A service on a beach? Why?

Why a service on a beach? A number of reasons:  

     1. to give us a better sense of the context in which the stories of Jesus are set, including the initial setting of John 6, the chapter that we encounter (again) this week.  By being out “in the weather” and beside water, we are also in our context, a place of beauty that is shared by everyone in the Oak Bay community and treasured by visitors from around the world; it’s a space and a feeling that is as dear to many of us, if not more so, than our own homes, and our church building.

     2. It is not our aim to proselytize or to demonstrate our bona fides for the public even as we recognize that our faith expression is often “siloed” within walls that leaves the largely secular public completely unaware of what church is and what public expressions of religion/worship look like. People may want to watch us and move on or they may decide to join us.  If they do, we will welcome them. By reflecting on Christ and receiving the gift of the Eucharist in a public space we are encouraged to experience the “merger” of that which normally occurs in our “cloistered” building and how we experience the divine presence in nature. 

     3. Many of the values we hold dear have their origin in the Christian gospel and by meeting in public we are claiming that the ideas/rituals of the Eucharist form the very foundation of the liberal democratic ideals that we cherish.  The Catholic Church is often better than we are in expressing their faith in this way; “open-air masses” are part of Catholic tradition especially when the Pope shows up.   

P.S. It was amazing! More here