Wednesday, September 26, 2018

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.” (Luke 15: 4 -5, New Living Translation)

                There are a considerable number of idioms that have to do with our shoulders. You look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Are you giving him the cold shoulder? Get that chip off your shoulder! She can take it; she has broad shoulders. Do you need a shoulder to cry on? He is head and shoulders above the rest of the class. We are going to do this together, shoulder to shoulder. Look at us; look at whom we are rubbing shoulders with. Let’s put our shoulder to the wheel and get this done! I’ve done all I can do; it’s on your shoulders now.

                One of the “joys” of becoming older is to discover that I have considerable damage in my shoulders from arthritis.  It would wake me up at night with the pain. Fortunately, a recent cortisone shot has much alleviated most of the problem, for now. At least, it gives me an excuse not to rake all our leaves this Fall and let our lawn-care people do it instead.

                I have often counseled people who are living through some major crisis and are deeply emotionally conflicted and confused and questioning where God is in all this, that it is perfectly OK to express anger, frustration, hurt, and distress in one one’s prayers and admonitions towards God. Afterall, God has very big and broad shoulders.

Encounter Job who rails and protests long and loud about the unfair position that God has allowed to happen to him. Read many of the Psalms which are deep laments and angry complaints: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” (Psalm 22: 1, NLT). Although I am somewhat captivated by The Message Bible’s interpretation of the same verse: “God, God . . . my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere?”  

                If one has ever been to the Holy Land the chances are pretty good that you have come home with a carved, wooden statue depicting the Good Shepherd with a lamb being carried upon his shoulders. I now have the one which I gave to my mother after my trip many, many years ago. Although there are many biblical images of God as Shepherd and therefore Jesus, too, the parable from Luke always seems to me to be  the one which best expresses the perseverant, tenacious, resolve of a compassionate and loving God to find us in our wildernesses and carry us home, back to the fold.

As it is affirmed in John’s Gospel, Jesus, himself, acts out the God as the Good Shepherd motif. Consequently, our Shepherd knows our names. We are apt to go astray, find ourselves in unfamiliar and unsafe circumstances, think the grass is greener on some other hill and not see the fast-flowing and dangerous river between, and yet, the parable assures us that God does not give up on us ever and will continually look for us until he finds us and leads us back to greener pastures and still waters. “The one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”  (Deuteronomy 33:12, New International Version)

Finally, this is an example for us, as well, to help shoulder the burdens of others when we can. “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, NLT) We cannot always fix the problems and issues that others are facing, nor should we try necessarily, but we can be a listening and empathetic ear, give a shoulder to cry upon, or be a voice of encouragement and affirmation. Find the good shepherd in yourself and be supportive and caring. As the old song goes, you’re not heavy; you’re my brother/sister.

Dale

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

“Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.” (Philippians 2:18, New Living Translation) 

                Being three years old is a wondrous, joyful, exciting, awesome time of life. It almost makes me anticipate my second childhood in my old age.

                Our grandson, Henry, had his three-year old birthday party on Sunday – a family affair. As gifts arrived he would look at them with excitement and wonder, constantly asking whether he could open them - like NOW! But he waited until the party began. But I don’t think angels rejoicing had anything on Henry once the festivities commenced. It wasn’t a greedy sense of getting stuff but rather a spirit of marvel and joy and appreciation as he began opening his gifts.      Even birthday cards, especially if they played music or made sounds, were opened and viewed with appreciation.

The expressions on his face were bursting with happiness and exhilaration as new toys appeared. There were books and clothes, too. It was as much as a little three-year-old could take in, and to top it all off there was chocolate cake and ice cream! We all shared in his joy, gladness and cheerfulness. His joy was infectious and easily spread among the rest of us.

Maybe Jesus was thinking of the pure, uncomplicated spirit of a child’s utter joy when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17, NLT)

As I see it we, many of us adults make joy very conditional on what is happening or worse what is not happening to us in our small corner of our personal worlds. We hinge joy, celebration, happiness on what we have or own. We define satisfaction and contentment on success, achievements, victories, and rewards. I am not suggesting that these are necessarily even “bad” things but life is more precious than just those things.  At times we are so serious and sober and humourless and cynical that it saps any sense of enjoyment we might otherwise find.

We now know that depression is a serious mental health problem. People seem sadder and more melancholy than ever before.  There are times when I look at what is going on in the world right now and it can be hard to put a sincere smile on my face.  I want to hide under the covers until this great wave of negativity (like an emotional tsunami) is over. There seems to be so much hostility, anger, and fear which distort and diminish our capacity to find a real and lasting sense of joy. I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.” (John 16:22, NLT)

What robs you of your joy?

Find the three-year-old child in you.  Remind yourself each and every day that there are deep, meaningful stories of joy happening all around you. There are gifts of people and occasions of serendipitous things which put a smile on your face and a little happy music in your heart and soul. It may be only the red flash of a Cardinal in my front yard tree that reminds me that there is still much beauty and splendour in the world after all but it makes me glad.

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118: 24, NLT)

And then as Paul suggested – share the joy. Spread it around. This will, in turn, actually increase your joy.  God intends for us to be a community of joyful people, to be people who find our authentic voices for praise, delight, blessings, and enjoyment of all God’s gifts in Creation.

Don’t let anyone or any thing rob you of that joy.

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11, NLT) 

Dale

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land.” (Psalm 63:1, New Revised Version) 

                Psalm 63 is one of the most beautiful poems in the whole of the Psalter. Its rich depths of faith and trust in God rise off the page in a crescendo of praise and confidence in God. “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” (63: 3-4) The Psalmist has known spiritual emptiness and emotional fatigue. It looks as if he has lain awake at night, meditating on the ways God has reached out to him in his need.  “For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (63:7)

                If you are down in the dumps, feeling anxious and uneasy, feeling uncertain about the future and lying awake at night with worry and fear I couldn’t recommend a better, spiritually uplifting text than Psalm 63.

                At least the first eight verses…

                I have to be honest, verses nine to ten just don’t seem to fit the mood of the first part of the Psalm. I think somebody else may have tagged these verses onto this poem for some strange reason. Maybe, it sounded too sentimental or unrealistic. The poet’s mind, if it is the same person, is torn away from his lofty thoughts of God and now seeks harm and vengeance on his enemies. “But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.” (63: 9-10) Then the king (where did he come from?) is going to use his conviction in God to shut up his opponents.

                It is a confounding and disappointing ending to a wonderful Psalm.

                But perhaps our human nature is revealed in the contradictions which this poem as a whole presents. We can ride the crests of faith, assurance and renewed hope and peace but become distracted by everyday realities, problems and conflicts. We become preoccupied with the pains and aches of daily living and need to take it out on somebody else. Then before you know it, our ascending faith falls flat and we are overtaken by our darker thoughts.

                My advice – go back and read the first eight verses again. And stop! 

                Or I might also add listening to Jesus who had some very clear advice about retaliation and revenge – you know them I’m sure: “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:39) or “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (5:44).

                Our hearts can be ruled by Love or Hate.  Our Faith can soar to heights of immense trust or plummet into cold and spiteful payback.  Our moods can be enriched by beauty or smeared with vindictive and ugly anger.  We can reach out to God or we can give in to our own hurtful thoughts.

                “My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

The choice is ours to make.

Dale

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (1 John 4:18, New Living Translation)

                Like a lot of people, a trip to the dentist is not one of my favourite things to do. But when a broken tooth (while on vacation) leaves a gap the size of a small canyon, I really had no choice, even though I did procrastinate for a little while. Fortunately, it wasn’t causing me any pain or discomfort – as yet. But man, I could have kept loose change, wallet and sunglasses in the cavity.

                My appointment was yesterday. I surprised myself as I realized that I had very little anxiety about and no fear of the visit. Part of it is that I have a very good dentist. But I also have come to realize that in most visits there has been very little pain or discomfort during or afterwards. I really had nothing to fear. The only thing that hurts is the cost of the visit, but beyond that, modern dentistry is no longer something to fear or dread. I was done in 45 minutes, had a new tooth and was back home in time for lunch. No peanut brittle or jujubes for a week.

                Fear is powerful emotion. But it is a necessary emotion if we are doing something very risky, dangerous or facing something that is truly threatening and menacing in our lives. It adds a voice of caution, concern, second thoughts and warning that we need to stay focused, be diligent, avoid terrible mistakes and make good choices. Even heroes may exhibit fear in the situations which they are facing. Fear doesn’t necessarily make you a coward; it may make you smarter, wiser or more persevering and determined. Facing one’s fears is not easy and yet, it offers fresh beginnings and new possibilities.

                Of course, on the other hand, some types of fear are debilitating to our human spirit. Some fears may be irrational and unsubstantiated, but those fears don’t seem any less real. Deep-seated fear can paralyze the human soul, makes us totally indecisive, leaves us wanting to pull the covers over our heads and pray that whatever it is we are dreading in the moment will go away and leave us alone. Fear can lead to denial, anger, despair, depression and drown us in a sweat of qualms and anxiety.

                Our text from the first letter of John is a favourite of mine. “Perfect love expels all fear.” At first, this may sound too facile or simplistic. Well, so is a mother’s hug when a child cowers in a thunderstorm. So is a father’s hand wiping away tears after a child has fallen of her bike and is afraid to get back on.  So is a comforting word when a friend loses a loved one and fears facing the future without him or her.   So is toonie thrown in a beggar’s ball cap, so that he doesn’t fear the night.  So is a smile when someone’s hands are shaking from nerves.

                It all depends on how you define “perfect love.”  It is based in God’s love for his sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. It is a Love that gives us strength, courage, hope, joy even in the toughest and most challenging of times and situations.  This Love just doesn’t comfort and soothe but expels fear – casts it out. It replaces fear with a new energy and powerful assurances that not even Judgment Day itself can cause us to fear. When we hang onto the Love of Jesus by living like him in this world, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil because God’s presence, i.e. Love, is right there with you and me every step of the way.

Dale

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:27, New Living Translation)

                 I immediately thought of these words from Jesus after reading the Sunday comic strip, Frazz – a strip about the encounters of first graders with the adults in their world, mostly teachers.

                One of the boys is drinking a cup of coffee, explaining that he had heard that coffee can add a few days to your life. “And I could use a few before summer vacation ends.” One of the adults explains to him that he doesn’t get to choose where those extra days go and that they go “at the end.” The lad is very disappointed. “That’s not when I want to use them.”

                Many of us can share the sentiment. I, for one, don’t understand why the ancients added an extra day in a leap year on to February, the cruelest, winter month; why not add one day to July, in the summer? But I digress…

                Lots of people wish they had more time for one thing or another in their lives. Some complain that there are not enough hours in the day to do all that is necessary. Others find it hard to juggle the hours for family events, work, activities, appointments and various schedules and agendas. Just ask many a busy parent! Some wish they had more time to enjoy life a little more. Some people have bucket lists of the things they would like to accomplish before they pass this mortal coil. There is not enough time to get to them all. In a few cases, like sky diving, race car driving, etc., these things might actually shorten your days, but, hey, it’s your life. Sometimes, my bucket list includes just successfully getting out of bed in the morning. To each their own.

                There is a lot of popular advice about how we live each day.

                “Live one day at a time.”

                “Live like today is the first day of your life.”

                “Live to day like it is the last day of your life.”

                “Live and let live.”

                “Eat, drink and be merry; for tomorrow there might not be any.”

                “Don’t worry; be happy!”

                But no matter, none of us can actually make any day have 25 hours. None of us can add a 13 o’clock to our watches. None of us can stretch time, manipulate time, freeze time, hold off time, delay time, ignore time, or add a single moment to our lives.

It’s not that I am a fatalist or believe that all life is pre-determined or even being passive when it comes to time. Time is one of those sacred mysteries with which we must come to terms. We are mortals within the context of time passing. There are times when I wish God had come up with a better idea than old age or helped us better deal with it and our human fragility. “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)

Be that as it may, it is never too late to make the best out of whatever we time we still have. To fill our days with worry, fear and angst only depletes our existence and sacrifices the beauty and meaning of our lives to the demons and hobgoblins which bewitch us into despair, pessimism, hopelessness and fruitlessness. With worry we surrender to the dictates of time instead of giving ourselves permission to be free and enjoy the days we have.

The gift of faith in Jesus Christ is that we find trust, assurances, strength, joy and hope to make the most of our time, to live each and every day with confidence, love, peace and the ability to meet life and therefore time head on, to live not with regrets nor with lost opportunities, but to engage life with a vibrant spirit of expectation and anticipation of what is coming next, be it on earth or as it will be in heaven. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22 -23)

Dale  

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here! ” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14: 24 -31, New Living Translation)

                Lake Erie was doing its own imitation of the storm on the Sea of Galilee!

                A nice morning turned dark as the storm swept in upon us. The waves had already been crashing over the dark grey, granite boulders in front of our lake house, but now they furiously stormed and smashed way over the rocks and spray and water was pelting the house. The waves were roiling and rolling as they waters turned grey with huge, swelling whitecaps. Then the brunt of the storm finally hit. Rains teemed down in buckets. Hail fell the size of marbles and clacked hard against the windows. Small limbs of trees were ripped off by gale force winds. Even heavy deck furniture was heaved aside. Lake Erie was dangerous and treacherous. It was both fascinating and terrifying to witness.

                This storm happened on our last Thursday of our vacation. It lasted about an hour as we watched the storm clouds finally move on, leaving us a clean-up on the deck. Nothing serious was broken or lost. Eventually the sun shone again.

                Earlier in our stay I had noticed a small blade of grass growing out of one of the boulders. Grass is occasionally used in scripture as a metaphor for human mortality, vulnerability and frailty.  “Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass…?” (Psalm 90:5, The Message Bible) But this little stalk was being rather defiant and therefore, alone noteworthy, suggesting a metaphor for persistence, perseverance and just plain doggedness.  It was growing out of sheer rock which alone begs for me to make the rather obvious connection that God through Jesus Christ is the rock of our faith to whom we cling. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:2, NLT)

                So, I was quite curious to find out whether that little blade of grass survived the storm or not. And sure enough, there it was, still clinging to the rock, looking as sturdy as ever, and not torn away by the severity of the storm it has just endured.

                Once more, the human interpretation of this living parable is striking. “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety…” (Psalm 61:2, NLT)

                For a brief moment Peter got it – he welled up his courage and faith and stepped out of the boat and he, too, boldly stood in defiance of the storm. But then he saw where he was and the strong winds and the big waves and his faith faltered and he began to sink. The storm overwhelmed him, caused him anxiety and fear, took hold of his heart and soul and he began to drown. “Save me!” – which is what any one us will cry out in troubled times, threatening circumstances or frightening situations.

                Jesus extended his hand and caught Peter before he went under. Jesus was somewhat disappointed that Peter and the other disciples had so little faith that they had not listened to him when he had called for them to take courage because he was right there, with them.

                The things you think of when you contemplate a small blade of grass…

Dale

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

“Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” (Philippians 4:8, The Message Bible)

                “You need to make better choices.”

                Our five-year-old grandson, William, hears this admonition on a semi-regular basis. It usually happens just after he has “tormented” his three-year old brother, Henry, in some fashion – as big brothers are wont to do. (Susan and I cringe at some of the horror stories which Nathaniel tells about Nicholas, even though, by some miracle they are good friends as adults.)

                William will run by and swat or push or touch or interfere with or wilfully taunt his little brother. Henry cries and then William is given The Lecture: “You need to make better choices.”  I suspect that as far as he was concerned, it was a perfectly reasonable, good choice at the time, along with its desired effects.

 I should also point out that we, little brothers, can be very sneaky in a passive aggressive sort of way for getting our big brothers into trouble. When I was about nine or ten I and my older brother (by seven years) were roughhousing and somehow, I managed to throw him over my shoulder and onto the floor. Our mother scolded him for being too rough! It doesn’t always work. When I about seven I shot my  big sister in the forehead with a rubber dart while she was doing her homework at the dining room table. Apparently, according to my mother, I could have made a better choice – although I don’t think they were quite the words she used.

But the advice is sound. We all need to make better choices.

When our new, current provincial government cuts an income programme for the poor, slashes in half an increase to social assistance, cancels environmental programs and grants and gives us dollar beer - you need to make better choices, Mr. Premier.

When Donald Trump… well, don’t get me started.  You need to make better choices, Mr. President!

But it is easy to point out the speck in my kindred’s eyes without attending to the log in my own eyes. I could write a book on the occasions where I could have and should have made better choices – as a husband, father, pastor, friend, etc.  Hindsight, as they say is always twenty/twenty.  You need to make better choices, Mr. Soble.

Eons ago, God spoke to his beloved people about the choices they were being faced with. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.” (Deuteronomy 30: 19-20)

Love for God and others is always a good choice – a still more excellent way, as Paul once described love. Making choices based on God’s example of Love is a good moral compass. It is not always easy. It is not always even fair. It is not always convenient. It may seem costly. It may conflict with dogma and world-views. It may stretch our limits and spill over our boundaries. It may challenge us to make better choices as to what we make of our lives and relationships. But Love is always the better choice: “Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus said. This, more than anything I can think of, is the authentic Gospel of hope and redemption for humankind.

In its light, we need to make better choices. 

Dale