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Visions and Dreams


I am delighted to be back this weekafter a restful time away. I trust youhave been enjoying our summertheme, Visions and Dreams. We are piggybacking on the General Council theme this year, as we continue to acknowledge the100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada.

This is a great opportunity to remember our history as a denomination and to consider our present time. Where do we find the sacred in such a time as this? What are our dreams for what is yet to be? I look forward to being present (on the Local Arrangements Committee) in Calgary during the first week of August to hear the deliberations of the commissioners from across Canada.

This is a challenging and exciting time to consider the visions and dreams of our beloved United Church. I have always appreciated the resilience and adaptability of our denomination. We have somehow managed to find the courage to morph into what is needed for changing times . . . most of the time. No doubt the Holy Spirit was, is, and will always be, part of the equation.

This week our scriptures are inviting us to consider how we nurture our relationship with the sacred through prayer. The spiritual practice of prayer can be experienced in so many ways. Sometimes it involves words, but sometimes it is the absence of words that draw us closer to the essence of who we are, what we dream, and how we tend our relationships with one another. Perhaps prayer can be described as a way of filling the void between Holy Mystery and the messiness of everyday life. When we have the courage to be in that space, we dare to see the sacredness of all things, and we dare to dream a better world into being.

Sweet dreams!

Peace and joy,
Nancy