I Believe in Love: Daring Right Relationships

“An angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 20-21

The story of the first Christmas is a story of love. Human beings long for love. Most of us have known love, through healthy relationships with family and friends, often taking for granted that everyone has the same experience. But, the reality is that not everyone has known good and life-giving love. In the Christmas story, we learn about love between Mary and Joseph along with the baby Jesus. We also learn about God’s amazing love for all of humankind by coming to live among us as the Saviour born in Bethlehem.

God’s love goes beyond what we can even imagine and yet is felt and known in our care, compassion, and concern for each other. During the holiday season in particular, we are called to encourage, support, and give to those in need, especially those in need of love.

I Believe in the Sun: Hope for Tomorrow

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1: 15

There was a poem written on the wall of a cellar during WW II that began with “I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining”. Throughout history, human beings have relied on hope to sustain them through challenging times, even when it seemed like all was lost.

On the first Sunday of Advent, the time of preparation before Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus, it is with hope that we wait. We live in hope because a baby born in a stable hundreds of years ago was Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus came to usher in a new world and a new life promised by God. Today, we continue to live in anticipation and hope for tomorrow.

“Figuring Out What Matters”

“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” Matthew 25: 37-40

The busy holiday season is upon us and the world is a different place than it was last year. It’s hard to imagine that our usual Christmas traditions won’t happen like they have before. We might be trying to figure out what matters the most and where we should put our time, our energy, and our resources.

Jesus told a story about helping others to help us figure out what should be most important to us. Next week, the season of Advent begins for Christians as we prepare to celebrate that Jesus came to the world. His example of loving, forgiving, feeding, healing, and welcoming is what we strive to live each and every day. The good news is that as we open our hearts, use our energy and resources to care and love and give to the least of these, we care and love and give to our God in Jesus Christ and that is ultimately what matters most. Thanks be to God.

Wise Investment

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25: 21

It takes a whole lot of faith to invest in something: whether it’s investing money in the stock market or a business venture, investing in a child’s education, investing in a product that promises to make like better, or investing in a serious relationship with another person. It also takes some risk and trust to make an investment when the outcome is unknown, and the reward may take awhile. Some people are more comfortable with risk than others.

Jesus told a story about investing and what it means to use what we’ve been given and how to live up to our potential. In some ways, it’s about God investing in us and expecting a good return, even when the odds are uncertain. We are responsible for using our resources and our gifts to make the world a place that reflects God’s love for us. Followers of Jesus strive to be God’s wise investment and to hear Jesus say in the end, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Test of Time

“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25: 13

We are a culture that celebrates the newest thing: fancy phones, amazing gadgets, and innovative scientific discoveries. It’s funny how quickly the novelty fades and the latest fads become old news. It makes me wonder: what things stand the test of time? What things still have meaning and value long after they were shiny and new?

In the Bible, Jesus taught that following him wasn’t a fleeting choice, but a life-long commitment that would need to stand the test of time. He told a story about a group of bridesmaids, some who had enough oil for their lamps and some who did not. The bridesmaids who were not prepared for a long wait are like those who put more value on the things that come and go, rather than the things that stand the test of time.

On Remembrance Day, we honour those who gave their lives for freedom and those who continue to protect the values that have stood the test of time; justice, peace, honesty, and respect. We are fortunate to live in a country that believes that all people, no matter their status, religion, gender, or ethnicity, have a right to a life where those values are protected. We are reminded this week that we all have a responsibility to uphold the values that have stood the test of time.

Blessings in Disguise

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5: 8

“God Bless You!” Sometimes we throw that phrase around without really thinking about what it means. The word bless means to ask for divine care, to praise or approve something, and to seek protection. We often think of a blessing as a reward, something good that’s happened. This has been one tough year and it might seem like blessings are hard to come by.

When Jesus stood on a hill and gave a sermon Christians call The Beatitudes, it was to a people who knew hard times. The list of blessings from God gave them hope that God knew their struggles and was still present and active in their lives.

Today, we too seek to know that all is not lost, that there are still good things happening around us. The Beatitudes point us in the right direction. The Message translation puts Matthew 5: 8 this way: “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” When I hear this blessing, I am reassured that in all of life’s challenges right now, we are not without hope that God is still blessing us in ways that are seen and ways that are unseen. Thanks be to God.

The Greatest Love of All

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22: 37-39

Russian Empress, Catherine the Great. P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman. Wayne Gretzky, The Great One. We label people ‘great’ when they are the most accomplished, most important, and the very best.  Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, so he quoted a well-known verse from the Hebrew Bible all about love. Christians and Jews share this commandment in common. In fact, the love of God, neighbour, and self is one of the greatest commandments for most world religions.

For Christians, the challenge has been how to show ‘great’ love in our everyday lives. What’s the point of embracing the greatest commandment, if we don’t live out that love in obvious and tangible ways? Love of God, neighbour, and ourselves is not meant to be hoarded and hidden, but it’s meant to be shown and given away. The true value of that love is seen when we support each other, encourage each other, challenge each other, and ultimately, share the greatest love of all with God, with our neighbour and with ourselves. Thanks be to God.

A Question of Loyalty

“Give to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22: 21

When we gather together for dinners with family or friends, (or at least when we used to) most of us have been advised to avoid two subjects, religion and politics. Those two topics can cause conflict and awkwardness around the table because people can have pretty strong feelings and differing opinions about each.

Jesus was confronted by religious leaders, who tried to trick him into speaking against the ruling empire. Jesus knew they were trying to test them, so he turned around their questions to make them confront what was most important to them: politics or religion, government systems or God.

Christians today are still torn between those two loyalties. How do we engage meaningfully in our society and be responsible citizens, and at the same time, proclaim faith in God? How do we put Christ first, even when we have competing loyalties? Perhaps, we can learn from Jesus who said to give to God what is God’s. For us today, that might look like putting our support behind those things that help rather than harm, to causes that bring about justice rather than injustice, to focusing on what we all need rather than just what we want, and to acts of kindness and generosity. When we give to God what is God’s, we honour God and put Christ first in our lives. Thanks be to God.

Joyful Gratitude

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

Do you remember as a child being excited about the little things, things that seemed to lose their appeal as you got older? Remember the wonder of a shiny rock, the miracle of an extra big earthworm, or the satisfaction of making a big mud pie that stayed together long enough to bring it into the house to show your parents. Such joy!

In these challenging and unusual days, joy might be hard to come by. We’re still grieving what we’ve lost in the last few months like getting together with family for holidays, sending the kids to school without anxiety, spontaneous outings to a restaurant or a movie, or a stress-free trip to the grocery store.

The first followers of Jesus faced many challenges too. They lived under an oppressive regime, there were no social services, and the early church was still trying to figure out how to best serve God with a diverse group of people. One of their leaders, Paul, wrote letters to teach, encourage, and help them. For Christians, we read those letters today in the Bible to find strength in our own struggles and to be reminded to have a spirit of joyful gratitude. “Rejoice”, he said.

Rejoicing doesn’t mean we’re going to be happy all the time, but it means that despite all the challenges, we can be grateful for all those things that lead to joy. It might be something simple like the leaves changing colour, apples and pumpkins ready for picking, and fall sunsets that give us a lightshow. I pray that this Thanksgiving weekend you will know joyful gratitude and rejoice in the little things.