Kinship: Weaving the Net of Love

When my one and only uncle died suddenly at the age of 92, in accordance with his wishes, his graveside service and memorial service were arranged without delay. With little warning or preparation, I found myself in Ohio last week, saying a prayer at a graveside service, surrounded by a beautiful circle of relations that I had not seen for over ten years.

During our brief time together, I was reminded that my Ohio relations are gentle kin. They speak slowly and quietly. They linger in each other’s company. They listen graciously and smile warmly. They know how to feast.  They are generous and nonjudgemental.

Laura is my second cousin, currently working on her PhD in history. When our suitcases failed to arrive, she kindly offered to bring my mom and I to the drug store to get toothbrushes. At the checkout counter, I bought three soft caramels and gave one to each of us as a tiny celebration of our togetherness. Later in the day, my mom handed me a plastic bag. It was full to the brim with caramels!  Laura had mentioned the caramels to her dad, Doug, who went out and bought us a giant haul to take home! I was so touched! That evening, Doug and his wife Karen, my cousin, gave me a cheque to cover the cost of all three of our plane tickets. Again, we were undone by their kindness.

Acts of beauty.
Acts of generosity.
Poured out lavishly, like Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet in the face of death.

My aunt and uncle were married and loved each other deeply for 70 years. Within that circle of generative, generous love grew a wider circle of kin who know how to love. I think the kingdom of God often grows like that. Quietly. Behind the scenes. Through the little acts of beauty, repeated faithfully, again and again, over a long period of time.

I am home now, still pondering this legacy of my Ohio relations. My experience reminds me of the words of Paul in Gal 3:9  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

You matter. The little choices to love, that you offer each day, matter. The small acts you take to bend the universe towards love and justice matter. Keep being faithful to what you know to be true, even if you cannot see the harvest. Even if you never see the harvest in your lifetime, keep sowing seeds for the generations to come.

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New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.

Sun. Apr 10 Palm Sunday
Guest speaker: Nadia VanderKuip
Even the Stones Cry Out
Luke 19: 28-40

Fri. Apr 15   Good Friday
Kingfisher Farm, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Accessible to all ages.

Guided by art, Scripture, nature, and poetry, you are invited into the ancient story of Holy Week. We journey with Jesus to the cross and into death so that we can also glimpse and celebrate the mystery of the resurrection Come walk the perimeter trail at Kingfisher Farm between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Accessible to all ages. (512 172 Street, Surrey.)

Sun. Apr 17 Easter Sunday
Speaker: Anne Smith
An Expansive Life
Luke 24: 1-12

Sun. Apr 24, All OUT 
Good Seed Sunday!

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.