Wednesday, May 28, 2025

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (2 Timothy 3:16, The Message Bible)

(I am doing a pulpit supply at First Baptist Church, Port Hope, for a few Sundays. Service time is 11:00 a.m. I have found the people to be very warm and friendly. If you live in the area, we would love to see you.)

                 Books, books and more books. We could fill  a small library. As we sort and sift through our household in preparation for the big move into an apartment in June, we realize just how many books we have.  Fantasy. Mystery, Science Fiction, Novels. History. Bird books. Cook books by the score. I gave away over half of my personal library when I retired but I still brought home 6 or 7 boxes of theology, commentaries, and favorite authors like Walter Brueggemann, William Willimon  and N.T. Wright. Haven’t touched them since I brought them home.  I don’t just want to throw them out either. There should be book rescues like there are pet rescues. Do you know a good home for a commentary on Timothy? A lot of our other books are going to be donated to the “Friends of the Library” for their annual book sale, but I doubt there is much market for a preachers’ library.

                There are some who might say that the only book I really need is the Bible. There is much truth in that thought. It has been my constant companion for my whole professional career and then some. It has been the first source for my sermons. It has been my personal guide and inspiration. The Bible has been the cornerstone for the growth and development of my theology.  The scriptures have painted a picture and forged an understanding of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I wouldn’t and couldn’t write this blog without my reliance on the Bible. In short, where I go, my Bible goes.

                But you don’t have to be a pastor or a theologian to enjoy the grace, beauty and message of our Bible. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119: 105, The Living Translation) There are some parts that hard difficult to read (e.g. Leviticus) or perhaps to see their relevance. But for the most part, the Bible teems with wisdom, inspiration, moral checkpoints, encouragement, and best of all, perhaps, the stories about Jesus. “Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.” (Psalm 119: 133)

                We Baptists (as well as others, of course) affirm the Bible as the sole authority over our discipleship and within our churches. It doesn’t mean we all agree in our interpretations and understanding. As has been often said about Baptists, when you put two Baptists in a room together, you will  end up with  three opinions. Sadly, we have had some very deep divisions  in our Baptist history over the use of scripture. Even today there are significant divides between us,  over women in ministry, church memberships, sexual orientation, and so on.

                Traditionally, Baptists have practiced what is known as Soul Liberty. “Soul liberty is the freedom to choose what one's conscience or soul dictates is right in the religious realm. It is the freedom to worship according to one's own conscience. Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, is accountable to God personally. Soul liberty asks the believer to accept responsibility for his own actions and not try to force anyone else to do or believe anything contrary to his own conscience.” This definition has also embraced our understanding of scripture. It doesn’t mean that any old meaning will do to suit our purposes. Even Satan can quote scriptures (cf. Matthew 4:6) But it allows us the freedom of thought, of choice in picking our path toward the truth, without any external authority

                Yet, I also believe that our mutual discussion and conversations, even preaching to a congregation, enrich and enhance our understanding of the Bible. We need to gather together around God’s Word.  Not only do we need to read it on our own in our daily or weekly devotional times but we deepen our understanding when we listen to others share their relationship with scriptures. “The very essence of your words is truth; all your just regulations will stand forever.” (Psalm 119: 160) It is always better to get to that essence by reading, listening and sharing together “Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.” (1 Timothy 4: 13)

                “This commandment that I’m commanding you today isn’t too much for you, it’s not out of your reach. It’s not on a high mountain—you don’t have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it’s not across the ocean—you don’t have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!” (Deuteronomy 30: 11 -14 The Message Bible)

Dale

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” (Philippians 3: 8 - 9)

                I’d like to think of ourselves as savers, not hoarders. Our adult children may be  thinking otherwise.

                They have stepped up and, on their weekends, our kids are emptying our house of all the junk and detritus in order to get us ready for our big move in June. They are sorting through 20 years of stuff that has amassed over that time. I suspect that there are boxes that came from Brantford when we moved here which were never unpacked. The kids have sorted out their old rooms and now some of our junk is their junk. Nathaniel took home a huge tub of action figures which I am sure delighted  Declan and Naomi, our grandchildren. But we really have no one to blame for the amount of junk than ourselves. Both the sunroom (now immaculately empty) and the garage became easy dumping grounds for whatever we weren’t using or didn’t need. Things pile up over 20 years and after a while I don’t think we even saw any of it anymore. The vast majority of it is worthless garbage. And we don’t need to take any of of it with us to Whitby.

                In our text, Paul is looking back on all the religious baggage that he has stored up over his lifetime up to then and   he came to the conclusion that it really wasn’t worth anything. He uses words like worthless or garbage which, when more literally translated, means something far stronger; “dog dung” is how the Message Bible translates it.  I don’t think he was saying that his life was worthless but that all that religious weight of rules, regulations, proscriptions and dogmas (i.e. the Law) were of no value in living a life in Jesus Christ. Mind you, Paul never gave up on the Law but he put it in in its proper, secondary perspective, “so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.”

                It can be very difficult to put the past behind us. We tend to have good (?) memories and we collect and hold on to all sorts of worthless stuff. We hold grudges, for example. We hang on to hurts, insults and broken promises. I know that this is not really what Paul is writing about but I think it can be applied. Sometimes, we can’t let go of old biases, prejudices, assumptions or judgments. We continue to see others in stereotypes and old paradigms. We cling to tired old religious doctrines and dogmatic labels. We fail to discard that which weighs us down, takes up room in our minds and hearts, and piles up to our detriment. There comes a time when we need to let go and let Christ free us from all that garbage. “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1)

                When we make our move to Whitby, it will be a new start, free of all that stuff we have accumulated over the years. When we are in Christ, we let go of the past; we let go of emotional baggage; we let go of old physic and spiritual damages; we let go of failures and disappointments; we let go of Sin. It is freeing. It is liberating. It is redemptive. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

                It may seem daunting (our move to a new home has seemed that way, at times) but  to let go and let Christ become the centre of your life offers you a whole new future, rich in possibilities and opportunities, especially to love, to do good, to fill your new space with harmony, joy, hope and love.

                Let’s make room for God’s best: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Matthew 6:38)

                Where did I put that broom?

Dale

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful;
I can’t take it all in! (Psalm 139: 1-6, The Message Bible)

                It would be easier to buy a house than it is to rent an apartment these days.

                The rental companies ask for deeply personal  details about our financial trustworthiness. They want proof and documentation about everything.  Credit ratings. Proof of government pensions. Copies of our house sale. Bank statements. ID authentications. We have totally opened and exposed ourselves to their scrutiny.  We have hidden nothing and they know our financial situation as well as we do, maybe better. The good news is that we passed their examination and as of June 1^st, we have a place to live in Whitby.  Whew! (I think our children were fearing that we would be living in their spare rooms and they really don’t have any.)

                ‘You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body.” (Psalm 139: 15)  That profound divine knowledge about us might make some of us squirm just  a tad or more.  I read somewhere recently that every person has about seven deep secrets about themselves which they never share with anyone. But God knows about them. Scripture tells us that God knows the numbers of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). I expect God doesn’t actually count the hairs on our heads (surely, God has better things to do) but the text means that God knows us intimately, all  our inner thoughts, all our tendencies, our attitudes, our egos, and everything that makes you and me you and me. That includes our sins, warts and failings but, as well, our goodness, our good works, our successes and triumphs. As Adam and Eve found out from the very beginning, one cannot hide from God. “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” (Genesis 3: 10) God will always find us.  He has seen us naked, fully exposed, fully known, fully examined.

                But wait a minute. That is not as bad as it sounds. God has amazing filters in his examination of us.  God is able to sort out the bad from the good. God certainly sees our sins and shortcomings but God is also able to practice his grace upon us and protect us from ourselves with his everlasting Love. “Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles surround me - too many to count! My sins pile up so high; I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage.” (Psalm 40: 11 -12, New Living Translation)

                Just as in the parable of the Lost Sheep, God goes to the fullest lengths in order to find us and pull the brambles from our souls. “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) I have met many people who think that they are worthless and that God could never love them and it was hard to try to convince them otherwise. But the truth is that God gets to know us completely in order to love us just as completely. No one is out of his range of his Vision of Love or left exposed to fear, despair and separation. It is not what is on the outside; it is what is inside. “It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.” (Galatians 6: 15) God can take what we are and change what he sees, making us into someone he loves deeply and joyfully.

                “Search me, O God, and know my heart;  test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139: 23 -24)

 

Dale

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

“You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm.” (Job 30:22, New Living Translation)

“Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind…” (Job 40:6)

             Stop the world; I want to get off.

Over the last several weeks, certainly ever since the ice storm, but even before that, it has felt that Susan and I have been living in a whirlwind of circumstances beyond our control. It seems to be one dang thing after another to weary our souls, sap our energy and even test our faith. There are, no doubt, thousands of people worse off than us by far but when one is going through one’s own personal challenges, that thought is of little comfort. I will spare you all the details but a recent example has been the sudden decision to sell our house.  We have talked about it but had really done very little to move forward. The preparation to put the house in order for selling  was daunting, to say the least. But reality reared its ugly head and it became a leading priority.

We listed a week ago this past Sunday (better the day, better the deed as my mother would say). In little more than a week, we sold the house just last night. Yikes!  We don’t even know where we will be living other than it will be an apartment, probably in Whitby where our daughter can keep an eye on us. We have to be out of here by mid-June. Double yikes!!

We are in the midst of this whirlwind and feeling just a bit overwhelmed to say the least. But sometimes you just have to put your face into the wind, trust God and move forward. I am not saying that we have to like it or enjoy it, but like Abraham and Sarah who were sent out by God into unfamiliar territory, so Susan and I are plunging into the unknown and the unfamiliar, a new chapter in our lives.  Thankfully, we have the full support and help of our family. It could be far worse. It will be interesting. I will be thankful when the dust settles.

Yet, having complained somewhat like Job, we have also discovered that God is there in the whirlwind. Even the selling of the house has God’s fingerprints on it.  We have discovered hidden resources that we didn’t know we had but came along just at the right time. God has had our backs in more ways than one.  God speaks to us out of the whirlwinds in our lives. It is still all a whirlwind but we know that we are not alone.

Of course, I cannot help but think of that stormy night on the sea of Galilee. The disciples are caught out in the storm in their small fishing boat. “But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.” (Mark 4:37) Despite the storm, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. The terrified disciples are aghast that Jesus is sleeping while they are in danger of drowning. They shake him awake. “When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” (4:39)

A great calm.  That sums up my hope right now. I am waiting through the whirlwind in faith that there will be a great calm, a peace, a sanctuary, a time to catch our breath and feel safe once again after all the turmoil. “But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.” (2 Timothy 1;12) Jesus is in your and my boats, even if we feel we are going against the wind without a paddle. Jesus is nestled in our storms and upheavals and he does have the spiritual power to bring calm to our situations. It is hard, I know, (believe me, I know) to trust in that powerful Love and Mercy. But it is that or be swept away in despair, anxiety and worry.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3: 5 -6)

 

Dale