Wednesday, July 27, 2022

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (Matthew 5: 13, The Message Bible)

                “If the hermit has Covid, then we are all doomed.”

                This was the smart-aleck comment from my oldest son when the news went out to the family at the end of last week that I had tested positive for Covid. It serves me right as I had gotten very sloppy about wearing a mask when out-and-about. At worse,  it has been like a having a very bad head cold, the roughest being the first couple of days. I am feeling much better today.

                The first inkling that I might have Covid was that I lost my sense of taste and smell. Totally. You could have fed me a good steak and it would have tasted the same as a piece of cardboard. Nada! I had none of the basic taste senses - bitter, salty, sour, sweet and savoury.  They were all gone and I am just starting to get them back.

                I missed the saltiness the most. I admit that I love salt on a lot of things – fries, potato chips, steak, soup, etc. etc. I’ll even add a pinch of salt to some fruit like cantaloupe. It seems to enhance the flavour and make the taste pop. I know that too much salt is not healthy for us but I hope and pray that I will never have to go on a salt-free diet. That might kill me faster than the salt.

                Jesus wants his followers to be the “salt of the earth”. We will use that expression to describe someone who is a cut above average in their good disposition, their compassion for others, their humility, their positive outlook on life. They are wonderful people to be around and to have as friends. Their presence helps make life a little brighter and beneficial.

                But we also need to understand a somewhat deeper connection between being salt of the earth and Jesus. Jesus doesn’t need bland followers. He needs disciples who make a difference in the lives of others and in the world around us. If we are active followers of Jesus, we “season” the world with Love, Compassion, Justice, Peace, Good Fruit (i.e. works), and actions that speak louder than words.

                A lot of people  ignore or reject Jesus because his Church has become too blasé, too tasteless, too mild, too out-of-touch. We play it safe. We stick to old traditions that have long outworn their usefulness. We say the same old things in the same old ways (which is why I like using the Message Bible, to change it up.) We get stuck in the past.

                “You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?”

                We are not here to be caustic, sour, bitter, tart, or vinegary. We are here to enhance people’s hunger and thirst for God by adding the seasoning of God’s Love to the words and actions which we speak and do. When salt loses its flavour, it is not any good for anything. Elsewhere, as here, Jesus says that one might as well throw it away (Luke 14:35). It’s garbage!

                Salty language may not be a virtue, but being a salty Christian is. It means to live in a way that makes a difference, even if it is in only small ways and means. It is doing unto others what is kind, good, loving, caring and sharing.

                “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians 5: 1 -2, The Message Bible)

                Pass the salt, please!

 Dale

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” (3 John 1:2, New Living Translation)

                 It has been said that one can’t teach an old dog new tricks but I have also discovered that one can’t trick an old dog either.

                Our 15-year-old plus Aussie, Charlie, needs to have two pills in the morning. One pill, I break into two pieces because it is large. It used to be that I could slip the pills in a corner piece of toast and peanut butter and he would wolf them down. But then, he learned how to eat the toast and spit the pills out. Now he refuses the toast altogether. Imbedding the pills in a piece of cheese or two used to work, but he can still eat the cheese and dump the pills. Pill pockets don’t work either. Now, he needs these pills for his best health; one is for his thyroid and the other is an anti- inflammatory which really makes a big difference for him to move round more comfortably. But he is wise to me and my con games to trick him in taking his pills. I am currently sticking a little peanut butter on his favourite cracker and so far, so good.

                Like Charlie, sometimes we, human beings, don’t know what’s good for us. We think we can fool ourselves and others by resisting that which makes our lives healthier, more endurable, more meaningful, more purposeful. We refuse to accept the spiritual, moral, emotional ingestion of that which heals the heart, mind, body and soul and keeps them fit. We convince ourselves that we don’t need God, Jesus or the Church (at its best, at least). We fail to keep up with the practises and preparations that keep us fit, able and ready to meet the day and meet the world.

                Sometime ago, I ran out of my anti-anxiety meds. I was feeling pretty good and didn’t rush to get a re-fill.  But by the fourth or fifth day without those meds, my anxiety went through the proverbial roof. I was surprised what a difference a small pill played in my daily well-being. Needless to say, I immediately refilled that prescription and got myself back in some semblance of emotional calm.

                None of us are impervious to sin-sickness or the weaknesses it may cause in our lives. There are no masks or vaccinations which help. Jesus makes very clear that a relationship with him is just what the doctor ordered. “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Every day, we should remind ourselves that our intentional interchange with the Way of Jesus helps bring us into a spirit of well-being, wholeness, blessing, and strength.

                We need to take the time, make the effort and be intentional in our daily walk with Jesus Christ who as Paul wrote, is “the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.” (Colossians 2:19, New Living Translation)

                It is hard to explain to a dog, no matter how smart said dog is, that his pills are good for him. But we, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, are highly capable of understanding, evaluating, and digesting the truth of the Love of God, and how God’s Grace and Mercy work to sustain and reinforce our holistic well-being.

                I wish I could put this Love on your favourite cracker with some peanut butter for you but you may be surprised just how easy it is to “swallow” the Life which God’s gives to each of us through Jesus Christ.

                Open wide! It’s good for you!

 Dale

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

“It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” (Luke 6: 41 -42, The Message Bible)

                No logs or specks in these hazel eyes.

                I had my routine, yearly eye exam yesterday. I had tests for eye pressure, glaucoma, macular degeneration (it runs in the family), cataracts, etc. My optometrist put drops in my eyes and took long looks through his gizmos to determine what condition my eyes were in. I am happy to report that my peepers are in very good health. No changes really over the last few years. Cataracts have begun to form but they have not significantly grown over the years. I can see clearly.

                I can see you. Can you see me?

                Which brings us to our text above. The more familiar version has to do with logs and specks. “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Jesus is masterful at sharp, insightful hyperbole.

                Have you ever noticed that, sometimes, we will criticize someone for something that we do ourselves? For example, we might accuse someone of someone being thin-skinned when we ourselves are also thin-skinned. I once challenged a senior woman in one of my churches who was always acerbic, out-spoken, critical and bossy. She was riming out a deacon for some small petty thing she thought he should gave done. I had just preached on loving our neighbour. I stepped between them and asked her if she had listened at all to the sermon. You know what they say – fools step in where angels fear to tread. She was highly offended and ran to another deacon to complain about my intervention. She could dish  it out but couldn’t take it.

                It doesn’t take much to be judgmental, critical, disapproving, censorious when looking at someone’s else’s faults. This is not to say that others don’t have any faults, but Jesus is right when he says that we need to do some honest self-assessment before we go about trying to correct other people which, to be honest, often means to make others conform to our personal satisfaction and bidding.

                I have had plenty of logs in my own eyes sometimes over my life and career. Not liking people who are short-tempered but can be short-tempered myself is one good example. Stubbornness is another one. I could build a log-cabin by the time I would be done.

                I like the Message Bible’s interpretation here about smudges and sneers. We are experiencing a culture in which contempt for others is leading to a tidal wave of judgement, selfishness, intolerance,  bigotry,  narrow-mindedness, and even hatred and violence. It is indeed this “I-know-better-than-you” attitude that is as toxic as air-pollution is to the environment.

                Jesus always set his face against the sin of judgment. His command is quite simple and direct. There is no fudging it. “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.”  (Luke 6: 37, The Message Bible)

                Let us give each other the benefit of the doubt, the benefit of charity, the benefit of forgiveness, the benefit of love, the benefit of grace.

                I can see you; can you see me?

 Dale

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

“Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence.” (Genesis 6:11, New Living Translation)

                 Not a pleasant text for a beautiful summer’s day in July. But rather than frolic in the sunshine with birds and butterflies, in light of more deadly shootings, I am more inclined to hunker down in my big blue recliner chair and let the world go by. I might die by eating too many crispy pork rinds, my current comfort food, but it is a dang site safer than walking in city streets; even in Canada, if you watch the Toronto news at all.

                The world seems to have become full of angry, violent, gun-obsessed, evil people – all male, all young, all anti-social. I do not understand what drives them to the levels of random violence they commit. Sadly, sometimes, it is racially motivated or gender specific. But more often, it just seems that these violent young men want to kill for the sake of killing. And we need to ask ourselves how the world has created an environment that, perhaps, has fostered, encouraged and sustained these levels of anger, hatred and violence.

                How it must grieve God as to what we are doing to ourselves. It may only be a few misguided and deranged few, but their violence affects us all, even if we live far away from the horrific sights and sounds of death.

                It is beyond me why our politicians can’t simply ban the sale and possession of assault rifles – period. I grew up with hunting rifles in the house but we were taught to respect and be extra cautious in handling them. It certainly never crossed my mind to take one of the guns and go on a shooting rampage. Different times. Who really needs an assault rifle; their only purpose is to kill humans? 

                God must weep at the human proclivity to use violence to solve our problems and take our hatred out on others. Does God ever consider reneging on his promise to never destroy every living creature as he did after the Genesis  Flood? Remember what instigated the flood: humankind’s violence. “So God said to Noah, ‘I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!’” (Genesis 6:13, NLT)

                Big blue recliner chair – here I come! I can’t swim!

                But let’s take a different tack.

                “My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.” (2 Samuel 22:3, NLT)

                God is no defender of violence. No advocate. No supporter of weapons of mass murder. In the words of Jesus, those who live by the sword die by the sword (Matthew 26; 52), or assault rifles in most cases of mass violence.

                Rather, God is depicted scripturally, as the one who hates violence (Psalm 11:5) “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” (Psalm 12:5, NLT)  God seeks to end violence and its chaos. “He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.” (Psalm 72:14, NLT)

When God is given room to work his Love and Mercy, “Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.” (Isaiah 60: 18, NLT)

The scriptures are not naïve about the reality of violence. “You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another.”  (Hosea 4:2, NLT) God has un up-hill battle as Evil is still a prevailing force in our world and humankind is not particularly reliable in respecting God’s abhorrence of violence.

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save.” (Habakkuk 1:2, NLT)

But God has come and given us a recipe for peace and non-violence, a message of Love, an embodiment of Peace, a personal interjection of Hope and Shalom. Jesus reminds us everyday that there are better answers to all our problems besides violence. Jesus Christ offers light in the face of destruction. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT)

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

It is almost enough to get me to rise out of my big, blue recliner chair and seize the summer.

 

Dale

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?” (Galatians 5: 13 -15, The Message Bible)

                “God keep our land, glorious and free…”

                Happy Canada Day, everyone.

                Although we are not a perfect country, by any means, there are many things for which we need to be thankful and appreciative about living here in Canada. The four seasons. The bounty of resources. The abundance and beauty of lakes and mountains and rivers. Our beautiful parklands. Ocean views on two coast and another in the artic. The diversity of races, cultures and peoples. The list is expansive.

                And freedoms. We live in a free democracy. We enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to vote, freedom to travel anywhere, freedom to pursue our dreams and ambitions, freedom to obtain good health care, freedom from war, freedom from oppression and tyranny. This list, too, can be expansive.

                But with this great treasure of freedom comes great responsibility. As Paul notes for the Church, it is also true of good citizenship in general. Don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want and destroy your freedom. Freedom comes with parameters and tethers us to exercise the tools it takes to live together in community and in country.  True freedom enables us to act responsibly, humanely, sensibly, wisely and respectfully. As an extreme example, we are not free to drive 150 kilometres an hour down a city street.  Yes, one can choose to do so, I suppose, but it is an abuse of freedom of choice.              

Freedom is not getting your own way. Freedom is not doing anything you want, saying anything you want, even  believing anything you want without repercussions and consequences. Freedom is a gift and a privilege which comes to us out of making good choices,  acting with accountability,  living with one another in harmony and acceptance.

                I believe that Paul’s instructions to the Church in regards to freedom makes sense for churches, governments, provinces, cultures, progressive and conservative, right and left wing, and the secular world at large in which we live.  Freedom should not be selfishly employed but “rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” Freedom grows best in community where respect, tolerance, acceptance and all forms of love are practiced and valued. Paul doesn’t quote Jesus very often in his letters, but he does here: “Love others as you love yourself.”

                Sometimes, freedom means having to curb our opinions, needs, wants and behaviour so that someone besides ourselves can breathe freely and safely. Paul shaped freedom with these words to the Corinthian church where there was a lot of selfish and foolish indulgences happening: “But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.” (1 Corinthians 8:9, The Message)

                If we use our freedom to hate, to belittle, to malign, to insist on having our own way, to insist that we have all the privileges, rights and opportunities while others do not, then we take away the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.

                Freedom; we are blessed here in Canada in so many ways. But may our freedom open our eyes to see how we can be even better peoples for the future.

                “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.” (John 8:32, The Message)

 

Dale

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12, New Living Translation)

                 What is a good antonym for “handyman”? Unhandy man? Inept handyman? Clumsy handyman? No wait, I’ve got it – it’s me!

                Please, do not put any tool of any kind in my hands. A simple repair job will take me twice as long as anyone else might do it. And I will likely have to do it twice, at least, because I didn’t get it right the first time. Recently, I was retrying to replace the burner in my BBQ. I bought the replacement part and discovered I had to put it together. Oh-oh. But I actually followed the instructions, only had do undo a part once, and in relatively short order I had a serviceable burner. But when I sent to install it, I pulled  too hard on one of the venturi tubes and it snapped off at the base. I’ve ordered a new part, but if you hear of a gas explosion in Peterborough, well, think of me fondly.

                I worked for my father’s construction business. The stories I could tell. I once lost a new door off the trailer I was hauling. He probably would have fired me but Mom would have been mad.  The one lasting and fitting monument to my handyman-ship is the outhouse which I put up at my in-law’s new cottage (now Nick and Erin’s) over 40 some years ago and is still standing and in use.  They should put a historic plaque on it.

                Christianity is a faith and grace-based, not a work-based movement. “But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” (Romans 4:5 NLT) But this does not mean that we get to sit idly by and watch the world go by, knowing our ticket to heaven is punched.

                Jesus expects good works from followers. He wants more workers for his Kingdom according to Matthew 9:38. When accused of disobeying Judaic law by “working” on the sabbath when he healed, he would have none of   that nonsense. As my mother would say, “Better the day, the better the deed.” Many a parable was about working in the vineyard, i.e. working to bear fruit and to do works of compassion, love, mercy, forgiveness and the like.

                It wasn’t about working for money, or praise or recognition or so we have a good pension plan, although I will admit the Kingdom’s pension plan is to be highly regarded. But just as Jesus recognized that he was always working because God was always working (John 5:17), he encourages that we, his followers, be always prepared and ready to put our backs to the wheel in working for his cause. As our above text affirms, we are empowered to do the same works as Jesus. I have always found that assertion rather mind-blowing, considering all that Jesus did.

                The great thing about these works is that we don’t have to become experts as we would if we were starting a carpentry business, for example. With the Holy Sprit’s assistance and the personal inner desire, we can immediately set to work to assist Jesus in the building of his kingdom. Of course, constant practice at these works will help to make us better and better at doing them. There is no apprenticeship, per se, but we put to use the gifts, talents and abilities which are right at our fingertips, so to speak.

                Even Paul understood the importance of good works: “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (Romans 12: 11, NLT)

                We are outfitted for the work of service once we have joined the Way. Let’s make it count for something.

                “Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.” (1 Corinthians 3: 14 -15, The Message Bible)

 Dale

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

“Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her. Buy truth—don’t sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight. Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents. So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!” (Proverbs 23:24, The Message Bible)

                 Mutt Mantle, Jack Brett, John Mathewson, to name but three. Their first names may mean nothing to you but if you are a baseball fan, the last names should. These men were the respective fathers of Mickey, George and Lew. And to be frank, they were terrible, unkind, even abusive fathers.

                Their names are revealed in Joe Posnanski’s book, The Baseball 100,  stories of those he thinks were and are the best 100 baseball players ever.

                Posnanski wrote: “I have been reminded that so much of baseball - and not only baseball - is about fathers and sons. So many of these men found greatness in the game because they were inspired by their fathers, pressured by their fathers, intimidated by their fathers, taught by their fathers.” (p.677)

Some of these baseball fathers were failed baseball wannabes, and this drove them to drive their sons to baseball excellence and in some cases, using physical punishment, endless practices, constant criticism with little if any appreciation or praise. There were lots of good dads, of course, perhaps the majority, but many great ballplayers lived in fear of their father’s frowns and disapproval even into their adulthood.

                Here is a description concerning George Brett, the magnificent, Kansas City Royals’ player: “But, yet, no matter how great he became, that familiar fear would return. He would hear his father’s voice in his head, and he would again worry about embarrassing himself, and he would try to shout it down by telling himself, ‘You’re the best baseball player on the field.’ But sometimes, yes, Jack’s voice overpowered his own.” (p.489) To Jack’s dying day, he never told his son that he was proud of him or that he loved him.

                Small wonder that there are those who struggle with the imagery of God as Father.

                But for those of us who were raised by relatively good fathers - not perfect fathers, of course - we have much to be grateful for. My Dad never wanted me to play baseball but he coached several of my softball teams. He’d get up at 5 a.m. on a winter’s Saturday and take me to hockey practice. And made sure that I never missed a game.

My love of baseball comes from him. Several times a summer, we would head off to a nearby ball park to catch a fastball game, orange soda included. I got to see the hockey great, Bobby Hull, pitch in an industrial league. I have never seen a ball thrown so hard, so fast and so out of control a lot of the time. Batters were afraid. Watching a Montreal Expo game on TV with Dad was a shared bliss. When we lived in Montreal, I took him to live game – that was fun!

We all know that the fifth commandment is: “Honor your father and mother.” (Exodus 20: 12) Jesus even quotes it twice in Matthew’s Gospel. Paul uses it, too: “If you honor your father and mother, ‘things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.’” (Ephesians 6:3) I hope my children are reading this.

But seriously, if you want respect as a parent, one must practice and example respect first. “Fathers, don’t frustrate your children with no-win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.” (Ephesians 6:4, The Message) Again, in Colossians: “Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.” (Colossians 3:21, The Message)

I might add that these prescriptions apply to the role of grandfathers, too. Or grandmothers. Or any adult who has influence, makes an impact, or leaves lasting impressions on our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, et al.

“If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?” (Luke 11: 11-13, The Message)

Happy Father’s Day!

 Dale