Sunday Sermon - 6 April
I am an avid listener of CBC Ontario Morning. I listen to this program every morning and on Wednesday they had a segment on the current state of people’s well being. The discussion focused on a media release from Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), a national charity that “serves to advance mental health…through data collection, analysis and strategic initiatives.” The conversation on Wednesday morning revolved around some data they released on March 20. Here’s the gist:
Mental health is under growing strain across Canada as economic instability, social media exposure, and limited healthcare access take their toll. There is an increase in financial stress, social media-driven anxiety, and difficulty securing healthcare.
I’d like to highlight the fact that this study happened before the ice storm and the American President’s most recent tariff decrees.
Yes, people are anxious, they are tired. Actually, I think weary is a better word for how people are feeling these days. Weary from dealing with a long hard winter. Weary from worrying about the impact the American Government’s policies are going to have on our financial and overall well being. Weary from the concerns about the unknown direction of our own Canadian government during this election period.
We are downright just plain tired and weary of it all.
The MHRC study just reported the data without any suggestions for how to address the issues but, on the CBC program, the conversation between the host, Nav Nanwa, and the contributing doctor did. They talked about stepping away from social media, the news, and other information sources that provoke anxiety and prompt stress and weariness. They talked about doing things that give you positive energy and help you to feel good about yourself and the world around you. Things that give you peace of mind and overall inner peace - a soulful peace that brings hope and maybe, just maybe, will help you sleep better at night.
As is usually the case, Scripture also supports our thoughts on this matter. Paul’s message to the Philippians talks about pressing on through his trials and tribulations in life in order to receive, as he puts it, “the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul presses on, moving forward, through the weariness of suffering he endured, always looking ahead. He uses the words “straining forward” because it isn’t easy to press on, towards God’s heavenly promise, but Paul encourages the Philippians and us to do the same.
In the Gospel today we read of the anointing of Jesus’ feet by Martha, using her hair and the expensive oil no less. When challenged by Judas for not selling it and donating the money to the poor, Jesus rebukes him, foretells his own death, and honours Martha for exhibiting her love for him so profoundly. Jesus, who must be weary at this time, knows he is going towards a painful death and is being cared for and loved. He is with his people. He is getting energy, power, from his people and giving it back in return.
We may have been without power these last few days but always remember, we are never powerless. We are never powerless because we have each other.
There have been big and large moments of care and compassion all week. Neighbours helping neighbours, opening their homes to one another. Just a couple of examples are the Nutty Bean and the LYU, as well as the Baptist Church and the Lakefield Ministerial, providing hot food for those who are unable to cook. This is the real energy we need to help us press onward in times of crisis.
In my opinion, the crisis of the ice storm and the recent memories of the crisis of the COVID pandemic, for that matter, only highlight the depth of anxiety and weariness many feel every day. Remember, the MHRC research that I cited was before the ice storm and it was a national study. So, just like folks coming together in times of crisis to take care of one another, we need to remember that we need to share each other's energy source, we need each other to laugh, to cry, to hug, every day, all of the time. Not just when we are in crisis. This isn’t just a spiritual truism, it is a scientific, biological fact. God made us human beings pretty darn spectacular!
There is this hormone, oxytocin, which is one of the four ‘feel good’ hormones our brain makes and is released into the bloodstream through the pituitary gland. It is the hormone that is emotionally and spiritually uplifting, giving one a sense of belonging, happiness, and energy. It gives us the positive attitude we need to work through stressful times. Conversely, low oxytocin elevates anxiety, increases feelings of loneliness and sadness, makes it hard to sleep, and causes a sense of hopelessness.
Do you know how we increase oxytocin in our brain and throughout our body? With physical, emotional, and spiritual contact with others. We can even get it from petting and cuddling a dog or cat (which by the way is one of the reasons I pet every dog I meet - if I’m allowed. Not just to show the dog love, but to get that hormonal lift that comes with it!)
Being without power does not mean that we are powerless. Jesus, as he was preparing to enter into the hardest and darkest days of his life, received a loving boost from Martha. When we come together on Sundays, when we worship together, share in this sacramental meal together, and sing together our communal energy combines. It’s a scientific fact. We give each other the spiritual boost that we need to press on and to overcome the wearying challenges we face in life.
I remember as a child, when I went to church I would always feel better, genuinely happier, after church was over and I was on the way home. My siblings and I used to joke around that we were just happy because it was over, but that wasn’t entirely true. We were happier because we were genuinely, physiologically and spiritually happier and here’s another example of the fantastic miracle that God created in us human beings. During worship we give thanks for many things. We express what I like to call ‘Radical Gratitude’. In worship we are hyper-focused on all of the blessings we enjoy in this life. This emotional state of being grateful also releases the hormones serotonin and dopamine. Dopamine is that ‘quick hit’ pleasure hormone, it’s that feeling that is most often related to the pleasure you have when you win something and it generally passes pretty quickly. Serotonin, on the other hand, creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness and well being.
Aren’t we amazing?! God did a pretty darn good job forming us.
We come to Church, primarily for two reasons:
To worship and give thanks to God
To be together.
Both of these actions uplift us - biologically and spiritually. Coming to church, worshipping together, giving thanks, is good for the body and the soul. It’s restorative - it’s POWER FULL.
Ever since COVID we have stopped physically touching each other, shaking hands and hugging when we share the peace. I’ve already preached about how important the sharing of the peace is to me as it is a sign that I am forgiven by God and all of you for the mistakes and sins I’ve made before coming to God at the Eucharist. The sharing of the Peace is a profound, powerful, and empowering act of communal forgiveness. In the early church ritual, the sharing of the peace was actually a kiss (that’s the real reason a bride and groom kiss in the Christian ritual of marriage).
The sharing of the peace verbally and with a wave is fine but when you physically make contact with another person and look in their eyes and say “The peace of Christ be with you” that’s a powerful, spiritually connected, oxytocin inducing moment. So, I invite you, if you wish to do so, to shake hands, hug, and share the peace as you had before COVID. We have these strategically placed hand sanitizers around the church for a reason, so use them as you come up for communion and feel free to share the Peace as the spirit moves you.
Today, on this fifth Sunday of Lent, before we head into Palm and Passion Sunday, Paul reminds us to press on, while Martha’s interaction with Jesus reminds us that we need each other to share the spiritual and yes, biological energy, to do what Paul asks of us - giving us the power to press on.
God made us miraculous creatures that are interconnected. When we are lonely, isolated, and feeling without power, I pray you to reach out and connect. Plug in and feel the power that we share when we are together in community.
Always remember, as we say sometimes when we break the bread at the Eucharist, “we being many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.”
We need each other - God reminds us of this every day, all of the time.
Amen.