Wednesday, September 27, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because I was not a Socialist. 

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

Because I was not a Trade Unionist. 

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

Because I was not a Jew. 

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

Dale

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dale

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dale

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 

                Poor Charlie!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                Make sure you get behind the ears!

Dale