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
March 13, 2025
Dirt
Something to think about: Psalm 139:13-18
It happened this week. Just a smattering of sunshine, enough to get our hopes up, and the dirt started to show through the mounds and mounds of snow. Melting snowbanks made gutters into streams and the sunlight glinted off the tiny rivers as if it was laughing with them.
And one afternoon this week, you could smell the dirt.
Not dust, but the smell of sun-warmed earth that’s waking up. It’s got rotting leaves and sticks and probably some bird seed that’s been scattered in it. There’s dried grass at the edges where we’ve thrown salt on the sidewalks to battle the ice. The salt is washing away. The dirt is there. It smells like life coming out of hiding and pushes our minds to growing things.
In Genesis, it says we’re formed out of dirt. The Adamah, the “Adam maker”. Whatever we believe as the process of creation (and there are a lot of interpretations, the bottom line is that God cause something that was not to be something). In the Psalm that you can read above, it talks about God knitting us, forming us together out of the stuff that’s made in the depths of the earth. Dirt.
Formed.
Shaped.
Made unique.
Held.
Loved.
Given breath.
Called good.
Sometimes, though, the dirt this time of year is mud that sticks to everything. It coats dog paws, fills up shoe treads, gets tracked in everywhere. It’s all around until we “calm it down” with grass, mulch, wash it away with water.
Sometimes we do the same with people too. We take what God has formed it all of our uniqueness, living, breathing, and we calm people’s identities down until they are something we can handle. Or we try to wash them out until the dirt is in a form we can control.
But….but God called the formed dirt, the adamah, good before it was ‘calmed down’ or washed away. It was perfectly good in the identity that God had given it.
In this time of Lent, we take a hard look at ourselves. Sometimes, we might not like what we see. Sometimes, we might not like what we see in someone else. Sometimes, we may try to change or hide the identity that God gave us because it doesn’t fit what others think we should be.
Here’s the truth: God made me me, and God made you you. In all the infinite creation, you are formed and created uniquely, and loved beyond anything you can ever know. So is the person walking next to you. When those in power say that one identity is not valued, that one way that God created people is not valid, then we as Christians absolutely affirm that that is not a Biblical position, nor is it the way we understand identity in Christ.
That’s where we get to Easter. When Jesus came, he took on the adamah. And in giving up His life for us and by rising again, He loved all of us back to life. Formed, shaped, unique, held, loved. If God in Jesus Christ thought it was worth it to take on the adamah, the dirt, then you and I can only affirm that formation by God in each other.
May you see God’s love and creativity in every person’s identity that you meet this week.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Susan
Photo and content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author.
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February 27, 2025
Pancakes and Prayers
Something to think about:
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
-Psalm 42:8
Next week, we will be eating pancakes. Then we get ready to travel through forty days to Easter.
People used to take the time to use up the butter, leaven, and all kinds of baking stuff in their homes before the days of Lent. In a nutshell, the practice was a symbol of getting rid of something excessive in order to spend time more time being aware of God. The practice has taken a lot of turns and interpretations, but many still celebrate Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Tuesday) before the thoughtful quiet of Lent. This year, Lent starts on March 5, the forty days before Easter (not including Sundays).
Growing up, the question around our house was “What are you giving up for Lent?” Often it was chocolate (was I crazy?) or some other treat. Forty days to think about things differently–but often, I would get caught up in what I was giving up and miss the whole point. Lent is not about what WE do.
Lent isn’t a time to celebrate us and what we give up, but it’s all about what God gave up for us. Christ gave his life-and the journey of Lent is preparing us to be new people in light of the crucifixion and resurrection, to live life without fear and to live in hope, courageous love and unlimited grace.
The question of Lent is really, “How am I getting better prepared for this journey with the risen Christ? And what needs to be put aside in my life for me to do that?” Maybe it’s not something we give up, but something we pick up such as a time of daily prayer, a walk where we open our eyes and ears to what God is showing us in our neighbourhood, a quiet place to read one psalm each day. Time to let the quieter, stronger life of the Spirit flow in amid all the noise that’s around us. Time to say no to the things that are telling us that we’re not good enough, not rich enough, not going to make it if we don’t do it ourselves.
Jesus came to do away with all of that.
During Lent, from March 12 – April 14, we’re having a number of different worship opportunities that will give you a chance to join with our community of fellow travellers as we look to share and live Jesus’ love. On Monday evenings from 6:30-7:30pm, we’ll meet for quiet worship, some songs, a story and a chance to chat. On Wednesdays at 12:30pm, we’ll gather for worship, songs, a story and soup. Please know you are welcome, and we’d love to have you join us at the church. There are more details on the home page.
Here is a daily prayer we can use together through Lent:
Lord, you have given up so much for me. In You I have life forever.
Let me put aside everything that’s keeping me from the direction you have in mind for me.
Let me choose You, knowing that your love and grace are more than enough.
Let me choose You, knowing that You died and rose for me before I ever knew that I needed that.
So let us go on into this day with all of its happy, sad, dancing, walking, resting, eating, working, playing, caring, loving, questioning moments–and let us live together.
Thank You. Amen.
Peace in Christ,
Rev Susan
Content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author.