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July 17, 2020 Good afternoon, "One of the most discombobulating things in these times is how one day living in a pandemic feels totally normal, the next day, depressing and how I just bounce between the two extremes with no rhyme or reason " Piya Chattopadhyay ( CBC Radio ) " But I'm still holding my breath ( under my mask ) whenever someone walks too close to me on the street or in the store. I haven't had the courage to have lunch on a restaurant patio, or get my haircut. " Luisa D'Amato ( Waterloo Region Record, Wed. July 15 ) These two quotes sum up my life with Covid. Up and down, and all around the emotional map. I hate it when the TV talks about underlying conditions. I can drive through the rural roads to Poole and think nothing about Covid. I am grateful that there 0, that is Zero, active cases in Huron-Perth. Yippee ! Then there are 70,000 new cases in the USA everyday, and the number of cases is still rising . Many of the Psalms are like this. The Psalm might start out with thanking God for saving the author, but in the middle, he wants to be rescued from all of the enemies in his life. Like in Psalm 22, the writer says to God, " Why have you forsaken ( forgotten ) me, but by two more verses the anger and anxiety is gone, and God is good Psalm 10 ( a prayer ) Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Verse 1 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. Verses 17-18 AMEN So, if the Psalms writer can go up and down and all around when writing to God, I guess it is fine for me to struggle and rejoice in the same hour, or the least the same day. If Luisa D'Amato, the opinionated writer of the Record can share honestly about her fears, I think I am okay. The Lord of Heaven and Earth was with the Psalmist, just as God will be with us, Covid or not. Salaam and strength for life's journey of faith and trust. Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor Poole Mennonite Church |
Author: Fred Redekop
I was a pastor for almost 30 years. I am beginning a new journey of work, calling and life.
July 16, 2020 Jesus of Nazareth
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July 16, 2020 Good afternoon, ( the following reflection is not true ) ' Hey Ezra, do you want to go hear this guy from Nazareth ? He has been doing some great healing of diseases. My uncle had no hearing for twenty years, and Jesus touched his ear, blew in some air, and now my uncle can hear. Do you believe it Ezra ? ' Isaiah, I am not so sure about him. I think there are some ideas underneath him that may be dangerous. The synagogue leaders do not approve of him. They do not trust his miracles nor his teachings.' ' Ezra, let us go see for ourselves. I think he is supposed to be just down by the Galilean Sea tomorrow. He is drawing really big crowds. The Empire will probably send some soldiers because he has caused some riots up near Sidon. We can watch from the back, and leave early if nothing exciting happens. I am curious about him. ' Isaiah, let us meet at the synagogue in Capernaum, and then walk down. See you tomorrow. I do not want to get close, just in case there is some violence. ( the next day, in the evening ) ' Ezra, did he really feed all those people ? He only had a little food, and it kept coming. The bread came out of nowhere, and everyone got some. That was a miracle, and it tasted so good. I am going to listen to him at the next Sabbath.' ' Isaiah, because he fed us all, people are saying he is the Messiah. He says he is the Son of God. What does that mean ? God is one, and one only. Why would he have a son, and who is his mother ? I am still not sure about him ? And his students are mostly fishermen. I do not trust all of this; it is too different. ' Ezra, I believe he is something different. Come with me to synagogue. They say he is going to preach. Maybe, we can ask him some questions too. ' Isaiah, what if he heals my withered arm ? Do I have to believe in his message of sin and salvation, if he heals me ? I will see you there, Isaiah. I am fine with my faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Can you imagine conversations with Jesus and his community, as you would have gotten to know him ? What would you have needed to believe ? Prayer Oh Jesus, you read in the synagogue, " The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:19 I believe you Jesus. Please come and install it on this 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
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July 15, 2020 Being A Child of God
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July 15, 2020 Good afternoon, " And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. " Matthew 18:3 I was a student minister at my home church, Bethany Mennonite, in the summer of 1982 ( I was 23 years old ) . Shirley and I were married that summer. I was at the church for three months. One of the three sermons I preached that summer was about children entering the kingdom of God. I do not remember anything I said. But, I do remember what the responses were to my sermon. Most people said in the most kind way , " just wait till you have children, then you will see it differently. " For those of you who have had children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews what do you think Jesus means by saying, " … we must become like little children " . What do children see or do, that will allow them to enter the Kingdom of God ? I wonder what I said that made the people tell me, that you will learn as you get older. Children had few rights in Palestinian society. The disciples thought the children should not speak to Jesus, and Jesus should not take time to visit with them. Adults, and only male adults, had full rights in the Greek culture of Jesus' time. So, Jesus was being a left-wing radical by saying the children saw some things that made them extra special in the eyes of God. Or, maybe he was a hard-line conservative bringing the community back to the original intention of God's creation. What do you think ? Please ask your younger children or your younger nieces and nephews about what Jesus says in the passage. After almost 40 years since I preached that sermon, I still do not have answers to Jesus' statements. Do children have more trust than older people. Do children have more innocence than older persons ? Do children ask better questions than me ? Do they have more faith, and what does "more faith" mean ? Never a dull moment with the Bible. Salaam in our journey of faith and life. Prayer May I return to the faith as a seven year old ? Or maybe nine is a better age ? To have more of what exactly, O God. I cannot go back to an earlier time, to have more trust/faith/belief, in You. Though, maybe, it would be possible to see the world of your creation Through the eyes of a child. If faith as a child is what I need, Bring it on as great rays of sunshine. Amen. Fred Pastor, Poole Menoonite Church |
july 14 , 2020 Now I know Nothing, in Part
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July 14, 2020, Good afternoon everyone, " For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. " I Corinthians 13:12 In the original Greek, the New Testament has no punctuation marks. In the verse above, the NIV translators have put in one comma, two semicolons, one colon and one period. The translators do this so that when we read it in English, it makes more sense to us. The endings of all the nouns, verbs and other figures of speech make all the difference in structure and meaning. There are no question marks ! This makes it difficult to find an exact translation because you are moving from an ancient ( and dead ) language to our modern English. The Greeks had a whole different world view than us. I Corinthians 12:13 must be a difficult passage to translate. In the NIV, which is supposed to be an easier read than the King James, it is awkward and does not flow. Is " darkly" about seeing or is it about the glass ? What does face to face mean, with God or each other ? When exactly in my own life will I come to to know as I have been known. There is the great Greek philosophical statement, " know thyself " that was carved in the Temple of Delphi, Greece. Maybe Paul is thinking of this statement, as he writes to the faith community in Corinth. They would have known that writing. It is far away from us. I got my first pair of glasses in Grade 11. I was worried my friends and classmates would make fun of me. I could hear " four eyes " already. After I got them, I only wore them in class. I would take them off , as soon as the bell went off to change classes. I did not wear them to play football, basketball or softball. After a few years, I wore them all the time, being able to see film screens, my golf shots and across Lake Ontario to see the Toronto skyline. A few years ago I was told to get a " progressive " lens . You are to look down to read, in the middle to see the TV, and look up to see things farther away such as when you are driving. This is as confusing as the passage from I Corinthians 13:12. If you look too high while watching TV it gets fuzzy, and I cannot see the hockey puck. I must be wearing them wrong. I will keep trying with the new lens, as I will try to make sense of this and other Scriptures. I know that I only know in part, and from this side of death, I am fine with that. I am looking forward to a face to face with God. Until then I am good with life being a little fuzzy, and not knowing all things. 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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July 13, 2020
July 13, 2020
Good morning,
" If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. " Philippians 3:4-6
Paul, the early church leader, is angry here at the church of Phillippi. Not with everyone, but with the leaders who are making the new believers get circumcised. Paul wants people to have deep faith, and not put their faith in outward signs. He wants the church to do away with rituals that do not uphold the faith. Paul grew up in the Jewish tradition, and says that he is the best of the best. He says he is a Pharisee. Pharisees were seen to be the holiest of Jewish believers. They knew the Law, and they followed every dot and letter. He was good !
Paul had persecuted the church in an earlier part of his life. For some in the early church communities he was always suspect. They thought he would turn on them. They saw him as a spy for the Temple, and they could never quite trust him. In many of his letters, he is trying to prove to the new believers in Christ that he was indeed one of them.
" But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ " . Phillippians 3:7-8
Paul gives up everything for Christ. All the power he had in his previous life is "garbage" for him. He is indeed born again, everyday. His writings to the early church change over 20 years, as the Spirit of God leads him to new places and new communities. It is amazing that a person with such power gives it all up.
I have changed over the years, from when I began as a minister in 1987. I am not the same person when I preached the first sermon at Bethel in Lancaster. I take the Bible as the Word of God, but I hold it much lighter than I did before. I look for the story in the text, rather than look for hard principles in the words. After all, the writers of the books of the Bible were real people, telling real stories to real communities of faith who were struggling with real issues of life and death.
How is God going to change me now that I am full-time at Poole ? I have faith that I am open to be born again, day after day after day ! How has your faith been changed in Christ over the last year or the last 20 years ?
Prayer
Dear God,
I would rather stay the same,
It is much easier,
to believe what I did in 1977,
And hold fast,
but,
You reveal yourself in creation, and in your Word and in your people,
That I see you more clearly, sort of, in new ways.
Continue to mold me into something new
out of a garbage heap of life, faith, death and egad, circumcision. AMEN
Fred
Tread on bold new paths !
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
Rain Down On Us All july 11, 2020
uly 11, 2020,
Good afternoon,
" that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.read on bold new paths !"
Matthew 5:45
It is always dangerous to pick out one verse and wrap an idea in it. There is probably another verse in the Bible that will lead me ( or you ) into a different direction. But, when I look at only one verse, it says to me that I do indeed take the Bible very seriously. I view the writers as being led by the Spirit of God to write what they did. It is up to us, as believers in God, to struggle and haggle with the words for meaning into our daily existence. I thought of the above verse when we got the much needed rain yesterday and today .
The verse is from the Sermon on The Mount that was delivered by Jesus to his disciples , and the crowd that might have been there to listen. Jesus talks about a lot of different things. For Matthew, it sets out a plan, or a direction, or a blueprint for the Kingdom here on this earth. We are still trying to live these directives out in our lives, and the life of the church. These words of Jesus are hard to live out all the time. In 5:43-48, Jesus says that we must love our enemies. That is impossible !!! And maybe even more difficult is praying for the people who persecute us. Jesus modelled both of these ideas while on the cross, praying for the people who were killing him.
And our lives are not given a better break in the rain. It rains the same on those of us who think we are righteous, as it does on the people who are unrighteous. I will still pray for rain for Poole farmers, and for the other farmers. Jesus goes on to say that if we do not love our enemies, then we are no better than anyone else. He mentions those tax collectors and pagans in that society. We are just like other people ? So, we are to live alongside all people of this world, loving them.
Finally, Jesus says we have to be perfect, not like him but like his Father in heaven. Really, now that is outrageously difficult ! We cannot be that great. Some interpreters say that the word in Greek means we must be "complete" like our Father in heaven. In the eyes of God, we are forgiven and loved. We have all we need to live, and are complete, so we can accept that the rain falls on us the same as the rest of the world. What do you think ?
Prayer
Thanks for the rain God.
Thank you for taking care of us,
Thanks so much God for thinking of us
as you made the world.
Help us to feel complete in you
Surrounded by your everlasting arms
in a great big hug of love,
even if we get cranky and impatient.
Remind us that you are in charge of the rain, the sun, the moon, the stars and the galaxies. 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 10, 2020
July 10, 2020.
Good afternoon,
" God made two great lights —- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He made the stars God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness." Genesis 1: 16-19
The moon is 384,000 kilometers from earth . The earth about 152 million kilometers from the sun. Yet, while I walk in the morning, I can see both. I do not usually think about the distance, but take it for granted and normal, that we have the sun and moon. My brain, I think, is sensing that they are much closer.
Our planet sits in the galaxy called the Milky Way. There are over a billion stars in this one galaxy that we live in. It is estimated that the universe is still expanding, but scientists believe the universe has two billion galaxies. This means that there are billions and billions of stars, and even more planets in the universe. And God is even bigger than that. With such enormous numbers, we cannot begin to describe the nature of God. With such an expanse, God can do anything, miracle or otherwise.
So, why did God put us here at this time of history, on a very small planet that revolves and revolves around the hot object we call the Sun ? Are there other planets out there, or out here, where people live or exist in some way. My hunch, and I have no proof, there must be some liveable planets out there beyond the sky. But, close to us, there seems to be no other living beings living on planets.
Why did God create such vastness ? Billions and billions of this and that, why ? God answers Job's questions about anger, with a statement about ," Well, were you there when this was all created ? ". We could think about the smallness of matter as well. Muons, atoms, molecules and protons. The theory of relativity and quantum mechanics continue to try to make sense of the little things that make up the big things of this world.
What questions do you have about the universe, both large and small ? Where do your questions and answers take you ? Oh well, I will continue to take pictures in the morning, and think about God and the universe, and the sun and the moon.
Prayer
Psalm 139: 6-10
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
Too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit ?
Where can I flee from your presence ?
If I go up to the heavens,
You are there.
If I make my bed in the depths,
You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there, your hand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold me fast. AMEN.
Fred Redekop
July 9, 2020 A speck or a log
July 9, 2020.
Good afternoon,
Pompeo on China: "They're incapable of being transparent, of accepting criticism, of allowing reporters to ask them questions that they find uncomfortable."
Mike Pompeo is the United States Secretary of State. He is from Kansas, where he was a Representative for Kansas in the House of Representatives for six years. He served as the Director for the CIA for a few years before becoming the Secretary of State. Mr. Pompeo was appointed by President Trump. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Mr. Pompeo said the above statement as a criticism of the way that China does business with the world, It is his job to look out for the interests of the United States around the world. His statement about the Chinese leadership is so ironic, as I think about what the President and his advisors seem to try to do everyday.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5
My world religions teacher, Mr. Stockreef, told us in high school, that when you point your finger at someone, three fingers are pointing at yourself. He told us this after he shared that after the Nazis had surrendered in Holland, the soldiers were marching back to Germany, and one of them wanted a drink of water. As a ten year old boy, Mr. Stockreef, denied that soldier, who was thirsty and starving, any nourishment. You have to be kind and compassionate even when you do not want to be ( my interpretation of Mr. Stockreef's point ). Then he talked about the three fingers.
So, I know I am pointing my finger at Mr. Pompeo. I have to look at the inconsistencies in my own life. The logs in my eyes can be big as well. I think, though, I can call out Mr. Pompeo for not seeing what his own government is doing rather than calling out other parts of the world for their inadequacies. We need to work on our own log house.
Prayer ( regards to Paul in Romans 2 )
I know we should not judge.
We have no excuse, but we do judge people.
We judge their money, their clothes, their children, their attitudes, and
their judgement.
Help us to be aware of our
finger-pointing, all three of them
on ourselves.
So, we may be more open and honest and compassionate .
to others. 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 8, 2020 Tough language from isaiah
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July 8, 2020. Good afternoon everyone, " Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. 18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 1:16-20 The prophets are tough characters. Their prophecy usually does not talk about the future. They talk about the present reality, and about sin and forgiveness. The book of Isaiah begins with harsh criticism of the kings of Judah and Jerusalem, and the people of God. They are to stop doing bad things. Most of the kings in the Old Testament were bad ( read the Books of Kings ), " they did things that were right in their own eyes " from the book of Judges. We, as Christians , have to be very good these days. Church-going people are in the minority and if we are not at the front of justice and compassion for the people on the edges of society, we are called hypocrites. If we are seen as mean, dogmatic and uncaring, we will be judged and convicted. And we should be ! Isaiah calls us to action on behalf of the fatherless and the widow, the least powerful in Israeli society. What would Isaiah say to us today ? " I am not going to wear a mask in public, because it goes against my freedom " I have heard people say . It is about personal freedom, and the church is not about personal freedom. We are a community, and we listen to each other. We come to a consensus about what we are to do together. Jesus has his community of twelve, and the letters to the early church are to communities of faith, and I am not Poole Mennonite. We are Poole as a community of believers. What is best for us to live well with each other in the community of Canada. In verse 18, Isaiah says, " Come let us settle this matter " You have not acted well he has told them. Let us fix our relationship with you and God. Your sins can be transformed and you will be white as snow, and be like wool ( a soft wool please ). God wants us to be the best. Prayer Transform us into new sheep, Cleanse us with a beautiful rain, Make us smell like fresh hay, Let us eat the good things of this world Burgers, Thai food, Shrimp, Curry and summer sausage. We repent of our sins of greed and power. Release us , O God from these impurities.
Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor Poole Mennonite Church |
July 7, 2020″ Do Be Do “
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July 7, 2020 Good afternoon, " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give to you should be on your hearts today . " Deuteronomy 6 This is a statement of faith of the Jewish people. Jesus quotes this passage as something we should do as Christians as well. It should be our orientation to our faith. We should begin with the love of God. Jesus is about love, and he is about a lot of other things, but his love extended to everyone forever and ever. Where do you begin your journey with God ? How do you tell your testimony to the world ? The writer of Deuteronomy invites us into an emotional path to God. He begins with heart and soul as emotional activities with God and God's people. The third leg of this relationship with God is strength. Is there a part of your body that moves you to God ? God is in this world, and so our body is part of our religious experience. Faith is not only a feeling but it is hard earthly activity. In the traditional language of faith it is about " being and doing". Both are integral parts of the journey of people into the presence of God. In the Amish/Mennonite/Anabaptist tradition, we have been very good at doing. We like to build schools, teach children, fix problems, respond to disasters and start churches. We have not been so good at being. It is hard for us to stop and be with God, with nothing in our hands or on our feet. Moses took off his shoes at that burning bush, because he was in the presence of God. He was a person of action, but in that place he stopped, stood in amazement. What would it mean in worship, to focus on only God ? We do not only have to be silent, but do we recognize that God is the audience for our singing and praying ? The Almighty and Everlasting God is with us. We have to just " be" in the presence of the Ground of our Being ( a term used by Paul Tillich ). Prayer We love you with all of our heart, Help us to be in your presence. We love you with all of our soul Help us to be in your space. We love you with all of our strength, Help us to find ways to serve you with our hands and our feet, and our eyes and our ears. 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 