Many Blessings for Canada

Homily Canada Day Weekend 2011

With all the attention Will and Kate are attracting with their visit this week, we are reminded of the far reaching impact, and awareness of the British Monarchy, even in the 21st century, when its power is purely symbolic.

Symbols are important. And some of the attention to the Royals can rub off even on Anglican clerics. Of course many of us can recall where we were in 1981 when Prince Charles married Diana Spencer. It was THE Royal Wedding of the century—with hundreds of millions of people watching all over the world.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, then Robert Runcie, officiated. When Runcie came to Canada to visit I recall him telling the story at St. James Cathedral in Toronto about a visit to a remote part of China after the wedding, where he was greeted like a rock star. The faces of the people lit up.

How he wondered could Chinese peasants recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury. The answer came from the people themselves, smiling at him saying “Royal Wedding, Royal Wedding.”

So symbols are important, and so is our national holiday, which has a special set of lectionary readings which I am using this Sunday.

Canada is a remarkable nation, peaceful throughout its history apart from a few skirmishes, and involvement in foreign wars in support of freedom and democracy.

When the prophet Isaiah speaks of Kings reigning in righteousness and princes with justice he was setting out the ideals which we should live by in our communities and nations.

God wants us to live in peace, in secure dwellings in quiet resting places, as prophet wrote.

What is so remarkable about Canada is that people from so many lands have come to live in our vast country, which is so rich in beauty and resources. My grandparents on my father’s side came from England in 1912 with nothing. My grandfather worked as a sleeping car conductor on the CPR.

Dad was the first in the family to go to university, but only after he earned the Veteran’s grant of either land or free tuition after serving in the army as a pay sergeant during world war two.

He became a teacher, and would have been proud to see his granddaughter graduate from University to Toronto with a Bachelor of Education last month.

So Canada has been a land of opportunity for my family and for many families. It hasn’t been easy. Some of you have vivid memories of the great depression in the 30’s.

But peace, compromise and community life have characterized our growth as a nation. We don’t have the same extreme of wealth and poverty as our neighbours to the south. Nor do we have the nastiness of the current political climate in the US.

We do have different values, more communal values.

That’s where Paul’s letter to the Colossians speaks to us—we are called as Christians to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, meekness and patience.

Canadians are sometime mocked when we demonstrate these values.

And above all we need to act out of love, and to be thankful for the gifts God has given us, as a nation, as provinces, as communities, as families, as individuals.

And Paul notes, we need to be forgiving, as we have been forgiven.

That’s hard sometimes. But the bitterness which continues in the absence of forgiveness can separate us not only from others but from God.

This passage concludes with important reminder about our worship. And it’s something we sometimes can forget. When we gather to teach, to pray, to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God—we need to do so with gratitude in our hearts, giving thanks to God.

On Canada Day Pat Harrison sent me a wonderful slide show via e-mail which had stunning photographs of many different parts of Canada.

In a way its overwhelming to think of the beauty of this vast country which God created and we are fortunate enough to live in. I’ve had the privilege to travel to all ten provinces, and worship in Anglican churches in all of them.

Living in three provinces--Alberta, Manitoba and my native Ontario--has given me an understanding of the diversity of this country---but also some of the things shared in common.

We have a lot to give thanks for. Easier travel in the past century has made people more aware not only of our own country, but the world.

We are amazed by the world’s diversity and what it has to offer, despite all its problems.

Yet when we come home to Canada, we realize how fortunate we are, blessed by our history of peace and democracy, our bountiful resources, our diverse population from many lands.
And for that we give God thanks!