West Hill Podcast

February 7, 2010

Gretta begins her reflections on the 2010 Academy Award nominees with Avatar. She considers how good movies—important movies—break our hearts and call us to new awareness. Awareness that asks for us to think differently, respond differently, and act.

Avatar Movie Trailer

The official trailer of the movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron

January 31, 2010

On the Sunday of the annual budget meeting of the congregation, Gretta considers why we might gather in community together and explores the point of church in a progressive community of faith.

January 24, 2010

Gretta discusses the idea of birth order and connects it to spirituality and moreover, how it may call us to be spiritual leaders. She offers a challenge: that we may find the tools to be spiritual leaders, building right relationship in all the connections we make in our life.

January 17, 2010

In a very personal meditation, Gretta speaks about her week in a rural setting with her sister Martha’s family, coping with the sudden death of Martha`s husband. She reflects on Ron’s life, his impact on that small community and what community and family mean during times of loss and grief.

January 10, 2010

Today, Gretta talks about what we leave behind. She reflects on how we might examine ourselves and our lives in the building of that legacy.

January 3, 2010. We begin 2010 by looking back at some of 2009’s remarkable people as Gretta reads an article from Johann Hari. Each of these remarkable people give us glimmers of hope for the future.

Caution: the reading contains graphic descriptions and language that some may find disturbing or offensive

As a dark year ends, remember the inspirational lights of 2009

Johann Hari is an award winning journalist who writes for several publications including the NY Times and Independent.

December 20, 2009

Gretta completes the advent cycle by talking about love and how we can re-imagine the Christmas story as one of love, truth, beauty and goodness. She highlights the work of Glynn Cardy, the rector at St. Matthew-in-the-City, whose church recently erected a controversial billboard spurring people to conversation about the Christmas story.

St. Matthew in the City

St. Matthew church and Glynn Cardy's reflection on the billboard

December 13, 2009

We continue exploring the advent season by reflecting on the tools of philosophy. Previous weeks saw Gretta speaking of beauty and truth. Today she speaks of goodness, using the work of philosopher A.C. Grayling to explore what is good.

December 6, 2009

This Sunday we celebrate becoming an Affirming Ministry within the United Church of Canada. One of about 50 ministries that have joined Affirm United in support and in celebration of the LGBTQ, West Hill took this step after a year of exploration and following a unanimous vote supporting the motion at our June 2009 Annual Congregational meeting.

At our celebration, we hear again from Calvin Neufeld, who presents the certificate from Affirm United. Calvin spoke movingly to the congregation last February about his journey as a female to male transsexual and today he thanked us for encircling him with belonging. We were also privileged to have with us the Hon. George Smitherman, former deputy premier of Ontario and current MPP. Reflecting on his own positive welcome from his family, his words speak of the need to extend the circle of belonging to those who have been unwelcomed within their own family circles.

Finally, Gretta talks about the need to extend our embrace in ever widening circles, stretching it so far that we will be forever changed.

Calvin Neufeld

Calvin Neufeld speaks to the congregation at West Hill United on February 22, 2009

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November 29, 2009

Gretta reflects on how progressives might approach Christmas. In this first meditation of the advent season, she suggests that the familiar images of Christmas are useful for creating pictures in our hearts of beauty, goodness and truth. She uses the example of how a mother and newborn child might evoke feelings of protection, nurturing, and vulnerability. She asks: how might we interact with our neighbours, our community, and the world, when we hold a picture of vulnerability and protection in our hearts?

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