Wednesday, November 20, 2024

“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it… Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7: 19 -20, 24 25, New Living Translation)

               I should become a luddite – someone who despises technology and would like to take a sledge hammer to my computer. I am so incompetent when it comes to technology. I use it, of course, each and every day. I couldn’t write this blog without it.  But my, oh my, when some sort, any sort, of glitch happens or things don’t go according to Hoyle, I am in very deep, troubled waters without a lifejacket.

                So, when my Facebook account failed me, I was a in a frantic pickle. Some of you may have noticed that my blogs weren’t making it on your Facebook since September 11. I was writing them and posting them each week but I didn’t realize that they were not going through until mid October. Yikes!  I tried several things on my end – to no avail.  That’s when I went down the rabbit hole – I should have known better.  I sent out frantic texts via Facebook to all and sundry about the problem. But my daughter, Katie, then informed me that my account had been hacked and an ad for adult “toys” (if you get my drift) had glommed on to my texts. Yikes had turned into egad and little fishes! It was all going from bad to worse. I was in panic as I couldn’t erase the foul message on my end. Finally, Katie took over my account from her place and erased the messages. We (well, really not me) have figured how to get the blogs posted on Facebook safely.

                My technological ineptitude illustrates Paul’s frustration with sin. The harder we try to get away from it, the worse it becomes. We get all tangled up in sin’s machinations. We think we are doing just fine and then sin throws a monkey wrench into our lives and the harder we try fix things, it just continues to be a spiral of compounding our mistakes and slip-ups.  We have fallen and can’t get up despite our best of intentions.  We say too much and offend even more. We offer help and just get in the way. We give advice that backfires. We make promises that we can’t or won’t keep. We think we are doing some good but our involvement becomes intrusive and unwelcome. We would like to do the right thing but the good gets tangled up in human affairs and agendas and blows up in our faces. Sin can make us do the wrong things even if we think it is for a good cause.

                But take heart!  Just as Katie came to my rescue, Paul reminds us that Jesus also comes to our rescue in our fight with sin and its consequences. He “fixes” our life’s accounts. Jesus forgives and redeems us.  Jesus rescues us from sin. We still have to confront sin every day of our lives, but we are not alone in this battle; we have a Saviour, someone who turns bad into good. We are not lost causes, ever incapable of doing good. Rather Jesus empowers the good that is in us and helps us to rise above our worst. “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (Romans 12:21)

                Quite probably, I will never conquer my technological incompetence and will always need somebody’s help. Likewise, none of us can defeat the power of sin alone without God’s intervention, without God’s Love, patience, mercy and encouragement. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:20)

                When things are going screwy, and we have no answers to the problems we are facing, it is best to hand it all to God through Jesus Christ. It can only get better when we do.

 

Dale

 Wednesday, November 13, 2024

“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant.” (Matthew 23:11, The Message Bible)

            Service with a smile – how hard can it be?

I am frustrated with the Canadian service industry in general. We have been trying and trying to hire various people to do some work around our house this Fall, both outdoors and indoors. We leave phone messages and get no call back. We get people who say they will come around and then don’t. Some phone weeks later. Some even suggest that we fix our problems ourselves i.e. the cable company. Susan is a trooper in her pursuit of the needed service calls, but it is often an irritating act of futility. I have recently tried to get more involved with our stalled, basement reconstruction. I phoned a company Friday; they promised to call back within 48hrs – we’re still waiting. To be fair, I phoned a local company; the man came within 20 minutes, figured out the problem and can start Monday. Isn’t that how it should work or am I being too picky?

Giving good service is a challenge. A lot of things can get in the way or become excuses or hold us back or are out of our expertise in some cases. But when we are called upon to be of service in any way, shape or form, we should try to give it our best effort.

Jesus told many a story about servants. He emphasized that they should always be ready to serve and it is a serious responsibility. “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.” (Matthew 24: 25, New Living Translation) The parable of the talents teaches us that we should double our efforts to produce good works. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” (Matthew 25:23) Although, some of us may be aghast that we now have more responsibilities. Yikes! Christian service is an act of loving humility. “But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” (Luke 22:26) Jesus is not just talking a good spirit of voluntarism but a dedicated duty of serving others in the name of Jesus.

Of course, translations have softened up the language by replacing the word ‘slave’ with ‘servant.’ Slavery has all the wrong connotations in our modern world and for good reason. Nobody wants to be a slave or be obliged to have to do anything against our will.  We might say that some people are slaves to their work, slaves to their ambitions, slaves to their reputations.  But nobody wants to be enslaved to serve another out of obligation and necessity.  We want to be free beings, make free choices, doing what we want when we want and how we want.

Yet Jesus uses the word slave or servant, if you prefer. In fact, Jesus portrays himself as a servant. He sets the example for us. “Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” (John 12: 26) when Jesus stooped down and washed his disciples’’ feet, normally the work of servants, he gave us the perfect example of what Christian service means.

“And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.  I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13: 14 17)

                If we are slaves to fame, fortune and power, that is not going to work in the Kingdom of God. But if we truly follow in Jesus’ Way, then our destiny is found in the work of service in the world around us. There are certainly plenty of opportunities for us from om food banks to homeless shelters to church boards and committees, to hospital volunteers or driving cancer patients to their appointments to name but a few. I serve on the hospital’s Spiritual Care Advisory Committee and occasionally fill in for one the chaplains. I should do more.  

Whatever we do, we should do it in the Love and Name of Jesus. He expects us to call back, show up and do a good work.

            Brother, sister, let me serve you;
            let me be as Christ to you;
            pray that I may have the grace to
            let you be my servant too.

 Dale

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

“Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.” (Luke 15: 8 -10, The Message Bible)

                The lost shall be found.

                I read a story this week about a diver who found a 1965 McMaster University signet ring in the Barbados waters. (McMaster is also my alma mater.) To the diver’s good  graces, he wanted to return the ring to the original owner. All he had to go on were the initials etched inside the ring - FMP. But he contacted the university. They did a search and came up with only one possibility. Sure enough, the 1965 graduate had lost the ring in 1977 while wading in the waters with his son. They had looked for it but to no avail. Now, a diver had found it after digging down more than 30 cm, after his metal detector kept pinging that there was something in the sand.

                Will wonders never cease, eh?

                Losing something precious or, at least, meaningful is a frustrating disappointment. It panics me just misplacing my car keys or wallet or cell phone for even a few minutes. Susan once lost a small diamond pendant I had given her up at the cottage. We searched high and low, but couldn’t find it. Yet, a couple of years later, we accidently came upon it at the cottage.

                Therefore, I think just about any or all of us can identify with the woman who had lost one of her ten coins. This may be all she had to live by and even the loss of one coin was serious and problematic. Perhaps, she had a family to feed, a mortgage to pay, bills that were overdue to put a contemporary spin on it. With a diligent persistence and fierce determination, she turns the house upside down until she finds it. Then, she throws a party.

                But it doesn’t always have to be a loss of something material. We can lose heart. We can lose confidence. We can lose our reputations. We can lose our faith. We can lose our way. We can lose hope. And yes, we can lose family, friends and loves ones. Losses of these sorts may be overwhelming and devastating. How can we ever hope to recover and find joy again?

                One of the lessons of this parable is that we should never give up. Jesus once told another story about a woman who wouldn’t give up in seeking justice for herself. (Luke 18: 1 -8) He used the illustration to support his teaching that people should always pray and never give up. “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18, New Living Translation)

                Another lesson is the assurance that God never gives up on us, even if we are ready to give up on ourselves.  “God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.”  (Psalm 36: 5 – 6, The Message Bible) The persistent, even stubborn, Love of God, is looking out for us and is relentlessly ready to welcome us back into his loving arms as surely as the prodigal son was welcomed back by his father, “'for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” (Luke 15:24, NLT)

                Sometimes, we try very hard to hide from God and that is not quite the same as being lost, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are ashamed, naked in our humanity, feeling like we have done something which is unforgivable toward God or someone we love. Yet the principle is the same – God seeks us out and communes with us his concern, his discernment but also his unending Love.  It is far better to “face” God with all our sins and mistakes than hide from him. God is just going to find us anyway. “I can never escape from your Spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!” (Psalm 139: 8) But we need to believe that this is not a scary, judgmental thing, but a hopeful thing. Rather, “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

                When we think we are buried in the silt and debris, God's Love pings and he looks diligently for us.

                So whether you are lost or are hiding, be assured that God has not given up on you. However God finds you, the band is warming up, the food is on the table, the party is set to go. Just waiting for the honoured guest – you! Won’t that be a wang-dang doodle!

 Dale

 Wednesday, October 30, 2024

“Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:7, New Living Translation)

                So, of course, I have been watching baseball’s World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It takes me back to my youth when one or the other always seemed to be in the World Series. I was a big Yankee fan back then but I am leaning more toward the Dodgers this time.

                One of the things that bugs me as I watch is the plethora of instant replays. Sure, show it again for the big plays like homeruns, defensive gems, exciting moments in the game, errors, challenges of a play – those memorable moments during that game which make a difference in the outcome.  But what I don’t need to see more than once is someone striking out or fouling out or taking strike three or any mundane, ordinary, baseball occurrence. Yet the network will show all of everything umpteen times and more it seems. It’s overkill.  They also like meaningless shots of players in the dugouts, spitting sunflowers seeds, chewing gum and scratching their heads. It’s a wonder we don’t get several replays of that, too.

                Then, with horror, the thought occurred to me what it would be like if we had instant replays of situations in our everyday lives. Just think if the world could see again and again those mistakes, errors, sins, bad moments, poor decisions, gaffs, rudeness, selfishness, etc.- all those things that you or I would like to forget and hope that others have as well. Oh sure, it might be grand to remember the highlights and victories,  but  who  needs to see again and be reminded of our mistakes and worst moments. It is easy enough to get stuck in the past; I don’t need many reminders of my flubs and blunders. “Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?”  (Psalm 130:3)

                There is a lot in scriptures about what we wish God would remember and what we would prefer God to forget. Forget the past, God; shut down your TIVO. Throw away or erase the tapes. “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.” (Psalm 51:1) Please forget whatever has come out of my mouth that was unworthy of you. Disremember my foolishness, my sinfulness, my rebelliousness, my unrighteousness. Remember what you said in Isaiah: “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” (Isaiah 43:25) Hallelujah!

                But there are things we wish to see again and again of God’s Love for us. “Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past.” (Psalm 25:6) We can never get enough of that repetitious and unforgettable Love. “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.” (Psalm 77:11) Our scriptures are a replay of the works of God which helps to remember that God is on our side. “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” (Psalm 103:14)  As we repeat the works of God in our scripture reading, we are given assurances about the ongoing work of God in our present times. “Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope.” (Psalm 119:49)

                There is a tension between our past and God’s Love. There is a strain between our sin and God’s grace. There is a difference between our humanity and God’s mercy.  There is tension between the weariness of the old and the creation of the new.  “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”  (Isaiah 43: 18 - 19)

                We are to remember and replay the commandments of God in our lives, especially the commandment to love others as we love ourselves.  There are times when we need to apologize and seek reconciliation. But we also need to let go of our pasts and seek the renewal of our lives in Jesus Christ. Let go of all the grudges, assumptions,  anger, prejudices, judgments which we keep replaying over and over again and instead “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13 -14)

Dale

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.” (Galatians 4:4, New Living Translation)

                Merry Christmas to one and all!

                What’s that you say?  Too early? Too soon? We haven’t even had Halloween yet?  But I have already seen Christmas commercials on TV. (All praise to Walmart) I haven’t been in lately but I wouldn’t be surprised that Canadian Tire is already stocking their Christmas shelves. Christmas, commercially speaking, seems to come earlier and earlier every year.

                Now I know that some will say, during Advent and Christmas, that it would be wonderful if the Christmas Spirit lasted all year long with its emphasis on hope, peace, joy and love. Or perhaps, our Christmas wish would be that the generosity of the Christmas Spirit would extend into the months ahead for the poor and the homeless. Or, if only peace and good will toward all humankind would reach into the war-torn parts of the world, what a wonderful world it would be. I’d be far empathetic if that were the case, rather that ‘buy this’ or ‘buy that’ and beat the Christmas rush.

                But, of course, December 25^th   was a very arbitrary choice to celebrate Christmas Day, to begin with. We are given no actual date for Jesus’ birth. This date was chosen in 336 A.D., as much associated with the winter solstice and the rebirth of the sun and light and the beginning of the end of long darkness. Early Christians often appropriated pagan concepts and Christianised them. So, December 25^th it is.  Not in October!

                But wait just a minute.

                Our text tells us that “when the right time came, God sent his Son.”  Although Paul is writing about an historical fact, it gives us the opportunity to not limit Jesus’ arrival into our lives only to December 25^th.

                The right time may be right here and now for many of us. We may be at a point in our lives when we really need the Love of God through Jesus Christ to interrupt and intervene. We may so be overwhelmed by the demands, pressures and stresses of time management run amok, that there is no time like the present to experience hope, peace, joy and love. We may be mired in our past’s sins and failures and need forgiveness, mercy, grace right now. We may be afraid for the future and feel uncertain, unprepared and unsure, and need the assurances of the rest of the paragraph from Galatians, “God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you, his heir.” (Galatians 4: 5 -7)

                That’s right – Christmas is indeed for children. We are God’s children. We do not have to wait to December 25^th to discover the gift of God’s Love. It is always right there before us, ready to unpack and enjoy.

                “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted…” (John 3: 16 -17, The Message Bible)

                It is all about the right time - that perfect time when our lives are intercepted by the love of Jesus Christ and we are gathered into the joy i.e. the Christmas party, that breaks out in heaven when one lost soul is saved. (Luke 15:10)

                If that isn’t Christmas, I don’t know what is.

Dale

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (Psalm 95:2, New Revised Standard Version)

                Ten adults, seven grandchildren aged five to eleven, and one dog – there was a lot of joyful noise making in Mississauga on Thanksgiving Sunday as the Soble clan et al gathered for dinner. The dog was the quiet one!

                I am usually averse to a cacophony of noise but there is something about the joyful noise of a family gathering that is rich, healthy and celebratory. Same family stories told once again, new ones added, laughter, good-natured teasing, banter, sports discussed ad nauseum, children whistling in and about, hugs and great company. None if it is very serious, deep or profound – just the joy of being together, all being relatively healthy, capped off by a dinner in which everyone contributed. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.” (Psalm 98: 4)

                Of course, the psalm writers are referring to bringing  a joyful noise into the act of worship in the temple. There are times and places for silence:  libraries, funeral homes (except sometimes laughter can help with sorrow), classrooms, listening to a live symphony, and most might assume a church’s sanctuary during worship time.

I have had people get upset if anyone starts clapping after a solo or a choir piece. In one church some wanted me to announce that there be no clapping. Not a chance – it is a spontaneous expression of appreciation for the performance. I am sure Jesus is clapping. There is time to be quiet in worship, of course, but there are times when we need to “let it out” and demonstrate our praise visibly, like the time when King David was met by all the people who  “were dancing before God with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.” (1 Chronicles 13:8)

I confess that I am not a demonstrative sort of guy but I enjoy authentic spontaneity and the exercise of spiritual freedom that others feel and express when touched by the Spirit of God in some way. It is hard to get people to laugh out loud when a good joke is told in the sermon. It is hard for some to feel comfortable to lift their hands toward God. There is the old joke which asks how do you stop Baptists from raising their hands in worship. Answer: Lower the ceiling fans.  Groan!  But you get my point. Worship is not always to be a dreary, stuffy, somber, dull experience. It is okay if we break into song, praise, joy, “singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and telling all your wondrous deeds.” (Psalm 26:7)

But if so, in worship, why not take this approach to all the beautiful and wondrous occasions which fill our daily lives? Admittedly, there is already a lot of noise in our lives, the constant roar which emits from the world around us. But what if we could speak against that din?  What if we could raise a counter melody which rises above the fray? What if we could find our voice and express our unbridled thankfulness and joy in a broken world?

Jesus helps us to discover that voice. “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) He has given us assurances, promises, encouragement, strength, boldness, that even if there are times when we weep and mourn, “you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.” (John 16:20) These words echo the words in Nehemiah: “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10).

May we discover that which is praiseworthy. May we express our gratitude for the good that fills our lives.  May we anticipate that even when the going gets tough, we will have reason to make a joyful noise in the kingdom of God.

“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (Colossians 1: 11 -12)

Dale

 

Wednesday, October 9

The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need. (Acts 4: 32 -35, The Message Bible)

        Come, ye thankful people, come, 

        raise the song of harvest home;

        all is safely gathered in,
        ere the winter storms begin.
        God our Maker doth provide
        for our wants to be supplied
        come to God's own temple, come
        raise the song of harvest home. (Henry Alford, 1844)

           I have always appreciated that we, Canadians, celebrate our Thanksgiving in early October as opposed to the American version in November on the cusp of Advent. It stands alone. It has always been one of my favourite traditions of the year. Its simple theme of appreciation, praise and gratitude for all that life has to offer needs little, other embellishment or enhancement as do some of the other holidays.

In all my churches where I pastored, on Thanksgiving Sunday, the communion table would be laden to overflowing on the floor with the fruits and vegetables of a generous harvest. Pumpkins, squash, apples, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, even loaves of bread, bags of rice and flour - you name it and there were ample goods on display. My little, first church in Wainfleet was the best at it.  The whole altar area was bursting in an abundance of harvest. It was like a farmer’s market had exploded.

The better part happened after Thanksgiving was “over” although we should never cease being thankful for all things. It was the custom in all my churches to box up and give the produce over to shelters and food banks. In the case of Wainfleet, we shared with the bounty with couple of the more needy families in the church. But the food never went to waste.

If I were to ask myself, what exactly is a “harvest home” referred to in the hymn, I would point to the act of sharing from our bounty. It is the model we can read about in our text from Acts. The Jerusalem Christian church, still in its infant stage of existence, celebrates its new life in Christ by an unequalled display of generosity. “They shared everything.”

It is almost impossible to imagine. We pride ourselves in ownership. We own our houses, cars, cottages, appliances, computers and so on. I am very grateful for all the stuff I own and count myself blessed. But the idea of selling everything and gifting the proceeds to others seems over-the-top, a crazy thing to do. Yes, Jesus, said to a rich man, “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Luke  18: 22) But most of us usually rationalize this astonishing statement  to mean that we shouldn’t  be prisoner to our wealth. Fair enough, but let’s not slide out of Jesus’ expectation that we are to be generous, compassionate, empathetic and liberal with our giving.  It may have been that very verse which was the impetus for the early Christians in Jerusalem. They were a living example of creating a harvest home.

 A harvest home is a home where all are welcome from the very least to the very privileged.  A harvest home is a safe haven which offers comfort, blessings, hope, joy, peace and love. A harvest home has no locked doors to shut people out. A harvest home has a candle burning in the window. A harvest home has a place at the dining room table for everyone. A harvest home is replete with the aromas of food and drink, the sound of laughter, the embrace of love.  A harvest home is the shelter in the storms of life.  A harvest home is a sacred space where all are safely gathered in.

Not just our churches, but our family homes as well.

So let us all be thankful this weekend. God has provided.  Enjoy. Celebrate God’s goodness. Then pass it on! It’ll make the turkey taste that much better!

            Even so, Lord, quickly come,
            bring thy final harvest home;
            gather thou thy people in,
            free from sorrow, free from sin,
            there, forever purified,
            in thy presence to abide;
            come, with all thine angels, come,
            raise the glorious harvest home.

 Dale