June 22, 2020
Good afternoon,
" But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. I Corinthians 15:20-24
I am reading a book called, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak. I learned of her when I traveled to Turkey, where she lives. The lead character, Leila, dies at the beginning of the book, but she has 10 minutes and 38 seconds before she fully dies, to think about her entire life. The rest of the book is a reflection on the important events/people in her life. If you had the opportunity to quickly think of your life history, what are the things that you would remember ? Would it take ten or eleven minutes ?
Paul talks about falling asleep, as a way of losing our faith, but also about our death here on this earth. We live our lives, in following the ways of Jesus, God, the Spirit, and some might say, the apostle Paul. We must remain awake in order to make good decisions while on this earth. We must be loving, compassionate and caring for all the things that God has blessed with on this earth.
If I had the time, I would remember going from a German-speaking Church to an English-speaking one. I did not understand any German, so worship made no sense to me. I was baptized in 1976. Going off to Trent University ( 1977 ) was a challenge for me. Few people had anything to do with the Christian faith. It was a great experience for me, to be in that environment. There were many changes for me in the 1980's: off to Europe, getting married, off to Thailand, becoming a dad and being a pastor. All these things have shaped me into who I am. In 1991, we returned to Ontario to become the pastor at Floradale. My heart attack in 2007 still stays with me everyday. There are thousands of other events in my life that I could talk about.
Usually, we are asked what are the top ten things about something, but today I ask you, what are the top 5 1/2 events of your life that you would reflect upon, if you had only a little less than eleven minutes to think about it ? How has God shaped you into a person of faith ?
Prayer
Do not let me fall
asleep,
Please keep my eyes open
to see what has happened
to me,
in all of my years.
God,
what would you say,
are the important memories
to remember for my faith
going forward.
And, until the end of the age, or when I die,
Give me more than eleven minutes to Think. Pray. Believe. Be Thankful. AMEN.
Fred
Tread on bold new paths !
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
Ponder Anew 