Dear Friends in Valhalla Parish,

It continues to be such a privilege to serve with and amongst you in Castlegar, New Denver, and the communities represented within our parish community. I hope that you will take time to scroll down in this newsletter to find out about upcoming events including Ash Wednesday, our Annual General Meeting, and a Lenten Study group.

On Wednesday during our weekly mid-day prayer service on Facebook Live, we encountered the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20). In the past when encountering this gospel, I have spent a great deal of time focusing on the soil. Perhaps you've heard a question related to this parable: "what kind of soil are you?" This can be a helpful question.

This week what struck me most was the wild abandon, the recklessness, and the promiscuity of the sower. 

The sower does not take each individual seed, placing it in a neat row in well-tilled, nutrient-rich soil. The sower does not stick only to the garden, but sows the word, the good news, what we Christians call the gospel freely. It is freely given. All are free to receive. 

It is true, as in the parable, that sometimes God's dream of a world in which all have enough, and all know that they are enough does not take root. And yet, this knowledge doesn't prevent the sower from sowing. From seeding and re-seeding. I can imagine him coming back time and time again to the same ground, scattering seed, waiting for something to grow.

This gives me great hope. At times in our lives, we encounter dry spells. At others, we may embrace God's vision with passionate fervour that eventually fizzles out. At other times, life's circumstances distract us from the seed of faith, and it does not fully take root. At other times, the roots of God's dream flourish.

What I love the most about this parable is that God acts first. God always acts first. And God's reckless love; God's grace and mercy are available to all who wish to receive, as we are able.

As a community—as members of this Valhalla Parish community—we regularly practice receiving God's love, and sharing it with all who we encounter. And so, this week, may you find yourself face to face with the God who sows the seeds of Good News for one and for all. For us. For you. 

Every Blessing, 

Andrew