Kids show the best emotions... what a great BBQ!
Location: The Salash's.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one about the best BBQ of the summer.
Kids show the best emotions... what a great BBQ!
Location: The Salash's.
Friday, July 25, 2008
To be the Pastor is to love them...
So, internship ended and I'm starting to draw together some ideas of what it is to be pastor. It seems that to be the pastor is to love them...
A friend is supply preaching at my internship site right away and was asking me what the process would be like. Right away I could think of who was going to pay her, who would likely welcome her, and all these faces came into my head. It was really all about relationship in the end. All about a community of people that were all so different and all so amazing and challenging in all ways.
So all these years of seminary have loaded my brain with theology and new ideas and in the end... it would seem that the biggest challenge is going to be to love the people I'm called to serve. Not just the easy ones either... all the people.
I wonder who would be at seminary if you described the calling this way... just love your people. If you have not love, all the theology in the world isn't going to help. You just make noise.
Do I have the faith in the people? Am I willing to hope with them? Can I actually love them? This is the new challenge to ponder...
A friend is supply preaching at my internship site right away and was asking me what the process would be like. Right away I could think of who was going to pay her, who would likely welcome her, and all these faces came into my head. It was really all about relationship in the end. All about a community of people that were all so different and all so amazing and challenging in all ways.
So all these years of seminary have loaded my brain with theology and new ideas and in the end... it would seem that the biggest challenge is going to be to love the people I'm called to serve. Not just the easy ones either... all the people.
I wonder who would be at seminary if you described the calling this way... just love your people. If you have not love, all the theology in the world isn't going to help. You just make noise.
Do I have the faith in the people? Am I willing to hope with them? Can I actually love them? This is the new challenge to ponder...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one I put up to gross out Dyanna
If you thought that Dragonfly was gross, check out this couple of crazy teenagers that landed on my window in the rain just the other day. I love macro!
Location: Back of carpark - Saskatoon
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one with Dad's home made recumbent.
Well, you all had a chance to see my recumbent bike from www.cruzbike.com
But I wanted to share a picture today of the bike my Dad made. I don't know if even cares about recumbents, but he has listened to me yammer on for years now, and even build this prototype trike. It started as a regular short wheel base underseat stearing recumbent, and ended as a tadpole style trike. So... it's an interesting picture, and a chance for me to show off what my Dad made. I'm so proud of him sometimes!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one with the dragonfly closeup...
I wish that I could have the same sort of wonder that kids have when they find a bug like this...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one with the swingers.
Real swingers!
I used to make fun of parents who spent so much on these play structures... but totally worth it!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one with young Matt and Erik and Lindsay and Chris
This one is a blast from the past.
Contest: Name the year of this photo.
(I know... this isn't as cute as my normal pics :)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one with the Freerider
Ya know, I wanted one of these things for over 10 years and have finally got one and... I love everything about this bike.
Today's pic is a shamless plug for www.cruzbike.com
Location: End of the trail Saskatoon
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one about Spiderman Elijah
Oh yes... that is the amazing spiderman... only with a little plastic hose and a dog collar instead of web slinging power. Almost just as scary really.
Face Paint: Fun Factory
Location: Saskatoon, House, Playroom.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Pic from the Bell front: The one about India's intensity
Ahhh... my sweet little girl's true dark side comes out... look at the intensity in those eyes... look at the cunning... All of you who thought that she was such a sweet little girl can now see the truth of her power as she handles that duck better than any man I know could! (OK... she's a little cute too...)
Location: Kindersley Lions Park, SK.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The tragedy of the commons...
With sadness we see that the new digger toy did not last long at the park. Why God! WWWWWHHHHHHYYYYYYY!
Darn big kids.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
It is finished!
One more hoop done.
The last meetings, the last reports, the last trip.
I'm sad to finish my internship, I'm going to miss the people and the community.
Although... I'm happy to being one step closer to being done this whole seminary thing.
And... I had another baby (well technically my wife did...)
And... I bought a cruzbike from www.cruzbike.com
And... I need to blog more.
The last meetings, the last reports, the last trip.
I'm sad to finish my internship, I'm going to miss the people and the community.
Although... I'm happy to being one step closer to being done this whole seminary thing.
And... I had another baby (well technically my wife did...)
And... I bought a cruzbike from www.cruzbike.com
And... I need to blog more.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Sandy Sermon
Matthew 7:21-29
“And great was its fall!”... So that’s it? That is the end of the parable? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Don’t all of the sunday school and campfire songs tell the story in the other direction? The house on the sandy land comes first because we are told first what we are not, we are not that fool who built on the sand. No, we talk about him first so that we can talk or sing about who we are really are last, the wise man who built his house on the rock. Morals and lessons come last in stories so that we can remember them.
But today, Jesus has told the story the other way around. Or the other way around from how we want to tell it. It must have been a mistake by Jesus, maybe he mixed it up the story. Maybe Matthew got it mixed up when he wrote it down. They can’t have possibly meant that the house built on the sand is the most important part of the story, could they? (Intro Stolen from Erik Parker)
...
This reminds me of a story I heard from a Tipi salesman once. That’s sort of a strange way to start a story... I’ll try again...
Sandy Marshal is the owner and founder of arrow tipi. He has, a real passion for tipis, and one evening he explained the whole tipi buisness, industrial cutting and sewing tools. It’s hard work.
Sandy Marshal uses only the best materials: 10.10oz Flame Retardant, Mildew Resistant, Water Proofed, Marine Boatshrunk. Sunforger FR 100% Cotton Army Duck canvas. It weighs 13 oz. per yard. Takes at least 2 strong people to lift it when its folded... you’re better with 4 people.
Sandy Marshal works with his son to do the difficult work of marking, cutting, stitching, storing, marketing, and delivering his Tipis all over Western Canada and to the world. You will have seen Sandy Marshal’s place if you’ve been on Highway 6 in BC. It can be seen from the "big bridge" just south of Burton BC - RIght on the Columbian river. Look for the Tipi, you can’t miss it.
The Tipi you see from the highway is the test tipi. It’s up all spring, summer and fall to see how it reacts to sun and wind. All those tipi poles in a permanent circle, pegged down with Sandy’s patented ‘widget’ system... basically a big chunk of rebar bent in a certain way... those poles are solid. When the river swells, they go out and take down canvas, and leave the poles... the ground floods, the winter snow comes and goes, and then Sandy puts the canvas back up... Sandy believes his tipis are indestructible.
Which of course they aren’t... Nothing is truly indestructible...
One of the most disappointing things about visiting world monuments is that they really aren’t as old as they claim to be... Traveling in Germany we would see many buildings which claimed to be 800 years old but really... they'd been burnt down twice or taken down and repaired. Even our most sturdy buildings don’t last.
And we want to think that we are built on the rocks. We want to read Jesus story as a good piece of advice. Like Sharon and Otto’s driveway... the advice is build on the rocks... be wise and safe where you build... make sure you can get out when the summer floods come. It’s good advice.
But it’s not the main point.
Sandy Marshal firmly believed his tipis were fool proof till the day he sold two tipis to some Lutherans. Not just any Lutherans... Southern Sask. Prairie Lutherans. Lutherans who wanted tipi’s for Camp Mutakos. Lutherans, who did in fact read the rules of site selection...
Ground should be level and flat.
No problem there... it’s Southern Saskatchewan.
Grass mowed.
It hardly grows! No problem...
Ground should drain well.
Drain? The ground absorbs every last drop it can get.
4. Safe from falling objects and overhead wires.
5. Secure from vandals and theft.
6. Appropriate distance to firewood, sanitary facilities.
Emergency access.
The ground should allow secure pegging.
PROTECTED FROM WIND.
Big bold letters on the instructions... protected from the wind. Only a true native of Southern Saskatchewan would stand outside in a gale force wind and say... well... it’s a bit breezy.
And when all the warning signs were there.
As Sandy Marshall got out of his truck to deliver the Tipis he couldn’t believe the site they had chosen... his first instinct was to get back in the truck and turn around and drive away... but he’d come all this way... and this sale was important to him... he said “I was young... I wouldn’t do that again.”
As the wind blew Sandy’s long hair all over the place he was greeted by people who reacted to his concerns with comments of “It’s not that windy... we can do this.” In fact... for Southern Saskatchewan it really wasn’t that windy... and so... two majestic 27 foot tipis were put up... you could see them for miles... it was a thing of beauty.
And it was only a few short months later that Sandy Marshall heard the news. Both Tipis had blown over... well... one blew over. The other one actually took flight and I’m sure the distance gets bigger every time the story is told... but this tipi, poles and canvas and all, 100’s of pounds of 100% cotton army duck and 27 ft poles... actually took flight... flew way up in the air like some sort of majestic prairie albatross, and dove into the ground over 100 feet away. Thank God no one was inside or anywhere near.
...
The expert in tipis, allowed something to overrule his judgement, and mighty was the fall of the tipi.
The Lutherans, in their excitement to do something amazing, overlooked safety and caution, they made unwise choices.
Disasters, accidents, nice tries, death... it’s all around us. The funerals keep coming, the accidents on the highways keep happening, nothing stays the same.
This has been an amazing discovery for me... nothing stays the same. We all have a story, we all grew up in an environment that is so different from what we are living today. We’ve all made choices - we’ve all been swept along by life - and now we are here, here in this moment. Some things are just how we would like them, other things are gnawing at us, making us wish that we could be in a different situation. Some of us see that change is coming, and some of us don’t want to look at what might happen as the planet heats up, as political tensions rise in all areas of the globe. All of life is built on this shifting sand. As the wind blows, things fall down.
And for all our frantic building on the sand, for all the working and trying to be the wise one who builds on the rocks, we watch with fear the rising gas prices. Many of us build stronger doors and get alarm systems installed in our houses. We cling to inflated housing values, we watch the markets for signs of recession, we worry about our relationships to one another, and what they might really mean. It all points to the same thing... we know that most of our lives are built on the sand. Buildings will fall, money will come and go, lives will begin and end.
...
But to live life is to venture out onto the sand - the sand is where life is lived. In no way are we called to hunker down - in no way are we called to live lives that look out for our own needs first.
In every way we are called to join God in the work of loving and blessing the world. We are called to care for creation. Care for our neighbors. Reach out to a world that is hurting. Reach out with the things that have first been given to us.
It’s a paradox - wisdom tells us to look for the rock - the solid foundation to build security on. But all our best efforts turn to sand.
And right here, as sand people that are living in shaky structures, that God, and Christ Crucified, and the wind of the Spirit break into our lives. God declares that we are beloved - through our baptism, through the bread and the wine we will share at communion. Through being the church together - through being a part of the body of Christ... the ongoing blessing of God to the world.
And all these things are signs that we are all members of the church - members of this firm foundation that is not based on our ability to make a building, or find ways to first perfect our lives... it is based on God who is always coming to us, the people of the sand. We are members because Christ has called us to faith. Faith in the body of Christ - the firm rock where hope can be placed.
The hope that is in Christ and his church outlasts life and death, it outlasts housing booms and financial crisis, it outlasts all the ways that we organize ourselves politically and religiously and socially... it gives comfort when the whole world seems to be going crazy.
And best of all... it’s gift. It’s grace that is given to the people of the sand - the people sitting in the midst of tumbled down sand castles. Grace, forgiveness, love... it all comes down to God telling us who we are.
Today, to each of you, I name you rock. Chosen by God - declared to be beloved - made a part of the rock that is Christ's body. And on these rocks Christ is continuing to build a church.
Amen
“And great was its fall!”... So that’s it? That is the end of the parable? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Don’t all of the sunday school and campfire songs tell the story in the other direction? The house on the sandy land comes first because we are told first what we are not, we are not that fool who built on the sand. No, we talk about him first so that we can talk or sing about who we are really are last, the wise man who built his house on the rock. Morals and lessons come last in stories so that we can remember them.
But today, Jesus has told the story the other way around. Or the other way around from how we want to tell it. It must have been a mistake by Jesus, maybe he mixed it up the story. Maybe Matthew got it mixed up when he wrote it down. They can’t have possibly meant that the house built on the sand is the most important part of the story, could they? (Intro Stolen from Erik Parker)
...
This reminds me of a story I heard from a Tipi salesman once. That’s sort of a strange way to start a story... I’ll try again...
Sandy Marshal is the owner and founder of arrow tipi. He has, a real passion for tipis, and one evening he explained the whole tipi buisness, industrial cutting and sewing tools. It’s hard work.
Sandy Marshal uses only the best materials: 10.10oz Flame Retardant, Mildew Resistant, Water Proofed, Marine Boatshrunk. Sunforger FR 100% Cotton Army Duck canvas. It weighs 13 oz. per yard. Takes at least 2 strong people to lift it when its folded... you’re better with 4 people.
Sandy Marshal works with his son to do the difficult work of marking, cutting, stitching, storing, marketing, and delivering his Tipis all over Western Canada and to the world. You will have seen Sandy Marshal’s place if you’ve been on Highway 6 in BC. It can be seen from the "big bridge" just south of Burton BC - RIght on the Columbian river. Look for the Tipi, you can’t miss it.
The Tipi you see from the highway is the test tipi. It’s up all spring, summer and fall to see how it reacts to sun and wind. All those tipi poles in a permanent circle, pegged down with Sandy’s patented ‘widget’ system... basically a big chunk of rebar bent in a certain way... those poles are solid. When the river swells, they go out and take down canvas, and leave the poles... the ground floods, the winter snow comes and goes, and then Sandy puts the canvas back up... Sandy believes his tipis are indestructible.
Which of course they aren’t... Nothing is truly indestructible...
One of the most disappointing things about visiting world monuments is that they really aren’t as old as they claim to be... Traveling in Germany we would see many buildings which claimed to be 800 years old but really... they'd been burnt down twice or taken down and repaired. Even our most sturdy buildings don’t last.
And we want to think that we are built on the rocks. We want to read Jesus story as a good piece of advice. Like Sharon and Otto’s driveway... the advice is build on the rocks... be wise and safe where you build... make sure you can get out when the summer floods come. It’s good advice.
But it’s not the main point.
Sandy Marshal firmly believed his tipis were fool proof till the day he sold two tipis to some Lutherans. Not just any Lutherans... Southern Sask. Prairie Lutherans. Lutherans who wanted tipi’s for Camp Mutakos. Lutherans, who did in fact read the rules of site selection...
Ground should be level and flat.
No problem there... it’s Southern Saskatchewan.
Grass mowed.
It hardly grows! No problem...
Ground should drain well.
Drain? The ground absorbs every last drop it can get.
4. Safe from falling objects and overhead wires.
5. Secure from vandals and theft.
6. Appropriate distance to firewood, sanitary facilities.
Emergency access.
The ground should allow secure pegging.
PROTECTED FROM WIND.
Big bold letters on the instructions... protected from the wind. Only a true native of Southern Saskatchewan would stand outside in a gale force wind and say... well... it’s a bit breezy.
And when all the warning signs were there.
As Sandy Marshall got out of his truck to deliver the Tipis he couldn’t believe the site they had chosen... his first instinct was to get back in the truck and turn around and drive away... but he’d come all this way... and this sale was important to him... he said “I was young... I wouldn’t do that again.”
As the wind blew Sandy’s long hair all over the place he was greeted by people who reacted to his concerns with comments of “It’s not that windy... we can do this.” In fact... for Southern Saskatchewan it really wasn’t that windy... and so... two majestic 27 foot tipis were put up... you could see them for miles... it was a thing of beauty.
And it was only a few short months later that Sandy Marshall heard the news. Both Tipis had blown over... well... one blew over. The other one actually took flight and I’m sure the distance gets bigger every time the story is told... but this tipi, poles and canvas and all, 100’s of pounds of 100% cotton army duck and 27 ft poles... actually took flight... flew way up in the air like some sort of majestic prairie albatross, and dove into the ground over 100 feet away. Thank God no one was inside or anywhere near.
...
The expert in tipis, allowed something to overrule his judgement, and mighty was the fall of the tipi.
The Lutherans, in their excitement to do something amazing, overlooked safety and caution, they made unwise choices.
Disasters, accidents, nice tries, death... it’s all around us. The funerals keep coming, the accidents on the highways keep happening, nothing stays the same.
This has been an amazing discovery for me... nothing stays the same. We all have a story, we all grew up in an environment that is so different from what we are living today. We’ve all made choices - we’ve all been swept along by life - and now we are here, here in this moment. Some things are just how we would like them, other things are gnawing at us, making us wish that we could be in a different situation. Some of us see that change is coming, and some of us don’t want to look at what might happen as the planet heats up, as political tensions rise in all areas of the globe. All of life is built on this shifting sand. As the wind blows, things fall down.
And for all our frantic building on the sand, for all the working and trying to be the wise one who builds on the rocks, we watch with fear the rising gas prices. Many of us build stronger doors and get alarm systems installed in our houses. We cling to inflated housing values, we watch the markets for signs of recession, we worry about our relationships to one another, and what they might really mean. It all points to the same thing... we know that most of our lives are built on the sand. Buildings will fall, money will come and go, lives will begin and end.
...
But to live life is to venture out onto the sand - the sand is where life is lived. In no way are we called to hunker down - in no way are we called to live lives that look out for our own needs first.
In every way we are called to join God in the work of loving and blessing the world. We are called to care for creation. Care for our neighbors. Reach out to a world that is hurting. Reach out with the things that have first been given to us.
It’s a paradox - wisdom tells us to look for the rock - the solid foundation to build security on. But all our best efforts turn to sand.
And right here, as sand people that are living in shaky structures, that God, and Christ Crucified, and the wind of the Spirit break into our lives. God declares that we are beloved - through our baptism, through the bread and the wine we will share at communion. Through being the church together - through being a part of the body of Christ... the ongoing blessing of God to the world.
And all these things are signs that we are all members of the church - members of this firm foundation that is not based on our ability to make a building, or find ways to first perfect our lives... it is based on God who is always coming to us, the people of the sand. We are members because Christ has called us to faith. Faith in the body of Christ - the firm rock where hope can be placed.
The hope that is in Christ and his church outlasts life and death, it outlasts housing booms and financial crisis, it outlasts all the ways that we organize ourselves politically and religiously and socially... it gives comfort when the whole world seems to be going crazy.
And best of all... it’s gift. It’s grace that is given to the people of the sand - the people sitting in the midst of tumbled down sand castles. Grace, forgiveness, love... it all comes down to God telling us who we are.
Today, to each of you, I name you rock. Chosen by God - declared to be beloved - made a part of the rock that is Christ's body. And on these rocks Christ is continuing to build a church.
Amen
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Story of Stuff
I wonder what would happen if we all started thinking of the cost of the things we buy not in terms of money, but in terms of what people had to go through to get it to us?
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
This is a way to start thinking of it...
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
This is a way to start thinking of it...
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sermon - Pentecost Day A May 11, 2008
Sermon - Pentecost Day A May 11, 2008
In 1996 I was called to work as a camp Counsellor at Camp Kinasao. Literally, the phone rang... they wanted me to work. I was attending bible school at the time when the call came. The director of the camp had called the President of the seminary and said they needed people to work... Were there any students he could suggest? The president met me moments later on the stairs and brought me to his office, we made the call, I talked to the camp director... a few minutes on the phone and an application was faxed to me. I filled out the application and faxed it back 30 min later. Then I waited... It seemed like a long time? How long do you wait for a job application? You don’t want to seem to eager but at the same time I needed to know. I must have waited 2 hours I was so excited to know what the next step was in the process... what do I need to do next?
So I called... and the director said: you have it. You are a fit for the need we have - your position is waiting for you.
There is nothing like the excitement of getting the perfect summer job - getting that perfect position that is far better than you could have hoped for. To me, it was like getting a job doing the thing that I probably would have done for free.
Fast forward to today:
Welcome to Confirmation Sunday.
Confirmation is Graduation to the church.
Now note... I said graduation to the church and not graduation from the church. This day is just the beginning. Confirmation is so much more than one day. Confirmation is so much more than getting all dressed up and getting it just right for this one day. Confirmation is the beginning of a whole new relationship to the church and the beginning of a life time walk with God.
...
My position as Camp Counsellor had a two week training period at the beginning of it. Canoes, safety, lost camper drills, leadership of chapel, leadership of campfire, leadership of the challenge course, leadership of bible study and learning all the wide games they play at camp.
Staff training is two whirlwind weeks of training to do the job that you have already been hired to do. This is a leap of faith for the camp. They hire you... offer you a position... guarantee you a job and then... hopefully, by the end of the training you are ready to be turned loose on the world. Turned loose for the job that you have already been hired to do.
Today, families, friends, we are at the end of staff training. And this goes for all of us. Specifically, those being confirmed are honored today but really... we’re all living in the same world. We are all in relationship to the same one God. We are all part of the same camp - called life.
Confirmation is Graduation to the church.
Today we gather to celebrate the public proclamation of these young people Today they name there desire to be a part of God’s ongoing gift to the world. The gift of the church.
Today we honor the work that these confirmands have done. Meeting after meeting we have gathered with them to work towards this day. This is the day where they publicly say yes to the reality of God’s activity in their lives. Publicly they say yes that they are ready to get on board with this thing called church - with this group of people who form the church.
Today we celebrate that 2000 years ago... on this day of Pentecost... the Holy Spirit came to the people. The birth of a new way of God speaking in the world. Of God acting in the world.
And this brings me to my favorite part. The story goes that the Spirit descends like tongues of fire and all the disciples started speaking in foreign languages - all people gathered could understand them. All people heard the Gospel - the Good news that Christ had died, Christ had risen, and Christ would come again. What a powerful way to say that this message is for all people. All people hear it in there own language.
But this isn’t my favorite part, my favorite part is where it says “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
They are filled with new wine. It’s like saying “You’d have to be drunk to come up with this. You’d have to be drunk to believe this. You’d have to be crazy to think that there is a God active in the world around us.
But I have seen God:
That summer at camp and through other summers at different camps, I have seen God reach our through the camp staff to children that are hurting. Children that are bullied at home and school, children who had been raped, children who carry so much pressure in their lives that I don’t now how they get up in the morning - I have seen them open up and lay the pain down. I have seen the camp community reach out and support them in those moments of emotional crisis... where it all comes pouring out, and I’ve seen the church follow up to protect and help them as they return to there lives - The Holy Spirit is at work in the midst of the pain life.
I have seen God: In confirmation students. In the little “aha” moments found in the middle of discussion. As different parts of the nature and character of God are explored. I am excited to hear the stories of where they go, what they do - to see where they work. They are part of the church now... how will God use them in the future?
I have seen God: In the work of this church - in the support that exists through the pastor and council and the many ways that the community - the people on board with church reach out to help those who need it - HAGUE:The distribution of the Delores Rudolph estate to purchase defibrillators in Hague and Hepburn, donations made to Sunshine Housing, The Zone, The Canadian Deaf Blind Rubella Association, donations made to Global Hunger Development, to the missionary serving in Peru, to our sister Synod in Argentina.
Rosthern: Visiting those who are sick and lonely, bringing food to those who have just had a baby or to those who have just lost a loved one, driving those who can't to appointments, offering hospitality
And so the world continues to turn. And I don’t doubt that we in the church get it wrong sometimes. I don’t doubt that we just don’t get it sometimes.
The Disciples give us a great example of people not getting it. Let’s look at their record. All through the Gospel of John they don’t get it. The need to have things explained to them. They are told that Jesus is going to die. They are told that Jesus is going to be resurrected and that this must happen. They are told to have faith.
Then they are in the Garden of Gethermene. Jesus is arrested and they ALL scatter. Peter denies Christ three times - can’t even admit to a child that he knows this Jesus. Some of the disciples head out of town. ALL of them are running scared. None of them get it.
And then Jesus acts with a Word: Jesus speaks Peace be with you. Jesus says Peace be with you to the disciples who “didn’t get it.” To the disciples that fled and scattered and had no faith. Jesus shows the wounds - and he’s not mad at them... he’s not vengeful for them abandoning him. Peace be with you he says a second time. And then he breathes on them the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is not simply saying peace be you... Jesus is making Peace into a reality through the gift of the Spirit.
The same Spirit that comes at Pentecost.
The same Spirit which reminds us of the promises Jesus made to never abandon us, to always be with us, to be joined with us in life, in pain, in death, and resurrection and beyond.
Everyone is broken... everyone needs to mend broken relationships with others and with God...
Everyone needs the church...
Everyone needs the support of a community at times...
Everyone needs forgiveness - the power to mend the broken relationships around them - and to move forward into new life and new possibilities.
...
Today is Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate the gift of the church and the coming of the Spirit.
Today,... ... peace be with you. Your sins are forgiven, you can forgive others, scars and all, God is offering peace.
Today it is confirmed - God is active in the world.
Today we are all graduated into the future... it is The Spirit that graduates us into being the church.
Amen.
In 1996 I was called to work as a camp Counsellor at Camp Kinasao. Literally, the phone rang... they wanted me to work. I was attending bible school at the time when the call came. The director of the camp had called the President of the seminary and said they needed people to work... Were there any students he could suggest? The president met me moments later on the stairs and brought me to his office, we made the call, I talked to the camp director... a few minutes on the phone and an application was faxed to me. I filled out the application and faxed it back 30 min later. Then I waited... It seemed like a long time? How long do you wait for a job application? You don’t want to seem to eager but at the same time I needed to know. I must have waited 2 hours I was so excited to know what the next step was in the process... what do I need to do next?
So I called... and the director said: you have it. You are a fit for the need we have - your position is waiting for you.
There is nothing like the excitement of getting the perfect summer job - getting that perfect position that is far better than you could have hoped for. To me, it was like getting a job doing the thing that I probably would have done for free.
Fast forward to today:
Welcome to Confirmation Sunday.
Confirmation is Graduation to the church.
Now note... I said graduation to the church and not graduation from the church. This day is just the beginning. Confirmation is so much more than one day. Confirmation is so much more than getting all dressed up and getting it just right for this one day. Confirmation is the beginning of a whole new relationship to the church and the beginning of a life time walk with God.
...
My position as Camp Counsellor had a two week training period at the beginning of it. Canoes, safety, lost camper drills, leadership of chapel, leadership of campfire, leadership of the challenge course, leadership of bible study and learning all the wide games they play at camp.
Staff training is two whirlwind weeks of training to do the job that you have already been hired to do. This is a leap of faith for the camp. They hire you... offer you a position... guarantee you a job and then... hopefully, by the end of the training you are ready to be turned loose on the world. Turned loose for the job that you have already been hired to do.
Today, families, friends, we are at the end of staff training. And this goes for all of us. Specifically, those being confirmed are honored today but really... we’re all living in the same world. We are all in relationship to the same one God. We are all part of the same camp - called life.
Confirmation is Graduation to the church.
Today we gather to celebrate the public proclamation of these young people Today they name there desire to be a part of God’s ongoing gift to the world. The gift of the church.
Today we honor the work that these confirmands have done. Meeting after meeting we have gathered with them to work towards this day. This is the day where they publicly say yes to the reality of God’s activity in their lives. Publicly they say yes that they are ready to get on board with this thing called church - with this group of people who form the church.
Today we celebrate that 2000 years ago... on this day of Pentecost... the Holy Spirit came to the people. The birth of a new way of God speaking in the world. Of God acting in the world.
And this brings me to my favorite part. The story goes that the Spirit descends like tongues of fire and all the disciples started speaking in foreign languages - all people gathered could understand them. All people heard the Gospel - the Good news that Christ had died, Christ had risen, and Christ would come again. What a powerful way to say that this message is for all people. All people hear it in there own language.
But this isn’t my favorite part, my favorite part is where it says “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
They are filled with new wine. It’s like saying “You’d have to be drunk to come up with this. You’d have to be drunk to believe this. You’d have to be crazy to think that there is a God active in the world around us.
But I have seen God:
That summer at camp and through other summers at different camps, I have seen God reach our through the camp staff to children that are hurting. Children that are bullied at home and school, children who had been raped, children who carry so much pressure in their lives that I don’t now how they get up in the morning - I have seen them open up and lay the pain down. I have seen the camp community reach out and support them in those moments of emotional crisis... where it all comes pouring out, and I’ve seen the church follow up to protect and help them as they return to there lives - The Holy Spirit is at work in the midst of the pain life.
I have seen God: In confirmation students. In the little “aha” moments found in the middle of discussion. As different parts of the nature and character of God are explored. I am excited to hear the stories of where they go, what they do - to see where they work. They are part of the church now... how will God use them in the future?
I have seen God: In the work of this church - in the support that exists through the pastor and council and the many ways that the community - the people on board with church reach out to help those who need it - HAGUE:The distribution of the Delores Rudolph estate to purchase defibrillators in Hague and Hepburn, donations made to Sunshine Housing, The Zone, The Canadian Deaf Blind Rubella Association, donations made to Global Hunger Development, to the missionary serving in Peru, to our sister Synod in Argentina.
Rosthern: Visiting those who are sick and lonely, bringing food to those who have just had a baby or to those who have just lost a loved one, driving those who can't to appointments, offering hospitality
And so the world continues to turn. And I don’t doubt that we in the church get it wrong sometimes. I don’t doubt that we just don’t get it sometimes.
The Disciples give us a great example of people not getting it. Let’s look at their record. All through the Gospel of John they don’t get it. The need to have things explained to them. They are told that Jesus is going to die. They are told that Jesus is going to be resurrected and that this must happen. They are told to have faith.
Then they are in the Garden of Gethermene. Jesus is arrested and they ALL scatter. Peter denies Christ three times - can’t even admit to a child that he knows this Jesus. Some of the disciples head out of town. ALL of them are running scared. None of them get it.
And then Jesus acts with a Word: Jesus speaks Peace be with you. Jesus says Peace be with you to the disciples who “didn’t get it.” To the disciples that fled and scattered and had no faith. Jesus shows the wounds - and he’s not mad at them... he’s not vengeful for them abandoning him. Peace be with you he says a second time. And then he breathes on them the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is not simply saying peace be you... Jesus is making Peace into a reality through the gift of the Spirit.
The same Spirit that comes at Pentecost.
The same Spirit which reminds us of the promises Jesus made to never abandon us, to always be with us, to be joined with us in life, in pain, in death, and resurrection and beyond.
Everyone is broken... everyone needs to mend broken relationships with others and with God...
Everyone needs the church...
Everyone needs the support of a community at times...
Everyone needs forgiveness - the power to mend the broken relationships around them - and to move forward into new life and new possibilities.
...
Today is Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate the gift of the church and the coming of the Spirit.
Today,... ... peace be with you. Your sins are forgiven, you can forgive others, scars and all, God is offering peace.
Today it is confirmed - God is active in the world.
Today we are all graduated into the future... it is The Spirit that graduates us into being the church.
Amen.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The numbers are in...
I love spread sheets. Here is something ridiculous about my internship:
21842 KM's travelled on internship
$9719.69 paid in mileage
$9000 paid in wages.
And now... all I need is one of those cheesy "Priceless" lines...
21842 KM's travelled on internship
$9719.69 paid in mileage
$9000 paid in wages.
And now... all I need is one of those cheesy "Priceless" lines...
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
The Garden is begun
Carrots are in... Potatoes are in... 1 Cucumber is in.
I'm finding that I think a little too outside the box for most people in the gardening world. People don't like my arcing row of carrots and propensity to ignore the spacing of vegetable instructions. I've even been told that you can't grow watermelon here... well... they are probably right but this will be more fun.
I've got Raspberries, Sunflowers, and (soon) Zucchini in the back, and Carrots, Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Strawberries, Lettuce, beans and 1 Cucumber in the main yard. We're also going to try a pumpkin in the large black container.
I'm gardening for style points... now we wait to see if anything grows...
...
nothing yet...
...
still noth...
I'm finding that I think a little too outside the box for most people in the gardening world. People don't like my arcing row of carrots and propensity to ignore the spacing of vegetable instructions. I've even been told that you can't grow watermelon here... well... they are probably right but this will be more fun.
I've got Raspberries, Sunflowers, and (soon) Zucchini in the back, and Carrots, Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Strawberries, Lettuce, beans and 1 Cucumber in the main yard. We're also going to try a pumpkin in the large black container.
I'm gardening for style points... now we wait to see if anything grows...
...
nothing yet...
...
still noth...
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Sermon - Easter 7A - May 4, 2008
Before I start, I want to say that I don't know why this sermon worked. I wrote it through a haze of sickness last week and yet, it seems to have inspired people to give me more feedback than any other sermon... if you can guess why I would love to know.
Look at your hands.
Take a good long long look at your hands.
What do you see? Little scars, smooth areas, rough areas.
What story do these hands tell? Where have these hands been?
Make a small group... between 2 and 5 people.
I want you to share the most charitable thing that your hands have ever done.???
Eg: In Madagascar we were visiting a neighborhood in a village where there was an organization working with the community on sanitation issues. They had limited access to sewer and... ... ...
I hate long goodbyes...
In fact, when I’m getting dropped off at the airport now to go on a trip, I prefer if the people dropping me off just leave me on the curb. Drive up, unload the bags, a few final words, and then get on with it. There is just that awkward half hour if everyone comes inside. You’ve said the goodbye, you know that at any moment the flight will be called, and there is really nothing else to say. All people involved want to get on with the grieving of begin apart and, that half hour of small talk you have to make - asking about the coffee, looking at the magazine racks... and yet... there is a part that wants it to last as long as possible. To delay the inevitable parting what when that flight number is called.
I hate long goodbyes...
Well there is the hand again... hands are good at this... waving goodbye. They can be used to hold on - to give that last goodbye embrace, and then to let go - to wave.
Tomorrow is the Sunday where the church celebrates the ascension. Luke tells us in Acts what those final few moments are like and, with 2000 years of Christian tradition we celebrate tomorrow as the symbolic day of the year that Christ ascended into heaven - and it all seems to be very good news.
I wonder if we aren’t making this a little happier than it was for those first disciples... I see this ascension event as incredibly stressful.
To understand what is happening you need to see the feelings that are involved. Imagine that someone very dear to you has died. Imagine the funeral home, the meetings with all the different family members, the grave side. Imagine the pain of the hushed conversations at the lunch following the funeral. You have to live for three days of loneliness without this person - thinking that they are gone forever. Then, on the three days after the funeral you awake to see what can only be a vision. Your loved one has returned - has returned and has good news to share. And shortly, just a few short days after this miracle, you are sitting and having coffee. You loved one rises and walks out of the room.... you follow and you walk to a hill. And then, with some parting words of comfort, your love one leaves again..
Ascension is being left behind.
In one moment Jesus was walking into Jerusalem, the King of Kings, on top of the world. Within the next few days the world is turned upside down. He goes from high to low. From place of reverence, to place of whipping boy. He is hung out on a cross to die, his body left cold in a tomb. The disciples are devastated. Then Jesus re-appears three days later - There is much celebration... and now we come to this moment. This moment on the hill, this moment of parting words of comfort, Jesus saying good bye. Jesus ascending into heaven... and now, forever mixed with the Joy of Easter resurrection, is the lonliness of the reality that Jesus has to leave again.
Ascension is loneliness.
Loneliness is one of the greatest sorrows we experience in life, and all of us have experienced loneliness. We can handle much physical suffering. We can handle much emotional suffering. But loneliness in its barren solitude rips out the floorboards. We stand in a cold draft with no one to surround us with warmth, left suspended with no one to share the pain.
But now the promises come:
Because Ascension is a sending out -
I can just imagine what it was like to see all those people staring up at the sky - and then the angel gets the best line “PEOPLE! why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
I wonder what there hands looked like - reaching in a longing way? Hung low in astonishment? Perhaps making checklists of what now needs to be done. New information has come to light and perhaps they all had to reach for their black berries and palm pilots and start work... There was work to be done.
Ascension is vocation:
So let’s take a look at these hands. Are they starting something new? For many, this time of year marks a change. Change from university to a summer job - might mean getting your hands dirty. Change to the new chores that spring is bringing - might mean your hands are going to finally keep warm outside. Seeds are planted - dusty hands, gardens and lawns are being watered - wet muddy hands assisting in God’s ongoing rejuvenation of life.
Today we remember the prayer that Jesus said “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
So look at your hands. We talked earlier about some of the amazing things that these hands have done. Look at these hands. These hands are part of the mystery of God becoming human.
And more than that, these are the hands that the Spirit uses to accomplish the work of God in the world. Jesus makes the promise to not leave us alone - and we aren’t alone. Christ in the promised Holy Spirit has come, and God’s is at work to love and bless the whole world. These hands - Your hands, are the hands of God in the world.
In a world filled with loneliness and change, look at your hands, these are the hands of God in the world. These are the hands of the people whom Jesus promised to never leave. These are the hands that reach out into the world. Hands that God uses to heal, Hands that God uses to plant seeds of new life. Hands that God uses to restore creation.
And... hands are used to bless. Place your hands on your head. Press them in and hear the words that Jesus, is praying.
“Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” Amen.
And now, may God inspire us to use our hands to be about the Spirits work - so that all our hands can make more stories of God’s work - just like the stories we told. May we use these hands to love, to bless, and bring wholeness to all of creation. Amen.
Look at your hands.
Take a good long long look at your hands.
What do you see? Little scars, smooth areas, rough areas.
What story do these hands tell? Where have these hands been?
Make a small group... between 2 and 5 people.
I want you to share the most charitable thing that your hands have ever done.???
Eg: In Madagascar we were visiting a neighborhood in a village where there was an organization working with the community on sanitation issues. They had limited access to sewer and... ... ...
I hate long goodbyes...
In fact, when I’m getting dropped off at the airport now to go on a trip, I prefer if the people dropping me off just leave me on the curb. Drive up, unload the bags, a few final words, and then get on with it. There is just that awkward half hour if everyone comes inside. You’ve said the goodbye, you know that at any moment the flight will be called, and there is really nothing else to say. All people involved want to get on with the grieving of begin apart and, that half hour of small talk you have to make - asking about the coffee, looking at the magazine racks... and yet... there is a part that wants it to last as long as possible. To delay the inevitable parting what when that flight number is called.
I hate long goodbyes...
Well there is the hand again... hands are good at this... waving goodbye. They can be used to hold on - to give that last goodbye embrace, and then to let go - to wave.
Tomorrow is the Sunday where the church celebrates the ascension. Luke tells us in Acts what those final few moments are like and, with 2000 years of Christian tradition we celebrate tomorrow as the symbolic day of the year that Christ ascended into heaven - and it all seems to be very good news.
I wonder if we aren’t making this a little happier than it was for those first disciples... I see this ascension event as incredibly stressful.
To understand what is happening you need to see the feelings that are involved. Imagine that someone very dear to you has died. Imagine the funeral home, the meetings with all the different family members, the grave side. Imagine the pain of the hushed conversations at the lunch following the funeral. You have to live for three days of loneliness without this person - thinking that they are gone forever. Then, on the three days after the funeral you awake to see what can only be a vision. Your loved one has returned - has returned and has good news to share. And shortly, just a few short days after this miracle, you are sitting and having coffee. You loved one rises and walks out of the room.... you follow and you walk to a hill. And then, with some parting words of comfort, your love one leaves again..
Ascension is being left behind.
In one moment Jesus was walking into Jerusalem, the King of Kings, on top of the world. Within the next few days the world is turned upside down. He goes from high to low. From place of reverence, to place of whipping boy. He is hung out on a cross to die, his body left cold in a tomb. The disciples are devastated. Then Jesus re-appears three days later - There is much celebration... and now we come to this moment. This moment on the hill, this moment of parting words of comfort, Jesus saying good bye. Jesus ascending into heaven... and now, forever mixed with the Joy of Easter resurrection, is the lonliness of the reality that Jesus has to leave again.
Ascension is loneliness.
Loneliness is one of the greatest sorrows we experience in life, and all of us have experienced loneliness. We can handle much physical suffering. We can handle much emotional suffering. But loneliness in its barren solitude rips out the floorboards. We stand in a cold draft with no one to surround us with warmth, left suspended with no one to share the pain.
But now the promises come:
Because Ascension is a sending out -
I can just imagine what it was like to see all those people staring up at the sky - and then the angel gets the best line “PEOPLE! why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
I wonder what there hands looked like - reaching in a longing way? Hung low in astonishment? Perhaps making checklists of what now needs to be done. New information has come to light and perhaps they all had to reach for their black berries and palm pilots and start work... There was work to be done.
Ascension is vocation:
So let’s take a look at these hands. Are they starting something new? For many, this time of year marks a change. Change from university to a summer job - might mean getting your hands dirty. Change to the new chores that spring is bringing - might mean your hands are going to finally keep warm outside. Seeds are planted - dusty hands, gardens and lawns are being watered - wet muddy hands assisting in God’s ongoing rejuvenation of life.
Today we remember the prayer that Jesus said “And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
So look at your hands. We talked earlier about some of the amazing things that these hands have done. Look at these hands. These hands are part of the mystery of God becoming human.
And more than that, these are the hands that the Spirit uses to accomplish the work of God in the world. Jesus makes the promise to not leave us alone - and we aren’t alone. Christ in the promised Holy Spirit has come, and God’s is at work to love and bless the whole world. These hands - Your hands, are the hands of God in the world.
In a world filled with loneliness and change, look at your hands, these are the hands of God in the world. These are the hands of the people whom Jesus promised to never leave. These are the hands that reach out into the world. Hands that God uses to heal, Hands that God uses to plant seeds of new life. Hands that God uses to restore creation.
And... hands are used to bless. Place your hands on your head. Press them in and hear the words that Jesus, is praying.
“Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” Amen.
And now, may God inspire us to use our hands to be about the Spirits work - so that all our hands can make more stories of God’s work - just like the stories we told. May we use these hands to love, to bless, and bring wholeness to all of creation. Amen.
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