Elgin Portland United Church Council
The Bible Discussion Groups meet on Monday at 6:30 pm at Portland UC & Tuesday at 10:00 am in Elgin at the Guthrie House. All are welcome. Info: ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089
The UCW is pleased to announce that we have sponsored two local children to attend Camp Iawah for a full week this summer. Any children that we have spoken to that attended this Camp give it praise for a wonderful experience.
Devotional Reflection
March 22, 2025
Unquestionable signs of springtime are everywhere. The Zamboni has been put into storage. Anxious to assist the process of the ice melt, marinas have added bubblers to the dock areas in preparation for the spring launch. Flocks of geese are filling farmers fields as they return to their breeding grounds.
The whiff of decay fills your nostrils. But your delight cannot be dampened. SPRING IS HERE!
Astounded at the exhilaration spring brings I cannot help but continue. This week I observed an unusual find. A water-drenched field had pooled into a bit of a swimming hole. A number of geese and ducks were enjoying this bathtime. But there, along with the geese and ducks, were two white swans.
Although, you could barely see their white plumage. As they walked, waddled and cavorted in the water, I’m sure it mattered not that I was watching them. They and the geese danced together in the cold, spring swimming pool, enjoying the freedom of an undisturbed bath.
Within a few weeks, these times will disappear as the responsibility of nesting and feeding their young filters into their lives. And for a time, the cycle of life will permeate the spring season.
Of course, it is not only birds that experience this. Flowers, long ago thought to be dead, begin to shoot up through the soil. The tiny purple heads of crocuses, the yellow beauty of daffodils, and all of springtime lightens your spirit. You can see it in the smiles as you greet each other at the post office; as you shed your winter attire for the sweaters and hoodies; you change your boots for running shoes. Your spirits soar as rainbows of colour shoot through the air when you turn on your hose to wash your car.
Yet our exuberance wanes, our smiles fade into a grin. The regimen of spring is upon us. Fix the lawnmower, paint the trim on the house, dig up old vegetable gardens and plant new ones.
We, being who we are, constantly want to move forward. The expression ‘stop and smell the roses’ is a dim memory as you scurry around, making the most of your days.
It is so invigorating for us. SPRING IS HERE! Even the routine, humdrum, ordinary moments give us pleasure.
I stop and ponder for a moment. This week I attended a day long meeting about invigorating the church. As hour after hour of information was shared, I began to daydream about what church is all about.
The cliché findings are like spring coming, the expectation that each Sunday will be the same, each service will follow a pattern, we will share coffee, and head home, repeat next week.
Perhaps, for many of us, this is true. But what about the newness that comes? What about being elated that New Life is promised us? What about seeing each day as a gift from God? Looking around you, what can you do to change the landscape of our worship? Are you prepared to SPRING FORWARD and add to your Spiritual Worship?
Go ahead! As you walk through your neighbourhood, picture what it would be like if you took your courage and walked up the steps to your neighbour and started a conversation and upon leaving, you sent God’s love their way by a simple “God bless You”; you sent them a tray of goodies for their rambunctious children; you let them know you are available for a chat.
As always, you are called to plant the seed – God will bring the harvest.
Before long, these thoughts will fade into oblivion. Unless, of course, they become part of your daily routine!
You are blessed and loved. Share it!
Liz Church,
Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge