Wednesday, December 20, 2017 

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  (John 15:12)

                Love is the energy that crackles through the Fourth Sunday of Advent. It brings its companions hope, peace and joy under one stable roof in Bethlehem.

                But what, if anything, can be said anew about love that hasn’t already been said or written?  What the world needs now is love, sweet love, as the song goes. But what kind of love, whose love, and is love alone really sufficient for the needs and problems of the world?

                A very long time ago, I was a student chaplain for a summer at the Juvenile Correctional Institution in Cobourg. There were maybe fifty so children who had found themselves in trouble and were incarcerated at Brookside. Ages ranged from 10 years to preteens and teens,

                One of my tasks was to lead Wednesday morning chapel services. Attendance was mandatory. Although my parish were children, they were a tough group of children, mostly from broken or single parent homes, and had already led some rough lives for some so young. Some of the older teen age girls were into prostitution. Many of the boys had been caught and convicted for break and entering (i.e. robbery). Most smoked and could swear and curse with the gruffest of any sailor. Many were manipulative and cunning and looked for and took any advantage of softness heartedness from a newbie, green behind the gills chaplain.

                At my first chapel service I used the familiar passage from 1 Corinthians 13 about love. I had found a modern translation which I thought the kids might relate to better. I gave a brief meditation on the text and ended the service with prayer. That’s when one of the boys, maybe 10 or 11  years old stood up and  ranted angrily that he was  sick  and tried of hearing about “love, love, love. Who cares about love?” Or words to that effect, having deleted the cursing that went with it.

                What does a birth, even of a Christ child, have to say to that young lad or anyone who is sick and tired of hearing about Love, especially if and when they are experiencing so little of it in their personal lives? I have never forgotten that episode and even though I have often preached about love since I have tried not to be glib, shallow or use the typical religious clichés that go with it.

                It strikes me that Jesus issues a commandment that we should love one another. Obviously, he understands that love doesn’t just always bubble up automatically. It is not the immediate go-to response which finds its voice quickly and directly. Sometimes, we have to be commanded to love. We have to be directed and instructed and urged to love -  whether we like it or not.

                But love as a commandment also suggests that love is not just an emotional response but

it is a thoughtful, intentional and deliberate enterprise. Vagueness, sweeping generalities and nebulous ambiguity are not sufficient in the proper exercise of love.

                But there is one other qualification, because this Love is grounded in the person of Jesus, the one born in Bethlehem. In one of the rare instances in the Gospels Jesus actually is heard to speak of his own personal Love for the people. Now this Love is shaped and organized and measured by the quality of Love that was evident in Jesus. This makes an enormous difference. We now know and understand what Love looks like.  It brings healing, justice, peace, well-being, acceptance, inclusiveness, compassion, good works and deeds. These are the qualities and substance of the Kingdom which is to come, but which we can help to bring some it to pass in the here and now by our acts of his Love. “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds…” (Hebrews 10:24) Interesting use of the word “provoke”; nobody has ever said loving is easy or comes cheaply.

                “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. 

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. 

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut; doesn't have a swelled head; doesn't force itself on others; isn't always "me first"; doesn't fly off the handle; doesn't keep score of the sins of others; doesn’t revel when others grovel; takes pleasure in the flowering of truth; puts up with anything; trusts God always; always looks for the best; never looks back; but keeps going to the end.

Love never dies.”  (1 Corinthians 13: 1 – 8, The Message Bible)

                Susan and I pray that all of you will have a wonderful, happy and blessed Christmas!

Dale

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15: 9 – 11)

                

                Joy fills the third Sunday of Advent with its enthusiasm for new life and its fulsome, creative gift of pure happiness in the light of God’s Love.

What might make you so wonderfully, completely, utterly happy? So happy that you think that you are going to burst. So happy that there is nothing else that you could possibly hope for. So happy that the smile on your face says it all. So happy that your joy knows no bounds.

                Susan has asked me what I would like for Christmas. I am having a hard time coming up with any sort of substantive list. I used to joke that I wanted a road race set – but she actually got me one last year. How cool is that! Now I like getting Christmas gifts as much as the next person but what fills me with real happiness more than anything is the anticipation of being with our family on Christmas Day, especially our three little grandsons. I am sure that I will sit in the middle of the festive merriment with a smile on my face and have a sense that life is good, very good.

                Maybe we can understand Jesus’ words in light of this. Under the banner of Jesus, the Father has gathered his family together with love.  This unique and special bond between Jesus and his Father encompasses the rest of the human family.  Experiencing this Love has the benefit of gifting us with such utter joy because it is so freely, generously, openly given. It is not dependent on material things or possessions. This joy does not depend on what others should be doing for you or me.  This joy does not rely on having the most toys. This joy does not trust in power, superficial pleasures, or worldly appetites.

                This God-gifted Joy is the satisfaction that as a child of God you are loved, no matter what; no matter how messed up things might be right now; no matter how unhappy life’s circumstances are trying to make you; no matter how sad and fearful you may be. “You will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy... no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:20, 22)  Why? Because God abounds in his Love for you.

                I think this mood and spirit of joy is captured very well by Jesus’ beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. When God loves us, the joyful outcomes surpass all our expectations:

                "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat. 

"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for. 

"You're blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

 "You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. 

"Not only that - count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.” (Matthew 5: 3 – 12)

                Rejoice, Jesus says. Rejoice and be glad! God has your back!

                “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2: 10, The Message Bible)

Dale

Wednesday, December 6, 2017 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”   (John 14:27)

                In this world of ours the message of Peace as the second tenet of Advent strives to be heard above the din and chaos.

                There is a painting that hangs above my desk in my mini-office, painted my good friend Ron Wilson. It pictures an empty Muskoka chair sitting on a dock by a quiet lake on a lazy summer afternoon. It is serenely peaceful and I wish I was sitting in that empty chair.

                In my increasing older years, I am becoming more wistful about finding some spirit or sense of long-term, deeper, inner peace. There are times I just want to shut the world out, turn off the TV or radio, not read my emails, not go on the Web, tune out the noise, let the world go by in its big hurry, not do anything or go anywhere, and simply get lost in the peace and quiet. There are times when a recluse’s life looks kind of appealing.

                “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favours.” (Luke 2:14) That was a pretty bold if not audacious promise to make. Easy for angels to boast!

Peace seems to be an elusive quality of life. Our peace is disturbed by a host of thoughts, issues, concerns, debates, choices, and questions. Our peace is shattered by illness, disease, losses, struggles and weariness. Our peace is challenged by doubts, obligations, duties, circumstances. Our peace is stretched thin by much that is out of our control and beyond our influence.

                Sing that part about “peace on earth” again to me, please! Loudly!

                But then I also remember Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) The very Peace I am longing for does not come from shutting myself off from the world, nor by ignoring what is imperfect or flawed either in my life or in the immediate world around me. Peace is not realized by my passive, escapist disregard of what is making it feel so unpeaceful.

                Jesus’ peace comes by engaging the circumstances which we are in with actions, words, deeds that pour love on troubled, chaotic waters. If I am not part of the solution then I am part of the problem. His Peace is not just a quiet, dull life but a Life that is full and abundant and trying to make a difference in the world around me. Maybe not a big difference, but a difference just the same: some act of kindness, generosity, compassion, and by displaying a faith in a much bigger picture, one which is full of the Grace and Love of God.

                I will find real, lasting peace through the Way of Jesus. As far as I know, although he enjoyed his quiet times, he seldom took time longing for a Muskoka chair to pass the time away. He found peace in the people he healed, the friends who followed him, the children who surrounded him, the joy of his intimate relationship with his Father, and the challenge of being all he was called to be.

                Maybe that is why the chair in the picture is empty!

Dale

               

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?” (Romans    8:24)

Hope permeates this First Sunday of Advent.  It shines with possibility and anticipation and potential. Hope stirs the weary soul and heals the broken spirit. Hope alerts us to the future that promises blessing and peace and abundant living.

But hoping is not the same as wishing.

I wish I had million dollars, but I hope that God will help me to help others our of my sufficiency.

I wish that I was stronger, younger, and more adept at some things, but I hope that I will be able to use my God-given talents to do the best I can.

I wish that you didn’t have to face that test, but I hope that God will walk with you, even through the valley before you.

Wishing is about mostly about unrealistic expectations and sometimes quite selfish desires. It can be about chasing rainbows and building castles in the sky. Wishing is passive and improbable. It is the waiting for something good to happen and thinking it will land easily in your lap. Sometimes, wishing is born out of an attitude of entitlement and a self-deserving sentiment. It is an inward but rootless desire for results that have no likelihood of ever happening, leading to disappointment and frustration, envy and resentment.

Hoping is hard, active work. It takes creativity, imagination, thoughtfulness, and commitment. It dares look the future in the face and envisions fresh and new possibilities. Hoping is the result of having faith, trust and the strength to wait patiently. Hoping is not easy as there is much in this world that darkens its path. Anyone can wish for something but it is the strength of one’s character that truly builds up hope against the odds, against the storms, against the prevailing culture, against what seems inevitable, futile and fruitless. “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness…” (2 Corinthians 3:12)

But I also believe that the Biblical image of hope is rooted in the promise of the Kingdom of God and that means it is also attached intimately and imminently to the person and message of Jesus Christ. It is first announced in the song of Mary, “His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold.” (Luke 1: 50 -53, The Message Bible)

This promise is full of hope even though we seem far from such a world as this. But it is the hope of reversal, transformation, New Creation and the impregnation of God’s Love into our lives and world.

This is a hope that warns as well as comforts; it emboldens as well as leaves us quaking in our boots; it is wild and radical as well as challenging and earth- shattering; it is visionary as well as practical and pragmatic.

Hope is the Good News proclamation that God is not yet finished with us or our world. Watch out! Hang on!  “Then Jesus  spoke: ‘You're blessed when you've lost it all. God's kingdom is there for the finding. You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the Messianic meal. You're blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy comes with the morning.’” (Luke 6:20 -21, The Message Bible)

Dale

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

                Apparently, my blog site is being seen as a large industrial business.  Last week I received a very thick catalogue addressed to The Unconventional Baptist. The ULINE catalogue’s slogan is “beyond the box” which means over 700 pages of everything I would ever need to run a factory, a business, a store, a shop, or anything that is housed in a large building.  Boxes, labels, bags, vacuums, breakroom supplies, office supplies like pens, markers and tape, work gloves, trollies. You name it and they’ve got it. I just don’t need it.

It makes my little desk tucked here in the corner of the family room seem so small and insignificant. I am not sure where I could fit the stainless-steel drum although the drum cradle is a nice accessory.

It may not be the Sears’ Christmas Wish Book, (now, sadly defunct) but I know what I am getting everyone for Christmas. Who couldn’t use a nice pair of green(ish) chemical resistant gloves? Every home needs a bulk soap dispenser. If I spend over $300 I get a free T-Shirt.

We are inundated with so many things that we don’t really ever need. We are deluged by information. We are overwhelmed with a myriad of choices, decisions, possibilities, opportunities and bulk data.

Sometimes, the information we get is useless for the situation we are in. It doesn’t fit who we are or what we are experiencing or what we really need. But it can get stuck in our heads or clutter up our hearts or complicate our spirits.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34)  Jesus’ words speak of the value of decluttering all the stuff that we come across and fills up our lives  and instead focus on what has deep, significant, lasting value.  The Kingdom Life which Jesus finds so precious is one that lives without encumbrance in a loving, liberating, transformative, gracious, fulsome state of well-being. It is a life that does not hoard, amass, collect, pile up or accumulate. It is a life free from gluttony and greed.

It is a life that discovers with joy that life is better when we freely and generously give away all that we have as Jesus once said. The real treasures are the people around us, family and friends but even the stranger becomes our neighbour in this Kingdom Life of blessings.

There is no catalogue when it comes to Kingdom Living. Yet everything about this kind of life resonates with blessing and abundance.

                But, sorry – no free T-shirt!

Dale

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

                I have endured off-and-on again Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) since I was a kid. But I have never had a colonoscopy until yesterday. O joy! O bliss! Over the last few weeks my IBS has been persistently chronic and none of my usual tricks for coping have been working. So, it is time to get to the bottom of things (pun quite intended).

                The actual procedure was nothing, lasting about a half hour. But as anyone who has had the procedure will tell you the day before is no walk in the park. The intestinal cleansing and purge is a pain in the … well, you know where! Figuratively and literally! The 24 hour plus of fasting was no picnic either.

                I have survived but I am glad it will be another 5 years before I have to do that again (I hope, anyway).

                In Biblical times it is my understanding that the human bowels were figuratively the seat (OK; I’ll  stop punning) of any deep human emotions and feelings, whether positive or negative. “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:26)  

                For example, we have the much distressed and beleaguered Job complain that “My inward parts are in turmoil and are never still.” (Job30: 27) Many of the great Psalms which express the poets’ distress, dismay, pain and anguish would seem to refer to the gut-wrenching experiences they were enduring. It is said of Jesus that at the funeral of his friend Lazarus, “he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” (John 11:33)

                Even today, some may refer to having a “gut feeling” about some situation. A deep loss can be a “hard blow to the gut”. Somebody may ask, “What’s your gut telling you to do?” Some bold, daring action can be described as a “gutsy thing to do”.    

Not all deep inner emotional experiences are bad. Our deep feelings of love, mercy, compassion, joy, well-being may also come from the depths of our inner being.  For example, the old KJV translates Colossians 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…”.  Although the idea of clothing ourselves with these qualities makes more sense, it is an interesting use of words.

                In fact, that translation drew me to Jesus’ words in Mark’s Gospel as a counterpoint. He has been addressing the superficiality of religious traditions, customs, and the easy, shallow hypocrisy of some of the religious leaders. He then speaks to the crowd which had been listening in, “Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." (Mark 7:15)

                Certainly, I know that my own IBS can be triggered by stress, anxiety, fear, worry and anger. Then my gut is in a mess and nothing good comes of it. But to fill up on the good things of life, love, happiness, generosity and the like leads to and produces a positive and beneficial effect all around me.  

               Deep inside each and every one of us is the full capacity for abundant living. “There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.” (Luke 12:23, The Message)

“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 16 – 19).

Blessings for the week!

Dale

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

We and a few friends had gathered for supper recently and we got talking about the huge public reaction of grief accorded to musician Gord Downie after his sad death a few weeks ago. The two old goats around the table had to admit to a generational gap between ourselves and the age bracket who really sorrowed and then celebrated the man and his music after his passing. I must confess that I wouldn’t know a Tragically Hip piece of music even if my life depended on it. My woeful ignorance means no disrespect to the man or his music or his contributions to Canadian culture.

Yet, yesterday, I felt much the same as Downie’s fans when I heard the news of former Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay who died tragically at the age of 40 in a plane crash of his small private plane that he had been flying. For some reason, it really hit me hard. “Doc”, as he was nicknamed, was one of my favourite all time ball players. I had followed him throughout his career, even cheering for him when he was traded to Philadelphia. Of course, I have never met the man, but I had gained much admiration and appreciation for not only the ball player but the kind of man he was. In fact much of the anecdotal stories about him both yesterday and today started with him being a man of faith, a good husband and father, a hard worker before they begin to tell his baseball story.

Now there were equally good people who were killed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, including a whole family and several children. Before this terrible event they weren’t famous like Downie or Halladay. But they loved and were loved. A famous person’s death is not more tragic or more important than these folk in Texas.   These deaths are all equally sad and maddening and unfair and senseless and cruel.  We feel so powerless in their path and wish and pray for explanations to make sense and keep the chaos away.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus references a couple of tragedies that had befallen the people, one being Pilate’s execution of Galilean rebels and also a construction accident which had killed 18 people. The discussion arose when people asked some tough questions about cause-and-effect and probably the unfairness of the tragedies. Jesus did not give them particularly reassuring or pat religious answers. “Of those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4)  He then uses these tragedies to suggest that people look more deeply into their own personal lives, take stock, and put their lives in good order and get right with God.

Jesus was not one who usually connected physical disability with sin which is not to say that sin doesn’t have its physical affects. For example, when the disciples were connecting a young man’s blindness to his own sin or the sin of his parents, Jesus knocked that theory down totally. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned” but then he gives a fresh direction by which we might deal with these tough deaths and calamities. “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” (John 9: 3)

I suppose that modern, scientific enlightenment has taught us that there is always or should be always a rational, reliable, sensible answer to every question, doubt and uncertainty which we experience as we ask how or why. Lots of luck with that!  

I believe that God has always been fighting the Chaos and endless Darkness from the second that God touched off Creation with sacred Light and Life. “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Sometimes it seems really hard to hang on to that much trust and hope, but other times it is the only Way by which I can actually make any sense of what is happening all around you and me. 

Dale

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

                So, are you feeling particularly saintly today?  If so, this must be your day – All Saints Day on the Christian Calendar.

                What is a saint, you might ask? But you would be asking the wrong guy; I am no saint. Saintliness is not on my resume.  You might say that I have had a devil of a time in grooming the characteristics of sainthood. I don’t think a little plastic figure of myself will be sitting on anybody’s car dash in the near or distant future.

On the surface, saintliness sounds like a lot of blood, sweat and tears.  Saintliness seems to be the result of a lot of humbling, selfless, sacrificial work. I am pretty sure that it is not about how religious you are, how many bible verses you have memorized or whether you have a perfect attendance pin for Sunday School attendance. I don’t think it is about piety, creedal purity or being chair of the Church Board. Not that any of those things just mentioned are necessarily bad things; they just don’t add up to a full-bodied saintliness.

The Apostle Paul would regular address his letters to the saints who were in whatever particular church to which he was writing. E.g. “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints.” (Romans 1:7) Now he was neither buttering them up with fake accolades or ignoring their faults.  He knew, just like himself, nobody is perfect. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12)

 Nobody is without sin. Nobody has it all figured out. Nobody has achieved a flawless selflessness or faultless service or has a spotless record of good deeds and works.

Nobody has completely mastered being like Jesus!

Some impossible, idealistic notion of perfection is not the foundation of saintliness, by a long shot. I know that Jesus said that we are to strive for perfection as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), but I don’t he is referring to some cold piety of stiff, religious duty.

If God is Love then our perfection is pointing in that same direction - the Way of Love that Jesus embodied and exampled for us to follow. "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  (Matthew 19:21) Many of us are more likely to emulate the rich young man to whom Jesus spoke and walk away from Jesus grieving that Jesus was setting impossible standards of discipleship.

The continuous and selfless act of loving and therefore the road to true sainthood is indeed hard, uncompromising and challenging at times. We are taken beyond our comfort zones, find ourselves in strange company, and are forced to take risks and make decisions that ruffle our assumptions and stretch our spiritual muscles to weariness. 

This is the stuff of sainthood and the miracle is that commonplace, ordinary, regular men and women and even children show saintly natures each and every day. They are the saints who quietly go about loving others by working in food banks, help in making meals for the homeless, run shelters, spend nights in Telecare watch, volunteer at hospitals, make a phone call on somebody’s birthday, etc. etc. etc. There are saints in church choirs and those who lead scout troops. There are saints who pray regularly and continuously for others’ well-being, health and salvation.

You actually may be a saint although you would probably deny it.  But if you love others as you are loved, you have taken a step toward sainthood.

“I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, Christians cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours! May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.” (1 Corinthians 1:2 – 3, The Message)

Saints alive! That’s powerful stuff!

Dale

Wednesday, October 25

      Point to Ponder & Discuss:  Do atheists celebrate Hallowe'en?

      They don't seem to enjoy the mysterious side of  any religion, Christianity in particular. They have established a wide gap between religion and things like politics and education. Their argument is that religion, often perceived as just foolish superstition, needs to be kept out of the way  of truly enlightened people.
       What's more superstitious than Hallowe'en in many ways?
       I have been reading that some schools are toning down the whole Hallowe'en celebration in their schools. This is not out of any concern of any religious, supernatural overtones but  because they are concerned - rightly so in this day and age - that costumes may be culturally inappropriate, offensive or racially insensitive. I really hope that such sensitivity will be picked up although I can think of better ways to get the message of inclusiveness across, but it is a start. (It also bemuses me that  no one  might think that children dressing up as hideous monsters, ghastly ghouls, blood-dripping clowns, freaks of nature is not any less offensive  or disturbing but what do I know?)
        Hallowe'en is not one of my favourite nights of the week in the year, not necessarily because it has occultist connotations.  As much as I believe in the mystery and sacredness of life and spirit, I have never believed in goblins, witches, zombies and the like. Maybe that makes me an atheist of sorts! But we will still give out candy to the princesses, the super heroes, and all the cute fuzzy animals who come to our door. Some of the older kids can't even be bothered to dress up any more.We don't get all that many and it leaves us with a nice stash of chocolate candy once the night is over.
       Some conservative Christians refuse to celebrate Hallowe'en because of its perceived links to occultism, Satanism and the  evil of supernatural forces. I doubt that they believe in ghosts or vampires any more than I do but they prefer not to mess with the unknown, no matter anyway. So be it!
       I am not so much concerned over kids in Hallowe'en costumes as I am about the real presence of real Evil that is at work in our world today. A good example is the recent slaughter in Las Vegas, but it is only one of hundreds of stories of pain, suffering, horror, terror, and chilling abominations that are cursing our world. My "devil" doesn't carry a pitchfork and have a forked tail, but carries an automatic rifle and looks just like the guy down the street.  Now that is truly scary!
       Now, I am of the theology and belief that one of things that Jesus has done for us is to score a decisive win against Evil itself. This is not to say that Evil doesn't continue to fight back and has yet conceded defeat. Evil  wants nothing more than to discourage us, overwhelm us, frighten us and disfigure the goodness and blessedness of life so that we will turn away from God's Love, Grace, Beauty, Goodness and Hope.
        But we believe that in  Jesus Christ we are equipped to handle anything and everything that Evil throws at us or throws in our way. "No, in all these things we are more than conqueror through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)
        It is good to be wary of Evil in any of its forms and disguises. But we are not alone, not left defenceless, not without power,  not without the tools of "battle" against the Evil One.
        "And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. 
        This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
        Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.
        Truth, righteousness,  peace,  faith,  and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon.
         In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. " (Ephesians 6 10 -17, The Message)

Dale

     

Thursday, October 19, 2017

       We have learned, this week, that the child whom Nathaniel and Krista are expecting next March will be a boy - our fourth grandson. His Uncle Nick has commented that we now have a four man  bobsled team.

         Or more likely a four-boy gang of little, holy terrors. I am already imagining our family get-togethers once number four gets running around with the others. Oh, the mischief that will ensue; the schemes, the mayhem, the noise, the rough-housing, the high-jinks. All ye without faith, abandon hope here...

         I wouldn't  miss it for the world! Or want it any other way.
         "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace." (Psalm 144:12)
         Or grandsons or granddaughters.
         I was partly joking  with my comment above about faith and hope. But the more I think about it I realize it does take a lot of faith and hope to raise a child in today's world. Having faith in the child himself or herself. Having faith in one's parenting abilities and one's own character. Having faith in the family that the child is surrounded by. Having faith in the teachers and instructors to whom one entrusts the child down the road. Having faith in the friends they choose. Having faith when they head out the door on their own.
          Then we hope. Hope for well-being and safety wherever they go. Hope for their happiness and fulfilment. Hope for their success and achievement. Hope they succeed at school. Hope they will be liked. Hope they will stay away from trouble, drugs and the wrong friends. Hope they get picked for the team. Hope they will  hit the winning run in and feel triumphant. Hope there is never a war they will recruited to join.
            That seems a lot to hope for in what seems to be a troubling world right now.  But as our children enter into this world it is our  loving responsibility as adults to have faith and to have hope. To allow them to know that they are secure, loved, celebrated, encouraged and comforted  no matter the winds that may and will blow.
             Finally, for me it also takes faith and hope that I look to God to sustain us, to enlighten us, to counsel  us and to give us strength in our relationships with our children. One of the great images of Jesus was his ready willingness to gather children around him and bless them. I believe that children are extremely important to God and God grieves when children are abused, starving, unloved, and killed in wars. I believe that God expects us adults to do far better.
           Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  (Matthew 9:14)
           Now where did I put that bobsled?

Dale

Wednesday, October 11, 2012

         Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite celebrations. Although it was unseasonably warm this year often it has been cool and comfortable, just right for autumn walks under the changing foliage. Then when you come back into the house you smell the cooking turkey or the aroma of pumpkin pies or other savory smells.  Then the  very best part is when the family gathers around the groaning board of  a Thanksgiving Feast and the laughter, love and general mayhem begins.

          Susan and I celebrated Thanksgiving in Mississauga with Nick and Erin hosting. Erin organized and prepared  a fantastic meal. Our three grandchildren added to the merriment and joy of the occasion. Once again we gathered, broke bread and counted our many blessings. Susan and  are richly and abundantly blessed by all four of our children, their partners and grandchildren.

           "We will be satisfied by the goodness of your house..."  This verse comes from a psalm of thanksgiving, Psalm 65.

            I think we live in culture in which it has become very difficult to be simply satisfied with what we are given.  Some folk are never satisfied about their lives, their loved ones, their jobs, their  families, their physical looks, their salary, their church, their friends, their health, their well-being. Some argue that we live in an age of entitlement, and if that is true, I can just about guarantee that people who feel entitled will seldom, if ever, feel fully satisfied. I suppose it would be easy to think of all things that I don't have in my life, feel sorry for myself, complain and be bitter, blame God or somebody else  for these deficiencies.
            But that is when I stop and look around the table and experience the feeling of satisfaction of our house and am very grateful to God for the love that I am privileged to share right there and then.  I wouldn't trade it for anything - not even for the Ottawa Senators winning the Stanley Cup.
             To keep it short, sweet and simple:
             "I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess - happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am," (Philippians 4: 10:13, The Message).
             Belated Happy Thanksgiving! But actually, it is never too late to be thankful!

Dale 

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

            My regular computer is sick and is in the hospital for sick computers. It blew a port for some reason which crashed the whole system.  This couldn't possibly have resulted from the fact that one of the dogs became tangled in some of the cords and toppled the tower down could it?  Now I am using my lap top which I don't like for writing. For some reason I am so much slower as I make far more spelling mistakes and accidental formatting errors.
             When the other computer went down, the error message was more than daunting. Error 1962. Operating system cannot be found; start-up sequence will repeat. I tried the Dale Soble method of computer repair - I unplugged it and then plugged back in. You might be surprised how often that actually works. But  not this time. The same error message came right back up. Then I went to plan B - I phoned Susan who has often saved me from myself when it comes to computer problem solving. But not this time.
             So off it has gone to the shop. Initial reports are  that it is not as serious as I feared. They can fix it.  I didn't lose anything. Whew! You know, one of these days I really should back everything up...
             But in this painful process I have discovered a metaphor for faith.
             Faith is our operating system. We run our life out of it. It helps us access those people, events, and texts which inform and shape our thoughts,  morals, behaviour and relationships. Faith connects us to the sacred and divine in life. Everyone has a faith of some kind, even those who say they do not believe in God but they too still have standards, values and fundamentals that guide them through their lives. But we who have  faith in Jesus Christ have an operating system which is based in him and shaped by him - by the things he said and did and who we interpret him to be as the Christ.
             We can take our faith for granted. It runs along just fine and we don't really take much notice of it until something goes wrong. We get an error message that overtakes our faith and no matter what we do we  can't get around or past the error message. It can be something big like the Las Vegas shooting that shakes our faith but more than likely it will be far more personal like losing a job, getting a cancer diagnosis or  going through a marriage breakdown or suffering the loss of a loved one. Maybe it just a series of little things that pile up and overloads the operating system of faith over time. Maybe somebody has yanked or pulled you down. Try  as we might the operating system cannot be found and hard as we try to reboot the system it won't.
             There are no instant or magical solutions to this problem.  I believe it takes some due diligence and patient intentionality to begin. It won't happen over  night. But  nothing happens until you try.
              I believe that we are to begin with prayer, not because it is a panacea, but rather it is a channel for reconnection with the sacred love of God.  "Pray without ceasing..." , (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It can't get any simpler than that.  Technique, style, fancy words don't matter. In your meditations with God or Christ at its core, you may begin to unpack what has caused the error message and be led to rethink or redo or refresh or restart or be reborn.   
              We may choose to augment our hunger for faith with scripture, fellowship with other believers, or a quiet walk along a nature trail. We will need to stop our busy-ness, our fretting, our worrying and instead allow the Grace and Love of God to fill the voids and blank screens, and restore our souls beside still waters.
              
Dale
              



             

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

                Our mayor and members of the Peterborough City Council are fundamentally good and moral people. They work hard for our City and do the best they can. But I feel they have dropped the ball. Although it was not actually their decision per se, a City department has allowed a white supremacist group to hold a “political” rally in Confederation Park which also is home to our War Memorial. My father’s name is etched into the stone with the many hundreds of others who answered the call to fight Nazism. And now an alleged  neo-nazi organizer wants to hold a rally against the federal Liberals and their immigration policies under the guise of expression of “free speech”.

                I have always defended democratic freedom but I also believe the right of free speech is also a privilege that calls for both responsibility and accountability.  Hate speech, especially against people of colour, religion, race, gender, etc. is a cheap, spiteful, hateful abuse of free speech.

                I have emailed the mayor and each of our ward Councillors to protest and oppose this rally and use of the War Memorial for their racist purposes. The Mayor and four others have responded. To each of their credit none of them support the aims and purposes of this group, although they have been rather slow in coming out and saying so. But each has also said that legally they had no choice – people have a legal right to lawful, peaceful assembly and the City had no grounds to turn them down.

                Although I understand that the City was between a rock and a hard place and officials now have pledged to keep the group away from the War Memorial I would still have preferred that the City had been more proactive to keep this racist group off-line altogether. This Council has taken more time to fuss over whether cats should be leashed and urban chicken coops than giving strong, courageous leadership in this matter. It looks to me, at least, like they were not prepared for the decision and the backlash and attention which it is now causing.

                A lot of bad things can happen when we say “we had no choice” or “we were under orders” or we look the other way or we become too cautious to get involved or think the problem will go away if we ignore it or that it’s somebody else’s problem or we just want everybody to get along and be liked by all.   “I’m just doing my job; minding my own business; just doing what I’m told.” 

                Saying the just thing and doing the just thing, that which the Bible describes as righteousness is never easy. “Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?’” (Matthew 9:4) Jesus was speaking to his critics and opponents, and challenged them forthrightly even though it put him at grave risk.  It always strikes me as ironic that Jesus, a Jew to the core, would be hated for his race by white supremacist groups, even though some of these vile groups hide behind Christian symbols. On another occasion he had this to say to them, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Matthew 12:34) Finally, on another Jesus’ note:  “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed,” (John 3:20).

                Now, I strongly believe that evil is best fought with more than just words.  Good deeds, just action, right thinking, and the works of love, grace and mercy can help stop evil in its track. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” (Romans 12:21). But please note that this admonition implies action rather than passivity, deeds as well as words, engagement as well as resistance. Otherwise, we reap what we sow.

                I am sure that many of you have read the short poem written by the German pastor, Martin Niemöller during WWII. He was an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. But it is well worth sharing again:

              First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Socialist. 

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist. 

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 

Because I was not a Jew. 

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dale

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

                10,000 steps a day!!! Yikes!!!

                That is what my doctor has recommended to me after my complete physical yesterday – 10,000 steps a day. Who comes up with these ridiculous numbers? Was it some physical fitness nut in a spandex suit who enters marathons just for fun? A civic servant in the Ministry of Health and Welfare chuckling away in her or his office? I bet it was my Grade 9 phys.ed. teacher, Mr. Bell; just the kind of malevolent thing he’d enjoy doing.

                10,000 steps a day. Let’s see. It’s about 2 steps from the couch to my desk. It’s about 5 steps from the couch to the refrigerator. It may take 6 steps to get to the bathroom – from the couch. I sometimes go into the living room to read (I’m tired of the couch) – maybe 8 steps at the most. Once or twice a day I climb the stairs – that’s 14 steps each time, coming and going. Sometimes I have to look for the TV remote; that’s a couple of steps or so. I have to walk to the car a couple of times a day – that’s got to be good for another 15 steps or so both ways. Add in the miscellany steps like grocery store trips and the like.  How am I doing? Hey, look at that; I am about up to 150 or 200 steps on a busy day. Son-of-a-gun; I seem to be just a little bit short.

                10,000 steps a day. Who’s my doctor kidding? I bet you that I would have to walk from here to Lakefield to get in 10,000 steps – a trip of 40 kilometers or so. Apparently, there is an app for my phone which will tell me how many steps I have taken in a day. Yeah; like I need my phone laughing at me.

It has taken a great of time and effort to build this bodily temple to corpulent laziness. It seems a tad irreligious to tear it down with 10,000 steps each and every day.

Sadly, he is probably right about me needing more exercise. Getting more exercise is another thing altogether. “One dies in full prosperity being wholly at ease and secure; his loins full of milk and the marrow of his bones moist…” (Job 21:23) Doesn’t say anything about doing 10,000 steps – sometimes you gotta love proof-texting, although I find "milky loins" just a tad disturbing. Oh, well, as they say, any great journey begins with the first step. I’ll start first thing tomorrow!

The condition of the human body was an important part of Jesus’ holistic ministry as evidenced by the many stories of healings that speak to us throughout the Gospels. Broken and diseased bodies were a chaotic reversal of the goodness of God’s Creation in which God created both male and female in his own image (Genesis 1:26). Conversely the blessings of God’s Reign (i.e. his Kingdom to come) was to help his Creation be restored to its full state of well being.  

Jesus toiled on behalf of that Kingdom as “the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick,” (Luke 5:17). It was a major component of his ministry, and he touched and included in this ministry the poor, foreigners, Roman soldiers, ostracized lepers, women, children, shunned Samaritans and so on. Not surprisingly, it was one of the main attractions that brought the crowds to Jesus – his ability to heal.

We are not talking about TV evangelistic healing theatre. We are pointing to a deeply compassionate, humbly simple, sincere loving touch of the Master so as to reveal the Love of God in every broken body and blinded face and tortured mind and diseased limb. One can stumble over the literal how of history and miss the poetic Love of the Mystery which permeates these healing stories.

I believe that we are given these stories as a sign of hope and possibility, not to abandon doctors and hospitals and treatments, but to dare to trust that God intends for each and every one of us to be whole, to be sound in body and mind, to be loved and to be blessed.  That when disease and illness take us over this is not God’s will of Love for us, but an aberration of God’s gracious living Creation.

Take it one step at a time, my friends; one step at a time.

Dale

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

                Now that I have assumed most of the duties of chief cook and bottle washer, it has given me a huge appreciation for all the many, many hours and years that my wife, Susan, put in the kitchen cooking up meals for our family. I have always enjoyed cooking as a hobby of sorts, coming up with great stew recipes, making the occasional fancy dinner, being creative and innovative.  I have always enjoyed cooking on the BBQ. But I will confess coming up with different ideas for suppers every night is tough.

There is only so much chicken, or hamburgers, or sausage,  or pork chops and steak a guy can cook before it becomes rather tedious and boring. Susan is a fantastic cook, yet she is quite tolerant of meals that have become routinely dull and repetitive, although she recently asked that I buy no more kale salad kits.

I have been resorting to frozen food like lasagnas, pizzas, and pre-cooked suppers. The other night we had fish and chips. I never seem to learn that frozen, battered fish is the absolute worst. It was a very forgettable meal. It has to be fresh fish!

Food plays an important part in Jesus’ ministry. He was always chowing down with somebody. He loved a good a party with good eats. He’d even invite himself for supper. Poor Martha, a close friend. was slaving in a hot kitchen preparing a big meal for Jesus and the lads. He catered to big picnics out on the hillsides making a few fish and a bit of bread go a very long way. He told great stories about banquets and feasts. He enjoyed the table fellowship with the poorest or the most powerful and rich.

Food meant hospitality, friendship, community, laughter, and socializing.  And I also believe the abundance of food was a gift and a sign of God’s Kingdom to come.

Jesus took very seriously the invitation in Isaiah: "Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway - buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money - everything's free!” (Isaiah 55:1, The Message) The words from Jesus’ parable of the great banquet reflect this: "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23)

At the end of the Gospel of John there is a marvelous vignette of Jesus cooking some fish over a charcoal fire. It has been a few days since the news of Christ’s resurrection was revealed to the disciples.  But the disciples had  gone back to the tried, true and safe – fishing. Resurrection is a hard bit of news to get one’s head around but they easily understood the repetitious tossing of nets and hauling them in. They hadn’t recognized the man on the shore telling them where the best fishing spots were. But once they started to catch fish Peter recognised it was Jesus and he dove into the water stark naked. (There is a baptismal imagery here but I won’t get into that just now.)

Jesus is cooking them breakfast. By the way I love fresh fish for breakfast; Dad did it all the time at the cottage - fresh, pan-fried perch with toast and eggs; ymmm. There is such simplicity, grace, and humility in the action of the Risen Lord.  Nothing ostentatious. Nothing flamboyant. Sit down and let’s have a meal together.  Come, gather around the fire and warm your bodies and fill yourselves up. Taste and see that God is good. Let’s share each other’s company and tell mysterious and wondrous tales of new life around the campfire. Let’s break bread together.

Now that is something I can’t buy in the frozen food section of the grocery store.

Dale

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 

                Poor Charlie!

                While Susan and I were spending a wonderful, long weekend in Goderich with our daughter Maggie and her husband Ryan, Charlie and his brother Kramer, our two dogs, were off to the kennel at our veterinary’s place. Charlie loves going away there for the weekend. He loves all the attention which the staff give him and he struts in as if he owns the place and could, if allowed, just prance off on his own to where his bed awaits.

                But this time, I requested that they give him a bath and also just a trim around his back end where there were some mats. The operative word here is “trim”.

                Now Charlie is normally a very bushy dog. In fact, his mostly brown fur is long and wispy. He is part Australian Shepherd and Border Collie. And it always looks as if the two breeds can’t make up their mind as to what kind of hair Charlie should have. It looks like he has stuck his paw in a light socket. It goes everywhere. All that dog hair makes him look roly-poly and over weight.

                When we picked the boys up on Sunday night, we weren’t sure Charlie was indeed our dog. The back-end trim had very obviously turned into a radical nose-to-tail hair-ectomy. Talk about being down to the short hairs! Our rotund, hairy pooch was now a sleek, short-haired dog from stem to stern. It turned out that he was so full of mats and tangles, and so bushy that the only way to get him clean to the skin was a thorough and deep-seated brush cut.  We can even see the little wart in the middle of his back, peeking through the very short fur.

                Charlies seems to be very self-conscious since coming home, a little abashed and uncomfortable at his new appearance.  He now looks more like an Australian Cattle Dog than an Australian Shepherd. I am not sure that he likes the new look, even though we keep assuring him that he looks just fine. But he just sadly looks up at us as if to say, “Don’t look at me; I’m naked!”

                Jesus was never very comfortable with those who ceremoniously clean only, a superficial purity  at best  but which did not get down to the roots of a person’s spirit and character. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence,” (Matthew 23:25). He told them to clean the grit and grime of their lives from the inside out and then everything will be clean. One has to get down to the short hairs of sinning, bad behaviour, careless talk, and anything that fouls and besmirches the human mind, body and spirit.  “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong, “ (Isaiah 1:16).

                By and large, most of us don’t want to be that exposed, revealing our warts and all. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?’” (Proverbs 20:9) We like to cover up the problems and issues we have. Maybe just a trim here and there, but nothing too radical! We want to pretend that everything is all right just the way it is and always has been. But when Jesus and his Way bring to light the parts of our lives that need to change in order for us to live healthier and more abundant lives it may take a little uncomfortable exposure before we understand that maybe we aren’t what we thought we were but find our true selves in the transformational Love of God.

                “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow,” (Psalm 51: 7).

                Make sure you get behind the ears!

Dale