05/29/2026
Blessings! I can't imagine that anything else needs to be said other than that, simply blessings!
This has been a week of wonder, awe, reflection, and relief. With the beautiful rain that we have had, mixed in with sunshine and breezes, the leaves on the trees have exploded, the grass around our house is growing faster than I can keep it mowed, and the season of rebirth is well under way. Last Sunday, at our 9:00 am service, while I stood at the window of Ray and Carol Andersen's dining room, consecrating the Holy Eucharist, I was blessed to see a pair of Canada Geese on their pond. With them, was a clutch of chicks following intently across the water, it was beautiful, a blessing, a gift, a reminder that God is always close by.
So often in our lives, we get busy, sometimes too busy, and we need to be reminded of the old saying that you need to stop and smell the roses. There are times in our lives when stopping to smell the roses would be easily compared to what truly needs to be done. For months I have been trying to remind people to take the time to listen for God's voice, to watch for God's signs, to give thanks for God's Grace, and I sometimes wonder if my subtle reminders are enough, or if we need something more intentional?
This week's Prayer Groups were blessed with another wonderful lectionary scripture reading that emphasized this very message. Paul writes in his First Letter to Timothy, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer."
As we are continually drawn away from our faith, we lose sight of what is important, and we lose focus on what God intended for us. If we find ourselves not taking the time to connect or re-connect, then it becomes that much harder for us to return to a lifelong habit of prayer, reflection, reading the scriptures, and speaking to the Creator. Over the past weeks, I have continued to speak about the loss of Mysticism in our faith, how things that were once quite normal are no longer discussed. Paul's letter continued with " That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe." The idea of Mysticism in our lives and in our faith, provides us with the ability to reach out, and remember that God is not the one dimensional being that we find on the pages of the Holy Scriptures.
God, our Creator, spoke to Prophets in their dreams, He appeared to Moses in a Burning Bush, He became incarnate in the Virgin Mary and was made man, He guided Kings, and chose Shepherds. In Creating us, He worked with such perfection that we are designed to do certain things without thought. We breath, we rest, we think, we love, we dream, we are born and we die. Although it can be argued that we think about each of these things, they all happen naturally and on their own. We don't need to think about smiling when we hear a child laugh, or how to cry when our hearts are broken; we don't need to be reminded how to melt into the arms of a loved one after a long day, or the joy we feel when an old friend comes to visit. God has made each of us with such perfection, that even in our brokenness and imperfection, we are perfect in His sight.
We are His, and He made us. Why would He not speak to us in our dreams? Why would He not whisper to us in the breeze, or place His hand on our shoulder and say "Did you see those goslings? I put them there to remind you that I am everywhere, in everything, always!" So many times when my brain takes me down these rabbit holes of thought, I am reminded of music, sometimes a hymn, sometimes a silly little ditty or jingle that my Dad used to sing, and sometimes its just a song that fits so perfectly I can't help but wonder if God isn't half the reason they get stuck in my head.
As I write this all I can think about is Van Morrison and his aptly named "Into the Mystic"
We were born before the wind, Also younger than the sun, Ere the bonnie boat was won, As we sailed into the mystic.
And when that foghorn blows, I'll be coming home, And when the foghorn blows, I want to hear it, I don't have to fear it.
Hark now hear the sailors cry, smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic.
I pray that as this season progresses, that you are able to hear God's voice, to see His work, to acknowledge the messages He sends you and to be absorbed into His divine plan. His signs are everywhere, take the time to listen, to feel, to speak to Him, you may just be surprised, after all, we were created for a reason, and given a lifetime to discover what that reason is. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. May the Lord make his face shine down upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Our services this week are:
Sunday May 31, 2026 - Trinity Sunday
9:00am - St George's, Bairdsville - Holy Eucharist - This service will take place at the Baird House B&B - 6045 Rte.130
11:00 am - St. Ansgar's, New Denmark - Holy Eucharist
11:00 am - Trinity Church, Andover - Morning Prayer
Wednesday June 3, 2026
Dinner Church - St. Ansgar's - 6:00 pm
Turkey, Potatoes, Vegetables, dessert
Thursday June 4, 2026
Prayer Group
We will gather to reflect on this week's scripture. We will have a cup of tea, lots of laughs and fellowship. Our special guest will be the Holy Spirit, flowing amongst us and guiding our hearts! Remember all are welcome, all are family, all are loved.
10:00 am - Trinity Church
2:30 pm - St Ansgar's
All are welcome, all are family, all are loved.
Yours in Christ,
Harold+
Reverend Harold Boomer,
Anglican Parishes of Andover and Denmark,
Missioner in the Upper River Valley
Parish Office:
1295 West Riverside Drive,
Perth-Andover, NB
Mobile - 506-325-8125
