it is “contextual” because the way we
respond must be shaped by the realities of our community and our time. Thinking of our parish
ministries in the context of Contextual Mission, reminds us that our ministries are not for ourselves,
but are for the broader world around us. We are called to share God’s love in the world. This coming
year we will be undertaking a process of prayerful discernment to help shape the future of our
ministry. https://ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/for-parishes/contextual-mission/. This process begins
with prayer and is followed by listening to those within our broader community. I look forward to
working with the leadership team, and with you all, as we go through these fundamental steps of
discernment.
Ministry, made up of liturgy, music, pastoral care, and spiritual growth is at the core of our
faith and journey together. Ministry is our conduit to God through prayer, praise and experience. I
recognize that this Parish has experienced a lot of change over the past 5 years, with two incumbents
before me and lock-down within that time that was extremely disruptive. I want you all to know that I
am extremely grateful to be here and have been blessed beyond measure with getting to know you,
worshipping with you and defining our future together. With your help, these past 9 months, I have
piloted a few ideas: the introduction of a healing service with anointing, a Blue Christmas service for
those for whom the season can be difficult. I intend to carry on those services which have received
good feedback. I look forward to having additional healing services, at least during Lent and Advent. I
have also made a concerted effort at reaching out to all those who want and are not able to make it to
church, placing a firm priority on pastoral visits, and I am grateful to all those who continue to pray
for one another and visit one another.
Together with your help parishioners, we also piloted a new format of meditation, a Faith
Based Book Club, an Advent Bible Study… and we did these programs together as a parish, rather
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than in our individual congregations. I have found this very helpful, in terms of renewing our ties with
one another, learning, and becoming spiritually enriched by one another. This coming year, it is my
hope to continue to offer these programs that will be open to the whole parish, and to extend them to
the broader community.
We are a pilgrim people on a journey to God’s renewal of creation, in the context of a society
that is in post-Christendom. Over the period of 2020-2023, people from across the diocese were
consulted on how to remain relevant in our world. The exercise was called the Shape of Parish
Ministry. It included a lot of listening; listening to the challenges that each congregation faces;
volunteer fatigue, property and administrative responsibilities, financial pressures, aging
congregations and evangelism. The outcome was proposals designed to strengthen and nurture parish
ministry, and to find a better way to engage with the world—in rural areas, villages, towns, and cities.
We said we are ready to step away from being changed to guiding change, so we can share the Gospel
of Christ’s love and healing power from a place of strength and hope. We said we want to consolidate
our overall parish ministry structure and the operations that support it, to have well-resourced
churches. We said we want lay leaders across our diocese to be well-supported and well-equipped to
share in robust parish ministries. We said we want to learn how to share the love of God in an age
where many are very wary of religion.
So, as not to over-extend ourselves, but to focus on balance, and when we need it, sabbath, it is
my hope that we will draw upon the resources that have come out of this initiative that at our disposal.
I invite us to look at the Triennial Strategy and Strategic Priorities of our diocese, to help us guide
change, and to thrive, which includes parish resources and a Learning Commons.
https://ottawa.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Full-Page-Triennial-Strategic-Priorities_2024
04-04_Version-2.pdf https://ottawa.anglican.ca/?s=Learning+Commons
With this commitment to be guiders of change, if change is needed, on December 14, 2024,
the Wardens, Synod Reps and Incumbents from the churches of the Deanery of West Quebec, were
invited into consultation to ensure that the priestly services and ministries of our people is provided
for in a sustainable and attractive manner. This consultation was the result of models that have
emerged across our diocese, where churches have begun or increased their collaborative efforts and
have thrived by working with one another in creative ways. This year we will be invited into more
consultations about how we can better collaborate with the churches in our deanery and focus on
thriving, not just surviving. It’s our hope to continue our good work, and maintain the unique gifts
and natures of our congregations, whilst also dreaming of a future that is life giving, that sees hope
and not drought and famine … one that, like Joseph modelled, and Jesus commanded, loves its
enemies, does good to those who hate it, prays for those who mistreat it; is merciful, does not judge
but strives for justice, does unto others as it would have them do onto us. For the measure we give,
will be the measure, through God’s grace, we will be given back! That, is indeed, the wonder of God’s
saving love. Amen.
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