Wednesday, November 9, 2022

“Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.” (Ecclesiastes 10:18 New Living Translation)

                Atrophy - partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body.

                I am becoming aware that my legs may be stumbling into a state of atrophy. I have never been exactly adroit or nimble on my feet. Nobody has ever called me twinkle-toes. But, since retirement, seven years ago, I have sat in my big, comfy, blue recliner and moved as little as possible, it seems. Covid made it worse. Certainly, I don’t exercise. Our dog, Charlie, is too old to walk anymore; he is as prone to stumbles and slips as I am. I have fallen a couple of times because my legs don’t react as fast as my brain tells them to. I trip over my own two feet. Once I am down, it is laborious to try and get back up as my legs don’t seem strong enough. At my “young” age, it is a little embarrassing, to be honest.

                I know that I should do some walking to strengthen my leg muscles. But laziness, thy name is Dale.

                Idleness gets a rough reputation in scriptures. “Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin.” (Ecclesiastes 4:5, NLT) My mother always said that idle hands are the devil’s tools.

The apostle Paul would agree. “Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? ‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.”  (2 Thessalonians 3: 11-13, The Message Bible)

Now there is nothing wrong or sinful in spending leisure time, resting, relaxing, having some down time, or just plain goofing off occasionally. We need spiritual, physical, mental refreshment and restoration of mind, body and soul. Workaholism can become a curse when it replaces family relationships, saps or drains one’s humanity and becomes the be all and end all to living.

But idleness is a dangerous pool to drown in – especially in the area of Christian discipleship.

We need continuously to practice and exercise the core muscles of Christian behaviour. “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians  4:13, NLT)

If we become apathetic, indifferent, close-hearted, unmindful, ignorant, careless, thoughtless about our faith, our relationship with Jesus Christ and therefore about our relationships with others, that faith begins indeed to atrophy and becomes weak and we stumble around trying to gain our balance, especially in a world that throws up obstacles and barriers.

Therefore, or instead, Paul reminds us of the stuff we are made and the work that this implies. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6, NLT)

Our Ecclesiastes text, above, reminds me a little of Jesus’ parable of the men who built their houses on different foundations.

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” (Matthew 7: 24 -27, The Message Bible)

Let us get up off our back-sides and put our faith to work.

 Dale

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord[a] and ours…” (1 Corinthians 1:2, New Revised Standard Version)

                A gulp of cormorants.

                Apparently, according to Google, that is what one calls a flock of cormorants, an old French word meaning sea-crows. We saw many cormorants on Lake Erie, one gulp as large as maybe well over a hundred birds, flying low over the water, skimming not far off the surface.

                A parliament of owls, a coven of crows, a gaggle of geese and a gulp of cormorants. If there are only two or three cormorants is that just a sip of cormorants? Sorry, I digress.

                What do you call a group of Christians?

     Maybe, you might suggest a church or a congregation or a community of believers. But Paul calls a group of Christians, saints. A loaded word, suggesting some sort of holiness, near perfection, do-gooders, sanctified and washed clean or as the Message Bible describes sainthood, “believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life.”

                But let us be very careful about what it means to be part of the sainthood of all believers. Remember that old platitude, “If you are looking to join a perfect church, once you join it, it is no longer perfect.” I don’t mean this as a put-down but as a reminder that even as Paul used the word quite regularly in his writings, he was also acutely aware that he was writing churches which were far from being saintly but could be filled with rancour, jealousies, factions, rigidity and church wars.

                Nothing has changed much in churches in these times. The colony of saints is made up very human would-be saints. This is to say that churches are sometimes messy, chaotic, beleaguered, broken, vulnerable, struggling, and fraught with human feelings, emotions and reactions.  And to use an old Groucho Marx line, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Simply put, no church is perfect.

                Paul knew that better than anyone but nonetheless he understood that the church, this gaggle of saints, had its work cut out for it.  He understood the potential for greatness. He appreciated the possibilities for service and sacrifice. He extolled the virtues of love and community among them. He exhorted the practice of acceptance, tolerance and grace.

                 “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, New Living Translation)

                “Instead” – that word speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Churches would do well to practice the theology of “instead.”  Instead of judgmentalism, dogmatism, and intransigence, we practice gracious acceptance, love and inclusiveness. Instead of living in our brick and stone boxes, cloistering against the world, holding tight to the past or even human sin, we open our hearts, minds and souls to love all others as we have been loved. Instead of thinking only of punching our tickets to heaven, we begin to build Jesus’ Kingdom in the corners in which we live and worship. Instead of the veneer of our Christianity, we dig down deep and reveal the essence of being a sainthood, a follower of Jesus Christ in both word and deed.

                “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (Hebrews 12: 1 -2, The Message Bible)

                Saints alive!

Dale

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

“The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center.” (Revelation 22:2, The Message Bible)

                 The willow tree which stood in the yard between us and Lake Erie was massive. It looked like one of those trees from a fantasy novel, a formidable tree that knows stuff or is a central piece of folk legends or is a mystical representation of power and life.

                It must have been a very, very old tree. Its trunk was a good ten feet in circumference and it reached thirty to forty feet into the sky. It was sheathed in irregular scales of dark gray bark, with several patches missing along the trunk here and there. There were large nodules and knobs protruding from several places on the trunk and thicker branches. Its canopy of branches and leaves stretched over half the small yard. It looked as if it had braced many a storm off the lake and yet had remained steadfast and unwavering in any and all kinds of weather. It was a tree to be reckoned with.

                Trees play an interesting role in our scriptures. The great Biblical Narrative begins with Trees and ends with a Tree. Trees were a goodly part of God’s Creation and meant for humanity’s benefit: “Then God said, ‘I’ve given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth and every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.’” (Genesis 1: 29, The Message) In this bounteous Garden, “the Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden, he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9)

                Of course, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil led to our downfall as humankind. But that issue aside, trees were a good example of abundant living. “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.” (Proverbs 3:18, New Living Translation) Living under fruit bearing trees was a metaphor of a good and righteous life.  “Instead, you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.” (Psalm 1: 1 -3, The Message)

                Jesus also used the metaphor. “Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matthew 7:20, NLT)

                Paul likewise used this metaphor. He wrote how all those who belong to Jesus Christ, even Gentiles, have been grafted onto the promise of God’s blessing of Israel. “So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.” (Romans 11: 17, NLT) Or as the Message Bible renders the last sentence: “Remember, you aren’t feeding the root; the root is feeding you.”

                By the time we get to Revelation we are given a promise that sits in line with what we have briefly and incompletely encountered so far, “To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7, NLT) Eden restored; humankind finding our place within its bounty once again. There is that beautiful image then of the Tree of Life, not something lost or forbidden or abandoned, but flourishing, offering nurture for healing, peace, sustenance, and everlasting Life.

                Until then, we attach ourselves to the Vine. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15: 4 – 5, NLT)

                Creaton speaks to us; are we listening?

 Dale

 Wednesday, October 19, 2022

“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.”  (Hebrews 11: 13 -16, The Message Bible)

                I sometimes wonder whether I have some deep-seated, ancestral sea-faring DNA running though me. There is nothing that I enjoy more than sitting beside a large body of water like an ocean or a Great Lake and watching the horizon stretch out on front of me, almost seemingly endlessly.

                Such was the case during our vacation on the shores of Lake Erie recently. The Lake could be quite moody, sometimes calm and serene but often choppy with  great waves and whitecaps. You could even see the whitecaps in the distance on the horizon. As I watched the horizon, sometimes, something would catch my eye – a soaring Bald Eagle, a majestic Golden Eagle on the hunt, black cormorants, gulls swooping and diving or a fish jumping in the water.  Perhaps a fishing trawler or a laker just on the edge of the horizon or just a small boat with someone fishing. The horizon was seldom dull or static or boring or tame, even on a calm day.

                On a clear day, one could see off in the distance, a far country, some of the distant shoreline of our neighbours to the south, the United States. But mostly, it was just water reaching to the far horizon, as far as the eye could see.

                “I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.” (Proverbs 8:27, New Living Translation)

                Horizons come in many guises.

                To me, life’s horizons are about possibilities, the future, hope, seeking the best-is-yet-to come potential of living with clear vision and steadfast determination. Yes, there are life’s storms that stir the waters between now and then, but even so, the horizon remains steady and beckons us when the storms and winds cease. Generally, I am not a pie-eyed optimist but I strongly affirm that what God has in store, always tantalizing on the horizon of our faith, vision and hearts, is worth the wait.

                Our text above speaks of those who knew of this sacred horizon and saw across the span of time that their new home would be eventually found. They were seeking a far better country than where they found themselves. They were not daunted by the distance between themselves and God’s horizon, for someday the gap between where they were and their true home would be closed.

                The horizon gave them hope for the day. Sometimes, there are reminders of God’s promise which break the horizon like a soaring eagle. “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”  Isiah 40:31, New Living Translation) Or a beautiful sunset - we saw several breath-taking ones – which reminds one of the abundant creativity of God’s hand on our world, leaving one awe-struck and thankful. No matter what.

                Our living horizons are never dull or static or boring or tame, but full of calling, summoning, beckoning, inviting us to dare walk across the waters (sometimes) and reach for the new City that centers God’s Kingdom, a kingdom of peace, justice, joy, love, mercy, forgiveness and well-being. “Thy kingdom come” – that is the very heart and soul of horizon watching.

                “‘Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.’ The Enthroned continued, ‘Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.’” (Revelation 21: 3 -5, The Message Bible)

Dale

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”   (James 1:19, New Living Translation)

 [I am going a brief hiatus for the next three weeks. The Unconventional Baptist will return on October 19^th.]

                 “Your wife has good ears.”

                This was said to me by a senior woman sitting next to me at Susan’s retirement party on Sunday at St. Luke’s Anglican Church. Susan is retiring this week as the church secretary after 16 years. It has been a job she loved and excelled at. Her many, many duties included being the church treasurer and book-keeper. She administered the day-to-day affairs of the church, its bookings and its logistics. Yes, she typed the bulletins and all that secretarial stuff.

                But where she really shone was in her ability to listen to the people with whom she came into daily contact, be they a regular parishioner or a complete stranger. I think my wife has nice ears, too, but what the woman meant was that Susan really listened to people. A goodly portion of her job was pastoral care as she was often the first on the front lines of pastoral care. Susan made time for people,  be it on the phone or if they had come into  her office in person and always listened attentively  to their stories and concerns. Even if she had a dozen other things to do. Before the need got passed on to one of the pastors, it was Susan who responded first.  Several people have mentioned that her gift of caring and compassionate listening will be most sorely missed. Her capacity to listen and listen well was truly her gracious ministry.

                Listening can be hard work when done well. It may even be a lost art. Our culture throbs with overly loud opinions, people shouting out their views and sentiments, the noisy clamour of protests and dissent. Everybody wants to have their voices heard but is anyone listening?

                I am reminded of the suffering Job. His three friends came to “console and comfort him.” (Job 2:11, NLT) When they first set eyes on their friend their hearts were broken. “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.” (v.13) Silence was golden. Just their presence spoke volumes. The trouble started when they spoke up against Job’s complaining and lamenting and wouldn’t shut up, arguing with Job and blaming him and scolding him. All they really had to do was listen but they couldn’t and wouldn’t.    

“Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe.” (Psalm 31:2, NLT) Albeit, this is a prayer of trust in God’s ability to listen, but it reminds us  that listening provides a safe harbour for the one who is talking and sharing their lives. Listening should make the other person feel safe. “Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you.”  (Psalm 102:2, NLT)

“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” (Proverbs 12:15, NLT) Listening is that ability to allow another person to be known, to be respected, to be understood, to feel included and affirmed. There may be a time when one needs to speak or offer a response but listening first leads us down the right path of being helpful and insightful with what we might have to say. “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” (Proverbs 18: 13, NLT)

To borrow from Jesus - “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” (Matthew 11:15, NLT)

Dale

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

“Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge your people rightly,  be honorable to your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants.” (Psalm 72: 1 -4. The Message Bible)

                The Queen is dead; long live the King.

                That seems to be  the traditional outcry after the death of a monarch – at least in the fantasy books I read. But with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we now have a king after a very long while.

                A recent poll came out yesterday finding that the majority of Canadians are indifferent to the change in monarchs. Most of us said that it has no impact on the way we live. I would probably include myself in that majority, which isn’t to say that I don’t care or am not interested in this historic change. But King Charles III, God bless him, doesn’t make a whole lot of difference in my life, except in remembering to sing “God save the King” on the very rare occasion I might have to sing the anthem, which is hardly ever.

                Perhaps once upon a time, kingships mattered in ordinary people's lives. Take Psalm 72, for example, one the Royal Psalms. There are high and lofty expectations placed on the King’s shoulders. The King is probably King David, who, as we know, became the model or paradigmatic  king for all Jews of all time. Even the concept of Messiahship finds its roots in the kingship of David.

                Psalm 72 is impressive in the scope of the King’s responsibilities towards his people. King Charles should take note, although he has set a tone of promising “selfless service”. The proof will be in his actions. The Psalm points to the necessity of “right living” for the King. It exhorts the King to “stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy and come down hard on cruel tyrants.”  Kingly power is to be  used for justice, compassion, generosity and hope. “In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.” (v.7, New Revised Standard Version)

                We need to note verses  12 to 14: “He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.” (New Living Translation)

                Selfless service indeed!

                Words like these remind us why Jesus carries the mantle of kingship. He embodies these words in his own life, ministry and vision for the world around him. We hear the Psalm echoed in Jesus’ words: “God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free,    to announce, ‘This is God’s time to shine!’” (Luke 4: 18 – 19, The Message Bible)

                Good kings love their people beyond measure and prove it by their actions and words and deeds.

                Such a king is worth following, being obedient to and accepting his authority in our lives. Many of us could use a good change of ruling values in our personal lives, needing a new style of kingship from those things that have taken over and have gained sovereignty in harmful and negative ways. One cannot be or should not be indifferent to the kingship of Jesus. He makes a difference and has a lasting impact upon us when we allow him to have authority on our lives.

                “Jesus had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 6 11, The Message Bible)

                Long live the King!

Dale

 Wednesday, September 7, 2022

“Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost.” (Proverbs 22:6, The Message Bible)

                “School days. Schools Days. Dear old golden rule days. Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic…”

                Bright and shiny faces. Parents posted the annual first-day-of -school pictures of most of our grandchildren on our family Messenger board. Pre-school Naomi claimed she wanted to be a friend. Beckett, still in day care, wanted to follow his two big brothers into their school. It was Declan’s first day in JK. As the old commercial went, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

                Back in the day, I was okay with attending elementary school. But I didn’t enjoy a lot of my high school education. The peer pressure was intense and the requisite curriculum didn’t always hold my interest. Phys Ed periods were full of things I couldn’t do very well, like rope climbing or running a mile. I took three years of Latin, for goodness’ sake.

                It wasn’t until university and seminary that I truly discovered a hunger for learning. A whole new world of topics opened up for me. I took religion courses and philosophy courses, sociology, political science. I thrived and did very well at these levels of “higher learning”.

                Learning helps build character as well as develop one’s mind. We should never stop learning. Keeping our minds open and informed leads to better choices and decisions, helping us to have a better appreciation of others and the world around us.

                When we think we know it all, we probably know very little. A lack of learning leads to superficiality, small mindedness, shallow thinking, e.g. conspiracy theories. When we stop being curious and inquiring we risk becoming stuck in old attitudes, prejudices and thin assumptions.

                “If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27, New Living Translation)

                Knowledge is, of course, more than just book learning. Our education comes from many sources and life experiences. It comes from the good examples of other people like parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. We learn from our mistakes. We learn by listening to words of advice and counsel. We learn by trying and doing. We learn from developing our skills, talents and giftedness.

                “Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?” (Proverbs 5:13, NLT)

                The book of Proverbs is all about gaining wisdom that comes from paying attention to sources of knowledge and thoughtfulness. Much of it seems to address a younger generation – words from an older and perhaps wiser generation:

                A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair;
                To teach the inexperienced the ropes
                and give our young people a grasp on reality.
                There’s something here also for seasoned men and women,
                still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—
                Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate,
                the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. (Proverbs 1: 1 -6, The Message Bible)

                So, please keep an open mind. Always have a questing spirit especially for the good. Think about what you do and say and how it affects others. Set a good example. Find meaning in the world around you. Pay attention to what is  truthful, authentic,  trustworthy and enriching.

                “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.” (Psalm 86:11, NLT)

Dale