September 9th
Five Minutes on Friday #40

THE SHEPHERD

Anselmo, a Spanish shepherd, lives alone in little hut with only his sheep and his beloved dog, Pillo as companions.  He’s a quiet, charming man, who flirts with the local librarian and enjoys a glass of wine at the local pub.  His world is quiet, peaceful, and fully satisfying though he lives without electricity or telephone or any other modern amenities.

One day he is approached by representatives of a large development company.  They want to buy his land to develop homes and a modern sports complex but they will only develop it if all the neighbours sell.  This sets in motion a series of events pitting neighbour against neighbour, discontent against contentment, and greed versus simplicity and gratitude.

The haunting final scenes have stayed with me.

*Streaming on Netflix.

 

CREATION

We must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it.    [Wendell Berry]

 

SUNDAY – Worship in the Park

This week we will be worshipping out of doors at Ashworth Holmes Park in the Mayfair area of Saskatoon.  Join us as we sing, pray, and hear stories from Dan, a retired organic farmer; and Amy, a wilderness adventures leader, and instructor at Sask Polytechnic in Saskatoon.

Bring along a lawn chair and a picnic lunch to enjoy after the service. 

Worship begins at 10:00 am and ALL are welcome.

Psalm 104 (selected verses)

1-14 O my soul, bless God!

God, my God, how great you are!
    beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
    and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
    made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
    appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
    so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
    covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
    your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
    in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
    never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
    sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
    wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
    ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly reservoirs;
    earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
    hay for the animals that plow the ground.

 

14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
    wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
    a people well-fed and hearty.
God’s trees are well-watered—
    the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
    look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
    badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
    the sun is in charge of each day.
When it’s dark and night takes over,
    all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
    clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
    lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
    busy at their jobs until evening.

 

24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
    You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
    made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
    brimming with fish past counting,
    sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
    and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
    to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
    you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
    they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
    revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
    the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.

 

31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
    Let God enjoy his creation….
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
    sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
    I’m so pleased to be singing to God.