Next?

For the longest time we listened to our young 'uns and others enthusing about Netflix but we assumed we didn't have the technology to "imbibe." You are probably aware that the Netflix streaming service give subscribers access to TV series', movies, even programming such as House of Cards developed by Netflix. Of course the days of the DVD rental store have come and gone, and even "on-demand" options are archaic, but we were on the outside looking in. Then during a visit our son showed us how we could access Netflix through our laptop and we haven't looked back.

The other day I got a call at the church from a nice young guy with a Texas drawl name Jeffrey. He was representing Rightnowmedia, which he described as a Christian Netflix. I checked out the website and discovered hundreds, likely thousands of online resources such as bible and book studies, video material for Sunday School, and Christian cartoons. Jeffrey told me that churches use this resource, and so do families for devotional time and personal viewing.

Most of this material is out of the evangelical stream of North American Christianity and of limited interest from my standpoint. I give them credit, though, for finding a way of reaching out using current technology. As is so often the case, evangelicals are light-years ahead of the mainline/oldline in this regard.

Now, I still think it's important to bring people of faith together in one place for discussion, discernment, and growth. But I wish there was more material available from the left-of-centre expression of Christianity. There are a lot of busy people out there who might join a group where participants watched when they could and then joined a discussion, either real or virtual.

Would this appeal to you, if the subject matter was a fit? Do you benefit from being in a group where other participants are physically present?

Who Will Stand Up for the Christians?

Those of you who read this Lion Lamb blog regularly, or irregularly for that matter, will be aware that I have addressed the persecution of Christians in China, the Middle East, in regions of India, in several African. I have pointed out that Christians in Israel and Palestine are beleaguered and are leaving.

I care about freedom of religion for anyone, anywhere, and I have written about the plight of Jews and Muslims in various situations. Yet I feel strongly that as Christians we must have particular care for our brothers and sisters, both in prayer and practice. I have expressed my concern that in liberal churches there is just not enough said and done on behalf of persecuted Christians and it's hard to understand why. I'm baffled as to why we aren't as thorough about our understanding and support of Christians in crisis as we are of other groups.

Apparently I'm not alone in this regard. There was an op/ed piece in the New York Times recently by Ronald Lauder who is the president of the World Jewish Congress entitled Who Will Stand Up for the Christians? He begins by asking "Why is the world silent while Christians are being slaughtered in the Middle East and Africa?"

While there is a sense that he is frustrated by the support offered to Palestinians when Christians suffer, and he argues that Christians are free to express their faith within Israel, which many Israeli Christians would challenge, it is a bold and honest article. Lauder goes on to say:

This bond between Jews and Christians makes complete sense. We share much more than most religions. We read the same Bible, and share a moral and ethical core. Now, sadly, we share a kind of suffering: Christians are dying because of their beliefs, because they are defenseless and because the world is indifferent to their suffering. Good people must join together and stop this revolting wave of violence. It’s not as if we are powerless. I write this as a citizen of the strongest military power on earth. I write this as a Jewish leader who cares about my Christian brothers and sisters.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/opinion/ronald-lauder-who-will-stand-up-for-the-christians.html?referrer=&_r=0

I encourage you to pray for Christians around the world and to pay attention to what is happening to them in other parts of the world. We have heard of how the Christian minority in Iraq is under brutal attack but there are so many more situations like this, often just as dire.

Thank you Mr. Lauder by saying what we should be saying within our Christian communities.

Does anyone have an explanation for our silence? Do we not believe that these sisters and brothers are suffering?

Cold Water on a Good Cause?

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.   But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,   so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 
                                                                                                         Jesus of Nazareth Matthew 6

ALS or Lou Gehrig's is a horrible disease which slowly and relentlessly robs the sufferer of strength and motor control until death. The Lou Gehrig name comes from the baseball great who in 1939 announced to a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he had been diagnoses with ALS yet still considered himself "the luckiest man on the face of the earth" because of his full life and the tremendous support he had received. That was seventy five years ago and despite Gehrig's profile there is no cure for the disease.

In the past few weeks the profile of ALS and fundraising for research has skyrocketed, thanks to what is called the Ice Bucket Challenge. The two young men who originated this phenomenon of pouring ice-cold water over one's head did so to bring awareness to the paralyzing effect of the disease and did so because of a friend who has ALS. The premise is that a person will douse themselves in icy water and challenge others to do the same. Along the way folk are also invited to make donations to ALS research and some do so in lieu of undergoing the frigid baptism. It has worked. The donations have increased ten-fold during the past few weeks with more than twenty million dollars raised in the States and big increases in Canada as well.

Some "newscasts" are dominated by the challenge and the "who's who of" participants. Among the celebs are folk as diverse as golfer Michelle Wie, Montreal Canadiens star P.K.Subban, Bill Gates, and former U.S. president George W. Bush. Why couldn't Bush have done this before going to war with Iraq? I digress.

Now, I'm all for giving generously to meaningful causes, and this is an important one. At the same time I've felt a bit uneasy about the focus directed to this stunt, and what this says about how we choose to be generous in the 21st century. In our celebrity culture we seem to thunder from one cause or another, because they have caught the public eye or because some famous persons have chosen to participate. But what about the millions of people who give anonymously and conscientiously to worthwhile initiatives and causes, including the work of faith communities?

I have discovered that I am not alone. Yesterday's edition of CBC radio's The Current addressed the effects of high-profile fundraising, as did National Public Radio. Neither discouraged supporting such efforts, but they did ask how long this will last and whether dollars have been diverted from other important work. We have heard in the past the concern of researchers that some forms of cancer such as breast cancer receive a disproportionately high amount of funding while other less "glamorous" forms of cancer struggle for dollars.

I don't want to seem to be throwing cold water on an inventive and heartfelt initiative. ALS research gets a boost, people have fun, giving is encouraged. All good! There is a bigger picture, just the same.

Have you participated in the challenge or made a donation? Do you think this is an inventive way to raise funds? Do you have any concerns?

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2014/08/20/taking-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/

Romero, Unblocked

Some religious news items simply slide by without much attention, especially if they are positive. It would appear that the media have concluded that we would much rather hear about sectarian violence and abuses rather than anything uplifting.

I did find it uplifting that Pope Francis has "unblocked" the beatification of Oscar Romero, the Roman Catholic archbishop who was dramatically gunned down while celebrating the mass in El Salvador in 1980. Romero's theology and ministry had shifted over the years from a comfortable relationship with the ruling repressive powers of that nation to outspoken critic and advocate for the poor. Romero became fearless in this regard and paid for his commitment with his life.



Why would a martyr for the poor be blocked in the first place and why for so many years? Cardinal Ratzinger, who eventually became Pope Benedict,  launched a crackdown on liberation theology because of the supposed Marxist excesses. The liberation theology movement holds the view that Jesus' teachings compel Christians to work for social and economic justice. Apparently Jesus was a Marxist, and so was Romero.

I can't help but wonder whether this decision came about because Francis is a South American pope who advocated for the poor and dispossessed in his native Argentina. He gets liberation theology in a way that Benedict never could. Whatever the reason, I receive this as good news. If you are interested in a broader picture of Oscar Romero's life the 1989 film Romero is excellent.

Do you remember Romero's assassination? Did you see the film? Are you encouraged by Pope Francis' decision?

You have to look at the inspiring story of India's Forest Man at my Groundling blog! http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2014/08/the-forest-man-of-india.html

Brothers and Sisters

On Saturday evening my wife Ruth and I attended an event sponsored by the Interfaith group of Belleville at the Islamic Society building on Moira St. http://bellevillemasjid.ca/ We were told that we would be fed --always an incentive-- and there would be a brief presentation and tour of the building. That's exactly what happened, although saying so does not come close to capturing the spirit of the evening. We were welcomed by the imam who spoke of being brothers and sisters as God's people, and that we gathered in a spirit of peace and mutual respect. He let us know that several doctors and eight pharmacists in the city are members of this mosque and the desire of all from their faith community is to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the wider community. We did watch a short slide show which was more information than propaganda.

Now, the food! The majority of the members of this community are originally from Pakistan, and the spread of Pakistani cuisine was delicious. I really can't say exactly what was in the various dishes, although I do know what wasn't there --pork. While we were in line several members of the community engaged us in conversation. They couldn't have been warmer or more welcoming.

When we sat down a teen, maybe fourteen, asked if he could join us. He was a very bright, very open young man who patiently responded to our questions. His family emigrated to Canada when he was six months old, and his two younger brothers were born here. His father was a doctor in Pakistan and is a pharmacist in Belleville. His hope is to be a physician one day.

I commented that I'd heard Ramadan, the month of fasting was tough this year because it was so close to the Summer Solstice. Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown, and the days without food or drink were long. He told us that this was his first year observing the adult fast -- children are exempt or do a partial fast -- and it was a challenge. He seemed pleased he had been able to make it through the thirty days. I wonder how many teens from a Christian background would do with a month of fasting, not to mention the regimen of daily prayer?

We left this event quite moved by what we had experienced. There were probably close to one hundred guests, so it was a worthwhile effort toward mutual understanding and respect. Ruth was expected to wear a dress and a headscarf, but she didn't really mind that expectation. Yes, the Muslim women and men seemed to be somewhat apart from one another, although two women addressed us during the evening. We do need to keep in mind that there are Christian groups which still separate men and women and their clergy are all men. And they don't invited us to dinner!

So, are you sorry you missed this gathering? Would you feel comfortable attending? Do we need more of this to foster understanding rather than suspicion?

Honesty and Acceptance

I don't listen to the music which comes out of evangelical circles nor do we use that music in our worship. We are trying to include more contemporary Christian music but the praise genre from the evangelical world isn't a good fit for us. I do realize that it can be quite powerful and attracts a younger demographic. The composers and performers often become very popular. One of those artists, Vicky Beeching, came out as gayWednesday in an interview with the U.K. newspaper The Independent. This is a big deal in evangelical circles because it often means condemnation by congregations which employ the music of these artists and the end of royalties. There was swift response to Beeching's announcement with some megachurches announcing she was now a musical persona non grata.

Beeching described the sense of being outside even when she was on the inside, feeling shame for years. She explained her decision to be public about her orientation this way:

 

“What Jesus taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love. I feel certain God loves me just the way I am, and I have a huge sense of calling to communicate that to young people.I am not angry with the Church, even though it has been very difficult. The Church is still my family. Family do not always agree or see eye to eye. But family stick together, and I am committed to being part of the Church, working for change."

I commend Christianity Today, an evangelical publication, for simply reporting this as news, without any negativity or judgment. The article mentioned a number of other contemporary music artists who have opened up about their orientation in recent years.

When more liberal denominations such as the United Church first addressed issues of sexuality, including acceptance of gays and lesbians, they were roundly scorned. We paid a high price for seeing this as consistent with a gospel message of acceptance and inclusion. Twenty five years later we see a shift in perception in virtually every aspect of our society.

My hope is that more and more LGBTQ Christians, including evangelicals, will have the sense that they are loved by God, and by their faith communities. In several of the congregations I have served there have been individuals who left the congregations they loved in many respects because they knew they would be rejected for being honest.

Comments?

The Story of Joseph and Climate Change

Today the ecumenical lectionary invites us to consider the story of Joseph and his brothers for a second week, and we move from toxic jealousy to healing forgiveness and reconciliation. Unfortunately we have leap-frogged over some great story-telling, including Joseph's rise from slavery to responsible power in the courts of Egypt. You may recall that Joseph had a dream (were dreams genetic in this family?) which motivated him to make provision for catastrophic drought. He prudently stores grain over a number of productive years, which serves as bridge during the lean years. Providentially, this decision also results in the reconciliation with his brothers we read about today.

There is a creative and thoughtful reflection on the dream of Joseph in the online version of Tikkun magazine which offers a Jewish perspective. The authors liken Joseph's prophetic foresight to the effort of those who will not

Pharaoh’s dreams speak to our own day, a day during which droughts, typhoons, and hurricanes of increasing severity are more and more frequent. These are the equivalents of Pharaoh’s dreams: disturbing, anomalous manifestations of something that calls out for interpretation. But what is our equivalent of Joseph? We have but to think for a moment to realize that among us are men and women who interpret the overall shape of the novel climate events we have been witnessing – climate scientists. With respect to these phenomena, they are the best interpreters of what is occurring.And the consensus is in. Peer-reviewed science journals report that there is no longer the slightest quibble about the reality of climate change.

These Josephs of ours have recognized that we are on the verge of a human-made crisis. No one particular drought, hurricane, or typhoon can be said to be the consequence of climate change, but the overall increasing severity and frequency of these events line up precisely with the law of probability that the theory of climate change embraces. http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2014/08/12/our-josephs-our-choices/

I would never have made this leap, but I'm glad they did. It reminds us that our faith story can blossom from the roots of faith stories of old. This is also an invitation to "wise up" and make the choices now which will affect us and so many others in the days ahead.

Missouri Burning?

In June of this year there was a great deal of reflection going on the United States to mark the 50th anniversary of what has been called Mississippi Freedom Summer. http://freedom50.org/ The film Mississippi Burning was shown on some stations. It is a pretty good film loosely based on the disappearance of young civil rights activists in 1964, killed by police and extremists opposed to racial integration.

How unsettling that last week we saw unrest and confrontations in the town of Ferguson, population 21,000,  in the state of Missouri rather than Mississippi. A young black man named Michael Brown was shot repeatedly by a policeman and killed. Witnesses insist Brown was unarmed and non-confrontational, with his hands in the air pleading "don't shoot."  

People are angry that it took so long for the name of the police officer to be released and that a huge tactical police presence moved into the community. Demonstrators were dispersed using teargas, while journalists were intimidated, had equipment confiscated, and were even thrown into jail without charges. So much for freedom of the press. There have also been photo comparisons between activists in 1964 with demonstrators in 2014 in Ferguson and they are chilling.
 
How does this happen in 21st century America? The issues around race appear to be raising their ugly heads once again.

We have been hearing how leaders of faith communities in Ferguson are responding to this terrible turn of events. One local pastor, Renita Lamkin, (below) was shot with a rubber bullet as she called for calm and invoked the name of Jesus. Her injury sure looked ugly, but she has been determined to carry on.


Brown's parents have asked for peaceful protest, insisting that their son would not have wanted violence. Let's pray that Ferguson Missouri does not burn and that there can be both resolution and reconciliation. In the past couple of days the calm Pastor Lamkin sought seems to be restored.



Comments?

It's About Time

I am a strong believer in religious freedom, even when I disagree with the tenets and practices of expressions of faith other than my own. That said, I can't tell you how pleased I was that the RCMP British Columbia has been instructed to lay charges against members of the quasi-Mormon community in the remote community of Bountiful.

Here is the CBC news description of the charges:

Winston Kaye Blackmore and his brother-in-law James Marion Oler are facing polygamy charges. Oler is alleged to have had four wives between 1993 and 2009, while Winston Blackmore is accused of marrying 24 women between 1990 and 2014.
Oler and two others, Blackmore's son Brandon James Blackmore and his wife Emily Ruth Crossfield, are also alleged to have unlawfully removed a child under 16 from Canada "with the intention that an act be committed outside Canada that would be an offence against Section 151 (sexual interference) or 152 (invitation to sexual touching)"

For some reason BC has been reluctant to press charges against Blackmore and the others even though they have known about what this alleged child sexual abuse for years. In the United States Warren Jeffs, the leader of this Mormon splinter group, is in jail, convicted of a number of crimes. I think it is hideous that these men were allowed to hide behind religion to justify their criminal and abusive activity for so long. It is puzzling that authorities began prosecuting abusers in the Roman Catholic church and other denominations a couple of decades ago but have allowed this to continue with impunity. It is particularly creepy that the women are required to dress as though they are chaste characters from some 19th century drama even as they are being abused.

Blackmore always comes across as so reasonable and cheerful, but that doesn't mean he isn't evil. I hope all of them are sent to prison, if convicted, and that there are concerted efforts to support the women and children as they reintegrate with broader society.They have certainly deserved better from our judicial system.

Comments?

Witness

This past Saturday we were in Ottawa to visit the Canadian War Museum and the National Art Gallery. Both institutions have exhibits of images from World War One and we felt it was worth the trip for this specific reason.

The one Canadian War Museum exhibit is Witness: Canadian Art of the First World War http://www.warmuseum.ca/witness/  offering works by a number of artists including four members of the Group of Seven, David Milne, and Maurice Cullen. There is another exhibit called Transformations juxtaposing paintings by German artist Otto Dix and A.Y. Jackson. Both were thought-provoking and both included religious imagery.

The National Gallery exhibit is called The Great War: The Persuasive Power of Photography. http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/exhibitions/current/details/the-great-war-the-persuasive-power-of-photography-6713This one is much more graphic in its content. The painters were less willing to portray the carnage of the battlefields out of deference to the families of the fallen. The photographs tell the miserable story of destruction in a stark manner. A number of these photos include religious imagery as well.

We were glad we went but sobered by what we saw. All war is terrible and that conflict which resulted in the deaths of nine million combatants was particularly brutal and senseless. We do need to remember just the same, and ponder why we are so hell-bent on destruction of others.

The Christian cross figures in both photographs and paintings, actually in the form of a crucifix,  and it is a powerful symbol of human suffering and God's identification with us in the suffering Christ. If only we could learn.

Have you heard about these exhibits? Are you intrigued, or would it be too much?

Hope for an Aging Church

On Sunday the Child & Youth Worker from my previous congregation came to worship with two of her daughters. It was a delight to see the three of them and have a chin-wag afterward. Laura and Amy were soon on their way to Rendezvous, the national youth event in Winnipeg, along with others from that congregation.

The next day I heard from another colleague in ministry who was on the Pilgrimage Bus to the same event and had been in conversation with a teen whose family was active in a congregation I served. This colleague was a 12-year-old in the youth group of my first pastoral charge in Newfoundland back in the early 80's. We have been friends with her family ever since. and we see Andrea and her husband and son at least once a year.

Yesterday I touched base with another colleague, a former co-worker, who is a leader at the Bridge St. Kid's Camp. Cathy was also a Child and Youth Worker in a congregation I served -- there is a theme here! Our son Isaac is a United Church minister whose role is Children, Youth, and Families in his London congregation.

Not only was it good to spend time with all four in recent days, they are a reminder that there is still youth ministry happening in our aging denomination. It is also evidence that not all United Church ministers are over fifty, or sixty, or...Three of these four are in their forties, so well under the average age of creaky clergy like me. Isaac is thirty-two and amongst the younger ministers of the UCC. It's encouraging that younger women and men are pursuing vocations for ministry in the United Church.

Wait, there's more! Our nephew Michael has recently completed his academic studies for ministry and will begin his placement leading to ordination, and he too is in his thirties. Today I have two meetings with Bridge St. members who are exploring ministry in the United Church, one in his thirties and the other teetering on the brink of forty. We have no guarantees about our denominational future, but there is still some life in these aging bones!

God's world does need leaders of all ages.

Do you find this hopeful? Are you surprised?

Healing Our Wounds

May the Christ who walks on wounded feet, walk with you on the road;
May the Christ who serves with wounded hands, stretch out your hands to serve;
May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart, open your hearts to love;
May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet,
and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.

Our world has certainly changed when it comes to conveying breaking news. Last night Twitter suddenly exploded with word that one of the truly brilliant comics of the past forty years, Robin Williams, had died at sixty-three. All indications are that he took his own life, which we would probably all agree makes his death at a relatively early age even sadder. Immediately we heard that he has been suffering from severe depression after coming out of rehab for issues with both drugs and alcohol.

Williams was hilarious. For example, he was so funny in Mrs. Doubtfire, a somewhat trite film otherwise, but it was even more of a pleasure to watch him manically adlibbing in interviews and other situations.

He also did some star turns in dramatic roles, although someone quipped that if Robin Williams put on a cardigan he was aiming for an Oscar (he got one, in a cardigan, for his role in Good Will Hunting.)

When I heard of the cause of his death I thought of The Fisher King, a film that got generally strong reviews but perhaps not as much acclaim as some other Williams vehicles. The Fisher King is based on a fantastical yet realistic story of the same name. It is a mythic tale which explores brokenness, mental illness, redemption. Williams was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Parry, a fragile homeless man who snapped years before, when his wife was the victim of a brutal crime. Williams managed to be exceptionally expressive in scenes where he said next to nothing.

The death of Robin Williams pushed aside a report saying that one in six Canadian soldiers suffer from mental issues. I see the two news stories as related. We expected Williams to be funny, no matter what, and we expect our military personnel to be stoic and strong. Yet, we simply do not know who will be affected by depression and other mental health issues, and we can't just move from one celebrity death to another without creating a climate of acceptance and change. Not long ago the world mourned the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, now Williams.

As always, I hope and pray that faith communities will be part of the solution rather than deepening the problem. When we act as though there is some sort of easy victory over the darkness we are misguided. When as Christ's people we walk with those who struggle, without judgment, it can make a difference.

Comments?

Prophets for Peace?

This past Wednesday marked the 69th anniversary of the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the Second World War. That one bomb immediately destroyed 80,000 people, mostly civilians, and another 50,000 died at Nagasaki. Ultimately the death toll was between 200 and 250,000 due to the effects of radiation. I have often marked this somber anniversary in worship, usually with origami peace cranes like those pictured above. The story of these cranes is quite touching http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadako_and_the_Thousand_Paper_Cranes

This week the Christian activist Shane Claiborne posted comments, really a verbal repentance, made by the Roman Catholic priest, forty years after the bombings. Father George Zabelka, blessed the pilots in 1945 as they set out on their fateful flights. Zabelka's call to become prophets for peace is well worth reading http://www.redletterchristians.org/chaplain-blessed-hiroshima-bombers-repents/

Once again we are reminded that we are called to be peacemakers in this world of violence by the Prince of Peace.

Water Walkers

Earlier this week I chatted with a colleague in ministry who conceded that while the Older Testament stories of the summer lectionary readings are intriguing she is sticking with the rich passages of the gospels because they are a bit more in her comfort zone as someone relatively new to preaching. I certainly appreciate this. I have chosen the stories of Jacob, Joseph, and Moses because after years of preaching the lectionary it is stimulating to go off what is a well-worn path for me.

Still, I have thought about the gospel story this week which tells us of Jesus walking on water and Peter's "sinking feeling" when stepping out of the boat doesn't turn out the way he hoped. The 19th century artist Gustave Dore is currently featured in an exhibit at Canada's National Art Gallery and this is one of his images.

There is a book called The Walk-On-Water Syndrome: Dealing With Professional Hazards in the Ministry by Edwin Bratcher which I purchased 30 years ago when still a young, brash, and relatively new-to-ministry pastor. It was helpful then as I began to realize that no matter how much energy and time I put into my vocation it would never be enough. Over the decades I have served active congregations and I have enjoyed the work of developing their mission and ministries. I had to learn that there would always be more to do than I could possibly accomplish,  and there would always be people who expected the impossible.

In his book Bratcher encourages establishing a realistic perspective in ministry, acknowledging our human limitations, and resisting the temptation to "walk on water." We serve Jesus but we must remember that we are not small or capital letter saviours.

Now in my 35th year of ministry I have come to realize that neither my energy level nor my resilience are what they once were. I tend to thud more than I bounce! I'm hoping that what I can bring to ministry is experience and perspective. I am still passionate about serving in Christ's name, but I realize that being a "non-anxious presence" in the lives of others requires the faith not to have a saviour complex. Establishing personal balance is a virtue, not a sin. Living and ministering with this balance is even more important in the tumultuous times we find ourselves in as mainline congregations.

Any thoughts or comments on this?

A Lifetime of Generosity

The summer tends to be a sleepy time in congregational life but a couple of eye-openers came my way this week. Two elderly members let us know of monetary gifts they are making for the mission and ministry of Bridge St. One has promised ten thousand dollars for the purchase of a new restaurant-grade gas range for the kitchen. Our Inn from the Cold and Thank God It's Friday meal ministries served more than 8,000 meals out of that kitchen in 2013. The ancient stove used for preparing those meals is incredibly slow and runs up a huge electricity bill, This is a wonderful gift.

The other gift has already arrived, $50,000 to be used in whatever way the congregation chooses. The combined ages of these two is roughly 175 years, and they both have health issues, but they are still passionate about the ministry of this expression of Christ's body. I have spent a fair amount of time with each of them and they have a deep faith which I have found uplifting.

In a little more than a year since I arrived at Bridge St. there have been about $100,000 in special financial gifts from elderly members who are still in the land of the living. These are over and above regular tithes and offerings. One substantial contribution made it possible to install visual display monitors in the sanctuary. Yes, there have been gifts for more traditional projects such as the organ restoration, and these have made a significant difference, but several have been for work which is less along conventional lines, or for the general wellbeing of the church.

Not everyone is able to do what they have done, and stewardship takes many forms. Every gift, every act of kindness, is a blessing gratefully received. It is important, it seems to me, to acknowledge the practical generosity of people. They have worked hard for what they are giving. They have often consulted with their adult children to let them know what they plan to do. They want to be faithful as Christian stewards and we are the better for it. And generosity begets generosity. Thank you!

Comments?

For the Common Good in a Time of Suspicion

Brian Zahnd is a thoughtful evangelical writer who has written worthwhile books on peacemaking as the way of Christ (Farewell to Mars) and the core value of radical forgiveness in our Christian faith (Unconditional?) I follow him on Twitter and often retweet his messages in 140 characters. Recently he tweeted a link to a statement he drafted a few years ago with Ahmed El-Sherif, an Arab Muslim scientist, and Samuel Nachum, an Israeli Jewish artist. It is a declaration of peaceful, respectiful co-existence. I thought it was excellent and timely, so I share it with you.
 
For the Common Good

We are Jews, Christians and Muslims.
And we are friends.
We seek to follow our respective religions faithfully.
We do not believe all religions are the same.
We recognize the reality of our religious differences.
But we are friends.
We are devout in our faith and respectful of our friendship.
Our faith and friendship need not be mutually exclusive.
We recognize that we share common space — the common space of a shared planet.
For the sake of the common good we seek common ground.
We do not share a common faith, but we share a common humanity.
In our different religions we do not practice the same rituals or pray the same prayers.
But in our shared humanity we hold to a common dream: Shalom, Salaam, Peace.
We hold to the dream that our children may play in peace without fear of violence.
And so…
We pledge not to hate.
We pledge not to dehumanize others.
We pledge to do no harm in the name of God.
As individuals we do not compromise the truth claims of our respective religions—
But we will not use truth claims to fuel hate or justify violence.
We will practice our respective faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.
But we believe our faith can be practiced in the way of peace—
We believe our faith truly practiced need never be at odds with humanitarian ideals.
Our religions share a complex and intertwined history—
A history of interaction that has too often been tumultuous and bloody.
We believe there must be a better way and we seek that better way.
The way of peace.
We are Jews, Christians and Muslims.
And we are friends.
We seek common ground for the common good.
Shalom, Salaam, Peace.

Ahmed El-Sherif,  Samuel Nachum,  Brian Zahnd

I should note that I admire Zahnd for his expansive and deeply gospel-rooted Christianity, but there are some evangelicals who consider him a heretic -- which makes me like him even more!

Does this statement work for you? Does it capture your hope for respectful co-existence between religions and their followers? Do you know people from other religions and have you engaged in meaningful conversation?

Are you a fan of fireflies? Read my Groundling blog today http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2014/08/this-little-light-of-mine.html

Ebola and a Greater Love

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13 (NRSV)

You may have seen that two Americans have been flown from Africa to a special unit at Emory University in Atlanta to be treated for the deadly Ebola virus. The current outbreak is the worst ever, spreading to several countries and resulting in nearly a thousand deaths. I remember reading about Ebola in the book The Hot Zone back in 1992 and shuddering at the prospect of a disease without a cure which kills a high percentage of those infected.



There is hope that both of the Americans will survive, but others treating the poor souls who contract the illness in countries with little in the way of medical infrastructure have succumbed. One, Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan had emigrated to the United States but returned to Sierra Leone to offer his medical assistance. It's estimated that his intervention saved a hundred lives before he succumbed. After his death a prayer service was held in Maryland which involved both Muslim and Christian prayers. Many of the medical personal responding to the Ebola outbreak are members of faith communities and the two at Emory are Christians.

I really do think they are heroes, putting their lives at risk in a selfless manner which is a true reflection of Jesus' statement about love. It makes me wonder how deep my faith is. What would I be willing to do and what risks would I be willing to take on behalf of others. Let's keep these workers in our prayers and also pray that the international community will respond to this latest outbreak all the resources necessary to fight it.

Have you been following this story? Where you aware that many of the frontline responders were people of faith?

Take a peek at my recent Groundling blog posting called Blue/Green Commute http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2014/08/bluegreen-commute.html

WW1 & Hope for Today

Our son Isaac and daughter-in-law Rebekah don't own a television, which I think makes them honorary Amish people. They do watch TV series on their computer but they are quaintly out of sync with the rest of the viewing world. On the weekend Ike texted that they had just finished season one of Downton Abbey and mentioned what I had forgotten, that it concluded with the announcement of the beginning of World War One. Go figure. They were so out of touch that they were entirely topical with the hundredth anniversary of The War to End All Wars coinciding with their episode.

I spoke about chaplaincy during WW1 on the Canada Day weekend and pointed out that every effort was made to demonize the enemy during the conflict. No matter that in the European theatre it was largely Christians fighting Christians. The fallen of one's own nation were martyrs for the faith. The fallen of the enemy were vanquished demons. While chaplains often supported this outlook in sermons,  it was a different story when it came to ministering to the injured and dying. Some British and Canadian chaplains learned the Lord's Prayer in German to repeat with captured enemy troops. At Vimy Ridge Canadian padres prayed with dying German soldiers as well as their own.



I wanted to write about this yesterday but I found myself overwhelmed by the sadness of the occasion, the futility of war, and the truth that all wars have not ended. We have simply become much sophisticated in the ways in which we annihilate one another. War is the parent of lies, and still we are determined to portray the enemy as other than human.

Prince Andrew pointed out yesterday that the somber commemoration in Europe included representative from Austria and Germany, the arch-enemies of the Great War. He named this as a sign of hope that enemies can become allies and friends. For Christians there can always be hope for a different way, the way of peace and reconciliation.

What has been going through your minds as the commemorations of the beginning of WW1 unfold? Is there hope in 2014?

Call to Action for Palestinian Children

I heard Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish on CBC radio this morning. He is the Palestinian doctor who now lives in Toronto. His remarkable book called I Shall Not Hate recounts his life growing up in Gaza, his drive to qualify as a physician against the odds, and his eventual work for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. During the last war between Israel and Hamas three of his daughters and a niece died after an Israeli tank shell smashed into their home. Despite the tragic death of his loved ones Abuelaish stills advocates for peace. He is a Muslim, a man of deep faith, and an extraordinary example of someone determined to uphold peace rather than retaliatory violence.

Today he was calling on the Canadian government to allow one hundred Palestinian children to come to Canada for medical treatment. We know that many children have been killed and maimed during this conflict and even in peaceful times there is not adequate medical care in Gaza. During this conflict five times as many people have been displaced from their homes than in 2009 and the toll of dead and injured is much higher. As I looked for a photo of Palestinian children some of the images were far too disturbing to include, but the carnage is terrible.



I pray that the federal and provincial governments will heed Dr. Abuelaish's call to compassionate action. I have no doubt he would be tireless in supporting these children upon their arrival and we have the resources in this province to provide care. A stumbling block might be a prime minister and foreign affairs minister who have shown little subtlety in assessing this conflict and the humanitarian crises. Wouldn't it make sense for churches to get behind this proposal and whatever would be necessary to assist the children and their families while in Canada?

Does this call to action make sense to you? Should denominations and congregation lend their support?