Fear and faith in times of uncertainty (September 2020)
“I was afraid.” (Daniel 8:17, KJV)
Uncertainty often breeds fear.
As we approach the fall, and what is anything but a “normal” return to school and
other “usual” fall activities, there are many uncertainties. My perception, based on
observations and conversations, is that the uncertainties give rise to many fears.
One of those who faced both uncertainty and fear was Daniel.We may remember
the story of Daniel and the lions’ den, and his remarkable deliverance by God’s
gracious mercy. Yet when Daniel says, “I was afraid” as recorded in Daniel 8:17
(KJV) — which is amplified in the NIV to “I was terrified” — it was not when he
faced the lions. Rather, it was when, after seeing a vision of the future, Daniel was
confronted by a messenger, Gabriel, who was appointed to explain “the meaning
of the vision” (Daniel 8:16). This action — the approaching of one who would explain things — is what
led Daniel to admit his fear, and to fall down.
The latter part of chapter 8 records Daniel’s response. “I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several
days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision…” (Daniel 8:27).
When Daniel finds his balance after all of this, he turns to God in prayer, and in chapter 9 we have
recorded one of the longest and strongest prayers of faith, confession, and intercession in the Bible
(chapter 9:4-19).
I call attention to this for a couple of reasons.
First, we need to acknowledge that we live amid many uncertainties. Modern society has tried very hard to
assert control. “We’ve got it covered” is intended to assure those around us (employer, fellowworkers)
that we are selfsufficient.
“I know”: the child or teen says to the parent, designed to have the parent back
off with assurance that the one making the assertion is selfconfident.
Yet in facing a novel (new) illness
that is not yet fully understood even by the best experts, and all the fallout
in economic, social,
educational, and political realms, the truth is that we just don’t know.
Second, it is both okay and right to admit our fears. If we are going to cope and succeed in the midst of
our challenges, we need to be honest before God in stating and acknowledging that we are afraid.We need
to be able to share our real fears.We need to admit those fears with each other, and we need to bring those
fears before God.
Initially, Daniel was paralyzed by his fear. He fell prostrate to the ground. He was exhausted and ill for
some days. Yet he got up, and went about his daily duties and responsibilities. He “carried on”. Most
importantly, he turned to God in prayer.
In his praying, he addressed God in worship and adoration. He confessed his sin — his own sin and the
sins of those of the community of faith. He sought God’s forgiveness and mercy — acknowledging God’s
righteousness, and asking God to vindicate God’s own Name and the people who bear that Name.
Here is guidance and encouragement for us. Daniel worked through his uncertainty and fear. The
messenger, Gabriel, returned to Daniel (chapter 9:20-23)
after his prayer, and gave him increased
understanding.We can too be assured that God will, in answer to our prayers and in God’s own good
time, give us greater understanding and wisdom to face the circumstances and situations in which we
find ourselves.
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20 reasons to be thankful in 2020 (October 2020)
Colossians 3:15 “
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)
As we approach Thanksgiving, many voices lament this year 2020 — which has been full of bad news.
Some want the year to end. Some want the year to start over. Some call for Thanksgiving not to be
observed.
I propose a different tack. With the exhortation and encouragement given by the apostle Paul to the
Christian Church in Colosse, and the aid of the Spirit of God at work within us, we are called to “let the
peace of Christ rule … our hearts” and we are called to “be thankful”. Rooted in Christ, who brings each
believer to peace with God, peace with self, and peace with others, we can live in thanksgiving. Here are
twenty reasons in 2020 to live thankfully:
I am thankful to be alive — reflecting at least something of the image of the God of creation Who
authors and sustains life.
I am thankful to be twice alive — born of the Spirit of God, washed in the blood of the Lamb, set free
from condemnation.
I am thankful to be adopted as a beloved child of the King of kings, a sibling of Jesus Christ, the elder
Brother who sticks closer than any other friend.
I am thankful to be in the care of the Great Physician — of both body and soul, and to know that in life
and in death I belong to Him Who cares for me.
I am thankful to be dressed in righteousness — the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Lamb without spot
or blemish, Who will one day present me, before the Father’s glory, holy and blameless.
I am thankful to have been saved by grace through faith, not of works, so that I cannot boast, but created
in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for me to do, to the praise of His
glory.
I am thankful to be a member of Christ’s body, in which every part is joined and fitted together as one
whole, and in which no part is despised or belittled, but each one esteemed and honoured.
I am thankful to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who produces in and through me love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control,
and all without limit or measure.
I am thankful to know and serve a God Who is sovereign, and knows the end from the beginning, and is
working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
I am thankful to rest in the One Who judges justly, and without favourtism.
I am thankful to know the God Who raised Jesus from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep, and Who has promised to raise us with Jesus.
I am thankful to pray to God Who knows what I need before I ask.
I am thankful to know the Holy Spirit, Who speaks on my behalf with groans too deep for words.
I am thankful that the One Who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world.
I am thankful that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
I am thankful to the Father Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom
of light.
I am thankful to store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do
not break in and steal.
I am thankful for an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.
I am thankful that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am thankful that whatever I do, whether in word or deed, I can do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
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Remembering (November 2020)
November 11th is Remembrance Day. This year, 2020, ceremonies to mark the day will
be very different, as large gatherings are prohibited in many places due to the current
pandemic. This year, however, also marks the 75th year since the end of World War II,
and there are very few veterans of that war still living. As we consider the absence of the
crowds, we would do well to also consider the absence of veterans.
With the passing of the generations, we who are left to grow and age are vested with greater
responsibility to remember the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. Some went to war; some
have gone to make peace; still others to keep peace. There have been many wars, battles, and conflicts
in which our veterans have served; some are on active duty today. Some laid down their lives in the
thick of the battle; their sacrifices bought us peace and freedom. Others carried their wounds —
physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual — living with them for the rest of their lives; their sacrifices
are woven into the fabric of our lives. We are the better for the investment of themselves on our behalf,
and we remain forever indebted to them. Remembering them and their families is a holy duty.
We would do well to realize that the words “remember” and “forget” appear many, many times in the
pages of our English Bibles. Most usually the word “forget” is preceded by the negative — as in “Do
not forget …” The word “remember” is sometimes offered in prayer, as faithful, Godfearing
folks
petition God “to remember” some one or some thing, seeking a blessing.
Most instances, however, are those in which either God Himself or one of His servants calls us to
remember — to remember Who He is, what He has done for us, and who He has given us. In the spirit
of the twenty reasons in 2020 for giving thanks, here are twenty calls to remember, all taken from the
NIV translation:
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms
his covenant. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your
elders, and they will explain to you. (Deuteronomy 32:7)
Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. (Psalm 105:5)
These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the
procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. (Psalm
42:4)
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like me. (Isaiah 46:9)
Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
(Malachi 4:4)
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years
approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” … Remember him — before the silver cord is
severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at
the well. (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 6)
Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they
will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. (John 15:20)
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also
reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6)
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. (2 Timothy 2:8)
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great
contest in the face of suffering. (Hebrews 10:32)
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without
knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,
and those who are ill-treated
as if you
yourselves were suffering. (Hebrews 13:3)
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life
and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7)
Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews
13:16)
Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover
over a multitude of sins. (James 5:20)
Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand
years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)
Remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. (Jude 17)
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. (Revelation 3:3)
As we pause to mark Remembrance Day, let us remember all who have given their lives, and lived their
lives, to the honour of God and the welfare of humanity. Let us also remember the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, Whom to know is life, and Whom to remember is to live and share life abundantly.
Remembering, and striving to remember,
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Neighbours (December 2020 - January 2021)
“Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22: 39, NIV)
In some parts of the country, and in some countries around the world, the current pandemic has led to
public health orders that forbid one from gathering with people outside of one’s own household.
One does not have to visit one’s neighbour, however, in order to love one’s neighbour. In some cases,
one might best love one’s neighbour by not visiting.
One is not, however, excused from loving one’s neighbour simply because one cannot visit one’s
neighbour. In this time of physical distancing, we would do well to reflect on how to be a good
neighbour and how to bear witness to our neighbours.
It is true that practices and cultures are different in large cities compared with small towns or rural
countrysides, but all of us need to reflect on what it means to be a neighbour. Jesus challenged all who
would hear in the parable of the Good Samaritan to consider that our neighbour is anyone who is in
need, but that does not exempt us from considering our physically nearest neighbours. In a time when we
are being encouraged to “keep our distance”, or to “stay home”, we are still called to love our
neighbours.
To effectively and appropriately love our neighbours, we first of all need to know who our neighbours
are. Do we know neighbours next door — left and right — and across the street? For those in an
apartment building or condominium, “across the street” might be “across the hall”. For those in a shared
quarters in a nursing home or hospital, “next door” might be “in the next bed”.
What can we do for our neighbours to show our love for them? Pray for them? Yes, of course, and very
importantly. But what else, and especially when visiting is curtailed or forbidden?
Christmas often affords an opportunity to decorate house and yard or balcony or window with lights and
other festive signs to mark the season. Driving or walking through a neighbourhood to see multiple
houses decked out with lights is often a source of pleasure and inspiration for people.What do the
neighbours see when they look at our houses?
Growing up in a small town, and in an upstairs apartment, I recall the intentional efforts of my parents
— especially my mother — to reach out at Christmas time both to neighbours and to those who served
our neighbourhood. Decorative (and tasty!) trays of candy (usually homemade chocolate and white
divinity fudge) would be prepared and delivered (usually left on the doorstep) for the neighbours
downstairs, and up and down the street, and to the postman, the milkman, and the newspaper delivery
boy or girl. I think that the garbage collectors might have even made the list!
To build, maintain, or rebuild
communities and indeed a civil society — so desperately needed in the
present climate of rampant individualism — we need to treat our neighbours and those who serve our
neighbourhoods with respect and care. Christians who observe the celebration of Christmas remember
the lifegiving
and lifechanging
arrival of Jesus as Saviour in and for our world. Our marking of
Christmas gives us an opportunity to witness to those around us — and especially to our neighbours —
of the love of Jesus. Let us take the opportunity to honour Jesus’ command to love our neighbours as
ourselves, and find creative ways to do so — even and especially while we maintain our distance during
the current pandemic.
Small actions now may build bridges, and open the way for more meaningful conversations, visits, and
interactions in the future when time and circumstances allow for such.
Your pastor,
pondering how to do Christmas this year,
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Forgetting and remembering in a time of thinking (February 2021)
In these days of limited mobility, many of us have some time on our hands. Some of such time is well
spent thinking.We are perhaps inclined to think in the present about either the past or the future.
The Bible in many places calls God’s people to remember things — so we are challenged to consider the
past, and the lessons we might learn or have reinforced by such remembering.
There is, though, in the book of Isaiah, one place where we are told to forget the past, and then, a few
chapters later, told to remember the past.Which is it? Why the difference?
Compare these two verses:
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. (Isaiah 43:18)
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and
there is none like me. (Isaiah 46:9)
A contradiction? No, but we have here either an apparent contradiction or a paradox — which is
something that seems to be a contradiction but rather are two equal or parallel truths that are perfectly
resolved in the infinite mind of God, but which pose great challenges for the finite, limited human mind.
In this case, the first instruction to “forget the former things” in its context in the midst of Isaiah 43
occurs when the prophet, in God’s name, is reminding the people of what God had done in the past when
He delivered His people from the yoke of slavery in Egypt. He enabled them to pass through the Red
Sea, and to freedom, and is using that deliverance as a reminder that God will, in the future, deliver the
exiles from their captivity in Babylon, and restore them to freedom. Verse 14, ahead of verse 18, says,
“This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘For your sake I will send to
Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride.’”
He says in verse 18, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” — because He then goes on to
point to the future. Verse 19 says: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive
it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Constantly remembering the wrongs done to us does not help us. Those who have suffered either
judgement for sins committed or deeds omitted, but who subsequently have known the forgiveness of
God through Jesus Christ, are not well served by harping back and dwelling on what God himself has
removed and forgotten. The psalmist says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our
transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) Likewise, dwelling on past persecution for Christ’s sake or
deprivation or hardship in his service does not serve the Christian well, when with the apostle we are
encouraged to say, ”But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I
press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13-14).
The future holds for the Christian far more than the past.
Yet in a great many places in the Bible, we are told to “remember”. Isaiah’s call and command (in chapter
46) to the people follows the call and command (in chapter 43) to forget, and is accompanied by a great
declaration of the central reason why we are called to remember: God is the great I AM.
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)What Isaiah is emphasizing, and what scripture over and over again dwells
on, is that our “rememberers” (our brains, and our spirits, prompted by the Holy Spirit), need to be
constantly exercised in recalling God — God’s being, characteristics, commandments, laws, decrees, and
Jesus’ promises, plans, pleas, and prayers for his chosen and beloved people.
God himself sets the stage and example for our remembering by first of all reminding us that He will
remember. Genesis 9:15 says, “I will remember my covenant between me and you …” and then looks to
the rainbow to remind Him.
Among the ten commandments, he tells us, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus
20:8) — and then goes on to remind us how He made it holy through rest.
A helpful exercise in remembering would be to use an online concordance or search to identify all the
instances of the word “Remember” in the Bible. I leave you with four from the psalms that are great
verses to offer in prayer, as we remember God:
- Remember,
O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. (Psalm 25:6)
- Remember
not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for
you are good, O Lord. (Psalm 25:7)
- My
soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you. (Psalm 42:6)
- On
my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. (Psalm 63:6)
Coupled with four from the New Testament, we have great things to think about when we occupy our
minds when we have time on our hands:
- Let us remember fellow believers, like Paul remembered those in Thessalonica:We continually
remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and
your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
- Let
us remember to share: Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever
sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6)
- Let
us remember whose who suffer: Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners,
and
those who are ill-treated
as if you yourselves were suffering. (Hebrews 13:3)
- Let
us remember Jesus: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my
gospel. (2 Timothy 2:8)
Your pastor, remembering,
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Equal (March 2021)
Galatians 3:26-28
“
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were
baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)
At its meeting on February 22, 2021, the session of Parkwood Church considered a recent resolution of
the Presbytery of Ottawa, adopted at its meeting in January, to call attention to and circulate a statement
on anti-Asian
racism. The statement was written and adopted by the Presbytery of Westminster, in
British Columbia, last year, amid growing concerns about and evidence of racism directed against people
of Asian descent.
For this month’s meditation, I simply want to affirm clearly that all people are created in the image of
God, and in this way are his offspring. Each of us can — and is invited to — say with David in Psalm
139: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (NIV)
This applies to all people, equally to Christians and non-Christians.
The apostle Paul addresses the issue of ethnic differences and tells us, along with the churches of
Galatia, that for Christians the issue of equality is even more to be emphasized and affirmed: “There is
neither Jew nor Greek”. “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ”
— i.e. all Christians are now viewed by God as being dressed in the righteousness and beauty of Jesus
Christ. It is said that the ground at the foot of the cross is level: no one stands higher or lower than
anyone else. We are naked in the unrighteousness of sin — all are guilty, and all stand condemned under
the law of God. We are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, equally cleansed and reborn
and restored
only on the basis of God’s love and mercy, and Jesus’ service and sacrifice on our behalf.
Sadly, not all who have sought to be Christ’s followers have lived so humbly and shown, by attitude and
action, such a humble and faithful equality. In the statement from the Presbytery of Westminster,
attention is drawn to some early 20th century Presbyterians who led anti-Asian
riots. Others, though,
including George Leslie Mackay, a pioneer missionary to Taiwan and moderator of the General
Assembly in 1894, campaigned strongly against the “Chinese Head Tax”, believing that such
discrimination was wrong.
Today, we do well to humbly give thanks for whose who, by teaching and example, respect and honour
all men and women of all ethnic origin and of every nationality as equal creatures in God’s image, and
embrace as full and equal sisters and brothers in Christ each and every one who acknowledges and
confesses Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Together, we are called to eschew and denounce racism in any
form. Let the words and challenge of the Presbytery of Westminster remind, inform, and challenge us to
address racism in our time and place.
Your pastor, and fellow pilgrim, in Christ,
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Spring (April 2021)
Spring is sprung!
Spring is a season of hope.
Spring is associated with new life — the budding of plants, trees, and flowers
Spring is associated with the mating of birds and the laying of eggs
Spring is associated with the blossoming of love
Spring is the season for planting
Spring brings showers that grow flowers
Spring is the season for cleaning
Spring heralds renewal!
Bright, fresh, new — are adjectives that describe things, ideas, and states of being as we enter
and embrace spring.
Let us imagine that the letter to the Colossians was written or received — or at least inspired
— in spring. If not in the spring of the year, then certainly it arrived in the springtime
of the
church — in the early years of promise and growth and new life:
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the
saints — the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven
and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to
you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing
among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You
learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ
on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you
and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom
and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the
Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in
the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious
might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to
the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom
of light. (Colossians 1:3-12, NIV)
This is an upbeat, lifegiving,
celebratory greeting. It is thankful, and models thankful praying. It
celebrates faith and love, and affirms that both spring from hope. Hope is stored in heaven — to
which Jesus has risen! Hope is rooted in the good news of the gospel — which has come to those,
at Colosse and elsewhere, to whom Paul is writing and to whom the Spirit is speaking. Good
news is to be shared — and passed along. Epaphras is saluted as both one who serves Jesus
faithfully, and who has encouraged Paul and Timothy, who jointly begin the letter with greetings.
Good news inspires prayers for more blessings: “we have not stopped praying for you” — seeking
an increase in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. These blessings are merely stepping stones
to enable the believers to live lives “worthy of the Lord”, bearing fruit in good works, and
growing to have ever greater capacity to receive and cherish the blessings of God — an
inheritance reserved for the saints!
What is more spring-like
and life-giving
for disciples of Christ — whether young or young at
heart? These words are good news!
Let us receive these words among the blessings of spring, and together with all the blessings of
spring, celebrate and share them — even and especially amid the circumstances of this spring.
We may be under the shadow of a pandemic, but spring is still spring!
rejoicing in both the presence and the promise of new life,
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Pulse (May 2021)
A pulse provides evidence of a beating heart.
Three observations about a pulse, and its application to the church, and the
name of our newsletter:
First, the fact that there is a “pulse” is evidence of life! The church has a pulse
— the church is alive!
Second, regular issues of the pulse — each month — signify health! An even
pulse is better than an irregular one. One is healthier if one’s pulse is steady. A
regular, steady heartbeat is better and healthier than an irregular
Third, a strong pulse is better than a weak one. Substantial content, contributed by diverse but
complementary contributors, provides evidence of vital life among the community of those who live in
community with Jesus, who told his first disciples that He comes so we might have life — full and
overflowing!
The origin of the name “The Parkwood Pulse” or “The Pulse of Parkwood” for our congregational
newsletter has apparently been lost in the mists of time, but the name has stuck through the years. Senior
elders recall that it predates the erection of the church building, in 1974. Once restricted for financial
reasons to two pages and cranked out on a Gestetner copy machine in someone’s place of business, the
Pulse of Parkwood was handed to newcomers and regular worshippers alike in the days when the
congregation met in rented space at a local school. The lifeline of news and comment provided material
for thoughtful reflection and notice of upcoming activities.
Some think that online blogs and a constant stream of Facebook posts or tweets via Twitter have
replaced the need for a “newsletter”, and that the pastor should simply develop a blog to offer ongoing
commentary on faith and life. Some colleagues inundate my inbox and/or Facebook page or Twitter feed
with a constant stream of their thoughts. In the same way, some people believe that online news websites
have supplanted the need for printed newspapers or published magazines or journals.
The delivery of news and content 24/7 — every day, every hour, every minute, is now reality. Yet there is
a need to realize that there are rhythms in life which are healthy. Most of us eat three meals well-spaced
during the day, rather than munching on snacks continuously through the day, because there are other
things besides eating and drinking that need to occupy our time and our lives in order to maintain good
health and a balanced life. In the same way, we need to hold on to rhythms in the intake of news,
comment, and reflection — and especially so in the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted many normal
activities and rhythms.
The heart beats in a rhythm. This signals to us that a pulse points to the need for regular rhythms in life.
Our days are structured with dawn, noonday, and sunset. Our years are marked by changing seasons of
spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Not everything flows constantly and in the same way — pushing
always and forever upon us.
As we look for balance, let us remember the rhythm of sabbath — one day in seven — to pause, to
worship our Creator and Redeemer, and to reflect. Let us also value our Pulse — and how it informs
and celebrates our life as the Christian community of Parkwood Church!
Genesis 8:22 “
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night will never cease.” (NIV)
“Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ.”
(Psalm 34, Tate and Brady’s new version, 1696)
Your pastor, thankful for the Pulse of Parkwood,
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What kind of garden are you growing? (June 2021)
Writing this reflection close to May 24th, which is the traditional planting date for
gardens in much of Canada, I am led to ask, “What kind of garden are you growing?
I don’t mean, “Are you growing flowers or vegetables?” Nor do I mean, “Are you
growing annuals or perennials?”
Rather, I am asking, “How are you growing? — and answers like “tall”, “fat”, or “old” don’t count!
In the Bible, God describes people in gardening terms. Psalm 1 begins, “Blessed is one who …”
and says such an individual “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and
whose leaf does not wither.” (Psalm 1:3) Clearly, the image is of a healthy, fruitful plant. God designs and
desires each of us to be full of life and fruit.
God’s people are also led to ask about the environment in which God is calling His people to live. When the
spies were sent to investigate the inhabitants of the promised land, they were instructed to ask, “What kind
of land do they live in?” (Numbers 13:19)
Years later, the prophet Jeremiah is called to contend with God’s people and to confront them for having
failed to thrive. “I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled
my land and made my inheritance detestable. … I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable
stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?” (Jeremiah 2:7, 21)
Our surroundings — both peoples and places — are to benefit from the life we share. Abundant life is
overflowing life, which blesses all who interact with and are touched by the life we live.
The credit is to accrue to God who first designs and plants His garden: God’s people, God’s church. When
the prophet Isaiah is describing God’s intent for the people of His covenant to be renewed, we are told:
“Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land for ever. They are the shoot I have
planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendour.” (Isaiah 60:21) Clearly, God is the Master
Gardener, and He revels in His garden!
Jesus, revealing God in human flesh, self-describes:
“I am the vine; you are the branches.” (John 15:5) We
grow only in Him. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself.” (John 15:4)
Peter asks, “What kind of people ought you to be?” Led by the Spirit, he immediately answers his own
question: “You ought to live holy and godly lives.” (2 Peter 3:11) Let us ask the same question of ourselves,
and seek to answer it, led by the same Spirit, “You will be like a well-watered
garden.” (Isaiah 58:11)
To that end, our summer series of services this year is planted around the theme, “Gardening for life”, and
will explore three prophecies, three psalms, and three parables. Join us, if you can, online on Sundays at
10:00AM.
Your pastor, striving both to garden and to be one, the planting of the Lord,
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