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The Road to Iceland 1

The Road to Iceland is a little piggy backing on a former blog called ‘Under the Carob Tree’. It was suggested a blog about this new venture might be a good idea, like The Road to Newfoundland was. So this is the first instalment. So how did this ever come about? You may ask..... Back in January 2020 I was looking at videos on Facebook about Iceland. I have been to Iceland for a short vacation and was determined to go back...so followed the tourist and informational videos. For some reason into the Facebook feed popped advertising for a degree in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies, at the University of Iceland. It looked interesting, so I took a look. And then went on with other things. Twice more that came into my feed, and on the third time around I looked seriously. I knew I wanted to do something different for awhile...get back to school, break out a little from the regular. So I asked my husband and my kids.....every one said ‘Go for it! Sounds really great!’ This is a Master
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Finding New Songs.....

A month ago I wrote about singing God’s song in a strange land. We lamented loss...how could we sing. Almost a month later, the land isn’t so strange. We’re more used to how it rises and flows from hills to valleys, optimism to depression...we are learning to navigate and maintain some equilibrium. Trips to the store become ‘outings’, to be done only when seriously necessary; in an effort to ensure no one gets infected by us and we don’t pick up something, we mask and glove. Gardening is at an all time high, as the weather improves. We can get outside the house and some of the pressure is lifted. For those of us who are lucky and privileged, that is. Life is a little restricted....but not enough to cause an issue.  And then there’s the ignorant white privilege which thinks freedom means it has the right to put others at risk. And force its own way. Then we start to look at the not so,privileged. It’s not new. It’s been around since the Civil War. For awhile, with the abolition
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Singing Still, in a Strange Land

We have been under lockdown here in Toronto for 48 days now. The days are settling into a kind of routine - we are up at about 9, have some coffee and a long talk about how COVID-19 is moving around the world. We both have work to do, and Zoom meetings galore. We spend most of the afternoons working, and then move to the basement family room for dinner and watch some TV together, often with a bottle of wine. I've ordered "Hello Fresh" dinners for some nights, and tried to find new and interesting recipes for other nights, and there has been plenty of baking. My husband is planning fall classes, and doing taxes. I am applying for Canada Pension, doing taxes, and organising immigration paperwork for study in Iceland in the fall. There is volunteer work from home, and art classes - books to read, too. The hardest parts in this self-isolation have been that our trips overseas have been cancelled, and that we cannot spend time with our grandchildren. We have worked on the th
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“Salt and Light” a sermon based on Matthew 5:13-20 Preached at Mount Albert United Church February 9, 2020

  “You are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.   “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see you clearly and glorify the Spirit which infuses you.” ********************************************************************************* I love to cook when I have time, and because of that I tend to buy all kinds of salt to use depending on the dish. We saw some of those this morning. We tend to think of salt as just white stuff – if we stretch a little we might use the ‘fleur de sel’, the first harvest of salt which is not the heavy crystals, but lighter and flakier. My favourite cooking salt is the oregano salt from Portugal
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“Why Baptism?” January 12, 2020 York Pines United Church Based on Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased.” Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 - the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his
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Another Road Matthew 2:1-12 Epiphany Sunday January 5, 2020 York Pines United Church

Matthew 2:1-12 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:    'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"  Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may als
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“Aslan is Coming! Jesus is Coming!” Christmas Eve Service December 24, 2019 based on Luke 2:1-18 York Pines United Church

Luke 2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) Everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.   There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.   But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that wi
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