Wednesday, January 15, 2025

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2, The Living Bible)

               “Unique means one of a kind. My grandmother is a unique, one-of-a-kind person.”

                Way back, in grade seven or eight, our oldest son, Nick, was required to write a speech and give it in class.  He chose his grandmother, Barbara Neal, Susan’s mother, as his subject. They had a very close relationship and Nick adored her (as have all our grandchildren). In his speech, he explained why she was so special and unique. He actually made it to the city’s finals because of it.

                Those words take on a special poignancy this week as we remember Grandma Barb who passed away on Sunday night.  She was 93 years old. These words sum her up beautifully yet don’t begin to describe the full,  exceptional character of my mother-in-law. But I can say, with much love and appreciation, that Barb Neal was something else!

                I am sure that much will be remembered and said about her gracious and welcoming hospitality, bringing people from all sorts of backgrounds and nationalities into her home, invited to share a meal or a cup of coffee. University students were a favourite of hers. That’s how I got to know her, as a student in McMaster University, long before Susan Neal became the centre of my love. I was a frequent visitor in their home. Mum Neal always made time for me as she had for many throughout her life.

                Dad, Bruce Neal, was the centre of her world. Together, they made an incredible ministry team.  Mum used the telephone like an extension of her arm. She checked in on seniors, the lonely, the bereaved, church members and on and on it goes. She was the epitome of compassion and kindness.

                But, of course, we saw a side of her, not in the public eye. She was exactly the same. We, her family, were treated with the same love, compassion and concern. Our children loved to visit Grandma Barb and Grandpa Bruce which was shortened to G & G over time.  Their Grandma wouldn’t spoil them with gifts and candy and the like. But she gave them a far more valuable gift – her time and focus. There would be frequent trips to a local park along Lake Ontario, sometimes packing a picnic even though it was icy and cold. It was always followed up by a trip to Dairy Queen. She was always planning some experience for them. Once, they took young Nate to a wolf reserve because he was interested in wolves at the time. At Christmas, she would treat us all to go see the Nutcracker Suite or the like. Our kids never came home saying they were bored, but rather they couldn’t wait to go back.

                One time when Nick was about 5 or 6 years old, I was reprimanding him for something he shouldn’t have been doing. He had the sass to say to me that since we were at Grandma’s house, he didn’t have to listen to me. I can never remember a time when Grandma scolded, disciplined or chastised a grandchild. She used words to persuade, or she distracted them or got their minds on better things. It always seemed to work. Besides, it would be devastating to hurt Grandma’s feelings in any way, shape or form.

                A delightful side of her was her mischievous and sometimes, slightly risqué sense of humour. In the middle of some conversation, she would drop one of these bon mots to see what reactions she would get from the kids. They would hoot and laugh and tease. She knew exactly what she was doing but could look so innocent. Dinner tables at the Neal's was a cornucopia of joy, laughter, stories and now for-ever memories. They will always be holy and sacred memories.

                This just scratches the surface. Remember those old Reader’s Digest articles, “The Most Interesting Person I ever Met.”  Barbara Neal would be near the top of my list. It was hard to choose an appropriate scripture text that would speak to the life she lived. She embodied texts like Romans 15:7: “Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.” Or she lived out the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25, doing good for the  least of her brothers and sisters, never looking for praise or recognition.

But I will close, in tribute to Mum Barb, with these words from Romans 12: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.  Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Uniquely, one of a kind!

Dale

Tuesday, December 31, 2024 – New Years Eve

“Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.” (1 Corinthians 16: 13, The Message Bible)

                
                After the angels have soared homeward to heaven… what then?
                After the shepherds have returned to their fields… what then?
                After Mary and Joseph have left the stable… what then?
                After the Magi have taken new roads for home… what then?
                After the Star of Bethlehem has dimmed and winked out… what then?

                When we put up our Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago, instead of an angel, we set a star on top of the tree. It had lights on its points and we needed to insert batteries into a small battery pack for those lights to work. But this meant that the star would be lit continually, day and night, as long as the batteries lasted as I wasn’t about to climb a step ladder to change the batteries. Ladders and I do not get along. Slowly as Christmas got closer, the lights on the star began gradually to get dimmer and dimmer. Finally, a day or two before Christmas Day, the lights went out, the battery power depleted. But it was nice while it lasted.

                Regrettably, Christmas doesn’t last forever. The beauty of the season fades as we welcome in a New Year. It would be wonderful to enjoy the power of hope, peace, joy and love for as long as possible. But eventually, the real world reasserts itself and Christmas becomes a distant memory all too quickly.

                After the gifts are unwrapped and sorted… what then?
                After the tree is taken down and the ornaments packed away… what then?
                After our families has gone back to their cities and homes… what then?
                After the Christmas music fades and is heard no more… what then?

                We need to remind ourselves that the Christmas Story is but the beginning of the whole story about Jesus Christ. The Nativity of Jesus is a wonderful, sacred, mystical story but it only sets the stage for what is ahead in our encounter with Jesus. We leave the Christmas accounts from the Gospels in order to meet the man of Galilee, the One who has come from God and has left the manger to meet us in our real world.

In a way, our encounter with Jesus is also a type of nativity – ours, a new birth of our redemption, our salvation, our healing, of reconnecting with God in a healthy and transforming way. “Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, ‘The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers wilt, God’s Word goes on and on forever.’ This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.” (1 Peter 1: 22 -25, The Message Bible)

                 But we will need to recharge the spirit for this New Life to be effective. Left neglected and unattended, we take the risk of allowing God’s Spirit to fade from our lives. We need to seek out meaningful and intentional ways to nurture and nourish the Love of God which sustains us in our daily lives. Prayer, of course, is essential. Worship is important. Reading and meditating on scripture is helpful. Loving others as we are loved is necessary.  Our New Life in Christ can be a fragile and vulnerable state of living unless we feed it, encourage it, sustain it and allow to grow and prosper.

                Christmas isn’t actually over, but it points us in a different direction and leads us on a new venture. Christmas proclaims that there is far more to come, just as amazing, just a miraculous, just as life-changing, just as satisfying, just as amazing.  We are still and always will be  in the Presence of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the one who has come into the world to save us.

                So, as we enter this New Year, let us indeed stand firm in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Give it all you got! Resolve that nothing will distract you or persuade you to give up. Christmas isn’t done with you or me yet.

                Here is the blessing for your 2025: “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, New Living Translation)

Dale

               

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 – Christmas

“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1: 9, New Living Translation)

               “It’s what I really wanted for Christmas.”

                Many years ago, when our eldest daughter, Katie, was about 6 or 7 years old, we had a church Christmas supper at First Baptist Church in Ottawa. As was the custom, after supper and some carol singing, Santa made his appearance for the children. Each child came up and sat on Santa’s knee and told Santa what they wanted for Christmas. But when Katie got to Santa and was asked what she wanted, she shouted out in an exasperated cry, “I don’t know what I want for Christmas!”

                Now, I am sure that she did all right that Christmas once her Christmas list was written. Our children may not have gotten everything off their lists but we made sure they were few if any disappointments. I stopped Christmas shopping with Susan for the kids after seeing Susan march up to the counter at the near-by Toys-R-Us store with a shopping cart filled to overflowing. The final price tag made me blanch! Our adult kids marvel now at how Susan and I managed to make sure our four children had a great Christmas.

                But I grew up in a similar vein at Christmas. I had poured over the Simpsons and Eaton’s Christmas catalogues (toy sections, of course) and made my Christmas list. Again, I didn’t get evryth8ing, but I never remember a Christmas when I didn’t get the items at the top of my list. Table top hockey set, skates, race car set, hockey equipment, and the like.  I was never disappointed.

                All of us can probably remember a Christmas or two when a gift was extra meaningful, extra special, and was at the top of our wish list. Maybe, it was homemade. Maybe, it wasn’t expensive but it was obvious that the giver put a lot of thought and care in choosing the gift. Perhaps, it was something that you never would have gotten for yourself. Maybe, it spoke of the love and affection the giver had for you. Perhaps, it came as a surprise, something delightfully unexpected but wonderful just the same.

What I really wanted for Christmas comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and meanings.

This should remind us that the gift of the Christ Child is exactly what this old world needs today, what you and I need.

In the book of Isaiah, we hear the prophecy, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isiah 9:2) Perhaps, we may not totally relate to the description here. Although I would claim that because of the game of thrones our world leaders engage in through their Herod-like arrogance, wars, lies and abuse of power, we are badly in need of a new power that cancels them out and restores the goodness of God’s Creation. Jesus Christ is that power: “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” (Colossians 2: 15)

                We may feel wistful for Isaiah’s promise but we all understand the need for light. We understand what it is to live in darkness and have the deep need for someone to light the way ahead. We identify with the shepherds who spend the dark night tending to their ordinary lives and then are amazed at the new light that leads them on a different journey. “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”

                Jesus is exactly what you and I want and need this Christmas. All of us need some portion of this amazing gift: emotional healing, physical comfort, encouragement, his grace, his forgiveness, his love, his peace, his joy, his Presence so that we see our way through the darkness and obscurity which hurt and wound us.  We need his Light in our lives. God put a lot of care and thought into this Gift. “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12)

                Just what I wanted for Christmas!

                May you all experience a very blessed and happy Christmas!

Dale

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – Advent Four

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, New Living Translation)

               “Don’t open until Dec. 25^th.”

                Only seven more sleeps.  The delivery boxes are piling up. Are there some for me?

                For some inexplicable reason, I have gained a reputation as a gift pincher at Christmas, a gift shaker. This hurtful, character assassination even has even led my grandchildren to shout, if I but approach the Christmas tree under which the gifts are displayed, “Grandpa is pinching!” Why, I never…. well, almost never… once or twice, maybe, at the most…

                Anticipation is part of the lure of Christmas for many of us. Not just for what is under the Christmas tree, but the expectancy of family gatherings or the joy of reunions or a visit from a loved one, after some time away.  The date is clearly marked on our calendars. We keep ourselves busy preparing for the Day itself. Some families may celebrate Christmas before or after for practical reasons. But December 25^th is the traditional date for everything Christmas. It is what most of us aim for. That is the Day in which Christmas takes place. You can’t hurry it.  You can’t make it come any quicker. Just ask any child who is excited about Christmas Day.

                I think that it's worth the wait. Then the Day unfolds its hope, peace, joy and love in all its splendour. It may not always, sadly, be this way for everyone, but the potential is always there, the Good News bursting in on our realties and raising us closer to God in a myriad of ways.

                I have always experienced a different sense of time on Christmas Day. All has been prepared. TV is shut off. The phone doesn’t ring unless it is family. No errands to run. Christmas Day, in our families, is an all-day affair as we take our time to enjoy the whole day. The Day unfolds in many peaceful ways. Okay, it gets a little boisterous as the kids unwrap their gifts, but that too is part of the sacred “magic” of Christmas. But even then, each person takes their turn and we watch as gifts are unwrapped, so we can enjoy their pleasure or surprise, no great hurry. The Day is capped off by a Christmas dinner. The post dinner experience is full of laughter, conversation, and an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving.

                It is worth the wait. One can’t and shouldn’t rush these things.

                For everything, there is a right time to receive “what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise.” (Galatians 3:22)

                “But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (Galatians 4: 4 -7)

                It seems to me that this is Paul’s way of saying “Merry Christmas.” We use December 25^th  to celebrate this one-of-a-kind event, the gift of Jesus Christ. He is the gift that keeps on giving, of course. But Jesus is worth the wait as he brings with him an engaging presence, a rarefied contact with God in person that makes the Day uniquely special and unlike any other.

                If the shepherds had shown up at the stable two days earlier, they would have seen nothing but an empty manger.  And gone back to their sheep. Their daily lives would have remained the same. But by the urging of angels they go on Christmas Day, in search of peace and goodwill, in search of a Saviour, in search of the Word made flesh. They weren’t disappointed.

                “As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. ‘Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.’ They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.” (Luke 2: 15 -18, The Message Bible)

                Advent is about the anticipation of Christmas Day. Christmas Day is the actual experience of a Savior being born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.

                Until then, no pinching.

 Dale

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Advent Three

“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2: 25, New Living Translation)

                “I can’t wait until Christmas.”

                Waiting in an emergency room in the hospital is a little like waiting for Christmas in some respects. Yesterday, I was in our hospital’s ER for ten hours waiting for all the different stages of the visit to unfold. First, I waited to get registered. Then I waited to see the triage nurse. Then I waited for blood work. Then I waited to get called to the examination waiting room. Then I waited to get called to assess my problem. Then I waited for the first course of treatments. Then I waited while the first results of tests come in. Then I wait for the Dr. to prescribe further tests. Then I waited around some more. Then I waited for the Dr. to make his appearance to tell me what was the diagnosis and prescribe next steps, next drugs and next treatment. Small wonder that it took ten hours.

                The long and the short of it is that I have been diagnosed having diabetes. One might say that unlike Advent/Christmas this is an unhappy result of all the waiting. For sure, I am a little rattled at this unexpected development, but on the other hand I now know why I have been feeling so crummy lately and now I will have medications and treatments which will help me begin to get better.  That’s worth the wait.

                Like ER visits, Advent waiting is also a process. We don’t get to Christmas without that process. The Jews of Jesus’ times had been eagerly waiting for hundreds of years for the Messiah, waiting through suffering, foreign oppression, at the ends of the civilized world. It must have seemed indeterminable.

                For us, whether we like it or not, our eager waiting is marked by four Sundays of Advent, each very important in getting to Christmas.  Hope. Peace. Joy. Love. Each of those characteristics speaks to each one of us in different ways depending on what “ails” us or what may be separating us from God, or what may be hindering us from feeling the Christmas Spirit. Slowly we move through Advent, step by step, gathering the information and evidence that will eventually reveal the Good News of Jesus Christ and that we have Someone who is on our side through thick and thin.

                Waiting is hard. It challenges us to be patient, faithful, trusting and perseverant. We hope that there will be a happy ending at the end of the waiting. Often there is. But sometimes the happy ending is wrapped up in some new, challenging circumstances and we will need to seek the blessing inside the problem. We will need to grasp the hand of God and be utterly amazed that our salvations rests in a manger in Bethlehem. This is what we have been waiting for?  A baby in a manger? Seems preposterous!

                But wait! There is for more to this story than Bethlehem. We wait again for this child to grow into his role as the Messiah and fulfill God’s work on the Cross and through his Resurrection. Perhaps, we can say that Advent is but the beginning of growing into faith. It initiates the long process of what it is means to follow Jesus Christ, from birth to death. Learning. Growing, Experiencing. Accepting.  Sharing. Enduring. Persevering.  But in the end, we achieve the prize of the upward calling.

                “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

                Christmas is there, waiting for us.

 Dale

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 – Advent Two

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! ” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! (Luke 1: 28 -29, New Living Translation)

                Batteries not included.

                There is nothing worse than for a child to open up a Christmas present which is a toy that needs batteries. But the package informs us that batteries are not included. Susan is very good at assuring that batteries are sent along with the gift, but I’m sure there have been times when we have been caught without. So the hunt begins. We check the junk drawer. There is every battery known to humankind but the right size. Then we start pillaging other devices for their batteries like the TV remote, shavers, other toys in hopes we find the much-needed battery. Worse come to worse, we hope that the local convenience store might have what we need and isn’t closed on Christmas Day. Ah, the day is saved after all!

                Mary begins her Christmas story without the necessary batteries. She is confused and disturbed by the angel’s words. A bit later, she even asks, “How all this can be?” She is being offered a tremendous gift but, at first, she lacks the understanding which is needed for a full appreciation of the moment. She was not prepared for the angel’s message. She was missing the essential spiritual energy boost to comprehend the import of what was happening to her.

                The angel supplied the battery, so to speak: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Then it dawned upon Mary. It clicked. Her Christmas took on life. “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

                There may be times when any of us come into the Advent season “confused and disturbed.” We can’t find the Christmas spirit.  We don’t feel that we have the energy to do everything which needs to be done before Christmas day. There is enough stuff going on in our lives already that Christmas itself seems daunting and even somewhat overwhelming to some extent. Our get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went. We might ask ourselves, and it is OK if we do, what is Christmas really all about. Is the fuss worth it? How can this be?

                It is then I hope and pray that the Holy Spirt calms our worries and helps us to appreciate the full meaning of the Christ Child. May the power of the Most High speak to our anxieties and lift the veil so that we find the momentum which leads to Christmas itself. Like Mary, we will stop our fretting and accept with peace and goodwill the Good News of Jesus’ Advent into our messy world. We will stop resisting Christmas and accept it with grace and humility. God will give us the power by which this Christmas and every Christmas is truly experienced.

                We may not see any angels on our doorsteps, but in the simple reading of all the Christmas stories, it is as if the angel is still speaking to us and telling us of the Good News which is ours today. “Don’t be afraid” the angel starts out saying to Mary. Indeed, Christmas is not something to dread or put off.  The Good News is for us in all its wonder. It speaks to us in our everyday world and experiences even when it seems hard to fit it in.  Its energy comes from the Love of God for us. Its vigour comes the from grace of God. Its vitality comes from the hope, the joy and peace God gives.

                “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 1: 19 20)

 

Dale

 Advent One (December 1)

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Matthew 24:44, (New Living Translation)

               “Some assembly required.”

                What parent, late on a Christmas Eve, has not read those ominous words?

                One Christmas Eve, Susan and I were trying to put together a doll house for Katie’s Christmas morning surprise. She was about six years old or so. Following the instructions as best we could we were making progress on the dining room table when who of all people showed but a bleary-eyed Katie, herself, wanting a glass of water. Talk about arriving when least expected. Somehow, she didn’t notice what we were doing and we got her back to bed with no harm done.

                Sometimes, it is a lot of assembly required, not just “some.” Don’t even get me started on decals which needed to be applied, usually in the smallest and most difficult of spaces. Parents can only hope that all the parts are there. And heaven help parents if the instructions don’t make a lot of sense, even if they are in English. I’d like a word with Santa who drops off toys with the warning label, “Some assembly required.”

                But as we prepare to celebrate Advent on Sunday, this warning label may make some sense from a faith perspective. It would be wonderful if Christmas would arrive all neatly bundled and everything ready and no assembly required. But to get the full import of what the Advent of the Christ Child, truly means we have some work to do to put it all together as the Day approaches.

                So, we read the same stories over and over again about Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds and eventually the Magi. We hear fresh sermons and read fresh blogs helping to interpret this wondrous event. We sing the familiar carols, listen to beautiful choral music which celebrate that which is on the horizon. We clean, cook and decorate in the anticipation. We buy and wrap gifts for our loved ones. We put up the Creche which reminds us who this season is all about.

                All these pieces are important for a full Christmas. Our instructions, the Bible stories of Christmas, help us to understand how to connect Jesus to our lives and how to get to Christmas with our spirits intact and properly readied. We have to be prepared to put things in the proper priority and not get too far ahead of ourselves unless we slip up. Although Christmas doesn’t come unexpectedly, December 25 is a lock, for many of us it does seem to sneak up on us and come at us all of a sudden. But we need to take these four weeks of Advent and do those things which give meaning, which give us the hope, peace, joy and love that make Christmas shine in our heart and souls.

                Some assembly required. Our goal is to appreciate and understand that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son for us so that we will not perish but have everlasting life. That is a lot to unpack and figure out and make sense of. It should make us think about who we are, whose we are and how we are to manage the future. This Gift comes with instructions how to interweave our lives with the One has come into our world, the Word made flesh. Love others as I have loved you. That’s a big piece of the “puzzle” to fit into our Christian project. It doesn’t happen all by itself, automatically. One has to work at it, apply oneself, figure it out. Some assembly required.

                God is good. We have been given the next four weeks to put this Christmas all together. I pray and hope that you will manage.  Get ready – here comes the Christ Child.

Dale