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Good morning my sisters and brothers; 
Let me begin by thanking those who ministered to me over the passing of our beloved Link. Your words brought comfort and healing, and they reinforced the fact that our little reflection group is simply amazing. Once again, thank you from the very bottom of my heart. 
When I first arrived at Christ Church five years ago, I wanted to engage with the people who walk the downtown core. Those who live in the margins of society. I wanted to hear their stories. I wanted them to know that they matter. I was not thinking about drawing in new people into the church. I wanted to create a safe place, outside the sanctuary, where the common ground would be our humanity. And as I began to chat with people at the bus stop and those who wandered the streets, the narratives that unfolded were filled with dysfunction and brokenness. I realized that an inordinate number of our sisters and brothers were hurting, and that they were seeking to feel better. To be healed. To emerge from the shadows. And I began to think. 
I called upon the Holy Spirit. 
And the Holy Spirit answered. 
Just before the pandemic struck,  I sat  at a table at one of our Lenten Lucheon Services with a person who was filled with the Holy Spirit. In our conversation she revealed that she was an artist, and that she was involved in art therapy.  And the seeds were planted for Van Gogh's corner. 
We purchased sketch pads and she brought paints , crayons, brushes, coloured pencils and easels. She even made the Van Gogh's corner sign. 
We set up chairs and easels beneath the branches of the large tree right next to the bus station. We even had live music. And on a lovely sunny day, Van Gogh's corner was open for business. 
We named it Van Gogh's corner because Vincent Van Gogh suffered tremendously from mental health issues. This was an initiative aimed at trying to reach out to those afflicted by mental health issues. 
At first nobody dropped by. We sat at our easels painting, waiting . And before long, people began asking what we were doing. They must have thought we were crazy. 
What are these Anglicans up to now??
We encouraged them to paint or sketch anything they wanted. 
The results were simply amazing. 
The artists articulated joy and sorrow through colour and form. No words were needed. One young girl had just lost her grandmother, and she expressed her grief with bold strokes, jagged lines and she chose dark colours. One young expectant mother drew a rainbow, and the sky in her picture was filled with birds . There was a sense of liberation that was unmistakable. Beneath the shadow of the church spire, the Holy Spirit was at work, unbeknownst to those involved. 
Creativity, imagination, spontaneity are inexorably connected to the Holy Spirit. Art, in any form, can connect us to the divine. Art enriches our lives. In the movie Babette's Feast, the protagonist who is a world class chef and who has just spent all her lottery earnings on one sumptuous feast in a little Norwegian village says " An artist is never poor." 
I am sitting in my office at the church right now. The bells have just rung, proclaiming the Gospel far beyond the sanctuary. There are more and more people who walk by the church with their heads hung low, shoulders drooped, broken. There is no better time to bring Van Gogh's corner back to life. As soon as the weather warms up and the leaves begin to sprout, the colourful sign will be placed beneath the tree, and we will provide the tools in which creativity, imagination and spontaneity will take flight. 
Your homework for today is to take out a blank piece of paper and draw something. Let the Holy Spirit guide your pencil, pen or paint brush. Draw with the eyes of your heart. 
The result will leave you breathless. 
Let us pray 
Eternal God, you create us by your power and redeem us by your love. Guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may give ourselves today in love and service to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen 
Diosito me los colme de bendiciones y alegria hoy y siempre 
Paz 
I love you 
John 
God bless our little reflection group