Matthew, Mark, Luke and Susan
We’re glad you’re here!
Welcome to the weekly blog for Burlington East Presbyterian Church.
First things first: feel free to fill in your name instead of Susan. John might already be taken.
Here, you’ll find a weekly reflection which I hope will give you an opportunity to stop for a few minutes, to see yourself in God’s story of our own lives, of the community, and of creation. We’ll be thinking about what it means to live in God’s love for each of us, to grow as disciples and to follow Christ. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at minister@burlingtoneast.net.
Looking forward to journeying with you.
Peace in Christ,
Susan
New Names
New Name
Did you wear your name tag this Sunday? If you don’t have one and would like one, let us know!
We recently started wearing name tags at the church so that people can get to know each other, but also so that anyone can easily remember who they are talking to.
Names are an intrinsic part of our identity. Your name is how you tell your story to the world. You may have been named after someone or have a name that is all your own.
In her book, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld”, Patricia McKillip creates a heroine who takes the time to know each mythological creatures’ name by listening to them, studying their stories, and the final step to her being able to enter into a fully understood relationship with them is when she asks “Give to me your name”. If the creature, in whatever language they speak, does so, the heroine and the creature can journey together and truly see each other.
There is a great power in knowing someone’s name, and a great gift in giving our name to someone. God is known by so many names –if you have time this summer, read the gospel of John and discover all of the “I am” statements that Jesus makes. Each one helps us understand God’s identity and enter into a full relationship with God. Some names may not mean as much to us as others, but that diversity is a way that God embraces all of our stories.
There are times in our lives when we need a new name. Perhaps it’s getting married and deciding on a new family name. Perhaps it is affirming an identity that we need to be known by. Perhaps it is moving to a new culture and changing our name to better fit in or begin a new chapter in life. In some situations, we may reclaim a name that has been taken from us. All of us who travel with those who have chosen to change their name after thought and prayer need to respect that journey….
…because God changes people’s names a lot: Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Saul to Paul, Hadassah to Esther. In each of these changes, God affirms the course of life and identity that GOD has for that person. These name changes are part of God’s plan for that person. They are part of the new identity, the moving forward.
In this Pride month, we celebrate the diversity of identities that God gives to all people. There are people who have changed their names to better reflect that identity, and we rejoice with them at their discovery of what God has in store for them. And as we give our names to each other, and hear the wonderful names God has that meet us in each part of our story, may we give thanks, and grow in our life together.
Prayer: Lord, you who knit us together and know us best call us by our true names. And whether we’ve known those names all our lives or we discover them, we give you thanks. May we celebrate You in all the names you have called yourself.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Photo and content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author
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Celebrate and remember
This week, this month, there are so many celebrations, so many deep things to remember. In one month, we have Indigenous Heritage Month, Father’s Day, Pride Month, Senior’s Month, Trinity Sunday and Pentecost. All are important, but some weigh on us differently than others do, as they should.
This photo is taken from the Souharissen Indigenous lands in Waterdown, Ontario, where a treaty memorial was designed, installed and explained by Waterdown High School students and their teacher, Nathan Tidridge, working with First Nations leaders in the area. I’d encourage you to go visit and read the story of the two stones and what they represent.
These celebrations can be wonderful reminders, but can also cause us to think deeply about our own stories and where we go from here. In the news, we have seen how some of the celebrations this month can cause divisions or tensions. We do not all have the same stories, nor should we. But there are different ways we can listen to each other–from a place of divsion, or a place of seeking authentic unity and justice for one another.
As Christians, we are reminded that all creation is loved by God. Friends of mine, the Rev Paula and Tom Hamilton, shared a “Spirit Booster” a few weeks ago that talks about what we do when we feel divided. It’s not always the easy path, but it is one we’re called to take.
They gave me their permission to share it with you this week:
The Great Divide
For all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
From the beginning of time, people have been divided from one another. Divisions have been made based on geographic borders, ethnic groups, race, gender, skin colour, language, and religion. Even within Christianity, there is often a divide between people of different denominations or even within denominations because of different traditions, customs, and practices.
In contrast, Jesus said: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34) He didn’t say: “love the people who are like you”, or “love only these people”, He simply says: “love one another”. He taught us that the Ten Commandments can be summed up as “Love God, love your neighbour”; and He told the parable of the Good Samaritan to show us that our neighbours are all people.
It’s easy for us to look at others and see only our differences, but Jesus calls us to look beyond those differences and bridge the divide and see each other as brothers and sisters in faith. It’s just as the apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer
Dear God,
When I look at others, help me to see them as You see them, and to remember that they are as much Your child as I am. Help me to love others just as You call me to do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
For further reading: Galatians 3:26-28; Luke 10:25-37; John 13:31-35.
Copyright Paula and Tom Hamilton, 2025.
Photo © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author.
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