The Gift of Life

"There is one order of beauty which seems made to turn heads.  It is a beauty like that of kittens, or very small downy ducks making gentle rippling noises with their soft bills, or babies just beginning to toddle." 

T.S. Elliot




One of the most wonderful attributes of our western culture is the value that we place on life.  We seem to recognize that this is a precious gift from God and we are willing to go to great lengths to preserve it.  I speak not only of the life of human beings but also of all of God's living creatures.  We have become increasingly concerned for the welfare of the environment, for the danger of extinction that many species face and for the safety of all in society as we go about our daily living.  There are other cultures that seem not to be as concerned for life. I know that even our own heritage as European Caucasians has some very grisly episodes so I am not here to point a finger a  It is not my job to name them but I do wonder about any philosophy that seems to use the lives of all human beings as disposable.  .

Having come this far I cannot fathom why we consider the lives of foetuses to be disposable. Perhaps the principle of self is still greater than the principle of life.  One of the realities that has made other options less desirable for moms who cannot keep their children is the fact that children who are adopted seem to find great pain from the knowledge that they have not been brought up by their biological parents.  As difficult and as painful as that may be, most adopted people are still glad to have been given the gift of life.  Adoption is an option.  It may be costly, but surely a life is worth it.


"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."  (Genesis 1:31)

Come into God's Presence Today

My Enemies

"I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends."

Abraham Lincoln



I'd like to say that I have never had enemies but it would be a lie.  It seems that if you are prepared to stand for something there will always be those who are offended.  If you are a pastor or someone who acts as an agent of change in our society you are bound to make enemies too.  There are so many who do not wish any change and to be an agent of change is to disturb the comfortable.  Then of course, there are the mistakes I've made.  Unfortunately they have racked up a few enemies for me as well.  I'd better change track or you will begin to think I have a whole slew of enemies...
Of the people who have declared themselves my enemy, a large number have eventually been reconciled with me and some have even become my friend.  How does that happen?  Many years ago, I went to a new congregation.  In that congregation were a few people who had been running the show for many years and one of those gentlemen and I had a serious fallout.  Within six months he had gone door to door asking people to sign a petition to the bishop asking for my removal. ( I am grateful the bishop said no.)  As time went on, this man's wife became ill and I ministered to her until her death.  Then he also became ill and I visited with him regularly.  He spent the last part of his life in a nursing home, and one day as I was visiting that home he called me over.  He said:  "I don't have long to live and I just want to tell you that I was wrong."  My enemy had become my friend because of my persistent loving care for both him and his wife.

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him with the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who ask you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  (Luke 6:27-31)

The Pain of Conflict

While there may be some who thrive on conflict I do not count myself amongst their number.  None the less I often find myself in the midst of conflict.  I have come to the conclusion that little change can take place and in fact not much can be accomplished without conflict of some sort.  If there is no conflict there is probably not much happening.  Yesterday I was asked if there was someone in my life who stood out as an inspiration around of the subject of change.  Without a moment's hesitation I knew the answer to the question.  The Bishop who ordained me - Timothy Matthews - was a man whose leadership in the area of change inspired me immensely.  As a leader he was willing to stand up and be counted in order to bring change in the church.  His causes were often unpopular amongst the establishment and he regularly vilified as being irresponsible or unorthodox.  Perhaps all his causes were not correct, but it was his personal courage and willingness to take the risk that inspired me the most.

Many have compared the pain of conflict to childbirth.  Paul the apostle found it necessary to confront the Galatians about their spiritual walk wrote:


"My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you."  (Galatians 4:19-20) 

If conflict is the labour of childbirth, then the resulting change is the child.  How much joy there is when the child is born.

"May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism."


Unknown

The End of Life Test

"The most important things in life aren't things."
Anthony J. D'angelo




Without goals and the setting of priorities life seems to meander along and we are carried by the winds and their ever changing direction and strength.  The end of life comes all to swiftly and we find ourselves looking back and wondering what we have accomplished or what is most important. Along the way most of us have some accomplishments to tout.  Perhaps it is a job that went well or an income that exceeded that of our neighbours or a position of influence and power gives us self-worth.  For those who are worldly in their focus the litmus test of a life well lived is very simple.  "He who has the most toys wins."

I have been present at the death bed of many people over the years of my ministry.  In not one of those rooms have I found the toys we so easily collect to signify our material success.  In not one have I found the plaques that proclaim our accomplishments.  In almost all I have found spouses, children and good friends.  In many I have found Bibles that denote a quiet and confident faith in the future.

What things will be most important to you at the end of your life?

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  (Matthew 6:19-21)

"People are very open-minded about new things as long as they're exactly like the old ones."

Unknown

It was once said that the only people who like change are babies in wet diapers. In spite of our desires, there is really nothing in this world that stays the same for long.  Plants are either growing or dying.  In the long run rust, sun and decay take care of just about everything that is created. 

Steve Job of Apple said:  "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited..."

It's no wonder we are not interested in change.  This I do know:  If I am not willing to experience the new and embrace change I will never really be able to experience the work of God in my life.  

The scripture says:  "Yet this I call to mind and therefore have hope: Because of the Lords' great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning:  great is your faithfulness."  (Lamentations 3:21-23)

Change?  Bring it on!

The Living Word of God

"No two persons ever read the same book."
Edmund Wilson


I'd go one step further than Edmund Wilson and say "No person ever reads the same book twice."  I'd like to reflect on the reading of Holy Scripture.  Some have suggested that the reading of Holy Scripture is like the reading of an old musty book that was written for ancient times and has long since lost its relevance.  My experience has been exactly the opposite.  When I read holy scripture I find, time and time again that the words jump off the page at me and speak to my heart and spirit.  Interestingly enough I also find new meanings in those words every time I read them.  I cannot count the times that while reading scripture I have been stopped dead in my tracks because of the sudden recognition that God's Spirit is speaking to me.  At those moments, as far as I am concerned, those words may as well have been written at the beginning of time just for me.  (What an egocentric thought...)  The exciting thing is that these are not dead words but rather words that are brought to life by God's Spirit.

"For the world of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  (Hebrews 4:12)

DRAW ME CLOSE TO YOU THIS SUNDAY

Living With Purpose

"The harder I work the more I live."
George Bernard Shaw

While it is always dangerous to put words in someone else's mouth or to try to explain what they meant I suspect that what George Bernard Shaw experienced was the excitement of having a life that was directed by meaning and purpose.  I suspect that he was fulfilling that meaning and purpose when he was working. I know that I get excited when I feel that I have something significant to accomplish today, and as much as I enjoy a day of down time it would be dreadful if day after day was just "down time."  I am as guilty as the next person of daydreaming about the day I retire and am not required to do productive work day after day.  I do worry about our society, however, as more and more of us baby boomers find ourselves with lots of time on our hands in retirement.  I've met lots of happy retirees but I have also met lots who are lost and unsure of how to live out the rest of their lives.  Without purpose life looses its meaning and I suspect that living for the next hedonistic moment will not cut it in the long run.

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying:


"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  (Jeremiah 1:5)  

Just as the Lord made Jeremiah with a purpose I believe he made me and you with one too.  When we are about fulfilling that purpose we are the happiest.

An Unspeakable Perfect Miracle

"To me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle."
Walter Chrysler







What a wonderful thing to say.  There are so many ways of looking at the daily experience of living and those attitudes determine much of how our day will go.  If I start out the day in a good mood, excited about life there is an excellent chance that the day will be good.  On the other hand, if I start the day in a bad mood, depressed about the prospects of the day then chances are the day will be bad.  The attitude expressed here by Walter Chrysler is one of awe and wonder generated by the incredible miracle of creation and of life itself.  To me, creation is the glorious evidence that points us to the incomprehendable creator. The miracle of every hour of every day and every night is cause for the praise of God the creator.  Try letting an attitude of praise permeate the day.  It will be quite a day.

"What may be know about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."  (Romans 1:19-20)

Impossible?

"Impossible is a word humans use far too often."

Jeri Ryan

I am old enough to remember John F. Kennedy announcing that the USA would initiate a program to put a man on the moon.  It was clearly an ambitious target and there were many who were sceptical that it could be accomplished.  The results of the project were a tribute to the human spirit and the triumph of human enterprise.  Since the beginning of time there has never been any doubt about the capacity of humanity for accomplishment. It is what was behind the story found in of the Tower of Babel in the eleventh chapter of the book of Genesis.  When the Lord sees the tower that is built he ruminates saying:  'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."  (Genesis 11:6)  It obviously was a concern to God. Why?  Because humanity has often used its capacity to accomplish for evil rather than for good.  There is so much that could be accomplished in this world if we humans would work together.  There is no need for people to live without food, clean water and life changing medicine and yet many do.  There is no need for people to be without shelter, warmth and a decent mattress and yet so many are without these basic needs. There is no need for us to waste good resources on arms and armies and yet we do.  Well it may be because we cannot get past our intrinsic selfish nature.  It is that nature that draws us into using our great human capacity for evil rather than for good.  Thankfully we have a God who is greater than that.

"What is impossible with men is possible with God."  (Luke 18:27)

Come Lord Jesus.

Who Does the Creating?

"God created man in His own image, says the Bible; philosophers reverse the process: they create God in theirs."

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg





Of course it would be foolish of me to paint all philosophers with one brush but this quote from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg goes to the very heart of one of the biggest problems we human beings have.  We forget that God is so much greater than we are that we cannot begin to understand him.  Because we cannot understand Him we are tempted to build an image of him that suits our own conceptions.  After that we throw out all the conflicting information we receive both from life's experience and from sources such as Holy Scripture.  Sadly we are left with a God who is irrelevant to our life experience, or who has been changed into a powerless, feel good entity.  Such a God has no ability to attract or inspire.  I personally do not mind the parts of scripture that portray a God I cannot understand because they remind me that I only see a small portion of the big picture.  They give me confidence that I cannot control this God or even decide if I like him or not.  God is God and I need to get used to the fact that HE not ME who calls the shots.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."  Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:18-21)

Car Rides

This morning I had to take an hour and a half car ride to a meeting I needed to attend. I took the car my wife usually drives because it has snow tires and the roads were quite slippery.  When I turned the car on a CD of praise music began to play.  I had never heard this CD before but immediately, without thinking, I was relaxed and my spirit began to rejoice.  When the CD was finished my spirit was so full that I quickly looked for another praise CD in the pile I found in the car.  There were several to choose from and I soon found one that continued to lift my spirit toward God. When I arrived at the meeting I really didn't want to go in because I didn't want to leave the mountain top I found myself on. We don't do enough praising because our relationships with God are too business like.  We want His intervention in this matter or that. Praise revives the soul.  It brings joy and peace. It also brings us to the gates of the Lord's presence.

The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him - may your hearts live forever!  (Psalm 22:26)

The car is a great place to connect with the Lord.  Next time you are on a drive take time to be with Him.

Who Is in Control?

The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment that we realize we're not."


Brian Kessler


There is a poignant story in the book of Daniel about King Nebuchadnezzar - a great and powerful ancient king of Babylon.   The king is warned in a dream that he will be humbled and brought low unless he acknowledges that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of humans and gives them to anyone he wishes.  Like most human beings it was hard for Nebuchadnezzar to accept that he had not risen to his place because of his own efforts.  A year later he is surveying his kingdom from the roof of the royal palace when he says:  "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"  The words are barely out of his mouth when he becomes mad and seven years pass by until he comes to the acknowledgement that his greatness has been given him by God.  We too often think too much of ourselves and our greatness and too seldom of God and his greatness.

"But it is God who judges; He brings one down, he exalts another."  (Psalm 75:7)

Let's Praise the Lord Today

The Early Worm

"I think we consider too much to good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm."



Franklin D. Roosevelt


It is sad that in this world in order for someone to be successful there is a high chance that it is necessary for someone else to fail.  In a capitalist economy it is all about competition and who is able to rise to the top.  When someone makes it to the top we rejoice with them and hold them up as heroes of the capitalist system.  We seldom think of those who lost because they were not able to keep up with the competition.  The language of win-win is seldom heard in this context.  Yet win-win is what is required if we are to speak of justice.  We need to discover ways that make it possible for all to benefit from the rich resources that God has placed on the earth.  Yet we know that since the beginning of time there have been have and have not groups of people.  In your drive to the top how often have you stepped on someone else?

Hear the words of the prophets: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.  Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor.  In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'" (Zechariah 7:9-10)

I am not advocating the demise of the capitalist system as I know of no other that accomplishes what it does.  I am saying: "If you have been blessed - pay it forward.  You will never regret it."

Do You Want To Find God - Then Fear Him

It seems that many people feel that they have looked for God everywhere and that they have asked God to reveal himself to them but He has not done so.  The things of the spirit and of the gospel remain a mystery to them and they are not sure they have ever heard from the Lord.  Paul warned about this situation when he wrote to the Corinthians saying:  "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)  But Jesus warned that not everyone would receive the Spirit when he said:  "The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor know him."  (John 14:17 NIV)

Woe is me.  I cannot find God because I do not have the Spirit and I cannot get the Spirit because I do not know him.  So how can I find God?  The Psalmist David gives us the answer when he writes:  "The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them."  (Psalm 25:14 NIV)  The book of Proverbs sets it course with these words: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."  (Proverbs 1:7 NIV)

If you want to find God begin by fearing him.  By the way - fear means "reverence, respect, awe"

They Seek Him Here - They Seek Him There

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9)


I've wondered where to seek him.  If I must climb to the heights
of heaven then it is too hard for me.  If I must descend to the
depths of the earth then I might get burned or buried while I
am there.  If I must travel great distances to the North, South,
East or West then I will faint on the journey...



"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me.  (Revelation 3:20)



"And surely I am with you to the very end of the age.  (Matthew 28:20)

About Complaining....

"The very fact that you are a complainer, shows that you deserve your lot."  
James Allen

I wonder what he meant by suggesting that those who complain deserve the situation in which they find themselves.  The scripture is also clear about the results of complaining.  "They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord.  So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the desert, make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands." (Psalm 106:25)  What can be so very wrong about complaining?  After all, the circumstances of our lives are never perfect and I suspect that almost everyone falls into the trap of complaining at least once in a while.  Well... complaining is the opposite of giving thanks. It is a sign of rebellion or anger against God for the circumstances of life.  To complain is to challenge God's wisdom and to suggest that he is not really looking after you.  The Israelites grumbled in the wilderness when they lacked food and water.  What God had wanted them to do was to turn to him to provide for them.  That would have been the true act of faith. When I am tempted to complain I make a conscious effort to instead, give thanks. I give thanks first for the obvious blessings that I have in my life and then second for the difficult circumstances I find myself in.  When I thank God for those difficult circumstances I am in fact acknowledging that he is still in control and that I trust he loves me enough to work all circumstances for my good.

Let's give up complaining and get busy thanking.

A New Day Dawns

I have always been fond of telling people that one of the exciting things about having Jesus as your saviour is that every day is a new day.  We don't need to be caught in the trap of being in bondage to the mistakes and regrets of the past.  We have forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  That is the good news - God's mercies are indeed new every morning.  There is however, a flip side to this matter.  Like any relationship here on earth we cannot count on the past to simply carry us through the future.  God is looking not for our track record but rather for an ongoing relationship that begins new each morning as we wake up.  It is never how we start the race that counts at the end of the day, but rather how we finish it.  Remember what it is like to be newly in love?  Of course that energy  and  those feeling do not last forever.  On the other hand my experience of true love is that it changes and grows deeper every day.  Is your love for Jesus growing deeper every day and are you growing that relationship every day, or are you relying on past history to take care of the future?

In the past there have been those who have relied on their birthright or the heritage of their parents to keep them right with God. To those people Jesus said:  "And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'we have Abraham as our father.'  I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." (Matthew 3:9)

May the Lord bless you with knowing him more today.

A Wonderful Thing Happened

Yesterday morning I set out to preach what I thought was an ordinary - if not too simple - sermon.  The sermon was about the giving of the Holy Spirit and about how this was something that had been seen throughout the history of God's people.  I talked about how the giving of the Holy Spirit went "viral" on the day of Pentecost and asked if we wanted a church that was a "form of religion" or one that gave evidence of the power of God.
Now the Holy Spirit is as the Holy Spirit is and the Holy Spirit does as the Holy Spirit does.  You can't see where it comes from or where it is going, but like the wind you can hear it and see evidence of its work.  So it was as I preached this ordinary sermon that God's Spirit came and took over.  People present became electrified by the message, and I found words being added to what I had planned because God gave inspiration. Before you knew it, many of the people present realized that they were being touched by the power of the living God.  I'd love to bottle God's action and let it out at all the "right" moments so that I could be in control of it, but that is not possible.  God works on his timetable and at moments we don't expect.  One thing I do know is Jesus promised that when we ask God does send his Holy Spirit.  He said:  "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven given the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13)

We serve an awesome God.  God is good... all the time.

Take Time To Worship God This Sunday

The Life of a Fly

"The life of a man in this world is like the life of a fly in a room filled with 100 boys, each armed with a fly swatter."


Henry Louis Menchen



Have you ever felt like that fly?  Have you ever felt that everyone and everything is out to get you and that there is no possible escape?  None the less you end you end up franticly flitting about from here to there hoping against hope to postpone the inevitable.  This must be how King David felt when he wrote in the Psalm  "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.  I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.  I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.  My eyes fail looking for God.  Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.  (Psalm 69:1-4)  But this same David wrote:  "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  (Psalm 23:4-6)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and you will never be put to shame.

The Visit of the Magi

Today is the feast of Epiphany - the day that marks the visit of the magi to the baby Jesus.  As we celebrate this season of Epiphany (Epiphany means unveiling) it is interesting that the first epiphany about this Jesus is of his being sent to the earth for all peoples.  That, of course, is the traditional Christian understanding about the meaning of this strange visit by wise men from afar.  The Jews had understood the messiah to be someone who would save them, whereas the Christians understand the messiah as one who will offer salvation to the whole earth.
In this age when we struggle with the implications of multi-multiculturalism and multi-faith communities  one is tempted to see this kind of message as triumphalist.  That Christians would declare this Jesus - King of Kings and Lord of Lords might seem somewhat insensitive.  Let me suggest, however, that the triumph being heralded is not so much about worldly kingdoms as it is about the spiritual victory over evil. The reign being looked for is one that rights injustice, cares for the poor, brings an end to sickness and pain and ends the violence that has plagued human history.
Do I really understand these things? I don't even pretend to. I do long for the day when things are put right in this world.  I treasure in my heart the proclamation that this Jesus is messiah and that he can and will do these things for the whole world.  May it be so.  Come Lord Jesus.

Did You Make a New Year's Resolution?

I find the old habit of making New Year's resolutions to be disappearing.  In fact I cannot think of one person who told me that they had made a resolution this year.  I wonder what the dynamic is here? Perhaps it is just that the conversation has not gone in that direction, but I think something deeper is at work.   Is it that people have a dismal record of keeping those resolutions and now have given up on making new ones?  Is it that our society has become so permissive that we are losing the feeling of urgency about self-improvement?  Are we just becoming soft because life is good and the idea of self-discipline is abhorrent? As someone who is constantly working with volunteers I am finding that it is more difficult than ever to inspire volunteers to give their very best to the cause.  There is a sense whatever we give is good enough.  I am not sure, however, that this is the attitude we are called to have.  Jesus said: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:48)  Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians:  "No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Let us not give up on our efforts to become more like Jesus.  Instead let us work toward excellence for the Lord.