Dear Friends,

Welcome to worship for Sunday, September 18, 2022. I must admit that I was slightly taken by surprise earlier this year when I heard that Central United Church in Brandon had been disbanded and was being sold. I was never part of that particular community but I have long been aware of it. Central-Brandon was a long established congregation in the downtown of Manitoba’s second largest city. They had a beautiful old church that was destroyed by fire in the 1980’s but they chose to rebuild in the same location constructing a modern building that almost took up close to a city block. I have known members of Central over the years and I am sure this has been a most difficult process for them.

As we emerge from the pandemic it is almost certain that the decline of churches that had begun before this crisis will accelerate. I am sure that will be true in every tradition and in every community. It will be attributed to an aging population, the decreasing lack of interest in organized religion in younger generations, and changes in the patterns of behavior brought about by the great disruption from which we are now emerging. And while I lament for congregations like Central Brandon, I believe in all my heart that this is part of a cycle and not the end of the road. I have said and written in many places before that one of the most important elements of Christianity is incarnation. Biblically that is a reference to Jesus as the Word made flesh. Theologically it means the church is the Body of Christ. Practically and pastorally it means that there is inherent value in being in the same place at the same time. Whether that is for singing and praying or embracing and eating, it seems to me that the virtual life will never be able to re-create the experience of being there in person. Of seeing the expression, of hearing the voice, of holding the hand. There is something fundamental to human existence about being in one another’s company that the church has historically offered and will continue to do so.

You might say, can’t I experience same place/same time in other, non-religious ways? And I will say yes you can. Many. But I do not hold that incarnation is the only reason why we must continue to gather together. Neither I do not think church is the only place one can learn about right and wrong (the church has no monopoly on ethics). Nor do I think that church is a place where there are ‘better’ people (though I think I am a better ‘me’ for the effort). I do not even think that the church is the best place to address the great social ills of our times. In fact, issues may be better addressed somewhere else. But here is why I think there will always be a future for the church no matter what shape congregations and denominations take. There is mystery in life. We all experience it though often we have not the language to describe it. It comes to us in joy and sorrow, in hope and disappointment, in struggle and triumph. This mystery in the heart of existence finds resolution in the witness of scripture and the ministry of the church. And once revealed, that mystery finds expression as the love of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, and present in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. Come to church.

Explore meaning, Experience community. Delve into the depths of being.

Grace and peace,

Michael