Rev Chris Roth

  Joel 2: 21-27; Psalm 126; 1 Timothy 2: 1-7; Matthew 6:25-33 Anxiety has to do with the persistent underlying presence of fear or panic. It’s the presence of worry, unrest, or a sense of danger. Statistics Canada reported that  “the proportion of Canadians aged 15 years and older with a generalized anxiety disorder doubled from 2012 to 2022 … . The largest 10-year increases were seen among young people, particularly young women aged 15 to 24 years, for whom the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder tripled. … [Regarding] social phobia … comparisons with 2002 suggest a fourfold increase in the prevalence of social phobia among young women. ” [1] Statistics Canada is talking about disorders, which generally means a kind of anxiety that significantly interferes with living your life. It is overwhelming and it is chronic. So, we can probably assume that the numbers of people dealing with anxiety without it getting to the point of being a disorder is probably quite a bit higher. The

Genesis 28:10–17; Revelation 12:7–12; John 1:47–51 Today we celebrate the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The topic of angels tends to divide people into extremes. On one end, some people tend to be obsessed with angels, so they read books about angels and try to communicate with them. If you walk through the New Age section in the bookstore you will find numerous books on angels and even tarot cards based on angels. … On the other extreme, some people place angels into the same category as unicorns, faeries, and leprechauns. To them the idea of angels being real is an offence to rationality and science. As we heard from our readings, angels are present throughout the Bible. They also appear in the experiences of the saints throughout history. If they are so present in the Bible and throughout the history of the church we should probably be cautious about denying their existence. But, we should also be cautious to not allow our imaginations to run wild.