Wednesday, June 10, 2020
“Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” (Hebrews 1o:25 The Message Bible) 

                I admire the optimistic way the provincial government thinks. It is going to allow churches to re-open their worship services at 30% capacity.  That would be a considerable up-tick in attendance, especially  in the two down-town churches for which I have had the privilege of being their pastor. Those sanctuaries were designed to hold  300 to 500 people. I might have sold my soul for a 30% capacity on any regular basis. Social distancing has been easily practiced in many old churches, long before Covid19 took its toll.

                It will be interesting to watch what happens to congregations once these restrictions are lifted.  So many churches, like downtown and inner city ones, small country churches, small urban churches, were struggling for survival before the pandemic. These three or four months of no activity, save for viral church connections, could be a fatal blow for many. I can’t imagine that financial giving has kept up with the normal costs that don’t go away like salaries, utilities, heat, etc.

                So many of these old-style, long established churches are lovingly supported mostly by seniors, both financially and through their attendance. But I suspect that they, as a high-risk group, will be extremely cautious, if not somewhat fearful, before they return to a public event like a worship service.

                I am not sure what the new normal will be for churches overall, but it will be very different.

                I must confess that since retirement I have not been a very active church attender, even before the virus. After 40 years in pastoral ministry it was nice to reclaim selfishly Sunday mornings for while, but then it became a habit. I make my excuse that I am too liberal for the local Baptist churches and too conservative for some of the more progressive churches. We have looked around a little but the one church we enjoy attending is in Whitby, Whitby Baptist Church, a little too far away for regular visits, especially in winter. (If you’re reading this, Ross, you owe me lunch for product placement!)

                But my poor excuses make me think of the saying, if you are looking for the perfect church, once you join, it isn’t perfect anymore. Or perhaps the old Groucho Marx line that I am not sure I would want to join any organization that would take me in as a member.

                This isn’t the time to rag on all that may be wrong about churches. I still believe that a healthy church is vital for personal spiritual growth and vitality. Suffice to say that I got burned out by the politics, the selfishness (including my own) and the bureaucratization of church life.  I dealt with too many unnecessary church battles when I was an Area Minister. So I am cautious about getting re-involved anywhere. I confess to being just a tad cynical.

                Excuses.  We all make excuses for not going to church on Sunday.

Our text above urges that avoiding worship is a slippery slope. I much admire the writer’s definition of church: encouraging love and helping out, spurring each other on. He is not pointing fingers at anyone but me. It is a message for all of us, of course, but it is reminding me that it is my responsibility to love, support, encourage and urge on the people with whom I share fellowship. It doesn’t say that I am to sit in my not-so comfortable pew and expect others to spiritually wait on me hand and foot.

                So when we finally emerge from our cocoons, I will be making a more concerted effort to re-connect. If we need anything right now, after all this is behind us, is the support, the encouragement, the love, the friendship of others. I need to part of the solution, as they say, not part of the problem.

                What about you? 

Dale

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
“He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.” (Ephesians 2: 14 – 15, The Message Bible) 

                “There will be peace in the valley.”

                As some of you know, over the last several years our two Australian Shepherds, Charlie and Kramer, have not gotten along which is putting it mildly. When it all started, we had many fights that were no holds barred, claws out, fangs snapping and blood spilled. A lot of that blood was mine when I tried foolishly to intervene, resulting in trips to hospital and doctors. One time, I became seriously sick with a serious bout of blood infection for which I was on an IV of antibiotics for a few weeks.

                We couldn’t bear parting with either dog, so we ended up separating them, one upstairs and the other downstairs, switching them around every so often so that one of them was having human company while the other chilled out. If Kramer so much as spied Charlie, even through a glass door, he would go ballistic. Although it was somewhat of a nuisance, this dividing arrangement worked for quite a while until finally Kramer began making such a fuss about being by himself that we had to figure out a new system of separation.

                Even when we put them in the kennel when we would go away, they both were in different cages adding to the cost of boarding. Interestingly though, we discovered that despite their mutual mistrust and dislike, they did like being in adjacent kennel compartments. They may have hated each other, but hey, they were family! But at home, we kept them very, very separate.

                This past year, we began to experiment with having both dogs on the same ground floor level at the same time, now separated only by dog gates. To our surprise, there were no attempted altercations, although Charlie was a little unnerved, at first.  In fact, in the mornings the two began to go outside together. Then a just a couple of weeks ago, I removed the barriers and so far, so good. The two now get along and are often found lying not far from each other or are mooching together when one of us is eating. We pray it lasts as it is so much easier to have two dogs who get along.

                The above text came quickly to mind in light of the racial violence we are watching on TV. We have seen a president wave a Bible around carelessly proving that you can lead a president to the Word  but you can’t make him drink. Never mind him for now.  If we are truly motivated by the example of Jesus Christ then the love of others, even and especially loving those who seem different, is an essential core value for peacemaking and breaking down divisions and walls. This Christly Love is more than a cheap photo-op.

                This love is not sentimental, soft-hearted drivel. Christ-like Love is one of justice, respect, tolerance, acceptance, benevolence, kindness, and doing good. 

                Let’s make this Love more than abstract; let’s make it real. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I saw someone, a person of colour, being racially abused in some way.  Would I have the loving grit to intervene and confront the racist and risk being told where I could go or being attacked myself? Or would I choose to slink off, not wanting to get involved and only think how terrible it was? (Remember the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan?)

                I regret the actions of a few who are turning the protests into violence. It means that a lot of folk, probably mostly white, who are missing the point of the protests, that Afro-Americans, in particular, are frequently victims of police brutality and targeting. We should not be smug in Canada, for racial inequality exists here also. The slogan, “Black Lives Matter” is a poignant reminder that too often our black brothers and sisters do not matter in a culture deeply divided by race.

                Christly Love is the best response to this problem. It will take time, patience, intense, intentional efforts, the not-so-easy facilitation of good will, a serious building up of trust and respect if the walls of hatred, prejudice and fear are to come tumbling down. If our two old dogs can do it, so can we! All of us have the responsibility of taking down the barriers and making peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5: 9)

             There will be peace in the valley for me, for me.

Well, the bear will be gentle;

And the wolves will be tame,

And the lion shall lay down by the lamb, oh yes.

And the beasts from the wild

Shall be led by a child.

And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am, oh yes.

There will be peace in the valley for me, some day.

There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray.

Dale

Wednesday, May 27, 2020
“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3: 18 – 20, New Living Translation) 

                OK, it’s time to fess up. What gastronomical guilty pleasures have you been indulging in during these last too many weeks?  What have you bitten into and chewed with utter bliss and satisfaction? What food have you made excuses about as you delightfully crammed them into your mouth? What rationale do you come up with as the deliciousness hits your palette?  Has it been ice cream? Pie? Chocolates. Fast food? Potato chips? Cheezies? Donuts? Handfuls of chocolate chips straight from the bag? A half a box of Lucky Charms?

What food has given you a lift, a boost and a moment or two of thinking that the world is not as bad as your feared?

My guilty pleasure – for this week anyway – was a bag of Pork Rinds. Mmmm, good! How could you not love pork rinds? They are  wonderfully simple and totally un-doctored by additives and chemicals. It says so right on the package: pork rinds, lard and salt. That’s it! Let me repeat. This is a righteous snack made up of bacon and pork bits, deep fried in fat until they are a crunchy goodness and then well-salted to perfection. How can all that tasty scrumptiousness not be good for a person?

I won’t judge your guilty pleasure if you don’t judge mine.

As noted in our text our actions tell a lot about us as individuals. The old adage is that you are what you eat.  But this is not about at the foods that we occasionally  indulge in. It would be highly hypocritical of me to counsel about good diets for others.

This is more about certain types of guilty pleasures which become problematic and get in the way of healthy living and break down our relationships with others.  It is when certain worthless things constantly and continuously take over our lives and become personal habits that ignore the lives of others. I am not necessarily talking about a big slab of chocolate cake here, obviously.

This corona virus has been quite the test for humankind. Far too many have indulged in the (not-so) guilty pleasure of ignoring any or all saftety precautions. Selfishly, they go out in groups, protest, play by the thousands in parks and on beaches; some who apparently are going to go berserk if they don’t get a hair cut right today or go to a mall or throw a frisbee around.  Bad enough that they thoughtlessly put themselves at risk, it is the rest of us whom they have so selfishly endangered. It is one thing to wolf down a half gallon of cookies-and-cream ice cream but it is another matter of inconsiderate respect for others to flout social distancing.

I hate this period of social distancing with all my heart.  But I do not want to risk the health of my loved ones by indulging in visits and get-togethers with family and friends. It is killing me not to be able to hug my grandkids, but neither would I want to be the cause of them getting sick. So, I endure forgoing the not-so-guilty pleasure of their company and love.

“Let us practice real love” (The Message Bible.) Then we don’t have to feel guilty or compromised or regretful. I will look forward to sharing a bag of Pork Rinds with my grandchildren once this is all over. (Who am I kidding? Their respective moms will do a body search as soon as I show up.) It can’t come soon enough, I admit. But I need to trust God that he is still at work through this and that God will lead a way forward. Now is not the time to indulge  and satisfy my yearnings.

And I don’t have an iota of guilt in having that faith!

Dale

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, New Living Translation) 

                The things one learns during a pandemic:

·         I like canned vegetables better than frozen vegetables.

·         I can’t cook Minute Rice for the life of me. I can whip up a nearly gourmet-type meal but my Minute Rice is a crunchy risotto mess. 

·         Dogs don’t care about Covid19. They love having everyone home all the time.

·         I don’t really mind now standing in a line, six feet apart, waiting to get into a grocery or drug store. Normally, I hate line-ups and waiting.

·         Just when gas is so cheap, my car’s gas tank is still almost three-quarters full after filling up well over six weeks ago. It also does wonders for the mileage limits on our car lease. 

·         I am very glad that I got a buzz cut before we went to Florida in March. My hair – what little there is of it anyway - still doesn’t need combing. (My mother would have been going nuts if she couldn’t have her hair done once a week.)

·         We go through a lot more coffee when my wife is home and not at work. 

Pretty trivial and unimportant stuff, am I right? What will you remember from out of these times in which we are living?  Are you getting cabin fever yet? Are you yelling at the birds? Apparently, they seem much louder to some people because there is less noise pollution to drown them out. How’s the homeschooling been going? New appreciation for school teachers, eh? They should be paid like rock stars.

We will come out of this time period with very different experiences, memories and stories to tell. Some will be very painful and sad memories. But most of us will reflect on the small inconveniences, the minor delays, the unimportant frustrations and the small but bothersome interruptions in our usual daily routines. In the long run it may help us appreciate the small things in life and not take them for granted. Although it has been harder on some than others, we will all be relieved when things get back to normal, whatever normal may be.

In our text, Jesus is encouraging us to reflect on those aspects of life that transcend the basic needs for food and clothing and even shelter. I don’t think he meant that these fundamental needs are not important but that a full life is more than a full belly alone. This concurs with what Jesus said when he was being tempted by Satan to satisfy his appetite, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NLT) I am also reminded of the Beatitude: “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6, NLT)

God forbid that the inconsequential ever dominates my life or that I drown in the trivial anxiety of wishing I had more of something or fretting that my life is just a lottery win away from true happiness.

I enjoy my “bread-and-butter” as much as the next person and I have been blessed that I have never really gone without in my life. I also recognize that hunger and poverty are a real pandemic in their own right throughout the world. But I also appreciate very keenly how full my life is because of family, friends and the experiences, ideas, thinking, abilities with the gifts and talents I have which all have given me so much to make life interesting, worthwhile and meaningful.  Moreover, it is a life that has been graced and led by God through Jesus Christ, granting me much joy, yet challenging me to do good and be good, inviting me to share in being a part of Kingdom building and living.

I’m not perfect by a long shot but God has gotten me this far; so, I am going to trust him for the rest of this journey.  

Dale

Wednesday, May 13, 2020
                “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

                “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds.” (Matthew 5: 1 – 12, The Message Bible)

The Beatitudes are probably my favourite verses of scripture.

They are challenging but comforting, provocative but re-assuring, insightful and hopeful. They turn the world upside down and inside out. In them, Jesus makes a commitment that God will reverse the negative circumstances for people who are powerless, defenceless, weak, poor and have no one to defend them in times of troubles. The Message Bible gives them a fresh interpretation. Please read them carefully, prayerfully and thoughtfully.

These are the perfect verses for these times we are in.

These verses invite us to see the world as God wants it to be, rather than the way it is. They imply that God is not done in re-creating this old  reality, and fighting for true and significant justice. We can be new creations. The words promise that there is a place for you and me in God’s care, no matter how low on the totem pole we happen to be. They refuse to allow the big, bad world to finish us off. None of us need to be victimized, abused, lost, forgotten or tossed aside.

These verses express for me the very core or heart of the Gospel, the Good News according to Jesus. God has a plan; evil is trying to thwart it. But God won’t give up on us; God won’t allow pain and suffering ultimately to define our lives. Jesus is the guarantee that even death loses in the end.

There is an old gospel hymn you may be familiar with:

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged that all is lost,

Count your many blessings -

Name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” (J. Oatman Jr.)

Perhaps, these words sound all too simplistic and the Beatitudes sound unrealistic. But I often think that stretching reality is the very purpose of the whole Gospel, defining fresh interpretations of salvation and redemption. This Gospel reverses the tide of human affairs. This Gospel confronts what sometimes seems to be so painfully normal and unchangeable. This Gospel gives the world a shake and upsets the patterns of sin, evil, injustice and misery. The Gospel give me courage to face the world knowing that I am not alone.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged – God is over all;

Count your many blessings – angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Dale

Wednesday, May 6, 2020
“Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (John 7: 3 – 4, New Living Translation) 

                I almost feel like I am doing something naughty or mischievous.

                But what I am actually doing is just getting in my car and doing mundane errands.  Once and sometimes – horrors - twice a week I need to buy groceries, hit the drug store for prescriptions or go to the pet food a store or the vet’s for doggie pills. Sometimes, I feel very persona non grata, like when I walked into our veterinary’s clinic and the shocked clerk was so alarmed at my presence, “You can’t be in here.” So, yes, sometimes what used to be so normal has become fraught with the thrill (?) of doing something illicit or inappropriate.

                On the other hand,  as I drove to McDonald’s last week, feeling quite adventurous,  it brought to mind  those summers when I was a mere lad and I would visit my grandparents on their farm in Prince Edward County. Usually, it was for just a few days, and I really enjoyed my time with them. But the highlight was always the mid-week trip into Wellington in my Grandpa’s Austin Mini.

We would first drop off several dozens of eggs at the egg depot. Grandma would do a bit of grocery shopping at some point.  But she would often take me into the library, smelling wonderfully of old books and best of all, displaying shelves of stuffed owls and other birds.  Sometimes, she ‘d take me into the Five and Dime Store where I would spend the fifty cents which my Mom had given me on some cheap toy. Finally, the trip would be capped off when my Grandpa would buy us all ice cream cones. Then we would all bundle into the Mini and get home in time to do the afternoon chores.

Perhaps, there is a silver lining in the pandemic clouds. Whereas before, most of us have been rushing from one place to another every day, now an outing becomes special. We have to think before we act or do something outside the home.  We have to make the moment count. We are far more intentional how we use our time. We don’t tend to waste our time but used our time wisely and prudently. It can be special to get out of the house, something to savour and enjoy.

I know that some people are frustrated and even angry at the whole social distancing thing. Some are protesting the orders to stay at home. Others are very fearful and reluctant to go out at all. Some wear masks wherever they go and others take their chances, empty-faced. We are all reacting differently and there is no right way or wrong way to cope in these difficult times.

In the text above, Jesus’ brothers are urging Jesus to get out more; show himself to the world and show what he can do. John gives us his theological reasons why Jesus is reluctant to do so at this time, “It is not yet my time,” Jesus explains.  Yet, I am also reminded of Jesus’ urging of his followers to show themselves to the world, even if he has his own reasons here not to do so himself.

                “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:  14 -16, The Message Bible)

                Make your moments count. Make the most of every opportunity. Show yourself to the world in ways that matter. Don’t be afraid. Be wise and prudent, of course, but enjoy and savour your contacts in the world around you.

                Have an ice cream cone – it’s my treat!


Dale

Wednesday, April 29, 2020
“But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life, sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!” (Job 17:9, The Message Bible)


                Wash your hands, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo
                Wash your hands, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo 

                If you are a parent of young children or grandparents of young grandchildren, you, more than likely, know the children’s song “Baby Shark”. If not, google it and I promise you that it will stick in your head for the rest of the day and pop up uninvited during the rest of the week. Just ask my daughter-in-law, Krista who is two-year old Declan’s Mommy. Declan loves Baby Shark and insists on it being played frequently, regularly and often - in that order! Can one socially distance from a two-year-old?

But the song has been adapted for our Covid19 times to remind children to wash their hands, use soap, dry their hands and so on. I hope I put enough “Doo Doos” in; I can never remember. And I wasn’t going to look is up; it’s still an ear-worm.

We are all being constantly reminded to wash our hands these days. When I go to the grocery store there is someone who meets me and has cleaned the handle of my grocery cart with sanitizer and then sprays some on my hands before he or she lets me into the store. When I come out and have loaded the bags into the car, before I drive off, I use a bottle of sanitizer which I keep in the car and then also use a sani-wipe after that on my hands and I then I wipe down the steering wheel with it. When I get home and after I bring the groceries in, I go into the bathroom and thoroughly wash my hands again with soap and hot water.

There hasn’t been this much fuss over hand-washing since the Pharisees chastised Jesus and his disciples for not washing up before dinner. (cf. Mark 7:2) I wonder how many of you still shout out before dinner, “Wash up! Supper’s ready!”

Mind you, Jesus was critical of the Pharisee’s fetish over their hypocritical cleanliness in fear that they had touched something unclean or contacted someone who they deemed to be dirty in some way, especially gentiles. They certainly practiced their own version of social distancing. They seemed to care more about that than their attitudes towards others. But the Pharisees would be right in their element in these modern times, “See, I told you so!”

There is the old saying that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Although it perhaps sounds like something from the book of Proverbs, it isn’t. My quick research showed that Sir Francis Bacon first used the idea in 1605: “Cleanness of body was ever esteemed to proceed from a due reverence to God, to society, and to ourselves.”

Then there was Pilate who washed his hands of the whole debacle of Jesus’ conviction and ensuing punishment. He reminds me of a few modern-day politicians who can’t seem to take responsibility for applying appropriate safeguards and want to get on with “normal” living, ignoring the reality.

But I digress.

Physical cleanliness is very important right now. Keeping our hands literally clean is critical in our defence against the virus. But the metaphorical meaning is also important. 

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,

    who do not lift up their souls to what is false,

    and do not swear deceitfully. (Psalm 24:4, New Revised Standard Version)

             Clean hands and a pure heart – a heart that loves; a heart which is free from evil and sin; a heart which is compassionate and caring; a heart not diseased or stained by hatred, prejudice, intolerance, judgment and ignorance.

                Wash up! It is important! 

Dale