Wednesday, July 23, 2025

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.” (Matthew 23: 25 -26, New Living Translation)

           There was an article in the Globe and Mail last week or so that asked the question: “Do you need a 10-step shower routine?” Slow news week, perhaps? But it caught my attention. Apparently, many people are using elaborate shower cleansing as part of their rigorous, daily toiletry. It includes “double cleansing, antibacterial soap, loads of scented body scrubs and shower oils.”  And apparently, according to dermatologists, it is not a healthy thing to do as it washes away essential oils and other natural skin protection.

It strikes me how much time all that washing must take. Not me, boy! I am in, wash up using whatever soap is handy, shampoo my hair and get out in less than ten minutes. Now I am wondering whether I am really clean.

The Pharisees were very strict about their washing routines. It was an offence to them if one did not wash their hands before a meal. Don’t we tell our kids to wash up before coming to the table? Sure, we do but for these religious leaders it was virtually an eleventh commandment. They were in high dungeon when Jesus sat down at the supper table “without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.” (Luke 11:38) On another occasion, they criticized Jesus’ allowance for his disciples’ lack of respect: “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” (Matthew 15:2) Note that the Pharisees were not so much concerned about hygiene as they were about rituals, traditions, ceremonies and religious rules. A clean Jew was a good Jew! Or we might say that a clean Baptist is a good Baptist. Sadly, they deemed so many others as being unclean – Gentiles, women, Samaritans, foreigners, lepers, and the list goes on for far too many. (So do some Baptists!)

Just so we don’t get too pompous about our own culture and times, we still see how the pious and powerful treat immigrants, women and children, indigenous people, the homeless, the poor, the hungry, the addicted and the like. There is still this snobbish arms-length from the “unwashed.”

Jesus breaks and re-invents the codes of cleanliness. He understands that it doesn’t matter how clean you are on the outside, i.e. how religious, how pious, how religiously strict one is, how conversant one is with scripture, how many times one goes to church in their best clothes and sits in the best pews.  It is what is inside the person which counts the most. Jesus wants a cleansing from the inside out, Get rid of the inner filth. “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” (Matthew 15: 19 20) Get one’s personal priorities straight and on the right side of God’s Love and Mercy and then one will experience the truly fresh and purifying nature of walking with Jesus.  “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51: 7)

To this end, Jesus demonstrated the depth of clean living when he washed the disciples’ feet.  It was a lowly, humble thing for him to do. You would have never caught a Pharisee doing any such thing. That stinky, dirty job was for the lowest of servants, a slave perhaps. But we see Jesus taking a basin and a towel and washing each of the disciples’ feet.  He tells them “If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene.” (John 13: 10 -11, The Message Bible) I think he goes on to explain “holiness” i.e. cleanliness, not as ceremonial observations but in terms of servanthood, how we treat and love others: “You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do.”

In the words of Paul to Titus: “It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, easy marks for sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.” (Titus 3: 5 -7, TMB)
            Time to wash up, people! 

Dale

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit…Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful... All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.” (1 Corinthians 12: 4 11, The Message Bible)

           As many of you may know, baseball is my other “religion.” It has been that way for about as long as I can remember. I can recall swinging a bat at a ball when I was less than five years old, in our driveway on the farm that we owned at that time. My father passed his love for the game on to me which I then passed onto our sons (our daughters enjoy the game, too). Nick was only a few days old when he sat on my lap as we watched a World Series game on TV. Now, our grandchildren also love the game. Two of our grandsons play for rep teams in Mississauga. It’s in our DNA.

            Last night was the annual MLB All-Star game. It’s the gathering of the best of the best in professional baseball.  I don’t think that I have missed very many all-star games over the many, many years. Last night’s game was a thriller.

            It is so much fun to watch these elite baseball players showcase their talents, all at one time, in one place. For some, it was the first time they had ever been to an all-star game. For others, it was old hat but I got the sense that it still has an aura of specialness for them.  It takes a great deal of talent just to make it to the big leagues for each and every ballplayer whether they ever make it to an all-star game or not. To be chosen to go the All-Star Game is recognition of baseball being performed at its highest level.

So, what’s the connection between an all-star game and what Paul is writing about? Let me preface my observations with noting that Paul would often refer to the men and women of the churches to which he wrote as “saints.” E.G. “To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae…  In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” (Colossians 1: 2, The Revised Standard Version). He doesn’t mean, I believe, “saints” in the sense of people who are holier-than-thou, pious and flawless. We know from his letters that these folk were anything but perfect, even in their lives as Christians. But what makes them saints is that God loves them, has redeemed them and they stand beside Jesus Christ in their daily lives, “because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.” (Philemon 1:5). Nobody is better than anyone else among these believers. Love and compassion are the hallmarks of their sainthood.

To put it somewhat tritely, each and every Christian has All-Star credentials.  Because of God’s Spirit everyone has been given a gift or a talent to use in the fellowship of bonding with other believers to make a difference in the world, set an example and be a witness to the Love of God through Jesus Christ. “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4: 15 -16)

Every gift or talent is needed whether you are preaching from a pulpit or washing dishes after serving a meal for the homeless. “In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.” 1 Corinthians 12:22) There is no place for elitism, conceit, egotism, superiority or boasting when one is acting saintly in the Church.  “So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (12:24 -27))

All of us are called to be saints, to make God’s All-Star team.

Batter up!

 Dale

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

“Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1 -5, The Message Bible)

           When I retired from pastoral ministry, 10 years ago, I was fairly certain that I was absolutely done with church work.  Church ministry had become mostly unfulfilling, unsatisfying hard work for me. I wasn’t getting much joy out of it anymore and I suspect my people were not getting much joy out of me either. Call it burnout or what you will, I knew it was time to hang up my pastoral cleats. Furthermore, I vowed that I wouldn’t take any interim work once I retired.  I just wanted to disappear for a while. I became a recluse, more or less.

            But this spring, I received an email, out of the blue, from First Baptist Church, Port Hope, inquiring whether I would be open to doing some supply preaching for them, this spring and early summer.  They had gotten my name from our Convention office. We had just decided to sell our house and all that which it entailed. I wasn’t sure I wanted this in the midst of all that. I was tempted to just send back a polite refusal, but some financial practicalities and a nudge from some inner voice made me stop and rethink. In the midst of the impending chaos, I said yes.

            Instead of just doing the job of preaching, I have discovered this little gem of a congregation. Small but mighty!! They welcomed me into their fellowship like a lost soul. Their worship style is simple but energetic and best of all, it’s real and authentic, comes from the heart and soul of the people. They listen intently to the sermon and can reflect back after the service with smart and insightful comments. In fact, I think they may be the best congregation I’ve ever had for attentive listening. It calls out my best efforts. They are warm, friendly, embracing. For a small church, they are very unselfishly active in their community, which for me is vitally important for a church. So, like Paul, “Every time we think of you, we thank God for you.”

            I may be back in the Fall although they are looking for an interim pastor for a few days a week.  I really don’t have the energy or stamina to do that. Be that as it may, I applaud this church’s “work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father.”  I pray that they will keep it up and I expect they can and will.

            They are a very different from our home church, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. In fact, one lady, after my first Sunday there, commented to me that she had been concerned that I would be too stuffy for them, coming from YPBC.  I love my home church and all that they do in the community and their excellence in worship but I equally love the simple, unassuming joy of my experience in Port Hope.  I have learned a few new worship songs and sang some golden oldies in hymns and enjoyed them so much.  “It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special.”

            Actually, if I put on my dusty, old Area Minister’s hat, I hope that no new pastor comes along and tries to change any of that. Don’t mess with it. Rather, go along with the amazing ride off faith, love and service. They don’t even take up an offering during the service – what church has done that!  Love it! Churches like FBC give me hope for the Church in general.   I wish, - no, I pray - that there were far more like them.

If I was twenty years younger…

Dale

 Wednesday, July 2, 2025

“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” (Ephesians 1: 5 - 6, The Message Bible)

           We have moved to our new home in Whitby. I am not sure that it feels quite like “home” just yet, but we will get there. There are still plenty of boxes to unpack. (It’s been too darn hot to get too energetic about such things.)   Lots and lots of changes to process and manage. I used to thrive on change – not so much anymore. It’s much too stressful and exhausting. I want my quiet life back.

            But one thing is for sure, we are grateful beyond measure for all the help that our family has poured into helping us make this move. We could not have done this without them. Our four adult children and their spouses and partners all pitched in. Katie and Gary were the key leaders but everyone helped us in making this major transition. Even some of the grandchildren kicked in. They gave up several weekends to help empty the house of all the stuff and junk we had accumulated over twenty years of living in Peterborough. They made umpteen trips to Value Village and the Re-Store with unneeded household items. They filled dumpsters. They made trips to the dump. They cleaned and scoured. My brother asked me how we got the good kids. All I can say is that family has been one of the most important key values that we have always tried to instill in our children. Apparently, it caught. We reap what we sow and we are proud of them and very, very thankful.

            “May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.” (Psalm 144:12, New Living Translation)

            Our Ephesian’s text reminds us that we are God’s Family through Jesus Christ. Paul expands on this elsewhere in his letters. “Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’”  (Romans 8:15) I recognize that there are many people, especially women, who have had terrible and painful experiences of fatherhood and family.  I can only hope that the loving experience of being in God’s family might heal, transform and transcend those memories.  But that means we all have to pitch in and help one another in the process, responsibilities and support of what it means to be part of God’s Family. “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)

            Being in God’s Family calls for the best in us. Jesus once said that family is more than blood ties but we are joined together through faith and the fruit of our faith. “Then he pointed to his disciples and said, ‘Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!’” (Matthew 12: 48 - 50) Family is the fruit of our love for one another. It is more than a shallow token idea about Church. It is in the very fibre of our being in fellowship with open another.  For it to be a reality, we need to intentionally practice the soul of what it means to be God’s Family. “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16) That is not just mere hyperbole or foolishness; it is how we work, play, worship, pray and enjoy life together as if our lives depended on each other.

            “My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 14 -15, The Message Bible)

Dale