Forty-something Melody (not her real name) walked timidly through the church door for the first time one morning. During worship, her eyes welled up with tears. At the end I invited her to join us on Wednesday night for adult study. She did, and shared that her common-law partner had just left her, and the province, with major bills.  Over the next few months Melody discovered the love and grace of God. She found comfort, and healing, in a faith family, then joyfully took on ministries in music and program leadership. “This is such a safe place,” she often said.

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Sponsoring refugees provides a tangible opportunity to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. In many cases, these families have been struggling to survive in refugee camps for years, even decades. Our support of refugee sponsorship represents renewed hope for a life of freedom, dignity, and peace - Archbishop Fred Hiltz.

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This story comes from a colleague of mine, now long retired. He once served for a considerable period of time as a pastor in a small fishing community. As such, he knew just about everyone in the village. He certainly knew everyone who came to church whether frequently or infrequently. One Sunday while conducting services, he noticed a "stranger" sitting near the back of the church. When the stranger came up to receive Communion, my friend noticed he was wearing a wool sweater, work pants, and a pair of rubber boots. Perhaps the stranger was a fisherman from the other side of the cove. Perhaps he was visiting one of the families in the village. This particular Sunday was Trinity Sunday. So the sermon was an effort to address the congregation on the subject of the Holy Trinity. When the service ended, my friend went to the back of the church, to the door, to greet worshippers as they left the service. Naturally the stranger in church, having sat close to the back, was one of the first people out the door. He shook the hand of my friend, broke into a broad smile, and without introducing himself said, "Well done father. Very nice heresy you gave us this morning".

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The original peoples of the North American continent understand that we are all connected, and that harm to one part of the sacred circle of life harms the whole. Scientists, both the ecological and physical sorts, know the same reality, expressed in different terms. The Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) also charge human beings with care for the whole of creation, because it is God's good gift to humanity. Another way of saying this is that we are all connected and there is no escape; our common future depends on how we care for the rest of the natural world, not just the square feet of soil we may call "our own." We breathe the same air, our food comes from the same ground and seas, and the water we have to share cycles through the same airshed, watershed, and terra firma.

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