October 19, 2020
TO: Friends of Melrose
FROM: Rev. Sonia Ireson
Greetings in the name of the One who loves us and holds us dear
On June 28th 2019, I was beginning a wonderful summer on PEI and in a comfortable condo in Charlottetown. I had had my second interview with your Search Committee, and knew before I left Hamilton that they were putting my name forward to the congregation, but this was not going to happen until late in July.
With a little confidence and great “hope” I sat down on that day and wrote what I thought would be my opening sermon to you for the first Sunday in October. I did not present it, deciding instead to follow the lectionary. As I was searching my Ipad, I came across it early one morning this past week, and decided one year later was the time to pass on to you the words that I wrote some 15 months ago.
As you know, I love a good story, so it should be no surprise that inspirational Movies have always been a strong influence and motivation for me. “The text I have chosen to base my message on today” is Isaiah 40 verse 31. It first came to my attention from the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire. Over the years it grew to be one of my favourites.
Some of you will remember the story of Chariots of Fire, featuring a Scottish son of missionary parents, Eric Liddel, and an English Jew, named Harold Abrahams. They were England’s fastest runners competing for their country in the 1924 Olympics in France.
Each of the two young men had hurdles to overcome before their triumphant wins. Abrahams faced persecution and discrimination as a Jew. Liddell had to reconcile his strong Christian beliefs with the secular world of racing. His race was scheduled for a Sunday, which would go against The Lord’s Day of rest, and he refused to run even in the wake of the Prince of Wales pressuring him to run. A solution is found when a teammate offers him a different race on a different day.
While in Paris, Liddel preaches a sermon in the Church of Scotland based on the scripture from Isaiah. “Those that hope in the Lord, they shall mount up on wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint…. I have no recollection of the words of his sermon, I just know that they made an impact on me at the time, long before there was any expectation on my part that I would be entering ministry.
Hope is what sets us apart as Christians, we believe the promises of God, we live in the footsteps of Jesus Christ who gives us reason to hope in the reality of the Kingdom of God.
Wishing and hoping, the words of a familiar song, used together but with entirely different meaning. When you wish for something, you have a strong desire for something that is not easily attainable, but when you hope, you look forward with a strong desire and confidence of actually attaining it.
Had I only wished to one day be your Minister, I would have dreamt of it from afar, but when I hoped that it might happen, I took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself with your declared vacancy and I actually did something about it with the confidence that it could happen.
God’s timing has always navigated new and wonderful experiences for me and I have learned to rely on the hope of God’s promises in my life.
God’s story about the movement of relationship of God’s beloved creatures is told in narrative through the movement of Adam and Eve from the safety and limitations of the Garden, the response and preservation of Noah in the ark, the call of Abraham to move his household to a new land, the leadership of Moses removing his people from slavery in Egypt, and the promise of a new land. Each based their actions secure in the hope of God’s promises for sustained new life.
When our feet are weary, and the road seems cluttered with rocks, we lose sight of the rainbow of promises. “I will be with you to the ends of the earth,” God says, “Trust in me, you will have renewed strength for the journey. I will raise you up…”
We have been on a journey, not one of our own choosing, but that is life, sometimes we go where we want to go, other times, we are taken along with the flow. Our hope lies in the belief that there is an end to this Pandemic, that one day when the stars align to create a vaccine, when people show more consideration for the protection of others, we will be free again to congregate with friends and loved ones, with dearly missed parishioners, to shop and enjoy recreation without fear. Until then….
Be strong! Stay Safe! Be of good cheer!
Together in the Service of Jesus Christ….
-Sonia
