Wednesday, May 27, 2020
“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3: 18 – 20, New Living Translation) 

                OK, it’s time to fess up. What gastronomical guilty pleasures have you been indulging in during these last too many weeks?  What have you bitten into and chewed with utter bliss and satisfaction? What food have you made excuses about as you delightfully crammed them into your mouth? What rationale do you come up with as the deliciousness hits your palette?  Has it been ice cream? Pie? Chocolates. Fast food? Potato chips? Cheezies? Donuts? Handfuls of chocolate chips straight from the bag? A half a box of Lucky Charms?

What food has given you a lift, a boost and a moment or two of thinking that the world is not as bad as your feared?

My guilty pleasure – for this week anyway – was a bag of Pork Rinds. Mmmm, good! How could you not love pork rinds? They are  wonderfully simple and totally un-doctored by additives and chemicals. It says so right on the package: pork rinds, lard and salt. That’s it! Let me repeat. This is a righteous snack made up of bacon and pork bits, deep fried in fat until they are a crunchy goodness and then well-salted to perfection. How can all that tasty scrumptiousness not be good for a person?

I won’t judge your guilty pleasure if you don’t judge mine.

As noted in our text our actions tell a lot about us as individuals. The old adage is that you are what you eat.  But this is not about at the foods that we occasionally  indulge in. It would be highly hypocritical of me to counsel about good diets for others.

This is more about certain types of guilty pleasures which become problematic and get in the way of healthy living and break down our relationships with others.  It is when certain worthless things constantly and continuously take over our lives and become personal habits that ignore the lives of others. I am not necessarily talking about a big slab of chocolate cake here, obviously.

This corona virus has been quite the test for humankind. Far too many have indulged in the (not-so) guilty pleasure of ignoring any or all saftety precautions. Selfishly, they go out in groups, protest, play by the thousands in parks and on beaches; some who apparently are going to go berserk if they don’t get a hair cut right today or go to a mall or throw a frisbee around.  Bad enough that they thoughtlessly put themselves at risk, it is the rest of us whom they have so selfishly endangered. It is one thing to wolf down a half gallon of cookies-and-cream ice cream but it is another matter of inconsiderate respect for others to flout social distancing.

I hate this period of social distancing with all my heart.  But I do not want to risk the health of my loved ones by indulging in visits and get-togethers with family and friends. It is killing me not to be able to hug my grandkids, but neither would I want to be the cause of them getting sick. So, I endure forgoing the not-so-guilty pleasure of their company and love.

“Let us practice real love” (The Message Bible.) Then we don’t have to feel guilty or compromised or regretful. I will look forward to sharing a bag of Pork Rinds with my grandchildren once this is all over. (Who am I kidding? Their respective moms will do a body search as soon as I show up.) It can’t come soon enough, I admit. But I need to trust God that he is still at work through this and that God will lead a way forward. Now is not the time to indulge  and satisfy my yearnings.

And I don’t have an iota of guilt in having that faith!

Dale

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, New Living Translation) 

                The things one learns during a pandemic:

·         I like canned vegetables better than frozen vegetables.

·         I can’t cook Minute Rice for the life of me. I can whip up a nearly gourmet-type meal but my Minute Rice is a crunchy risotto mess. 

·         Dogs don’t care about Covid19. They love having everyone home all the time.

·         I don’t really mind now standing in a line, six feet apart, waiting to get into a grocery or drug store. Normally, I hate line-ups and waiting.

·         Just when gas is so cheap, my car’s gas tank is still almost three-quarters full after filling up well over six weeks ago. It also does wonders for the mileage limits on our car lease. 

·         I am very glad that I got a buzz cut before we went to Florida in March. My hair – what little there is of it anyway - still doesn’t need combing. (My mother would have been going nuts if she couldn’t have her hair done once a week.)

·         We go through a lot more coffee when my wife is home and not at work. 

Pretty trivial and unimportant stuff, am I right? What will you remember from out of these times in which we are living?  Are you getting cabin fever yet? Are you yelling at the birds? Apparently, they seem much louder to some people because there is less noise pollution to drown them out. How’s the homeschooling been going? New appreciation for school teachers, eh? They should be paid like rock stars.

We will come out of this time period with very different experiences, memories and stories to tell. Some will be very painful and sad memories. But most of us will reflect on the small inconveniences, the minor delays, the unimportant frustrations and the small but bothersome interruptions in our usual daily routines. In the long run it may help us appreciate the small things in life and not take them for granted. Although it has been harder on some than others, we will all be relieved when things get back to normal, whatever normal may be.

In our text, Jesus is encouraging us to reflect on those aspects of life that transcend the basic needs for food and clothing and even shelter. I don’t think he meant that these fundamental needs are not important but that a full life is more than a full belly alone. This concurs with what Jesus said when he was being tempted by Satan to satisfy his appetite, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NLT) I am also reminded of the Beatitude: “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6, NLT)

God forbid that the inconsequential ever dominates my life or that I drown in the trivial anxiety of wishing I had more of something or fretting that my life is just a lottery win away from true happiness.

I enjoy my “bread-and-butter” as much as the next person and I have been blessed that I have never really gone without in my life. I also recognize that hunger and poverty are a real pandemic in their own right throughout the world. But I also appreciate very keenly how full my life is because of family, friends and the experiences, ideas, thinking, abilities with the gifts and talents I have which all have given me so much to make life interesting, worthwhile and meaningful.  Moreover, it is a life that has been graced and led by God through Jesus Christ, granting me much joy, yet challenging me to do good and be good, inviting me to share in being a part of Kingdom building and living.

I’m not perfect by a long shot but God has gotten me this far; so, I am going to trust him for the rest of this journey.  

Dale

Wednesday, May 13, 2020
                “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 ‘care-full,’ 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. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds.” (Matthew 5: 1 – 12, The Message Bible)

The Beatitudes are probably my favourite verses of scripture.

They are challenging but comforting, provocative but re-assuring, insightful and hopeful. They turn the world upside down and inside out. In them, Jesus makes a commitment that God will reverse the negative circumstances for people who are powerless, defenceless, weak, poor and have no one to defend them in times of troubles. The Message Bible gives them a fresh interpretation. Please read them carefully, prayerfully and thoughtfully.

These are the perfect verses for these times we are in.

These verses invite us to see the world as God wants it to be, rather than the way it is. They imply that God is not done in re-creating this old  reality, and fighting for true and significant justice. We can be new creations. The words promise that there is a place for you and me in God’s care, no matter how low on the totem pole we happen to be. They refuse to allow the big, bad world to finish us off. None of us need to be victimized, abused, lost, forgotten or tossed aside.

These verses express for me the very core or heart of the Gospel, the Good News according to Jesus. God has a plan; evil is trying to thwart it. But God won’t give up on us; God won’t allow pain and suffering ultimately to define our lives. Jesus is the guarantee that even death loses in the end.

There is an old gospel hymn you may be familiar with:

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged that all is lost,

Count your many blessings -

Name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” (J. Oatman Jr.)

Perhaps, these words sound all too simplistic and the Beatitudes sound unrealistic. But I often think that stretching reality is the very purpose of the whole Gospel, defining fresh interpretations of salvation and redemption. This Gospel reverses the tide of human affairs. This Gospel confronts what sometimes seems to be so painfully normal and unchangeable. This Gospel gives the world a shake and upsets the patterns of sin, evil, injustice and misery. The Gospel give me courage to face the world knowing that I am not alone.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged – God is over all;

Count your many blessings – angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Dale

Wednesday, May 6, 2020
“Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (John 7: 3 – 4, New Living Translation) 

                I almost feel like I am doing something naughty or mischievous.

                But what I am actually doing is just getting in my car and doing mundane errands.  Once and sometimes – horrors - twice a week I need to buy groceries, hit the drug store for prescriptions or go to the pet food a store or the vet’s for doggie pills. Sometimes, I feel very persona non grata, like when I walked into our veterinary’s clinic and the shocked clerk was so alarmed at my presence, “You can’t be in here.” So, yes, sometimes what used to be so normal has become fraught with the thrill (?) of doing something illicit or inappropriate.

                On the other hand,  as I drove to McDonald’s last week, feeling quite adventurous,  it brought to mind  those summers when I was a mere lad and I would visit my grandparents on their farm in Prince Edward County. Usually, it was for just a few days, and I really enjoyed my time with them. But the highlight was always the mid-week trip into Wellington in my Grandpa’s Austin Mini.

We would first drop off several dozens of eggs at the egg depot. Grandma would do a bit of grocery shopping at some point.  But she would often take me into the library, smelling wonderfully of old books and best of all, displaying shelves of stuffed owls and other birds.  Sometimes, she ‘d take me into the Five and Dime Store where I would spend the fifty cents which my Mom had given me on some cheap toy. Finally, the trip would be capped off when my Grandpa would buy us all ice cream cones. Then we would all bundle into the Mini and get home in time to do the afternoon chores.

Perhaps, there is a silver lining in the pandemic clouds. Whereas before, most of us have been rushing from one place to another every day, now an outing becomes special. We have to think before we act or do something outside the home.  We have to make the moment count. We are far more intentional how we use our time. We don’t tend to waste our time but used our time wisely and prudently. It can be special to get out of the house, something to savour and enjoy.

I know that some people are frustrated and even angry at the whole social distancing thing. Some are protesting the orders to stay at home. Others are very fearful and reluctant to go out at all. Some wear masks wherever they go and others take their chances, empty-faced. We are all reacting differently and there is no right way or wrong way to cope in these difficult times.

In the text above, Jesus’ brothers are urging Jesus to get out more; show himself to the world and show what he can do. John gives us his theological reasons why Jesus is reluctant to do so at this time, “It is not yet my time,” Jesus explains.  Yet, I am also reminded of Jesus’ urging of his followers to show themselves to the world, even if he has his own reasons here not to do so himself.

                “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:  14 -16, The Message Bible)

                Make your moments count. Make the most of every opportunity. Show yourself to the world in ways that matter. Don’t be afraid. Be wise and prudent, of course, but enjoy and savour your contacts in the world around you.

                Have an ice cream cone – it’s my treat!


Dale