There's More Than One Christmas Out There

I've decided I don't want to hear any more complaints about how Christmas has become commercialized and how people have lost sight of its true meaning.  There is indeed more than one festival happening at this time of year.  The Christian celebration of the Incarnation is certainly one of them, but there is also another, secular celebration happening.  It is a celebration of commercialism, but it is also a celebration of family, good cheer and light. When we complain about what is happening to Christmas we are really complaining about what is happening in our society - about the fact that it is becoming more secular. What is really happening to the Christmas celebration?  To give my answer we need to look at its roots.  Christmas was celebrated on December 25th not because early Christians were sure this was the birth date of Jesus but rather because it coincided with the Roman festival of lights that took place at the time of the solstice.  Some suggest that they chose that date because in times of persecution they could celebrate along with everyone else without being discovered or singled out.  Over the centuries it is the Christians that have stolen this festival of lights and made it there own.  Now that society has become more secular the secularists are simply reclaiming their holiday. Let it be.  A secular society needs something to cheer about at this dreary season of the year.  Certainly for Christians to continue to preach about the evils of the season is to play right into the number one perception and complaint that non-Christians have about Christians - that they are too judgmental.

So what am going to do this Christmas season?  I am going to rejoice in the remembrance of God becoming incarnate in the form of the baby Jesus.  I am going to reflect on all that means to me and be glad.  AND I am going to celebrate with friends an neighbours who do not know or understand these thing but are longing for a little love, joy and peace.

O Christmas Tree

The Salt Family Christmas Tree 2010

This year Cathy and I had decided that we wouldn't put up a Christmas Tree. Family are not coming for Christmas and the gatherings we have planned are not until some time in January.  We thought there was no point in going to all the work of putting up a tree. Our decision lasted a few days and then we started to have second thoughts.  We have Chinese students who live with us and they were anxious to see all the North American customs and so we decided that we should go to the effort of putting up a tree.  It happened by stages - a bit today a bit the next day but eventually the tree was up and decorated.  I am glad that we did.  Once the tree was up we turned on the lights, drank a little egg nog and sat around feeling rather warm and fuzzy. There is something about the Christmas tree.  Its not that it is particularly "Christian."  In fact, there are many segments of Christianity that condemn the Christmas tree as a pagan symbol.  But in our society it is a symbol that unites the secular and the sacred.  The tree represents hope for the new year - a hope for new life. In my mind it also represents all that is family, love and peace on earth.  Although some would associate the tree with all the materialistic aspects of Christmas - presents and Santa Claus and all that, I associate it with peace a joy.  It represents life to me, and I know that life comes through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other.

Thought You Might Enjoy this - A Social Network Christmas

Are You Ready For Christmas?

I can't think how many times I am asked the question:  "Are you ready for Christmas?"  There certainly is a lot of preparation that goes into making our holiday celebration a success.  There are menus to plan,  food to buy, presents to choose, a house to decorate, travel plans to make etc. etc. I presume these are the preparations that people are talking about and if my assumption is correct then my answer will almost always be "NO NOT YET."    But really there is a preparation that is more important to me than all these things.  It is the preparation of my heart to enter into the celebration of God incarnate - the remembrance of this huge event in history when God became man.  What makes that so important? In my mind it is God's statement that He cares.  He did not create simply as an experiement.  Nor does He just look on from a distance.  He engages with his creation and that gives importance to who I am.  His experience of birth, life and death all add to my assurance that He truly understands and so His promises and assurances as found in scripture can be trusted.
In years gone by, the Christian Church considered the season of Advent as a sombre season of preparation for this great celebration.  The preparation was spiritual and not material.  Today, it often feels that the material preparation has completely overtaken the spiritual preparation.  We have lost something that we need to recover for the sake of our spiritual health.

Worship the Coming King

Be a Reconciler This Christmas

The recent trauma of blowing and drifting snow is hopefully behind us. The last day of school before the holiday for our local young people upon us. Churches all over the city are advertizing "Lessons and Carols" services for this Sunday and the Christmas story will be told in scripture reading and song.  Many people will be heading out of town or getting together in town this weekend to celebrate "family Christmases."  Christmas is all but upon us. We have romantic ideas of what it will be like as the family gathers to share a lot of food and cheer, but the reality is probably somewhat different.  Underneath all the joviality will be the tension of unresolved issues and broken relationships - something that seems to be pervasive in our society.  Let me suggest there is no better time of year to work on reconciliation than at Christmas.  Love is in the air, so to speak, and people's hearts seem to be a little more tender and open during this special season.  To be a reconciler is a wonderful gift, no matter who you are, but if you happen to be a follower of Jesus then it is not only a wonderful gift, it is the very essence of who you are.  Paul the apostle wrote these words:

""If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."  (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

To be a reconciler is a costly role.  It cost Jesus his life to bring reconciliation between humanity and God the Father.  For you and me to carry on that role can be very costly too.  None the less it is a role that we committed to when we decided to follow Jesus. Be a reconciler this Christmas.

Dreadfully Like Other People

"Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this - that you are dreadfully like other people."

James Russell Lowell




One day Cathy and I were visiting an art gallery and having a look through its offerings with the hope of finding something nice for our home.  We were both attracted to one particular painting that was rather whimsical in nature.  It had pigs and hens flying about and all sorts of strange characters portrayed in various poses.  The characters were more caricatures than lifelike.  The owner of the gallery, hoping for a sale, engaged us in conversation.  She stated:  "You two must like people."  As she was speaking to a pastor and a school principal I was beginning to wonder if she had some sort of psychic powers but then she went on to explain herself.  She said;  "You like the people in the painting because they are shown with all their warts and imperfections rather than being shown as perfect and unreal."  And you know what - she was right.

The difficulty with fulfilling God's law to love our neighbour is that it really first requires that you love yourself.   I don't think it was by accident that Jesus said "Love your neighbour as yourself."  The trouble is we don't all love ourselves or if we think we do it is because we do not really see all the warts and wrinkles in ourselves that we see in others.  We are all dreadfully alike in that sense - we all have warts and wrinkles - and I am no exception (especially now that I am no longer what is described as young and beautiful).  But, praise God, that is what makes us all unique and special.

By the way, we didn't buy the painting.  We judged it too expensive for our budget.  But we did give it our own name - we called it "Eggs and Ham"  To this day we talk about the painting, and somewhat wistfully say "We should have shelled out the money because we will never find another one like it."

Times Have Changed

"Those who insist on the dignity of their office show they have not deserved it."  Baltasar Gracian





It was a different world when I was ordained thirty five years ago.  I was resident in the province of Quebec where the Roman Catholic Church held a great deal of power and influence.  When I appeared in public in my clerical collar I was virtually indistinguishable from the Roman Catholic clergy and despite my youth, deference was always paid to me.  In many stores I was offered a discount on my purchases.  At any time I might be stopped on the street, but especially near a hospital with a request:  "Father, can I speak with you for a moment."  
Much has changed in the world and we have been through the horrible revelations of sexual abuse by clergy, the treatment of native children in residential schools and many other things that have exposed the darker side of the Christian church and its clergy.  Today, when I appear in public in clerical garb I am more likely to be disdained than to be treated with respect. Now, in order to get someone's attention in a positive way I must earn it.  It's not a bad thing.  After all we do need to be challenged to live authentic lives that reflect our decision to follow Jesus.  These things that are true for clergy are also true for the church as representatives of Jesus on earth.  What are we doing to earn the privilege of speaking into people's lives?  The answer is often - "Not enough."  Perhaps that would be a good place for us to start on our journey of evangelism.

A Cozy Fire

Today I woke up to the news that literally hundreds of vehicles are stuck on the Highway 402 and that many motorists have been stranded in their cars all night. The wind has been blowing fiercely and the weather is cold.  I can only imagine what a difficult night it has been for many of those people.  Seeking a safe harbour in the midst of a storm has been a practice for as long as the human race has existed.  Many years ago when my children were young and when we lived in another part of the world, we used to hope anxiously for wild winter storms.  In Quebec it was common practice to close the schools and usually the whole world would stop.  As soon as we got word of an impending storm that would shut everything down we would pack the kids into the car and head for our cottage.  It was heated by wood and we always felt safe and warm watching the blizzard outside from around the crackling fire.  When we got bored or adventurous we would all get dressed and go outside for a bit to experience the fury of the weather.  Then when we came back in we had an even greater sense of warmth and security.
There are many storms in life and not all of them are the weather events I have just been talking about.  Where can you find that warm crackling fire to sit around until the storm has passed?  It is with my God who is a  safe shelter in the midst of any situation.  ""God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam."  (Psalm 46:1-3)

What About the Hard to Believe Things?

I love the scripture and I love the things that I find promised in it, but every so often it seems to make a claim that, for the life of me, I find hard to swallow.  After all, I don't believe that God called me to crucify my brain or to check it into the closet the day I decided to follow Jesus.  Quite the contrary, I think He wanted me to start using it even more.  So when things come along that just don't make sense to me what am I supposed to do?  Some would suggest that I might want to develop a rationale about those things.  Others would suggest that if I did more critical analysis of scripture my problems would be resolved.  Rather than rationalize or justify my problems away I would rather take the lead of one whose life was turned upside down by the proclamations of angels and prophets, the birth of an unplanned child and strange visits from shepherds and the like.  I am speaking of Mary the mother of Jesus.  How did she respond?  Luke reports simply that "She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)  I don't always need to understand.  Nor do I need to be able to justify or rationalize.  The word of God is good for pondering and the promises of God are good for treasuring.

It's Sunday - Worship Him in Spirit and Truth

Elijah Falls Into Depression

Remembering always that there are many causes for depression.

Elijah was one of the most famous prophets of ancient Israel.  He lived in a time when government was corrupt and had led the nation into the worship of false gods.  It fell to Elijah to challenge those things in the name of God.  His most famous confrontation with the false prophets of Baal took place on Mount Carmel.  He challenged to prophets of Baal to a contest to determine whether their sacrifice or his would be accepted by God.  It is a story that is great for telling, but I will cut to the chase.  God accepted Elijah's sacrifice but not the sacrifice of the prophets of Baal.  At the end of the contest Elijah had the 450 prophets of Baal put to death.  This enraged the Queen Jezebel and she swore an oath that she would see Elijah dead.  Elijah fled to Mount Horeb -a forty day journey.  Now let's think about that for a moment.  Elijah had just seen an incredible miracle and the huge power of God and yet he was not able to translate that faith into trust that God would also protect him from the Queen.  Elijah arrived tired and feeling sorry for himself.  He had slipped into depression.  God met him there and asked him: "What are you doing here?"  Elijah replied "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too."  The end of the story is essentially this:  God tells Elijah to get back on track and gives him instructions about what to do next - instructions and actions that would assure the future of God's people and their heritage of faithfulness.

Why had Elijah slipped into depression?  He probably had been running high on adrenalin and when the events finally overtook him he had his moment of doubt.  Depression can come when we lose hope and yet the Christian faith is one of constant hope.  "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.:  (Isaiah 40:30-31)

King Saul and His Depression

Remembering always that there are many causes of depression...







Saul was the first king of Israel.  His work as king started out with great hopes and dreams.  The people had wanted a king to lead them and God had relented choosing Saul.  Saul had a personality flaw that made his reign doomed to failure from the very beginning.  He was in it for himself and not for the good of the people.  He was also a man who relied on his own skills rather than God's strength.  When David slew Goliath he became a popular hero and Saul quickly became jealous that David was more popular than him.  As time went on, Saul made decisions time and time again that went against the specific orders of God as relayed through the prophet Samuel.  It was not that Saul wanted to be defiant, but rather that he didn't really trust God.  When Samuel finally relayed the message to Saul that God had rejected him as king, Saul's reaction was not one of repentance and turning back to God, but rather to request that Samuel appear with him in public so as to give the impression that everything was till OK.
As Saul's personal agenda increasingly caused him to be separated from God, his depression increased.  We are told that in the beginning he would call on David to play music and sing as a way of warding off his depression.  At other times the spirit of God would come and overwhelm Saul so as to prevent him from doing some evil. At those moments Saul would become ecstatic spending hours on the ground "prophesying."   At the root of Saul's depression was his separation from God - a separation that was caused by his improper motives - a desire for self-glory rather than the glory of God and the good of the kingdom.  Something to think about...

King David and His Depression

Remembering always that there are many different causes for depression...

King David, second king of Israel was a man who had great successes in his life. As a young man he was the one who slew the giant Goliath. He became the hero of the people and ultimately was declared King. His military feats were great and he united the kingdom of Israel and secured its boarders.  He was considered favoured by God and by every measure was considered a success.  But David had is flaws as well. One day, when he should have been about the business of leading the army and the kingdom he spied a beautiful woman sunbathing on the top of her roof.  He sent for her and committed adultery with her.  When it was discovered that she was pregnant he had her husband murdered to cover up his crime. David later wrote Psalm 32 which goes like this:

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord - and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

When I read David's description of how he felt:  "My bones wasted away through my  groaning... your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer..." I hear a poetic description of depression.  What was the cause of this depression?  It was unconfessed sin. Something to think and pray about.

Depression Hurts...

There has been a very good advertizement campaign on TV lately about depression.  It asks:  "Where does depression hurt?" and gives the answer "Everywhere."  It then asks "Who does depression hurt?" and gives the answer "Everyone."  It makes an excellent point that depression is a serious condition that causes a lot of pain both to the one depressed and to the ones they love.  Depression should not be made light of or dismissed.  As medical research has shown it is caused by chemical change in the brain and as such the popular treatment for depression is medication to restore balance.  Did you know that the chemical changes in the brain when one is depressed are similar to the changes in the brain when one is going through extreme grief caused by such life changing events as the loss of a loved one?  In other words, while depression is a physical problem and has physical roots for many people, for many others the root of this physical problem is in the realm of the spiritual.  The Bible tells the stories of several people who are distressed.  To mention a few I think if King Saul, King David and the great prophet Elijah.  (During the next three days I will look at some of their causes and cures for depression.)
As we approach Christmas depression is always a timely topic.  Christmas is a time when many people struggle with depression because they feel lonely or because they are remembering past times or people who are no longer here.  Others struggle with depression because they feel they have nothing to celebrate while all the world around is celebrating.  This is why many churches and organizations put on "Blue Christmas" services or other ceremonies.  If you are suffering depression this Christmas know that  you are not alone and that the whole message of Christmas is "Immanuel' which means "God with us."  Our God is with us!  Remember always that if you are depressed there is help out there for you.

The Best Laid Plans...

When all the plans fall apart - when nothing seems to be going right...

"Be still and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10)

Need I say more?

What Do You Want To Grow?

"Valor grows by daring, fear by holding back."

Publilius Syrus








Lots of people suggest that the proper way to deal with anger is to find a safe way to express it such as hitting a pillow.  The trouble is that I have noticed the more you express anger the more likely you become to need to express anger.  While having an angry outburst might temporarily relieve the pressure you are feeling within, the reality is that the more you express that anger the more likely you are to need to express anger in the future.  I call it feeding the giant.  The more you feed the anger the more it grows, and there is nothing like a little outburst to feed the anger.  I've learned that this principle is true in many areas of life and so when I read the above words of Publilius Syrus I was immediately attracted to them.  Valor does indeed grow as we take little steps of daring just as fear grows as we give in to it a little at a time.  Consider the words of scripture as found in the two passages below:

• "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  (James 4:7)
• "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."  (Philippians 4:8-9)

What are you planning to grow this week?

It's Sunday - Prepare for Worship

Don't Rush the Season

Tomorrow is the second Sunday in the church's season called Advent.  Advent has four Sundays - the four before Christmas and it always seems to be overshadowed by the festivities and celebrations of Christmas.  But really Advent is a season that Christians should be celebrating with great gusto.  In Advent we look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ - a moment when God returns to the earth to put everything that is wrong right. We should all be longing for that day.  There is not a human being alive who hasn't been touched by the issues of pain, suffering, death and evil.  As the scripture says:  "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us...creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay...the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  (Romans 8:18-22)  Rather than this moment being a great moment of rejoicing popular mythology has turned it into a moment of terror.  But surely the putting right of the whole of creation is not something to be terrified of but rather to rejoice in.  That is, unless you have a big stake in evil - unless you are a part of what has to be put right.  Then yes, terror is appropriate.  But I am going to assume that we have more to rejoice in than to be terrified of, so don't rush into the season of Christmas - take the time to celebrate Advent and all the wonderful things we can expect when the Lord returns.

Smell the Roses

  Today is the day! Today is the day that I will meet my first grandchild - Aimee.  She was born at the end of March on the other side of the country and I haven't yet had the opportunity to meet her.  I'm sitting here thinking about what to write in my blog this morning and can't think about anything else but meeting her.  There must be something wrong with me because I'm not thinking about work.  We live in a driven world - some would say a striving world where we spend most of our waking moments dreaming and thinking about our accomplishments and/or jobs.  We clergy are the worst because we think we have an excuse - "I'm just doing what God has called me to do" we say.  Somehow I believe that God has called me to more than accomplishment.  He has called me at moments to sit back and really smell the roses -to sit back and bask in His light and in the blessings He has bestowed. Surely grandchildren are one of those blessings.  If I can't sit back for a moment then maybe there is really something wrong with me! What a way to start the day - dwelling on His blessings and thanking Him for them.  Thank you Lord.

Doing Your Duty

When I was a kid I went to summer camp every year.  There were lots of great experiences and I learned a lot about life while I was at camp. One of the things I did not enjoy, however, was KP or kitchen patrol.  It was often assigned as a regular duty but was also assigned as a punishment when such action was warranted.  KP usually meant peeling potatoes - and lots of them.  Sometimes it meant washing all kinds of pots.  Whatever it was it was never fun.  I suppose I was a typical young male in that I really didn't enjoy any kind of duty in the kitchen and when it was my turn to help my mother there I moaned and groaned along with the best of the moaners and groaners.  It was not until I married my wife that it occurred to me that someone could really like working in the kitchen.  She has always enjoyed cooking and simply delights in every detail of putting on a good meal.  She spends hours reading cooking magazines and watching cooking shows - writing down ideas to try out at some future date.  For her the kitchen does not represent duty but rather delight.  And there is the key to joyful living.  For too many of us "Christians" going to church, living a holy life of self-sacrifice, or really loving others is not a joy and delight. It is instead a duty. No wonder we are accused of  having dour faces and depressing thoughts.  All of that stuff is really difficult to do if there is no excitement about it.  So where can we get the excitement from?  The excitement  comes from understanding that we are truly loved and that God made a great sacrifice to seek us out.  Once we know that, then responding to His love becomes easy and eventually even a delight.  Let's learn to delight in our Christian walk.  It will make it a lot easier and certainly more attractive to others.

Telling All

"Heavens, no! It could get subpoenaed.  I can't write anything."
Hillary Clinton




As I read this quote from Hillary Clinton I burst out laughing.  Here I am posting intimate details of my life on the Internet every day - undoubtedly making a fool of myself.  I would probably be smart to learn from the wisdom of the worldly wise but it is hard to make the leopard change his spots.  Many years ago I decided that I would be a fool for the Lord and so I started sharing with others my spiritual journey.  Early in ministry there was a wonderful man who took it upon himself to critique my sermons and I learned a great deal from him.  There was one piece of advice that I couldn't follow however.  He told me that I shouldn't share about my weaknesses.  He said that if I did people would not be able to look up to me and they needed to look up to me because I was their pastor.  I didn't agree.  Although I have never been brave enough to tell all - even if the title of this blog suggests I have - I have believed that people need to understand that the Christian journey is not for the perfect but rather for those who God hasn't finished with yet.  The exciting thing is that God accepts me warts and all.  He didn't demand that I become perfect before he save me.  Sharing who you really are brings authenticity to anything you might have to say about Jesus.  I encourage everyone to be more transparent and to take opportunities to share their walk.  Last Sunday at Trinity a number of people came forward and shared the impact of our latest study on their lives.  Their testimonies were real - warts and all - and so many others were encouraged.  Why don't you take a risk and share who you really are?  You might be surprised at the results.