Presbyterian Record » Features

The Meaning of Mentor

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:40 +0000

The Messenger:
Friendship, Faith and Finding One’s Way
Douglas John Hall
Cascade Books, 2011

What does it mean to be a mentor? What does it mean to be a friend? Who are the key people in our lives who have helped guide us in the directions we have taken in life? What kind of qualities do they exemplify?
Douglas John Hall, a minister and theologian with an international reputation, has written a highly personal book as a work of gratitude to his mentor, Robert (Bob) Miller. What is particularly unique about this book is that mentorship and friendship are spoken of not theoretically, but by means of a biographical and auto – biographical journey through the lives of Hall, Miller and other individuals during a key period in Canadian Protestant church life from the 1950s to the present. Also unique and worthwhile is an insider’s view into intimate relationships of friendship and guidance between men—in this case, an older with a younger—at a time when such intimacy is rarely trusted, let alone communicated.
Hall speaks of growing up in a time where Protestantism taught dogmatic certitudes and moralistic piety with little room for the “dark, subtle places of the human spirit.” As a teenager and young adult with many questions and a hunger for honesty, he was fortunate to find several key people who not only took his questions seriously, but refused to give any pat answers. Instead, they modelled a way of being Christian whereby the questions led to a much larger, more profound relationship with God, to “a second naiveté” of faith (to borrow a term from Paul Riceour). For the young Hall, Miller stands out among this specimen of Christianity, perhaps even rarer in the ‘50s than the present day.
Miller exemplified other qualities that also made him an incredible mentor. He offered the young Hall advice and direction without imposing his views. He was honest, but affirming and gentle, and he took the time to ponder every response to Hall. This attracted Hall not only to Christianity, but to the ministry as he saw it modelled in Miller. The other quality of Miller’s that Hall found astonishing was his humility. He had an authority but of a kind very different than so many of the clergy around Hall at the time. Miller’s kind of authority was earned but never imposed. In fact, Miller often shared his own questions and doubts with the young Hall, and showed him how asking the right questions and being honest before God and with others about one’s own uncertainties only deepened one’s faith, hope and love in the largest sense. A keen Barthian, Miller always knew he had to deal with “the totally Other” (Søren Kierkegaard/Karl Barth).
The relationship continued as Miller along with others helped Hall through his initial studies in music, and then the discerning of a call to ministry and studies in theology. Miller and this small group were there for Hall through all the key events of his life, those times of grief and of celebration. Hall tracks Miller’s own soul searching from the time Miller returned from graduate studies in Europe to find his way as national secretary of the Student Christian Movement, to his unjust and humiliating termination, but also to his incredible grace toward those who were against him. He was forced to let it all go and start over again with nothing and he did so without animosity or bitterness. Miller was a “book steward” and eventually opened the Bob Miller Book Room on Bloor Street in Toronto, which became his mission field.
In the last chapter, Hall offers more in – depth reflection on human character and the nature of core relationships, and such reflection provides some profound insight to anyone searching for a mentor with the right qualifications. He describes Miller as someone who didn’t readily talk about his feelings but was rather private. While some might have described Miller as lacking in the ability or willingness to disclose himself emotionally or spiritually, what Hall discerns is a certain personality different than his own or that of others. Miller was sensitive and an attentive listener, but was not someone who would jump in easily talking about his own stuff. And this was not about a lack in him, but more, perhaps a “Canadian” moderation or modesty that was genuine and spiritually profound, and in another sense, was more than many would expect. When he did speak, one would listen because the words and ideas had been sifted through very deeply.
What is fascinating about friendships, and even more so of mentorship relationships, is that those who become key people in our lives are not necessarily those we would have chosen or expected to serve in this capacity. We discover wonderful differences in humanity and this enlarges us and expands our way of looking at ourselves, our world and our way.
It’s been a few years since Miller died, but his legacy in Hall’s life and in the lives of others is something for which Hall is forever grateful. Would that we all have Bob Millers in our lives. But whether we do or we don’t, this book provides us with some wonderful personal and biographical tools for discerning our way.

Renewal – Guided by the Word

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:18 +0000

As Presbyterians, we have a strong heritage as a people of the book. That is, we are a people whose sole authority in matters of faith and life is the word of God revealed in Holy Scripture. This has kept us on track, for the most part, in being faithful in living out our lives in integrity according to the revealed heart and mind of God. By being rooted in the word we have been challenged along the way by a voice other than our own in discerning what God desires of us. This is not unique to us but was standard in the ancient practice of the early church as well. William Webster noted that the early church fathers (Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement, the Didache, and Barnabas) taught doctrine and defended Christianity against heresies. In doing this, their sole appeal for authority was scripture. Their writings literally breathe with the spirit of the Old and New Testaments.

Reflection – Taking Off the Robe

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:13 +0000

Without a doubt, the day my wife and I were ordained into the ministry of Christ’s church remains a most unforgettable highlight. I remember it well as many relatives and friends had gathered with us in the country church where we had served as student ministers. It has been a joy and inspiration for us to serve several congregations since that special event. Back then, candidates had to accept a two – year appointment to serve a congregation arranged by the synod superintendents of the Board of World Mission. With our experiences as student ministers and our new black gowns, we moved to Burnaby, B.C., near Vancouver. Upon arrival we found only a handful of people, the few who had remained after a vacancy of seven years. We felt God’s presence and strength, and during our four years of serving, the Lord blessed His work with challenge and growth.
After many years of service with several more congregations, the time came to retire. We moved away from our last congregation to a larger city, where we had purchased a home. The time of relaxation had arrived. I attended my first presbytery meeting in our new area, and as usual my name was placed on the appendix to the roll because I was not active in a charge or other ministry. During that meeting, it was announced that due to an urgent issue, presbytery would move in camera. Much to my surprise, ministers on the appendix were told they had to leave along with the visitors. In all my years of ministry, including my time as moderator, I had never experienced such action. And there we were, standing outside the meeting. A number of ministers went home, and I never saw them back at presbytery. What a loss. There were 25 ministers and diaconal ministers on the inactive roll. If you take a low average, that is more than 600 years of experience, knowledge, leadership and understanding.
Because of a strange ruling in our denomination, the issue of equality came about. For example, if there are 20 ministers in a presbytery on the constituent roll, there must also be 20 elders on the roll. This sounds like a democratic way to deal with the business of the church. In reality, it is only a theory, and a most painful experience for ministers who are inactive. After all those years, has the church ever taken a serious look at this situation? We all know that equal attendance practically never happens.
For some years now, my wife and I have left in October to spend the winters in Florida, returning home in the spring. Attending presbytery meetings is hardly possible for me. But what about all the other retired ministers? Some of them may end up on a committee of presbytery. But if they happen to be the convener they are not allowed to make a motion, second it, or vote on the issue. The same applies if a retired minister is named interim moderator. He or she has to find others to make motions as well as someone to second them.
Over the years, retired ministers have told me they don’t want to attend presbytery meetings anymore because they find it too humiliating. How unfortunate is that? Yes, we often use the words of the apostle Paul (although he spoke these words not for the benefit of a presbytery): “We like to have things done decently and in order.” We have often heard it being said: “We have always done it this way,” which sounds rather pious.
I have checked the above issue with clergy from the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Christian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church in Canada, and the United Church. They find it hard to believe that this is what happens when a minister retires in our denomination. A Christian Reformed minister told me that their retired ministers are often chosen to be delegates to their General Synod meetings. Why are we different? The apostle Paul writes, “We have different gifts, such as preaching, serving, teaching, and leadership.” Does that not also apply to our denomination?
When home again in the spring, I am privileged to preach in many different congregations. One may retire, but the gifts we receive through the Holy Spirit do not. When a servant of Christ retires, why must they lose their status as an active person, and why only in our denomination? Are we not all part of the Reformed church? Can someone explain to me where we find this ruling in scripture?
Our declining denomination is in crisis. Has the time not come for the General Assembly to take a hard look at this outdated ruling? Some years ago, a minister who was moderator of synod retired one month prior to the synod’s annual meeting, and was told he would not be allowed to open the meeting. How callous is that?
I pray God will give us enough grace and understanding to bring retired ministers back into action. ”‘Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest’ … and because of [Jesus'] words many more became believers.” (John 4:35, 41).

Theology 101 – Words of the Way

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:12 +0000

Our Feature on The Solas
The 16th-century Reformers—Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox and others—were derisively nicknamed, “the Sola-ists.” They distilled the essence of the gospel into five Latin slogans using the word sola, meaning only, solely or exclusively: sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura, solo Christo, soli Deo gloria (grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to God’s glory alone).

Worship – First Things First

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We live in the Information Age and are bombarded with communication on a multitude of levels. Our culture thrives on communication; but not all messages are successful. The most effective communicators understand that creativity is vital. Theologian Robert Webber stated: “Communication occurs when a message takes up residence within a listener’s life and heart.” Advertisers learned this a long time ago. While content may be the most important component of a message, it is not enough—how a message is presented is important if it is to be transmitted successfully.
If, for example, one compares the messages from commercial advertisements with the messages we communicate in our churches’ worship, a couple of things immediately become apparent. Ad messages tend to be lightweight in content and sophisticated in delivery, whereas worship messages tend to be sophisticated in content and lightweight in delivery. In the world of media, there is often far more time, energy, and resources put into how a message is communicated than the actual content of the message ‘deserves.’ Is there any debate as to which communicator is finding more success in the delivery of its message to contemporary Canadian society?
YouTube has demonstrated that the successful influence of creativity in the transmission of a message is not just a result of budget and production values (although the use of adequate resources is important). Rightly or wrongly, creative communication is what makes the 21st – century world go round. Our postmodern culture does not respond to communication that only comes from verbal, linear, or cerebral perspectives.
Yet these perspectives are the basis for communication in most Canadian Presbyterian worship. It is no wonder that a huge segment of Canadian society finds little meaning in our worship. Of course we live in a secularized age, but there are plenty of examples of churches that successfully communicate, as well as spiritualities that have meaning for many of the groups we have been unable to reach.
Worship is our fundamental witness. It is from worship that all other ministries arise. If we cannot hold public worship that is meaningful to a large segment of society, we cannot expect that anything else we do will bring people to our churches. There are many other organizations for people who want to help the needy, or associate with a friendly bunch of people.
If we want to breathe new life into our denomination, we first need to breathe new life into our public worship. And we don’t have to ‘sell out’—it is possible to do this ‘our way.’ It will involve some change, but more importantly, we will need to introduce a culture of creative communication as we design and implement our worship. Worship is directed towards God, but we have allowed our worship to be filled with impediments that prevent people from hearing God’s life – giving message and feeling God’s presence. We have also, as a denomination, given worship short shrift of our focus, energy, and resources. Our challenge is how to define and implement 21st – century Presbyterian worship, and to make worship renewal a priority.
Some would say we do not ‘speak the vernacular’ of 21st – century Canadian culture. We need to be able to speak the language if we want to communicate, and this language is not only about words.
Postmodernity has become the predominant worldview. This ethos is mistrustful of institutional authority, including the church. Postmodernity is not against rational thought, rather it asserts that there is more to perceiving reality than mere rational thinking. It thrives on ambiguity and diversity; it is contrarian and skeptical about universalisms. But like all other generations, postmodern people are searching for a coherent meaning of life.
As theologian Richard Niebuhr has said, the church needs to be “in the culture, not of the culture.” We must be counter – cultural, not anti – cultural, if we want to be seen as authentic.
We do not need to change our worship content; rather, we must examine how we can more effectively present this content to share the Good News. Canada is no longer a homogenous society—we are a diverse and complex group that includes a huge range of sensibilities and contexts. While Presbyterians can’t be all things to all people, we do need to learn to connect our worship with all living generations, and with a diverse mix of sensibilities. It’s not about pandering to teenagers or focusing on some groups and leaving out others. We can communicate in a diverse, multi – layered way that allows all groups to connect with God at different times and in different ways. It does not need to be complicated, but it does require significantly more time, energy, and resources than are currently being directed towards worship in the
Presbyterian Church.
For our worship to be meaningful and authentic it must be transformational. This means that every group hears God’s voice and feels God’s presence at various times in our worship. Not during every minute of worship, and maybe not every time they come to worship, but with an understanding that worship is where they come to feed their souls. This will only happen if each group’s sensibilities are intentionally included in the worship design. In being transformed week – by – week, people become changed and say, “Here I am, Lord—what can I do?” We are called at Pentecost to speak the gospel so that all will understand. The focus of our discussion needs to change from what we are not prepared to do, to what we are prepared to do in order to renew how we communicate in worship. Part of creativity is developing a culture of openness to what is good and meaningful, and what might be effectively incorporated into a distinctively Reformed interpretation. This means creativity with biblical and trinitarian fidelity, and presentations with theological and aesthetic integrity.
It is a big step for a denomination with a long and proud tradition to come to terms with change in how it communicates in worship. Grappling with change is a difficult and stressful process for any organization. We are trying to discern what it is that God wants us to be and do.
Renewal is more than just tinkering with the order of service. It is not just jumping from one trend to the next. There are no easy answers, no painless solutions, no quick fixes. The biggest job, however, is the intentional week – by – week implementation of worship renewal at the local level. Reversing a decline in membership that has been going on for over a quarter – century will not happen overnight. There is a future for postmodern Presbyterianism in Canada—but not a guaranteed future. Will we “seek to be changed, to be reformed, to take whatever risks are necessary as we learn to obey God’s will?” (PCC Vision Statement, 1989) First things first—worship needs renewal.

Cover Story – Black History Month

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:07 +0000

In February 1926, American historian Carter G. Woodson launched an event called Negro History Week. The goal was to celebrate and draw attention to the many contributions of black people in American history, until the day when the thorough mixing of “black” history and “American” history in the public consciousness would make the event obsolete. Fifty years later the celebration became Black History Month and was imported into Canada, first informally by the Ontario Black History Society, and later officially when Jean Augustine, Canada’s first black woman elected to Parliament, brought the issue before the House of Commons in 1995.

Progressive Lectionary – Jesus in a Hurry

web admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:04 +0000

February 26 / First Sunday in Lent Mark 1:9-15
Suggested alternative first reading: Daniel 4:28-37

The opening chapters of all four gospels are more important as theology than history. The introduction to each gospel provides the foundation for the authors’ interpretation of the Jesus story. Much of the richness is lost to us if we take these chapters first, and often only, as history. In its brevity our reading from Mark says at least as much as the longer narratives in Matthew and Luke. Yet we often skip through Mark’s version of the baptism and temptation of Jesus because it doesn’t offer the kind of detail we’re looking for.
Some see Mark as a summary of the authorized story of Jesus for beginners. Others suggest it’s for believers far removed from the origins of the story. People who don’t recognize the sources other gospel writers employ so extensively to advance their understanding of what Jesus means for the world. That’s one reason Matthew comes first in the canon. For centuries, Mark was thought inferior to the other gospels. And Mark unfolds with breathlessness, like a story told by an excited child, who just has to tell an adult every detail, or he’ll just die! “And then, and, and, and . . .” Count them in today’s reading.
Jesus appears. From nowhere. And he’s baptized. And the sky opens. And a dove appears. And a voice sounds from heaven. And the Spirit immediately… Mark loves “immediately” almost as much as “and.” The spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. Immediately. Does Jesus even have a chance to catch his breath after being dunked in the river?
This forward drive continues through Mark’s gospel, until it ends in a broken sentence that leaves us hanging. Or does it drive us into the wilderness? In this year of Mark do we catch the gospel’s energy?
Embedded in the opening chapters of all four gospels are reflections on texts and themes largely lost to us. Matthew sets Jesus up as a new Moses, liberator and law – giver. Founder of the new covenant people. Luke draws lines back to the story of Samuel. Prophet and priest. Reformer. Maker and conscience of kings. The gospels represent an ancient literary form, in which the life story of a famous person begins with narrative that echoes stories from the past. What sources does Mark rely on? He may be thinking of Nebuchadnezzar, of all people! Mark probably knew the narrative of Daniel, with its theme of faithfulness and vindication under oppression. Its story of God at work in unexpected places, through unlikely agents, ultimately toward the release of God’s exiled people.
King Nebuchadnezzar heard a voice from heaven. He was driven into the wilderness. He was even bathed (baptized?) with the dew of heaven. Why? So Nebuchadnezzar could learn who God was and, therefore, who he was. He returned no less a king, but so much more a man of God.
The old story tells of God’s power to change the heart of the very emperor who sacked God’s house and oppressed God’s people. Does Mark want us to wonder what God might do in and through Jesus when he comes back from the wilderness? What will this king bring to the world?
Jesus comes back, goes home, and picks his time to begin his mission. God’s reign is at hand. God’s reign, not the emperor’s, is dawning. And, as Nebuchadnezzar confessed, “all God’s works are truth, and God’s ways are justice; and God is able to bring low those who walk in pride.”
Mark’s Jesus gets to work, fast, proving those words true in all he does and says. Time and again Jesus encounters evil powers and routs them with greater power. He sets captives free. He presses on, to do as much as he can in the time he has on earth.

Reflection – The Church is a People

web admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:51 +0000

What does the demolition of a church building mean, theologically and personally?
In the winter of 2011, the building that once housed Summerside Presbyterian Church was torn down and demolished, to make way for a new church building that opened this past autumn. While I haven’t been an active member of the congregation for about four years, I grew up in that church, and its former building housed many of my cherished memories. I remember meeting in the assembly hall for youth group when I was 12; I remember games of hide – and – seek, and the taste of hot dogs on steamy Sunday school picnic days in June; I remember a few youth retreats with sleeping bags and loud, raucous music in my teens; I remember holding “alternative” worship services in the assembly hall on Wednesdays in summer 2007; and I remember my grandmother’s funeral on Feb. 1st, 2011, which was (coincidentally) the last official event that took place in the church before its demolition.
In light of all that, I ask again: what does the demolition of a church building mean? In order to understand what the demolition of one church building means, we should first ask how buildings are important to God’s people.
Buildings feature prominently in scripture: they can represent the height of human ambition, and the glory and grandeur of God. One witness to both of these characteristics is the Jewish temple, which the Jews built in Solomon’s time, and rebuilt after their return from exile in Babylonia. Time and time again, the psalmist points to the hill of Zion, and its accompanying temple, to indicate God’s love, power and majesty: “The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.” (Psalm 146:10) Isaiah’s first major vision occurred in the temple before its first destruction (Isaiah 6). The Apostles Paul and Peter both used the image of buildings to represent their congregations’ faith and devotion to God’s loving mission in the world (1 Corinthians 3:10 – 15, 1 Peter 2:5). Thus, it seems that the Jews and early Christians saw buildings, particularly the Jewish temple, as dwelling – places and metaphors for God’s presence.
God has certainly been present in Summerside Presbyterian Church! The youth group has grown: I remember, back in 2001, being the only person to consistently show up to the youth group. However, the last time I checked, there were more young adults attending. Someone I knew from high school returned to the church, and to faith, a few years ago and got married in the church shortly thereafter. And during my grandmother’s funeral, the church was nearly full, and the minister preached a down – to – earth and very accurate sermon that praised both of my grandparents and gave thanks for my grandmother’s legacy. A building can house powerful and personal memories, moments, and events that make God present.
So, the building of Summerside Presbyterian Church has been demolished in order to make way for a new structure. Just as the Jewish exiles in Babylon cried, “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4), so Presbyterians in Summerside may feel lost or uneasy as they await a new place of worship. The demolition of a building can mean the end of memories: there will be no more hot dogs, no more joyous singing (and there was much of that!), and no more heartfelt preaching at the old building of Summerside.
Instead, the congregation must go forward steadily into the future God has prepared for it. Summerside Presbyterian Church will have a new place, and so it can create a new place in people’s hearts—a space for both action and reflection that testifies to God’s loving presence. There will again be a place for Presbyterian people to be baptized, to marry, and to eat and worship together. The new building will house a community knit together by the love of God.
Theologically and personally, Summerside Presbyterian Church is much more than just a building: it proves true the first verse of the hymn, “I am the church! You are the church!” Indeed, the church is “not a building,” the church is “not a steeple,” and the church is “not a resting place.” Instead, Summerside Presbyterian Church is “a people,” a people whose actions, emotions and memories bear witness to God’s love in our midst. The demolition of a building means both the end of old memories, and the beginning of new ones … and both the old and the new memories allow us to live, love, and act as people of Jesus’ gracious Way.

Outreach – Mission as Partnership

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When St. Timothy’s, Etobicoke, Ont., launched an international mission project in 2010, they hoped it would be a long – term affair. And when the mission team visited Hungary, Ukraine and Romania for the second time last summer, their hopes for a meaningful relationship were rewarded.
“When we went to the Roma/gypsy community in Nagybereg, Ukraine, as soon as we entered the village, the children recognized us and followed us, singing, ‘Deep, deep O deep down, down; deep down in my heart,’ with the motions we taught them last year,” said Rev. David Son, associate minister at St. Timothy’s. “With no English skill whatsoever, they remembered not only the song but also us. It meant they’ve been waiting for us to come. I cried.”
Son became emotional again when visiting a community in Kide, Romania, where people thanked them for returning. “‘Thank you very much for planting us in your hearts,’ they said. I cried twice.”
The eight – person team (led by Son) travelled to Eastern Europe for the second time for two weeks last August. Their first trip was in 2010, and the third will happen this July. They accompanied Presbyterian missionaries David Pandy – Szekeres and Brian Johnston, getting to know several congregations of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Hungary and the Hungarian minority regions in Ukraine and Transylvania.
“My wish has always been to continue my missionary work in the same country or countries if allowed,” said Kyu Hwan Han, a 26 – year – old member of the team. “It is wonderful to go on missions to various countries and see how different people worship God; however, visiting the same mission field continuously and building long lasting relationships is a great blessing.”
Following the final visit, Son hopes the congregation will find ways to continue the connections they’ve made. In addition to prayer and possible financial support, Son has already been keeping in touch with a minister he met on the trip, and David Pandy – Szekeres keeps him updated on what’s going on in the region. And while Son acknowledges much more time and study is needed before taking action, he said they’re looking into beginning some sort of relationship with local Hungarian Presbyterian congregations, or working with Roma refugees coming to Toronto.
“One of St. Timothy’s mission statements is, ‘Church that stands up with/for the weak and the poor,’” said Son. “Within the life of the church, we have this strong calling, and we do believe this can only happen in partnership. Also, as one of the Korean churches we wanted to get more actively involved in the mission works of the PCC, [and] the PCC graciously supported us last year.”
“The PCC’s mission trip program helps congregations connect with missionaries they already support through their gifts to Presbyterians Sharing,” said Karen Plater, associate secretary of stewardship. “We help congregations build closer relationships with our mission partners, and build up the mission work of the church overall.”
Several years ago, the congregation wasn’t even aware of the Pandys’ work in Eastern Europe. It was only when Rev. Sarah Kim, executive director of the Women’s Missionary Society and wife of senior minister In Kee Kim, embarked on a WMS trip to the region that St. Timothy’s was introduced to the work happening there.
“We were planning to launch another mission trip to a different part of the world, but Jesus didn’t allow us to,” said Son. After speaking with Sarah Kim, “we were able to start this wonderful ministry.”
The mission team visited several communities, including those in the Sub – Carpathian Ukraine. The Reformed Church there is an ethnically Hungarian community working in a minority situation, including work amidst the Roma peoples. In the town of Nagybereg, they helped build a multi – functional centre that will serve as a kindergarten and prayer hall for the Roma community.
Working on the prayer hall was a highlight for 20 – year – old Daniel Kim. “Although at times we were very drained of energy and fatigued from the heat, we persevered … with only one thing in mind: to build God’s kingdom,” Kim told the Record. “By the end of the week, many gypsy kids began to help us do various jobs out of the willingness of their heart. Working and smiling together was a scene I believe God was very pleased to see.”
The group also led singing, games and crafts for children, visited an orphanage operated by the Reformed Church, and worked on a farm.
They also spent time in the village of Kide, Romania, as guests of the local Reformed Church congregation. There they enjoyed a Sunday worship service, led by local minister Tibor Nagy, with a message given by Son who touched upon the fact that the village’s name of Kide means “hope” in Korean.
“The basic purpose of the trip was to bring God’s presence with us,” said Son. “There are not many things we can contribute to their tough life situations for two weeks. But what we hoped for was to plant a small mustard seed in their hearts … so that they may continuously remember [our presence], and somewhere down the road, that remembrance may give them the life of Jesus Christ to the full. And in return … they planted another mustard seed in our hearts and they blessed us tremendously.”
“For the host communities, having a group return goes a long way in reinforcing the idea that there exists a bond which is common and which is strong enough to unite two very different communities,” David Pandy – Szekeres told the Record. “And it is when both of these communities recognize this common bond to be the gospel, its teachings and its attendant blessings that we come full circle and say thank you, Lord.”

Theology 101 – Soli Deo Gloria

web admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:35 +0000

The 16th – century Reformers—Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox and others—were derisively nicknamed, “the Sola – ists.” They distilled the essence of the gospel in five Latin slogans using the word sola, meaning only, solely or exclusively: sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura, solo Christo, soli Deo gloria (grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to God’s glory alone).

Progressive Lectionary – The Children are Watching

web admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:08 +0000

January 15 – Second Sunday after Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Samuel watches old Eli’s every move. Samuel was just a toddler when he went to Shiloh. To learn the craft of priesthood. Samuel watches Eli offer the sacrifices. Keep the hours of prayer. Counsel worshippers. Decide the value of their offerings. Ensure the maintenance of the sanctuary.
Samuel grows into servanthood. He’s Eli’s right – hand boy. We meet him today, old enough to spend the night in the sanctuary, alone. To tend the sacred lamp. Eli has sons. The highest priesthood is hereditary. What will Samuel become?
Samuel watches. As Eli’s sons corrupt Shiloh with their greed and lust. Does Samuel see a prophet come to Eli? To tell him God’s promise to his family is revoked. A righteous priest will arise, and Eli’s household will beg him for charity.
Samuel spends his lonely, wakeful nights knowing, with a child’s keen intuition, a storm is about to break. Fearing, with a child’s sense of connectedness, the storm will fall on him, too.
Samuel isn’t surprised to hear a call in the night. How many nights has he lain awake? Imagining a call, a word. A disaster. It takes a little while for Eli to wake up, and see what’s going on. Does he want to know? The Lord’s call can only bring one message. Words Eli doesn’t want to hear again.
Especially from the boy. God’s word in a child’s voice. Hesitant, Fearful. Honest. Clear. With power to shatter Eli’s denial. Give him eyes to see God’s hand, already at work.
The end of the story: The Lord continues to appear at Shiloh, for the Lord reveals himself to Samuel, by the word of the Lord. (verse 21)
The children are watching. They see more than we want them to see. They hear more than we think they can. They understand more than we allow. They can imagine their way to truth we may never grasp.
The most important thing we can teach our children is that actions have consequences. One thing leads to another. Shake the table and the milk will spill. Touch the stove and you’ll be burned. Work hard and you’ll be rewarded. Study hard and you’ll be a success.
We say those things when our kids are old enough to tell us they know what we say isn’t always true. But we go on saying them. And we go on behaving as if we really don’t believe what we say. The children are watching.
Adults are far more likely than children to act as if actions have no consequences. Samuel learned that early.
We may think we’re too sophisticated to believe all that stuff about God’s judgment on Eli and his sons and heirs. We think Jesus gives us some kind of a pass. We don’t need to worry about punishment for our sins.
God’s grace doesn’t give us license. God’s mercy doesn’t exempt us from the law of gravity. We let go of things we should hold onto and they fall. We try to pick up things we shouldn’t and they’re heavy. They weigh us down.
The children are watching. With the eyes God gave them. Through the moral lenses we give them.
Old Eli goes to the sanctuary, day by day, to catch a fresh vision of God. Over the years his eyes grow dim. His hearing thickens. His voice becomes faint. God seeks new eyes, keener ears, a stronger voice.
God chooses a child. As God often speaks in the least – likely voices. The young. The very old. The powerless. Those who have been pushed to the edges. People who suffer the consequences of our greedy consumption of the world’s riches.
The children are watching. So are the poor. The silenced. The marginalized of the world.
God’s judgment is in their eyes. Spoken in their words. Their cries for help.
The world’s hope is with them, too.

A Missional Spirituality

web admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:55 +0000

Peyton Drynan, Age 9 - St Andrews Streetsville

The words kept echoing through my mind. I had no peace and no rest. Strangely and goadingly, they seemed to speak to me.
My dad’s home office door was open and he sat puffing his pipe, perched over the original text of the Book of Job. On my next pass he called me in. “What is wrong?”
“Wrong?” I breathed in youthful defiance. “Nothing.”
He waited. He was a man who knew when to be quiet. I flopped down in a chair. “Well, pa, you see I was reading the Book of Hebrews this morning.”
He lifted his eyebrows; he was no small expert on this book having written a commentary on it.
“Here’s the thing, ‘today if you hear my voice do not harden your hearts.’” He puffed on his pipe and kept quiet. “Well, I can’t get these words out of my mind.”
“Ah,” he said thoughtfully, “Perhaps God is calling you?”
I sighed the word, “yes,” my sense of discomfort faded. A great burden was lifted.
To be called is to have a vocation. It gives meaning to one’s life. If there is anything we need in today’s church in Canada, it is the sense of meaning and purpose which flows out of knowing who we are and what we are called to. We are in a kind of exile today. We are frantically trying to salvage dying congregations. That exile invites us to a new sense of call on our journey of Christian spirituality.
Stories of calls to leadership lie at the heart of the history of Christian spiritual formation. Such stories are highly personal and particular because God calls individuals in unique ways. But although particular and contextual, such stories always carry universal implications in the great unfolding story of creation and redemption.
But experience remains a problematic measure of call. For Martin Luther, his experience of peace and acceptance after striving so much to please God was crucial in gaining certainty of faith. John Calvin insisted that one should not look at one’s self but rather at Christ for assurance in an attempt to turn the Christian journey away from self – absorption.
By the 17th century, the pietist movement in Germany and the Puritan movement started to emphasize experience, and experience became fundamentally associated with certain religious feelings in persons.
Religious experience of this kind tended to individualize faith and the call to follow God as it merged with the rise of the autonomous individual in the Enlightenment. Today, personal experience, and particularly individualized feeling, has become a basic expectation. How often do we say, “I feel that…”?
It is clear that experience has importance in biblical stories of call. It is also clear that an excessive emphasis on experience, particularly extraordinary experience, can be frustrating and painful to those who never seem to experience such feelings. Moreover, those who do claim special experiences sometimes consider themselves spiritually elevated. Combined with individualism, such religious experience can lead to isolation or cult – like spirituality.
Call cannot be divorced from experience nor reduced to experience. That is why churches have emphasized the role of community in connection with call. It is the community who discerns call and leadership. Whether the individual has a profound experience does not determine call. In all the biblical stories, God’s call was to community.

Read more on A Missional Spirituality…

A Golden Opportunity

web admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:51 +0000

Judy Mallory-Warkworth Ont

Somewhere in their middle decades, most people experience a time of radical re – evaluation of their lives, which often leads to significant change—the so – called mid – life crisis. They feel a need to develop those facets of their lives they have previously ignored. They raise many questions that often go unanswered. And that, I believe, makes it a time of opportunity for the church.
The oldest members of the Boomer generation have been through this time of re – evaluation; the youngest are in it or are approaching it. In the past, this generation left the church in great numbers. And although the reasons for those departures are many and complicated, the result is that they have largely gone through life without the hope, comfort and encouragement the gospel provides.
Seniors are in a position to reach Boomers effectively—more effectively, in fact, than they can reach the younger generations. Time and again I have heard people say we need to work at bringing young people into the church. Well, we certainly need to take good care of the teens and young adults who are part of our congregations. But we are kidding ourselves if we think that a church composed largely of seniors is going to be able to make itself attractive to unchurched youth who are two or three generations younger! Boomers, on the other hand, are the children of those seniors, and we have a chance to reach out to the next younger generation and their friends.
This is not a plea for a national program to turn seniors into evangelists. But I believe we can only minister effectively if we first face some questions: Do we really believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ makes a difference in our lives? Does the message that God loves us unconditionally really touch us deeply? Do we seek to open our hearts so that we are ready to receive God’s love and reflect it in our lives? Do we really love our children and their friends? Do we care about their spiritual welfare? Do we tell them how God’s love makes a difference in our lives?
Unless a ministry to Boomers flows out of love for God and love for them, it will fail. Otherwise, they will rightly see our efforts as self – serving attempts to keep our institutions going.

Judith Mallory-Warkworth Ont

A major part of our problem is that we have taken to an extreme the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel always; when necessary, use words.” In my experience, it is hard to find a Presbyterian church where people are comfortable talking about God’s love and how it affects their lives. St. Francis lived in a different world than we do! How do we expect people who have little or no memory of Christianity to interpret our lives in Christian terms? If we are to reach out to the Boomers with the gospel, we will have to begin speaking clearly about the place God has in our lives. That involves a major change in Presbyterian culture.
We must develop ways to encourage people to speak more freely, and to make ministry to Boomers a priority. Here is a golden opportunity on our doorstep. Our children and their friends are a mission field that is ripe. The question is whether we are willing to make the effort to reach them with Good News that can change their lives for the better.

Christ Alone

web admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:41 +0000

Donald MacLaren-St James Truro NS

Mary’s Journey of Faith

web admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:07 +0000

Deana Weyman-St Andrews King City Ont

Perhaps central to any celebration of Christmas is the picture of Mary holding the infant Jesus. Around the picture and beyond the biblical narrative some have developed a whole myth espousing for Mary a quasi – divine nature and claiming that she, like Jesus, was immaculately conceived. The biblical witness however tells us that Mary was much more like us than like the angels and it is precisely because she was fully human that she serves as an encouragement to us. Mary was an amazing example of human faithfulness as she walked along a path where she sometimes took a wrong turn.
Mary began her journey as an ordinary girl who was encountered by God in an extraordinary way. She was young and full of dreams for a future with a man to whom she was engaged. But an angel appeared to announce that God had a bigger plan for her and she submitted herself as a servant to God’s seemingly strange design. I don’t believe Mary at that time realized fully what that encounter meant or who this child of hers really was. She may have thought he would be the Messiah or the deliverer of Israel, or even the ruler of Israel, but to even imagine Jesus was God incarnate was more than anyone at the time could comprehend. The way the shepherds and wisemen showed up confirmed his special status, but Mary still didn’t fully understand whom she held in her arms.

Amy DeBoer-St Andrews Richmond Ont

The Bible says she was troubled by much of what she heard and yet she neither despaired nor dismissed it out of hand. Her visit to her cousin, Elisabeth, who also had a visitation from God, must have offered further confirmation that she wasn’t just imagining all this. Luke tells us that Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. Sometimes in our own lives we have experiences that we don’t really understand. Mary shows that we need to meditate on these things, trusting that in God’s good time He will show us why this apparent tragedy is happening to us or what holy purpose these strange, amazing events have in the eternal plan of God. At the time of Jesus’ presentation at the temple, with Simeon and Anna prophesying over him, she and Joseph didn’t know what to think and could only marvel at it all. Yet Mary was thinking theologically; that is, she was seeking to understand the ways of God in these events.
It isn’t that Mary always got things right. When a 12 – year – old Jesus was found with the teachers in the temple, she scolded him for not being where she thought he should have been. Jesus simply replied that she didn’t understand what he was doing. Again the gospel writer Luke says she treasured all these things in her heart. Mary shows us that even when we are rebuked by God the correct response is not to turn away in resentment but to spend time reflecting on what God is doing and value the process even when we think He has treated us unfairly.
On another occasion, Mary and Christ’s brothers came to take him home, thinking that his religious activity had gotten out of hand. Jesus said his true family were those who submitted themselves to the will of God. This time of tension between Jesus and his mother was no doubt difficult. In the end, Mary is still with him at the cross and she herself is strongly connected with the faith community at Pentecost and beyond. We can believe that she has come to believe that her son, raised from the dead, is indeed the only begotten son of God and she may have been even more amazed than we are that God almighty should be born and dwell among us. The first names she heard for her son—Jesus, the one who saves us, and Emmanuel, God with us—she now knew to be true in deeper ways than she could have imagined.
We can ponder all the things written in the creeds so in our doubting times we can recall the experience and faith of the whole church. Mary, however, was a pioneer on the journey of faith, and we would do well to walk in her footsteps and ponder her life in this season when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

Read more on Mary’s Journey of Faith…

It Has to be the Shepherds!

web admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:00:03 +0000

June Robinson-Trinity Victoria BC

Readers from small towns and rural communities will need to think about the people we struggle to look after at home, or try to pretend aren’t nearby, or send into town. Those who go to church in the city, who have been in ministry downtown, will recognize people like Jerry. Jerry died on Christmas Eve a few years ago.
Jerry lived on the street, in and out of rooming houses, at the men’s shelter. For God knows how many years. God knows. Few others knew, or cared about his story. Jerry was schizophrenic.
For the first part of the month, Jerry could stay at the shelter. He could be polite to people when he asked them for spare change. But the medication would wear off. The meagre allowance his trustee managed for him would run out. That’s when I’d see him. Hear him first. You couldn’t miss his big, gravelly voice. Or his rages.
Jerry made a lot of money at Christmas time. All those shoppers, feeling guilty about spending so much to fill those shiny shopping bags. All those workers, their charity fueled by a drink too many at the office Christmas lunch.
No one asks why the Jerrys are there. On the streets with their hands out. At the most wonderful time of the year.
There’s no Christmas charity for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. No allowance, however small, from the government. Just an order to pick up and travel a dangerous road. They’ll meet beggars and bandits along the way.
There’s no room for them in the shelter. The Bethlehem Inn is one big room. Above a tavern or a public building.
It isn’t a cozy bed and breakfast. More like the Metro Turning Point in Halifax. The Downtown Shelter in Vancouver. The manger where they put the baby, wrapped in rags, is most likely in a courtyard. A parking lot. Who will even think to look for them there?

Aislin Perry, Age 9 - First Penetanguishine

Maybe that’s why it has to be the shepherds! Homeless men and women. Counted less valuable than sheep. Predators and poachers can take the mentally ill, addicts, ex cons. So long as the sheep are safe.
When I picture the shepherds, I see Jerry. Abiding in the field. Wondering when he’ll get a bite to eat.
Angels come. Biblical angels aren’t all cotton wool and misty light. They’re God’s tribunes. The heavenly host isn’t a choir. It’s an army. Picture an angel, with the scroll of imperial decree in one hand and a sword in the other.
Who else will have the sheer gall, despite their fear, to stand their ground in the face of such an invasion? It has to be people who are used to confrontation with agents of Empire. The city police. The hired security of the Merchants’ Association.
The angels announce the end of the Empire that enforces and profits from the poverty of people like the shepherds. The Jerrys. The Marys and Josephs of the world.
The angels take Caesar’s titles: Son of God, Saviour, Christ, Lord. And put them on Jesus’ head!
It has to be the shepherds! Who else will be crazy enough to believe and do what the angels say? Who else will be desperate enough to catch this vision of a world turned upside down in the hands of a baby? Who else will know where to look for the manger and the baby? It has to be the shepherds.
Near the end of his life, Jesus talks about where we should look for him. He says he’ll be in the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, people without warm clothes, the sick, and the prisoners.
He says our response to people whose needs frighten us, people we don’t want to see, people we dismiss with our charity, is really our response to him.
Given the circumstances of his birth, and the first visitors to his cradle, this shouldn’t surprise us at all!

More Than a Cultural Icon

web admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:33 +0000

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the English King James Bible, the popular name of what is formally known as the Authorized Version. Its popular acronym is a combination of the two names, KJV, for King James Version.
The translation takes its popular name from James I, who commissioned a new English translation in 1604. It was finished in 1611.
Resting heavily on William Tyndale’s translation, the KJV was the dominant English version of the Bible for more than three centuries. Conferences marking the anniversary by exploring the history of the KJV and its literary and cultural impact have been held on university campuses around the world. Mark Noll, professor of church history at Notre Dame, notes words as diverse as “adoption,” “beautiful,” and “mortgaged” all became fixed in English because of the KJV. Even the atheist Christopher Hitchens, writing in Vanity Fair, acknowledged its impact: “The Tyndale/King James translation, even if all its copies were to be burned, would still live on in our language through its transmission by way of Shakespeare and Milton and Bunyan and Coleridge, and also by way of beloved popular idioms such as ‘fatted calf’ and ‘pearls before swine.’”
In its heyday, the KJV was not the only English translation, but no preacher needed to say to their congregation “I am reading from the KJV this morning;” everyone knew. Since the introduction of the Revised Standard Version in 1946 (New Testament) and 1952 (Old Testament) a flood of new translations have appeared. An estimated 900 translations of the Bible in whole or in part exist in English, and there are a variety of forms in which they are published: as magazines aimed at a teenage market; with additional resources targeting men or women or sports fans or those in recovery; and as an App for smartphones.
Behind the academic conferences and plethora of references to “high culture,” behind the extraordinary range of English translations and ways they are packaged to reach new readers runs the question: Is the Bible a factor in the English – speaking world today? And even more narrowly, is the Bible a guide for English – speaking North Americans today?
Television personality Steven Colbert mounted a debate during the Jan. 4, 2011 episode of the Colbert Report between U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, arguing in favour of using the gold standard to peg the value of the American dollar, and David Leonhardt, reporter with The New York Times, contending the dollar should be allowed to float. As the debate ended, Colbert asked, “Which would you rather worship: a golden calf or a calf made of $100 bills?” Both debaters looked embarrassed and the audience laughed, getting the joke.
Biblical figures appear regularly in popular culture. Noah, described by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky as “the first environmentalist,” appears in Bill Cosby’s sketch “Noah: Right!” and movies like Disney’s Noah, starring Tony Danza, or Evan Almighty with Steve Carell. The Veggie Tales’ version of Jonah, which played in theatres across North America, gave children and teenagers new lines to quote—some of which were even biblical.
The Rolling Stones’ song about the prodigal son (on the 1968 Beggars Banquet album) tells the story almost exactly as it appears in the gospel of Luke. The punk rock band Bad Religion’s Prodigal Son (on their 2007 New Maps of Hell release) shows remarkable insight into the challenges faced by the older brother. Bad Religion’s lyrics do not re – tell the story; they assume the audience knows it well enough to understand their song.
These pop culture references indicate that, despite surveys showing biblical literacy slipping (for example, half of North Americans cannot name the first book of the Bible), there is enough residual knowledge of the Bible so that those who speak to and for large sections of the culture, such as TV personalities, moviemakers, and rock bands, can make biblical references and expect to be understood.
The deeper question is, do people who know about the Bible also recognize it as a guide in their lives? The question defies a simple answer. In surveys between 2007 and 2009, the Barna polling group asked adults in the United States their views of the Bible. Asked to name a holy or sacred book, 90 per cent of those over 64 named the Bible. This contrasts with the two – thirds of respondents between ages 18 and 25 who identified the Bible in this way. This evidence could be presented in support of an argument that the Bible has less authority for the younger group, pointing to an ongoing decline in the Bible’s impact on people’s lives.
But before reaching that conclusion, one more set of survey results needs to be considered. The survey asked: “What specific aspect of your spiritual life would you like to improve?” Eight percent of those over the age of 64 who had identified themselves as Christians wished to increase their Bible knowledge; none wanted to read the Bible more. Strikingly, 19 per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 25 identifying themselves as Christians said they wanted to increase their Bible knowledge, and three per cent wanted to read the Bible more. Apparently there is a desire to know more about what Karl Barth called “the strange world of the Bible.”
Last April, I sat in a room packed with more than 100 teenagers. Every chair was filled, kids were sitting on the counter at the back, and the speaker was stuck in a corner because more young people were sitting on the floor at the front of the room. The topic drawing this crowd: “Five ways to study the Bible.”
Certainly no English translation of the Bible will dominate the church and cultural scene the way the King James Version did. And even though biblical literacy appears to be on the decline in some quarters, it would be a mistake to assume the Bible is irrelevant to people today. A new generation appears interested in the Bible not just as a source of cultural references, but as a book to be read and studied.

Read more on More Than a Cultural Icon…

Sola Scriptura

web admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:15 +0000

Our Feature on the Solas
The 16th – century reformers—Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox and others—were derisively nicknamed, “the Sola – ists.” They distilled the essence of the gospel in five Latin slogans using the word sola, meaning only, solely or exclusively: sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura, solo Christo, soli Deo gloria (grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, to God’s glory alone).

Have You Read the Entire Bible?

web admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:10 +0000

Should you read the Bible? The Presbyterian Church in Canada states: “Yes. The regular reading and study of scripture, together with the hearing of the word in public worship, are some of the richest joys of Christian commitment” (A Catechism for Today, Presbyterian Church in Canada, 2006).
That being the case, Knox in Dunnville, Ont., decided to focus some time on scripture. We began on the first Sunday of Advent in 2009 and ended a year later with a potluck lunch, when accomplishments were celebrated.
Organizing a congregational Year of the Bible is not difficult. Create a list of options to present to your congregation. Make the list long and varied, keeping in mind people of all age groups, all levels of commitment, and all levels of reading ability. The purpose is to give the Bible a higher profile for the year. Options include:
• Read the entire Bible
• Read the New Testament
• Read the Old Testament
• Attend a Bible study during Advent
• Use a daily Bible reading guide, such as These Days from the WMS Book Room, or another daily devotional reading
• Attend a Bible study during Lent
• Read a commentary on one book of the Bible
• Watch Walking the Bible DVD
• Read the book Walking the Bible
• Pray for the participants
• Memorize Bible verses
• Attend an adult Bible study
• Opening Doors to Discipleship—
an online Bible course, available at openingdoorstodiscipleship.com.
• Participate in a 12 – month Book of the Bible Club for informal, group Bible study
• Read a Bible storybook (or have it read to you)
• Do a Bible survey as found in the Life Application Study Bible
• Read materials from the church library relevant to the Bible
• Listen to an audio Bible

The Trouble with God

web admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:00:01 +0000

Savaoph, God the Father, by artist Viktor Vasnetsov (1885-1926)

Nov 27, 2011
First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-27

Here’s the trouble with God: Just when we think we know what God’s going to do, God does something else. Or, as it often seems, nothing at all.
When we think we know what God is like, God shows us another personality. When we want God to be a kindly old father, God turns out to be an avenging judge. When we want God to pass judgment and set things right, God becomes a mother hen gathering her chicks, good and bad, under her wings.
Even when God’s prophets lay it out as it’s going to be. God reserves the right to do the opposite of what the prophets believe God told them. The trouble with God is, we just can’t pin God down.
Left with the mystery, we search for signs God is present and active somewhere. We might even pray,
“O that you would tear open
the heavens and come down,
so the mountains would quake at
your presence …” (Isaiah 64:1)