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June 29, 2020, Good afternoon, " And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. " I Thessalonians 5 : 14-28 As I have said before, this short letter is the first of Paul's letters to the early church. This the closest we get to what someone said since Jesus died ( around 33 AD ). That is between 20-25 years. So for those years, the stories of Jesus, and the Gospel were told by word of mouth. They began in Jerusalem, and went out from there. Travel took a long time, and it may have been expensive. The message would have taken lots of time to filter down through society. And, most people could not read. So, I think these words are important to see and hear what the early believers were saying "yes" to in their faith. In Chapter 5, it is the instructions to this faith community, about how to live. Paul has talked earlier in the letter about being in the Lord, and about Jesus being raised from the dead. We live forever with Jesus. But here at the end of the letter it is about living right, while here on earth. In 5:17 , It says, " Rejoice always ", in 5:18, it states, " Pray continually ", in 5:19, " Do not quench the Spirit " in 5:21, " but test them, hold onto what is good." and finally, in 5:22, " reject every kind of evil ". These are short verses about how to act, but the original letter has no chapters or verses in them ( that came from Robert Stephanus in 1551 ). I think it sounds so different when the verse structure is there. It makes you stop and listen. It sounds like an interpretation and not a translation. But, the strength of the words is still there. Can we agree to live like this in our world within and outside the church. I wonder if these kinds of guidelines were new for the believers in Thessaloniki ? Prayer ( from my favourite new poet, Mary Oliver 1935-2019 ) Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world. Salaam and strength for our journey of life and faith, together. Fred
Thanks Cindy. I had a great time even if I hit the Wall. That is neat that Shirley shares a birthday with your granddaughter. Hope she enjoyed herself. Shirley did. Fred
June 30, 2020, Good afternoon, " Just then a man came up to Jesus and said, " Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?" Matthew 19:16 Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat only one thing, the leaves of the milkweed. How do they come to the knowledge of having such a diet ? I guess it helps them to grow into such beautiful butterflies. My understanding is that the panda only eats bamboo. Do they think of eating other stuff ? If they are starving, do they eat other food ? For me, it might make life easier. Women would/could eat only Boston Cream donuts from Tim Hortons, and men could/would only eat summer sausage from Noah Martin's from Hawkesville. You would not have to select from so many cereals in the store, or have to select from what kind of beef to prepare and eat. I would not need an oven or a fridge, since Shirley would eat the donuts quickly, and summer sausage lasts forever. But our diets and faith are different and complex. Having a variety in our diets is so great. Thai food is spicy, Middle Eastern food has many flavours in one dinner, and Peruvian food is said to be the best in the world. And we are always good to have hamburgers and fries here in Canada. To have to just eat bamboo would be boring. Having faith in Jesus Christ is the same. It is in our diversity that we can find a dietary unity. Some of us focus on believing, while others say faith without works is dead. Some see Jesus's divinity, while others see Jesus' humanity. Some of us read more Paul than Jesus, while others read more of Jesus in the Gospels. The church leaders had no problem with four different authors writing stories of Jesus. They were written 300 years before they became Scripture in the late 4th century. Diversity is always the best flavour of the day. Prayer God. O Lord, You are much more than any of our ideas, more than any of our thoughts more than our certainties. You are more than bamboo and milkweed. You are like the many varieties of bananas, and all those kinds of apples ( some being sweet, tart , or crunchy ) Thank you for being so large in this universe, that we should never be satisfied in seeking you. Lord of heaven and earth. AMEN. Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor Poole Mennonite Church
July 2, 2020, Good afternoon, " I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? " 2 Corinthians 6:27-29 As a Christian , I have not had a difficult life like Paul. His list of sufferings is long, and mine is short. Sometimes, it seems Covid is out there, and not near my life at all. I can stay at home, and go to the church, and see only a few people. I have started some social distancing visitation, and it has gone well. I know Covid is scary and extremely contagious, but I almost know no one who has had it, or who has died. I am privileged. I have talked to some nurses about it. It has been stressful for all medical staff. The USA had 50,000 new cases yesterday. That seems like only a number, but it seems to be totally out of control there. 130,000 people have now died in America. But, that is next door. We went to Toronto yesterday to have lunch, on a patio restaurant, with my brother. We walked around downtown Toronto, and although many people wore masks, life seemed normal. We did not go to the downtown hospitals to see what things are like there. The restaurant waiters wore face shields and wanted us to use our phones to order the food. Some other staff wore masks. It still felt I was distanced from the enemy known as the coronavirus. I know it is a pandemic ( I listen to too much CNN), but I have not seen it yet. I went to Stratford Hospital this morning. By text, someone had asked me to come and visit them. The chaplain called me at home to make sure that I had got the message to come and visit. I arrived around 9:30, with my mask. In the lobby is a corkboard with an enormous amount of information on Covid. I was met by a nurse with a face shield and mask, and an ipad. She had to check with the chaplain to make sure it was okay for me to visit. Then she asked me three questions, and gave me a new mask, and gave me a paper bag for my own mask. Then, I went upstairs to the third floor to visit, stopping at the elevator to wash my hands with sanitizer, for the third time in a minute.. At the nurses station it seemed to be shift change with at least 15 medical personnel around the station. All with masks, but not shields. Opposite the nursing station was the poster, " Smile Often Stay Humble Work Hard Be Kind " I visited with the patient for 20 minutes and left, and then thanked the nursing station. COVID is coming closer to me Prayer God, you are in every hospital loving and caring for the staff doctors, nurses, admin and custodians God, you are with each patient and their families and their friends, and in the tears and sadness. God you are with every researcher vaccine people, medicine inventors, trying to find a way out of this tsunami of a disease. God you are in everything in this world Bring healing, bring miracles, bring hope. AMEN ! Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor Poole Mennonite Church
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Ponder Anew 