Yeast, Patience, and a Shutdown World

Patience is not my strong suit. I know that it is hard for many of us and particularly in a time of instant messaging, instant media, instant news, instant meals, instant coffee – well, maybe strike that last one – compared to previous eras, none of us can stand to be patient. Then, I read the words of Jesus: The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the Kingdom of God is like a field of wheat with weeds growing along-side the harvest, the Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field, the Kingdom of God is like a land-owner who invests in his servants and goes away on a long trip, and the Kingdom of God is like yeast that works its way through bread. Every one of these descriptions emphasises long time periods and a large degree of patience.

I took this video as I waited for my bread dough to rise. The video represents approximately 40 minutes of rising compressed into 20 seconds. 

 Yeast is slow. If you want to make bread you must be patient.

But I want speed. I love speed. I ride rollercoasters and go-carts to give myself a sense of speed. I have to work hard to stay within speed limits when I am on a scenic tour of the Rocky Mountains. The two and a half minutes it takes to heat up a cup and a half of water in the microwave seems too long; the two minutes I brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush are the longest two minutes of my day. I want change and I want it now. We have been waiting 12 weeks for our cities, our restaurants, our churches, our playgrounds, our libraries, our recreation centres, our borders, … to open up. We want change and we want it now. We want a vaccine, and we want it yesterday. When it comes to re-opening churches, when it has to do with the life of our church congregations, we especially want quick fixes. Some are already pressuring politicians and health authorities to let people back into church buildings. Is that wise?

The Kingdom of God is like yeast … The Kingdom of God is like a field of wheat … The Kingdom of God is like an investment …

Again, I remind myself, these illustrations call for time and patience. Can I slow down and let God work in my life? Can I wait for him to provide for my needs or must I run around frantically adding to my portfolio and my bank account while my heart is a wreckage of tension and fury?

Do we actually see the irony in our prayers? "Lord, I want patience - give it to me now." Maybe I should take one more look at that video of bread rising.

Silence

In Romans 9:3, Paul the Apostle expresses the emotion that, “for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.” A great many commentators and writers have attempted to understand just what Paul meant by these words. We do well to note the conditional nature of the phrase. We get the impression that Paul knows that what he is saying is not the way God works. Paul cannot make a bargain with God whereby Paul is forever cut off from Christ to save the Jewish people. Salvation is more complex than such a scenario implies and Saint Paul is well-aware that he cannot save the Jewish people in such a way.

(Warning: the remainder of this blog contains spoilers for the movie, Silence, 2016 and the blog will make more sense after you watch the movie.) Martin Scorsese also understands that salvation, damnation, faith, suffering, pride, and apostasy are more complex than we may be led to believe and has created a movie that opens up a conversation regarding these concepts. At two hours forty-one minutes in length, it is long and sometimes grueling to watch. It requires substantial concentration to catch the nuances that are significant to the plot of the movie: the triumphant faces of two Catholic Missionaries setting off for fame, martyrdom, and glory as they imagine their fate as heroes of the faith; an expression on a face that betrays inner doubts or tremendous pride; a rooster crowing in the distance following a particularly eventful rejection of Christ.

The movie is also difficult to watch because of the numerous scenes of Christians being tortured for their faith. The movie is set in Japan in the early 1600’s when Christianity was suppressed by fierce war-lords or shoguns. The first missionaries to Japan (Portuguese Jesuits) were well-received and many Japanese became followers of Jesus and members of the Catholic Church. However, many of these new converts were given Portuguese Christian names and encouraged to adopt Western culture which caused the local authorities to look upon Christianity as a subversion of Japanese culture and a threat to their way of life. Persecutions and pressures to renounce the faith soon followed.[1]

The movie follows the lives of three priests, or padres, who seek to understand God in the midst of horrific persecution. The title refers to the quiet with which God responds to their prayers. They pray for rescue, relief from torture, strength to keep their faith, and the growth of the Gospel in Japan - and Jesus is silent to them. When Jesus does finally respond, his voice is unexpected and contradictory to the proclamation we anticipated.

Martin Scorsese based his screenplay and direction of the movie upon the 1966 book (English translation 1969) by Shusaku Endo and has spoken of making the movie as “a pilgrimage” back into his Catholic faith. In interviews about the movie, he identifies pride as one of the key themes of the movie. In the discussion of pride and going to extreme measures to save others, we are led back to the first words of this blog in which we discussed Saint Paul’s words to the Romans (more on that in a moment).

Therein lie the most difficult questions of the movie. What is it that motivates the priests to travel to Japan and preach the Gospel? They are aware that it means certain torture and death, yet they go anyway. Is it truly because of a love for the people of Japan or pride in being the ones to carry the Gospel and die for their faith? The priests are not afraid to die for their faith, but what they were not prepared for was the fact that others would be tortured and killed before their eyes as a way to make them recant their own faith. One priest (Ferreira), who has already renounced his faith, demands that Rodrigues renounce his as well to save those who are being tortured until Rodrigues apostatizes. Another Christian readily renounces his faith, confesses, and takes up the faith again, over and over. What should a Christian do? What should a faithful missionary do?

Ferreira, in his first interview with Rodrigues, identifies that Rodrigues is filled with pride and arrogance. He perceives pride in the Portuguese culture that maintains its superiority and looks down on the inferior Japanese. He is aware of the colonialism that is brought with the Gospel and a lack of understanding that Japanese culture has anything to offer. Rodrigues' own words written to his superiors in Portugal belie his pride as he recounts the joy he felt in baptizing hundreds of Japanese Christians.

Here is where we come full-circle to the initial scripture passage to which I referred. The Apostle Paul recognized his own pride as he wrestled with how he might save the Jewish people. Just in time, he comes to realize that his sacrifice will not save the Jewish people. It is only in Christ that salvation can be found. We must leave the mystery of salvation to Jesus. He is the one who must work in the hearts of others. We are responsible for our actions, our thoughts, and our submission to Christ. Even our own pride in carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ is pride just the same. Our joy in doing God’s work can easily fall into pride in ourselves. How many times have I done the right thing (even caring for the poor or baptizing those who confess Christ) and my joy turns to pride and sours the very work I have done? I give a few coins to the poor and find myself telling others about this thing I have done – when I ought to be “silent!”

One writer, reflecting on this movie, asks the difficult question, “Is unwavering commitment to one’s understanding of absolute truth itself a form of arrogance and spiritual pride?”[2] The world in which we live is complex and how God is involved in salvation of the cosmos is mysterious. Pride is believing that we have all of the answers for every culture, every circumstance, and every person. I must not commit myself to “my understanding of absolute truth.” My commitment must always be to “seeking the truth.” What can I learn from Canadian culture in all of its forms? What do I learn from Japanese culture? American culture (yes, even culture which seems alien and people who espouse ideas with which I disagree)? How do we live lives that are truly reliant upon Jesus and not be prideful when we achieve some degree of reliance upon Him?

The end of the movie shows how both Rodrigues and Ferreira end up living as hidden Christians who study the Japanese culture and appear to be living as Japanese Buddhists. In fact, their Christian faith (one wonders if it exists at all) is supplanted so far below the surface that all will see them as Japanese Buddhists. Ferreira begins to believe that Portuguese culture might actually have something to offer Japan, but it is in astronomy and not Christianity that he believes Portugal has the most to offer.

There is much more that could be discussed about this movie and perhaps I will come back to it again.  Scorsese admits to being a lapsed Catholic and yet, I believe God has given him a voice to ask difficult questions and help us to understand ourselves more deeply. May God give us the grace to live humble lives while speaking boldly for Jesus Christ.

---

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Japan#History
[2] http://ignation.ca/2016/12/22/silence-a-film-by-martin-scorsese/

Restorying Canada

The University of Ottawa, Institute of Canadian and Aboriginal Studies, put on what they called a conference and public event in May of this year entitled Restorying Canada: Reconsidering Religion and Public Memory in 2017. They invited several participants to present papers and/or speak at the event. The focus of the conference was religion and memory, with an emphasis on Canada’s Indigenous People. Topics included such subjects as Indigenous Schooling, Indigenous History, Restorying Islam and Judaism in Canada, and Canadian Atheists and Religious Nones. Margaret Atwood (CC OOnt FRSC), a respected Canadian author with many awards, was one of the invited speakers. As a humanist who writes about women oppressed by patriarchy and/or fundamentalist religion, one might expect her to be exceedingly negative toward religion in Canada. However, here is an excerpt from her speech entitled, “The Future of Religion in Canada: Utopia or Dystopia?”

"I sometimes hear the view that the world's ills are due to religions. Some people have that view. I do not agree with that view because atheist regimes have done a good job of oppressing and murdering people too. It is true that Christianity has got some dark moments. And it's had some dark moments in Canada. Dark moments of various kinds. But I don't think you can put that down to a religion. I think you can put that down to human beings behaving the way they unfortunately sometimes do - whatever religion or non-religion they may happen to have."

- Margaret Atwood, “Restorying Canada,” May 2017.

Now, Atwood is still a humanist and so we understand those words within that context, and it is refreshing to hear this statement from her. Contrary to some of her humanist and atheist contemporaries, she does not blame religion for all of the world’s ills and recognizes that human beings of all philosophical and theological varieties have a propensity for evil. Is that not what the Bible clearly says: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). These are important words for all people to hear. We are all quite capable of “behaving the way humans unfortunately do.”

Yes, Christians and the Christian religion must take responsibility for the residential school system that was so devastating to the Indigenous People of that time. Humanity in general must also take responsibility for the system. This is what makes government and religious apologies a necessary but difficult thing to do. The actual perpetrators of the system may or may not be available for the apologies; those who allowed the devastation to occur may or may not be available for the apology. Yet, the apology needs to be made to begin the reconciliation process.

I am encouraged by these humble words of Ms. Atwood. I pray that I may be humble as I consider my place in the big issues of public apologies.

Bridge of Spies

Most everyone wants to do good things in this life. We want to feed hungry children, sit with someone during their last hours of life, help someone become employable, or release hostages from torture. Some would want to do these things without public recognition, while others would want the fame and acclaim for wonderful things achieved. One of the most popular movie themes is the premise of the man or woman who is “in over their head” and likely to die in some situation but manages to escape destruction and rescue others at the same time. This premise appeals to our sense of doing good beyond our normal capacities. One such movie is Bridge of Spies (2015)[1], written by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen, and directed by Steven Spielberg. (The rest of this blog contains spoilers. You may want to watch the movie and then come back to the blog.)

It tells the story of James B. Donovan, an American insurance attorney, who was known as a negotiator for spy exchanges. Around 1962 he successfully negotiated the release of Francis Gary Powers, an American spy-plane pilot, and Frederic Pryor, an American student in Berlin, in exchange for Rudolf Abel, a convicted Soviet spy. After his success, Donovan was asked by American President John F. Kennedy to negotiate the release of 1,113 prisoners following the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs Invasion. He secured the release of 9,703 men, women, and children: in over his head and achieving more than was normally possible.

Most of us will not have the opportunity to do the things that Donovan did. We may never be asked by anyone to do some outstanding act of bravery or intelligence. These sorts of things often come unexpectedly to those who do not ask for them; but, what could I do to help others? What could you do? There are people who need our help. There are children who need someone to pack them a lunch for school because their parents do not send them with a lunch. There are those who are trapped in dangerous parts of the world who need a sponsor for their status as refugees. There are still others who, for various reasons, could use our help.

What am I waiting for; what are you waiting for; a call from the Prime Minister? The opportunities are all around us. They may never make a movie about us; but we can still be a powerful influence for good.

---

[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/

DC Talk: Colored People

It only takes a few days in the city of Washington, DC to realize that race relationships between blacks and whites are complicated. Relationships are complicated by history, by economic standing, by political perspective, by fear, by apathy, by pride, by . . . . One day, all will be made right and colour will be seen as “a thing of beauty” in the “the passion of an Artist's heart.” "Ignorance has wronged some races And vengeance is the Lord's If we aspire to share this space Repentance is the cure."

Colored People
(Performed by DC Talk – Listen Here)

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

Pardon me, your epidermis is showing, sir
I couldn't help but note your shade of melanin
I tip my hat to the colorful arrangement
'Cause I see the beauty in the tones of our skin
We've gotta come together
And thank the Maker of us all

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

A piece of canvas is only the beginning for
It takes on character with every loving stroke
This thing of beauty is the passion of an Artist's heart
By God's design, we are a skin kaleidoscope

We've gotta come together
Aren't we all human after all?
We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a holy grace

Ignorance has wronged some races
And vengeance is the Lord's
If we aspire to share this space
Repentance is the cure

1, 1, 1, 1
2, 2, 2, 2
3, 3, 3, 3
4, 4, 4, 4

Well, just a day in the shoes of a color blind man
Should make it easy for you to see
That these diverse tones do more than cover our bones
As a part of our anatomy

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
'Cause we are colored people who depend on a holy grace

We're colored people, and they call us the human race
Oh, colored people
We're colored people, and we all gotta share this space
Yeah we've got to come together somehow

We're colored people, and we live in a tainted world
Red, yellow, black and white
We're colored people, every man, woman, boy, and girl
Colored people, colored people, colored people, colored people, yeah

Songwriters: Kevin Mc Keehan; George Cocchini; Published by UP IN THE MIX MUSIC

Locked In A Cage

A friend of mine wrote a story that is a helpful discussion starter and I asked him to guest blog today. The story is a metaphor of life and the followers of Jesus. I share it with you here. Let me know how this story affects you.

Picture us as a group of people locked in a cage. Our daily needs of food and water are met through a hole in the side of the cage. The edges of that hole are razor sharp, but we need food, and so I reach through to pick up what I need, but I cut my arm in the process. Day after day, no matter how many ways I try it, I can’t pick up the food without getting cut.

People often mock me, tell me daily how wrong I’m doing it, and offer their advice of the right way to grab the food. But I can see the cuts on their arms, as fresh as mine. Others offer food for sale, I bought it once, but the soured portions were too small. They didn’t satisfy, and the seller insisted on more payment before he would part with any more food. If I want to eat, the cuts from the cage will be the price I have to pay. 

One day somebody new arrives, they don’t offer advice, they visit with me. When they see me cut myself reaching for the food, they quietly reach into their bag and retrieve bandages. Carefully, they take hold of my arm; they look at the wound and make sure it’s not too deep. They bind it with gentle hands.

The next day they show up again. They ask me how my wounds are doing, and when I cut myself again getting today’s food, they retrieve the same bandages and tenderly wrap my arm again. Every day the same: I cut myself reaching for food, they treat the wounds. They clean them and check to make sure the old cuts are healing well. On days I can’t bear to reach through the hole, they share their own food with me. They talk with me as I lament the way things are. We become close friends. 

Then one day, while they’re cleaning a fresh cut, I notice their arms, they have scars, but they’re long since healed. “Your arms,” I ask, “why don’t you have any cuts?” They reply, telling me they have a friend who gives them food for free. I’m skeptical, I’ve never heard of such a thing in this cage. They continue, “My friend has been giving me food for a while now, and you can see my cuts are all healed, in fact it was my friend who healed them, and that same friend has given me the bandages I’ve been using to treat your wounds.” “That’s not the way it works around here,” I insist. “What’s the catch?" “No catch,” the response. “Doesn’t sound right to me,” I say. “You should be careful”. 

We continue like this for days. Weeks even. My friend doesn’t push the conversation about his friend, but he’s present every day; talking with me, caring for me, sharing his food. Always my friend has fresh food and bandages, but never does he reach through the hole in the cage. Never are there fresh cuts on his arms.

One day I slip while reaching through the hole, and cut myself badly; worse than I have in a long time. I break down while my friend cleans the wound. “I can’t do this anymore! It shouldn’t be this hard. Yet, you’re healthy, and you always have food and supplies – even this friend of yours has got to be better than this! Do you think you can introduce us?” “Absolutely,” he says. “Come walk with me.”
- Tyler Williams 2015

Luka

"Luka" is a song by the artist Suzanne Vega who recorded it in 1986. It was number three on the Billboard charts in 1987. It is a haunting song that speaks of a young person caught in the cycle of domestic violence. It is about love, hate, secrets, distrust, loyalty, and fear. The song and the video that accompanied it have a powerful effect on our emotions. Art often has this ability.

Luka
My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you 

Yes, I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was 

I think it's 'cause I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud 

They only hit until you cry
After that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore 

Yes, I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
If you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway 

I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am 

My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes, I think you've seen me before 

If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was 

They only hit until you cry
After that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore 

Words and lyrics by Suzanne Vega; Published by © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.; 1986

Lemonade

Previously, I wrote that "enchantment is the opposite of entitlement." These words of Chris Rice tell of enchantment. He is enchanted with life, lemonade, and love.

Lemonade
(Listen to it here) 

So go ahead and ask her
For happy ever after
'Cause nobody knows what's coming
So why not take a chance on loving?
Come on, pour the glass and tempt me
Either half-full or half-empty, yeah
'Cause if it all comes down to flavor
The glass is tippin' in my favor 

Life gave me lemonade
And I can't imagine why
Born on a sunny day
Beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I'm a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade 

Now take your time to answer me
For the beauty of romancing
Is to calm your trembling hand with mine
While beggin' love to fill your eyes
I can hardly breathe while waitin'
To find out what your heart is saying
And as we're swirlin' in this flavor
The world is tilting in our favor 

Life gave me lemonade
And I can't imagine why
Born on a sunny day
Beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I'm a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade 

I've got it made, rest in the shade
And hold my love while God above
Stirs with a spoon, we share the moon
Smile at the bees, more sugar please
He really loves us after all
We're gonna need another straw
We're gonna need another straw 

'Cause life gave me lemonade
And I can't imagine why
Born on a sunny day
Beneath a tangerine sky
Life gave me lemonade
And I can't imagine why
Born on a sunny day
Beneath a tangerine sky
I live life without pretending
I'm a sucker for happy endings
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade 

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Thanks for the lemonade
Thanks for the lemonade 

Songwriter: RICE, CHRISTOPHER M.; Published by Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Those of us born here in Canada have been given lemonade. We have already won the global lottery: born in one of the richest countries on the planet, a place with extensive freedoms, a situation in which we can make choices about our destiny, and a position that allows us the blessing of helping others. So, "Come on, pour the glass and tempt me Either half-full or half-empty, yeah 'Cause if it all comes down to flavor The glass is tippin' in my favor." Like all lottery winners, I now must make the difficult choices of how I will use the tremendous resources available to me. "'Cause life gave me lemonade And I can't imagine why."

Wounded Healer

Every pastor knows that they are one action away from being wounded and broken before God. We do not live on the successes of yesterday nor on the successes of today. We recognize ourselves as a wounded healer and a "beggar who gives alms."1

In his book, The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen writes:
Since it is his task to make visible the first vestiges of liberation for others, [the pastor] must bind his own wounds carefully in anticipation of the moment when he will be needed. He is called to be the wounded healer, the one who must look after his own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others. He is both the wounded minister and the healing minister…2

1. Downhere, "Beggar Who Gives Alms," 2009.
2. Nouwen, H. (1979). The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society . New York: Image Books, p 82.

Justice In A Dangerous Time

I first came across the International Justice Mission when Jamie McIntosh was establishing the Canadian arm of the mission in Canada. It was 2002 and Jamie was thoroughly convinced of the message he had been given for the people of Canada. The mission of IJM Canada is

"To protect the poor from violence by rescuing victims, bringing the criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts."

He knew that it would not be easy; justice ministries are not 100 metre dashes; they are long distance, endurance runs. Quite frankly, his zeal scared me and I was not sure the message would be well-received in the church; but, I also admired his willingness to speak out and say things that others had said before him but needed to be said again. His words rang like those of an Old Testament Prophet:

“Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets and Dwellings.” Isaiah 58:12

He sounded like our Lord rebuking those who thought that they were above reproach:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cummin. But you neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." Matthew 23:23

Bow Valley Christian Church will hear these words again as Mark Wollenburg represents the International Justice Mission of Canada at our World Outreach Weekend, 2014. Hear Mark speak at the Saturday (February 1) banquet and the Sunday (February 2) morning service. He will tell us of Project Lantern designed "to demonstrate the effectiveness of a law enforcement based strategy to reduce the prevalence of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in the Metro Cebu area" of the Philippines." We will all be challenged.

“Victims of injustice do not need our spasm of passion. They need our long obedience in the same direction. They need our legs and lungs of endurance.” IJM Founder Gary Haugen

People Turn to Religion

John Stackhouse says that "People turn to religion only if they have a good reason. The instrumental reasons are gone with the wind."1 That is, people no longer believe that they must go to church to increase their social standing or to impress their business constituents. He points out that in one particular panel discussion he and other participants

noted how low church attendance is in the one place in Canada most focused on the here and now, on sensual pleasure and self-fulfillment – Vancouver. No wonder church plants come and go here with dismaying rapidity.
Yet it’s also interesting that the churches that thrive here are full of people between 18 and 35. The older demographic (35–60) is much less in evidence. Those older ones are the people who have somehow been able to succeed in Vancouver’s punishing real estate market and construct a lifestyle they like. They don’t go to church. Why should they?
But the younger adults – those the economy is not welcoming, who carry debts they fear they can never pay off, and who are searching for a meaningful life in a world that seems indifferent to their aspirations – they’re in church. Are we church leaders properly addressing their needs? Or just anesthetizing these hungry searchers with an hour or so of lively music, group solidarity and undemanding sermonizing?2

Has he hit upon something novel here? Is there a significant economic unrest among 18 to 35 year olds? Do some long for a meaningful life? What are the needs that older leaders might address? Which ones have we missed? I am certainly interested in creating missional communities of Christ that will generate life-giving space for hungry searchers. Life-giving space must address the economic unrest of our time: the "haves" and the "have-nots" and the increasing gulf between the rich and the poor. It will also include space for serving the least, the lost, and the lonely of the predominant culture. It cannot simply address the self-interest of those who find it hard to pay off the debts they carry. The Gospel in every culture and every time is good news to the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed, and all people.

 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.
Luke 4:18, 19, NLT.

1. Faith Today, January/February 2014, "Will Canada Be The Next Sweden?" John G. Stackhouse Jr., http://digital.faithtoday.ca/faithtoday/20140102#pg76
2. Ibid.

Canada and the Nordic Model

Canada's Supreme Court has struck down most of the previous laws related to prostitution in Canada deeming them unconstitutional because they breach the Charter rights of vulnerable and marginalized people and their right to "security of the person." The present laws will stay in effect for one year giving  the Parliament of Canada time to draft better laws. If elected politicians fail to create laws which will withstand constitutional challenge prostitution will be legal and unrestricted in Canada.

This has opened a door for all of our elected officials to work together regardless of political parties and I pray that they will work together for the good of Canada and for the good of vulnerable and marginalized people who have used prostitution as a means of survival. It will be messy political work but it will be important for them to be willing to risk their political careers to do the right thing. The tendency in the past has sometimes been to simply despair of creating better laws and leave social issues largely unregulated. Doing so in this case would be a mistake. There are examples of other countries of the world which have drafted effective laws on prostitution and there are examples of countries which have tried the route of legalizing prostitution leading to dreadful consequences.

Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul in Manitoba, is admirable in her willingness to step into the debate. On hearing of the Supreme Court ruling, she issued an immediate press release stating the importance of drafting new legislation. You can read it in its entirety here. In the release she states that "This ruling leaves police without important legal tools to tackle sex trafficking and organized crime and does not reflect a 1990 Supreme Court of Canada decision which stated that the elimination of prostitution through law was a valid goal." Thus, she encourages Parliament to have the will to use the rule of law to eliminate prostitution and protect people from human trafficking and organized crime. She further states that "prostitution as an industry . . . is inherently harmful to women and girls and therefore must be eliminated." Ms. Smith suggests, along with many others, that the way to solve this problem lies in the Nordic model of prostitution which targets the buyers of sex. The Nordic model criminalizes the buying of sex and the sexual exploitation of prostitutes and has been used effectively in countries such as Sweden and Norway. It also features a support program which aims to create strategies for those who seek to exit prostitution.

The position of the press release is summarised in these statements:

Prostitution must be eliminated because it dehumanizes and degrades humans and reduces them to a commodity to be bought and sold. Legalizing prostitution is a direct attack on the fundamental rights and freedoms of women, girls and vulnerable people. In the same regard, continuing to criminalize the women and vulnerable populations being prostituted creates barriers that prevent them from escaping prostitution and entrenches inequality. . . .
As a nation, we must ensure pimps remain severely sanctioned and prostituted women and girls are not criminalized and instead given meaningful escape routes out of sex work. Most importantly, Canada must focus on the real root of prostitution by targeting the buyers of sex.

Let's join together in prayer and effort to see that this ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada is a turning point in Canadian law. May we all work toward the implementation of a Nordic model of law regarding prostitution in this country. May we work to see people protected and work toward a just society in Canada.

Further Reading:
REED, Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity; http://www.embracedignity.org

"Legalizing Prostitution Will Harm Women – Canada Must Target Buyers of Sex," MP Joy Smith, Press Release, December 20, 2013, http://www.joysmith.ca/news.asp?newsID=761

"Supreme Court of Canada strikes down federal prostitution laws," The Star.com, December 22, 2013, http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/12/20/supreme_court_of_canada_strikes_down_federal_criminal_prostitution_laws.html

"Supreme Court strikes down Canada's prostitution laws," CBC News, December 20, 2013, http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-strikes-down-canada-s-prostitution-laws-1.2471572

Filling Our Lives

As we approach the most commercialized, consumerist, season of the year, it is appropriate to pause and consider our values once again. Let's take a quick look at some of the messages given to us by the dominant culture at this time of year:

• buying things will make you happy
• if you buy one thing for someone else you can get a gift card to spend on yourself
• entertainment systems are a necessity
• big, high definition, entertainment systems will make your life better
• buying enough things so that everyone can have their own is only fair
• buying things that allow you to choose your own entertainment options will make you happier
• your home is your sanctuary away from the problems of the world
• stuff will make you sexy
• sexy will sell anything
• houses need to be big enough to keep all of your stuff.

If these are indeed some of the messages heard in the dominant culture (and certainly we could add more), let us ask ourselves, "How many actually make sense to us?" How many of the dominant messages of our culture have become part of our thought processes? Father Richard Rohr has said,

Most Christian 'believers' tend to echo the cultural prejudices and worldviews of the dominant group in their country, with only a minority revealing any real transformation of attitudes or consciousness. It has been true of slavery and racism, classism and consumerism, and issues of immigration and health care for the poor. From a religion based on a man who was always healing poor people and foreigners, it defies any logical analysis!1

To what is God calling us? How might we once again become a people who follow a man who healed poor people and foreigners?

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
Romans 12:1-3 (New Living Translation).

1 Huffington Post, "Religion and Immigration: We Have Not Yet Begun to Love," October 18, 2011.

No Man is an Island

"No man is an island," wrote John Donne in 1624. His poem by the same name suggests that the things that each of us do affect others around us. We are all part of the community of humankind and what I do has an effect on the whole. I thought of this the other day as I went for a run. I was continuing to train for a competition that, because of life circumstances, I could no longer fit into my schedule. One part of my brain said, "Why should I run today? There is no race in your near future." Yet another part of my brain reminded me that I run not just for myself. I run to stay healthy so that I might be around for more time to take care of the needs of my wife and family. I run to inspire others to stay fit and healthy. I even run to affect the overall fitness level of my country. When statistics are run on how many people are physically active in Canada, I want to be one of the people that brings up the national average.

The same is true of other aspects of our lives. The decisions I make and the good or evil I choose to do affects others. There are extreme examples. If I choose to drink alcohol and drive there is a good chance that I might seriously injure or kill someone with my car. But there are less extreme examples as well. If I consider it my right to pursue my own selfish direction in life and not work at my relationship with my wife it affects my wife, my children, my friendships, and society as a whole. Every person who walks away from marriage and divorces their spouse adds to the statistics of divorce and makes it that much easier for others to believe that it is normal, natural, and okay. So each of us can recognize that we have an effect on the whole of our society.

The good that we can do also inspires others. When a person takes a week or two of their holidays to go to Haiti or Cuba or Uganda to help with a water project, serve the poor, or build a school, others are inspired to do the same. When we volunteer on a local school committee, community association, strata board, or flood relief effort, we challenge others to consider their part in serving others. Together we make a difference.

How do I want my life to be remembered by those who follow? What am I doing right now that is an inspiration or a distraction to others? We are all connected. No man or woman is an island.

'No Man is an Island'
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.1

1 MEDITATION XVII; Devotions upon Emergent Occasions; John Donne; http://web.cs.dal.ca/~johnston/poetry/island.html

Man of Steel

I went to see Man of Steel yesterday and I found myself comparing it to The Dark Knight Rises.  Both Superman and Batman are characters that originated in comic books so one would expect the stories to be equally over the top with comic book violence and destruction. Yet, somehow, The Dark Knight Rises comes across as more real. Perhaps it is that Batman is just a wealthy man making the most of fitness and technology while Superman is an alien with god-like powers. Both movies have contributions from Christopher Nolan. Man of Steel features Nolan as a co-writer of the story while The Dark Knight Rises screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan and the movie was directed by Christopher Nolan. Christopher Nolan's directing is more subdued than the directing of Zack Snyder in Man of Steel. Snyder goes overboard with the violent destruction of Metropolis - building after building is destroyed and tips over on people below. He seems to want to make use of as much computer generated animation (CGA) as possible. Nolan, on the other hand, uses his fair share of CGA but limits the destruction of Gotham to a level that could be caused by over-zealous criminal master-minds rather than that caused by two gods wrestling throughout a vast cityscape. I think that movie audiences will soon tire of watching fight scenes of the calibre found in Man of Steel. How many times can we watch Superman get punched through a building or see the villain get knocked clear into earth orbit and take out a geostationary satellite before we tire of such over the top ruin and simply find it boring? I found myself waiting for the fight scenes to end so we could get on with the story.

There is another level at which to compare the two movies. I have previously written about the theme of self-sacrifice in The Dark Knight Rises and the theme is again present in Man of Steel. At one point we see a submissive Superman being led in handcuffs by a team of soldiers. The audience knows full well that the puny handcuffs will not hold him and sure enough we later see them pop off with no effort at all. Superman is seen as a potential danger to the humans of earth. Superman responds to this by saying that he has been around for 33 years and has not harmed anyone yet. In both these words and the scene with the soldiers there are definite allusions to the Christ story of the Bible. Just as Jesus was led away (at about 33 years of age) by a group of soldiers who could have been felled by a single word from his mouth, Superman submits to these humans who truly have no power over him. Superman is willing to sacrifice himself and be turned over to General Zod from Krypton to save the lives of the people of earth. Yet the theme is not developed as well as it was in The Dark Knight Rises and does not have the same emotional tug.

Perhaps the Batman story is simply a better story with which to work as compared to the Superman story. Batman is everyman. His struggles and his weaknesses are common to humanity. Man of Steel tries to play upon the foreigner in a strange land aspect of Superman but the reality is that Superman is still a Kansas farm boy with good old American values. He also has god-like powers and very few weaknesses. Batman is someone with whom we can relate; but how can we truly relate to this super man?

Nouwen on Forgiving the Church

In a time when many would say they are Christians without attending any expression of the Body of Christ, these words of Henri Nouwen are very appropriate.

When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,’ we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness. It is important to think about the Church not as ‘over there’ but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.

Henri Nouwen, "Forgiving the Church," Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith, Harperone; Reprint edition (Jun 1, 2005)

Fruit and the Community of God

Last Sunday, I preached a sermon that presented my current understanding of John 15:18 through 16:4. This passage follows closely on Jesus' words that he is the vine and we are the branches. The last part of John 15 points out that the vine does not exist to make a wonderful life for the branches. In fact, branches that get in the way of the production of fruit are pruned away. The goal is that the vine and the branches work in concert to produce fruit. Fruit can be defined as love, joy, peace, patience, understanding, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (as in Galatians 5:22, 23). It must also be defined as justice for others (as in Isaiah 5:7) and as the growth of more fruit-producing branches (Matthew 28:19, 20). In the church, this latter definition of fruit means more disciples of Jesus.

The obstacles to the way of life that produces fruit of the Community of God are many; but the primary one is our western addiction to consumption and caring for our own wants. In Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, Ross Douthat speaks of the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, the largest congregation in the United States, and says that he preaches "an upbeat gospel where 'God gives without demanding, forgives without threatening to judge, and hands out His rewards in this life rather than the next'."

But before we are too hard on this charismatic pastor, shouldn't we also admit that we love to hear an upbeat gospel where God gives without demanding, forgives without threatening to judge (or prune), and hands out his rewards (to the branches) in this life rather than the next? Have we not been given the message for which we clamour? Is this not the message we would prefer to hear? Do we not secretly think that this is the message of God to us? We tend to think that the gospel is much like the American or Canadian way and that we just need a little help to steer us toward God. Randy Stonehill says it well in a portion of one of his songs:

We say we need a little help
We need some new direction
Avoid the blessing like a curse
We're only lying to ourselves
What we need is resurrection
What we need is second birth

God, please give us resurrection. Give us second-birth. Bear with us long enough that we might grow fruit before you prune us away from the vine.

That's Why We Don't Love God - Randy Stonehill

That's why, that's why we don't love God
Although our lips feign praise
Still our hearts are far away
That's why, that's why we don't love God
We're so consumed with self
We can't love anybody else

We mask the nakedness
Of our mortality
Cloaked in this poison pride
And the illusion of control
We need the gift of grace
More than the air we breath
But as it draws us near
Still it repels our stubborn souls

That's why, that's why we don't love God
Oh yes our lips feign praise
But our hearts are far away
That's why, that's why we don't love God
I don't want my prayers to be
Some meaningless litany

Why are we so afraid, guarded and counterfeit
Is it because we know all the shadows we conceal
And we are so alone
Wolves in the winter snow
Never imagining
That this mercy could be real

That's why, that's why we don't love God
Oh yes our lips feign praise
But our hearts are far away
That's why, that's why we don't love God
I don't want my prayers to be
Some meaningless litany
We say we need a little help
We need some new direction
Avoid the blessing like a curse
We're only lying to ourselves
What we need is resurrection
What we need is second birth

That's why, that's why we don't love
That's why, that's why we don't love
That's why, that's why we don't love
That's why, that's why we don't love God

Stonehillian Music/ASCAP

Vocation

I, like many people in January, find that there is much work to be done and I become quite busy. It is certainly a fitting time to consider what we are accomplishing as we work at our jobs, volunteer with non-profit organizations, and serve at our churches. In the midst of my busyness I will consider my vocation. At least three authors have influenced my perspective on work and service to others. Martin Luther spoke very clearly about how our vocation will influence our day-to-day living when he said,

The prince should think: Christ has served me and made everything to follow
him; therefore, I should also serve my neighbor, protect him and everything that
belongs to him. That is why God has given me this office, and I have it that I
might serve him. That would be a good prince and ruler. When a prince sees his
neighbor oppressed, he should think: That concerns me! I must protect and
shield my neighbor....The same is true for shoemaker, tailor, scribe, or reader. If
he is a Christian tailor, he will say: I make these clothes because God has bidden
me do so, so that I can earn a living, so that I can help and serve my neighbor.
When a Christian does not serve the other, God is not present; that is not Christian living.1

He is suggesting that every person has a place, either of their own choosing or by virtue of having that role thrust upon them, and we seek to fulfill that role to the best of our abilities. In this way we praise God with our vocation. But you might ask, "What of the mundane interruptions of life and the things which seem so unrelated to my vocation?" Dietrich Bonhoeffer had this to say about helpfulness and interruptions.

God’s perspective is that we must enter into the ministry of helpfulness, which is
simple assistance in trifling, external matters. . . One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly. . . . We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps -- reading the Bible. When we do that, we pass by the visible sign of the Cross raised athwart our path to show us that not our way, but God's way must be done.2

I often think of this quote when someone asks me to help them move or paint their house. It is in these interruptions of life that we have some of our greatest opportunities to praise God with our time. Finally, Henri J. Nouwen brings the two concepts together in this brief statement. "My whole life I've been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered the interruptions were my work."3


1 Martin Luther, “Sermon in the Castle Church at Weimar” (25 October 1522, Saturday after the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity), in D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, 60 vols. (Weimar: Herman Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1883–1980) 10/3:382.

2 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Life Together, Harper, New York: 1954.

3 Henri J. M. Nouwen, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life (Toronto: Doubleday, 1975), 52, 53.

Our Time

Once we begin to think about our place in time and geography, the mystery of where we happen to exist is great. Think of all of the other points in time we might have been born. I was born in the latter half of the 20th century; but, I could just as easily have been one of the many people born at the beginning of the 20th century, or in the 5th century of the current era, or 2000 years before the current era. I might have also been born in the year 3000 of the current era, if our world should happen to last that long.

Then, there is the mystery of where I was born. I am one of the fortunate ones to have been born in a wealthy country of the 20th century. It was not a wealthy country in the 5th century but, when I happened to come along, Canada was one of the greatest countries on the planet. The good fortune of living in a country with modern medicine, plentiful food, and clean drinking water is certainly something about which to be grateful. The mystery of how this happens is astonishing.

The reality is that all of us have arrived in the middle of the story. We appear at a time and a place that has been shaped by countless lives that have gone before us. We could not choose the kind of world into which we were born and there are limits on how much we can affect it now that we are here. We are in the middle chapters. It is not the beginning of the book; nor is it yet the end. Each of us finds our place in this story. Some of us work hard to find our place and make our mark. Others are content to drift with the tide of time and place.

Some of the lives that have come before us have been obscure and did little to shape this time and place. Others have put a permanent mark on the world as we know it. What mark will you leave upon this planet? What is your perception of the degree to which you want to shape the world? Each of us indeed has a choice. No one is requiring us to change the world. Yet each of us has the ability to do just that. There is a principle in the book of Esther which proposes that we may have been placed in our current circumstances for a reason. This principle suggests that all of us have choices that we can freely make. When opportunities to act come our way, we may choose to do nothing while others act and have an effect on the circumstances of the day; or we may choose to see the opportunity as something for which we are uniquely prepared and choose to act with resolve. Esther 4:14 can be paraphrased, "If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place; but who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?"

Cold Capitalism

It has once again become fashionable to quote Ayn Rand.1 United States presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently announced his running mate to be Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan is the United States Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district who has his staff read this quote: "I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."2 It would seem that, in his mind, it is okay to ask someone else to live by his philosophy but not "for the sake of him." Other notable Rand statements include the statement that "Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men;"3 and, in an aptly titled book of essays, collectively called, The Virtue of Selfishness, Rand says, "It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master."4 All three of these quotes point in an individualistic and uncaring direction.

Rand, Ryan, and Romney believe in the "on your own" economy. They believe that we are best served if everyone takes care of themselves and looks to no one else for help. In as far as this reminds us that the world does not owe us a living, it may be a good corrective; but as a philosophy of life it is cold, callous, and lonely. Leon Wieseltier puts it this way,

"I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." That is how John Galt concludes his testament, which Paul Ryan demands that his staffers in Congress read. What a frail sense of self it is that feels so imperiled by the existence of others! This monadic ideal is not heroic, it is cowardly. It is also dangerous, because it honors only itself. In his Roadmap, the intellectual on the Republican ticket lectures that "the Founders saw [Adam] Smith not only as an economic thinker, but as a moral philosopher whose other great work was The Theory of Moral Sentiments." . . . Has Ryan ever opened The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Has he ever read its very first sentence on its very first page? "How selfish soever man may be supposed," Smith begins, "there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it." That is the least Galt-like, least Rand-like, least Ryan-like sentence ever written. And from there the conservatives' deity launches into a profound analysis of "mutual sympathy." So much for Ryan’s fiction of the isolato with a platinum card! If there is anything that Adam Smith stands for, it is the reconcilability of capitalism with fellow feeling, of market economics with social decency. But Ryan is a dismal student of Smith, because he likes his capitalism cruel.

I am no student of democracy and I would not claim to understand American politics, but I have spent a good deal of time studying and promoting community. It is quite the opposite of what is being promoted by Ayn Rand and those who would follow her.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 New American Standard Bible

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand
2 Atlas Shrugged, published 1957.
3 The Fountainhead, published 1943.
4 “The Ethics of Emergencies,” The Virtue of Selfishness, p. 44.