Author: Fred Redekop

Good morning,

" This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

I invite you to listen in on today's service this morning over the Internet. This still seems strange for us to be worshipping together, but apart.  I am getting used to doing the sermon, two days before Sunday . Sundays seem abnormal, as I do not have to prepare to deliver the sermon, nor do I have to prepare to meet the people of Poole. Please consider giving of your tithes and offerings by sending them to Poole Church at Box 249 in Milverton,  or by e-transfer through the Credit Union. Talk to our treasurer Karen Scheerer.

As you prepare for Sunday, what are you thinking about ? The prayers, the songs, the sermon, the announcements ? How is God and God's Spirit going to show up in our congregation , when we are apart. As Jesus said , "nothing is impossible with God ". What is God making possible in your lives today ? What are the positive things that are happening in your relationship with God ?

In the Esther story in the Old Testament, there is a line that we have often quoted, " And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this. "  Esther's cousin Mordecai says this to her, so that she will confront the King about a plot against the Jewish people. The law says if the Queen comes into the Kings' presence unannounced, she will die. Is this the time for bravery or silence ? I have become the lead pastor at Poole for such a time as this, I believe !

We are all in this journey of our lives, for such a time as this. What will we learn about God and ourselves, as we live through this ? Is there something to be learned or only experienced through the time of the virus ?

Prayers for Today

" What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear,

  and what a privilege to carry

  Everything to God in prayer   ….."

"Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour prayer

that calls me from a world of care.

And bids me at my Father's throne

Make all my wants and wishes known …. "

Salaam and peace for today.

Fred

Good afternoon,

" So Satan went out from presence of the Lord, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes." Job 2:7-8

"So the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering, and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred people." Esther 9:5-6

" I [ Paul] am talking like a madman—– I am a better one: far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death . Five times I have received the forty lashes minus one. "  II Corinthians 11:23-24

These are three gruesome events from the Bible. I cannot identify with this kind of violence. I do not want to be part of it. I know it happens today, and in recent history, For three years, we listened to stories of pain and suffering, while working in Thailand for MCC. By the end of our time, we were in compassion fatigue. We could not hear it anymore.

There are some difficult stories to hear today during the Covid Crisis. In Texas, 10,000 cars lined up to get groceries from a Food Bank station. Forty thousand people are going to food banks in Pennsylvania each day. Hundreds of thousand have died of Covid, from China, to Spain, and to Canada. Over fifty thousand people have died in the United States as of yesterday. Many people live from paycheck to paycheck because their wages are so low, there is no room for savings.  What is going to happen, now that we are into the crisis for seven weeks ?  Then, there is Nova Scotia.

But… But… there are stories of hope that we need to be a part of now. Support the many front line workers who do sacred work everyday for their patients and clients. People here in Elmira have put grocery cards in envelopes along the walking trails, saying " if you need it, please take it. "  What an act of love for the community. When people ask me , "how are you doing ? ", I  am so appreciative that I am loved in this way. Continue to tell and live out the new stories of the Gospel, so the violence and poverty will be blotted out !

Shalom and strength for our journey of love, life and faith. " Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God " I John 4:7

Fred Redekop

Good afternoon,

" Jesus wept "   John 11:35

Lazarus has died. Mary and Martha, his sisters, explain to Jesus that if he would have come earlier, that he could have healed their brother. Jesus is brought to tears by their anger and disappointment. He may be sad about Lazarus' death as well. But, the the text does say that he waited until Lazarus had died to show up. So, this is a more complex story than it should be.

But Jesus does sob. In other parts of the story he is said to be disappointed as well. He is very emotional in this story. It is close to when he arrives for Passover in Jerusalem. He knows he is going to die. I see his being human coming out strongly in this part of the journey to the cross. The text says that Jesus, " was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved." ( verse 33 ). Jesus is human like me, but I am not like Jesus.

I am sad today, and angry. We were supposed to leave to be with all of our family, and to be with our daughter Hannah and her husband Ala in Jordan. We do not get together often as a whole gang. Last time we were together was December 2018. So with all the closures around the world, we cannot fly and be there. I was really looking forward to it. I am very sad.

I know none of us has died of Covid 19, and I have a house to be in during this stay-at-home time. I have enough food, and we can FaceTime with all of us, but I am still angry and sad. I live a privileged and safe existence here in Canada, but I had so hoped to be in Amman by the end of tomorrow.

What are you missing in these days ? Where are your disappointments going this afternoon ?  What makes you sad ? And what are your areas of gratitude ?

Prayer for Today

Lord, I know you wept openly,

when you saw others, sad for events

going

on in their lives.

How many tears did you shed, 10, 100, or a 1000 drops ?

I know you understand all of us

our tears, our anger, our questions , our being forgotten…

Transform, make new, plant seeds of gratitude

In our hearts

for your wide presence in our years of life

So,

we may give you all of our

sadnesses, that you will

hang on your wide shoulders of compassion.

Touch our souls with your large hands of love.

 AMEN                                                                  Fred Redekop

Good afternoon,

" He said, 'Don't be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed to the cross. He's been raised up, and he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now —- on your way . Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said.' They got out as fast as they could , beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. "  Mark 16: 5-8 ( from the Message by Eugene Peterson )

This is Mark's account of the Resurrection. It stops at verse 8. There are twelve more verses that were added later, to clean up the story. So, the story of Jesus ends abruptly. The women come to the tomb, and they find no body, but they see this guy ( an angel ) sitting there dressed in dazzling light. And he tells them that Jesus is risen, and you should go to Galilee.

Eugene's Petersen's Message is an interpretation, and not a translation. His work came out of a Bible study he had in his Presbyterian congregation. He is true to the Biblical text, but his language is more contemporary. The women are in a daze, not knowing what they should think about this news. Their Lord is gone, and they cannot give him a decent burial. They run away. And then the story stops. They are out of control.

If you would have had only the Gospel of Mark, this is the story of Jesus' rising that you would have had. Not much there. What does it all mean for the women, and the disciples?  No stories of seeing Jesus anywhere. And the women, it is said, declared nothing.

It is for us, to tell the resurrection stories in our own lives. Wendy Dunn was interviewed last evening on a Stratford video link about her work at Greenwood Court. This is a resurrection story for today. Someone had a birthday this week, and invited people to donate to the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank in Milverton. Now that is Resurrection. People are so happy to hear Bonnie Ropp play the hymns on the Poole audio service . Now that is a " rising up " event.

What are your stories these days ? How would you continue the abrupt ending of Mark's biography of Jesus ? What would you say beginning in verse 9….?

Prayer for the Day

Snow on an April morning

It does not seem right

Nothing seems right today

death in Nova Scotia

A virus out of control.

lost money and lost jobs,

lost lives, lost hope.

God, please find us in our losses

O. Lord. Secure us into your space

Spill out your grace , so we might feel safe

once more.

Display your resurrection now, and forever, more. Please Lord.

AMEN

Salaam, and peace for our journey together.

Fred

Good afternoon,

"      How deserted lies the city,

                               once so full of people!

                     How like a widow is she,

                                   who once was great among the nations!

                                       She who was queen among the province

                                                                        has now become a slave.

Bitterly she weeps at night,

    tears are on her cheeks.

Among all her lovers

    there is no one to comfort her.

All her friends have betrayed her;

    they have become her enemies.

After affliction and harsh labor,

    Judah has gone into exile.

She dwells among the nations;

    she finds no resting place.

All who pursue her have overtaken her

    in the midst of her distress. "               Lamentations 1:1-3

The book of Lamentations is hard to read. It speaks of sadness, loss, grief, anger and

trauma. It comes out of the prophetic tradition of the Jewish faith. Jesus was part of that continuing story of the role of prophet. Prophets did not get treated well. They often were ridiculed, and were even killed for their statements . In Jewish faith, there was a role for the prophet to question everything, even the the life of the King. God remains King in the words and mind of the prophet.

Israel/Judah were the divided kingdoms of God's people. The two peoples could not get along, and they had chosen to separate. Kingship had not been God's plan. Samuel had told them not to, but God finally relented ( God changed God's mind ) and gave them the ability to name a King, and that led to many bad Kings.

Now, Israel is in exile, and the writer of Lamentations grieves the losses of God's people. We, as the people of God today , are in exile from each other. At times, this is difficult for all of us. We feel numbness. We feel depressed. We feel antsy. We feel unfocused. We feel like Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, as he laments the loss of his community and the temple.

What can we do to calm our lives ? Do deep breathing. Do stretching. Read a good book. Talk to a friend. Journal. Go for a short or long walk, staying six feet from each other. Pray. Read a joke book. Zoom or Facetime with family and friends. There are hundreds of websites and places that are trying to help us to get through this time of isolation.  If you need a phone call from me, please let me know. What are you doing  to keep well, emotionally, physically and spiritually ?

Poem by James Weldon Johnson

[ A prayer for Today ]

God of our weary years  

God of our silent tears,

Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who hast by Thy might  

Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,  

May we forever stand.  

True to our God,

True to our native land.

Strength and Salaam for our journey of faith and life, together and forever .

Fred

Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction "Hope springs eternal" .                  Monika Pieper Landoni 2020

Good afternoon,

In the Old Testament, one of the main stories is the exile of the Jewish people to Babylon to Jerusalem. The prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah predict the exile, and the first deportations begin in the year 597 BCE. They go on for about 15 years, and they are refugees for about 60 years. But in 539, King Cyrus who defeated the Babylonians, invites the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and its surroundings. The first temple has been destroyed by the Babylonians, and when they returned, the book of Ezra says they begin the building of the new Temple within two years .

But not everyone comes back to Jerusalem. Some of the people like it in Babylon . They are given freedom to worship, and they seem to quite like the lifestyle. And there other Jewish communities in places like Sardis, Ephesus and Thessalonica ( all in present-day Turkey ). Historians do not know all the reasons why all the Jewish people did not return to the Promised Land.

Today, people are already beginning to speculate what will happen when the churches open again. There has been growth in almost all churches. Churches track every hit to their worship service on-line, and it says that there are more people, but it does not say how long they stay. It is church shopping taken to a whole new level. Will people stay home to listen and watch ?  Will the people who are on the fringes, stay away full-time ? Will people who have not history with faith or church, be open to coming ?

Some people say this might give us an opportunity to have church/community be a seven day a week experience. I am writing this blog everyday, so we might be close and connected during this time of physical distancing. After the pandemic ends, we might feel the need to meet more often for coffee, conversation and potlucks ?

What do you think will happen when Poole opens up on a Sunday morning in the month of …. ?

" All the friends here say hello. Pass the greetings around with holy embraces. I, Paul —- in my own handwriting —- send my regards. Our Master Jesus has his arms wide open for you. And I love all of you in the Messiah. In Jesus.  I Corinthians 16:20-24

Be safe and be well in the presence of God, the Almighty One.  AMEN

Fred

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church

Tread on bold new paths!

Fireflies flash the direction

"Hope springs eternal"

Good morning everyone,

" Paul, Silas and Timothy,

    To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and LordJesus Christ:

     Grace and peace to you .

     We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before God and Father your work produced in faith, your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in Jesus Christ.

                                                          I Thessalonians 1:1-3

This church letter is considered to be the earliest writing we have from Paul. Notice that there are three persons writing the letter, or at least three people who signed it. Of course, we do not have the original, but these three leaders of the movement are giving their testimony of their faith in Christ by putting their names on it. Paul worked with a group of people, the church's first committee. He was never alone in ministry.

"Grace and peace", is the usual greeting in Paul's letters. They are the key words that would invite both Jews and Gentiles into the Kingdom. Grace comes from the word for charisma, and peace comes out of the Jewish understanding of shalom. Two small words that are for the inclusion of everyone into the Jesus people movement. Everyone is invited to the Party!

Then the two other verses are again usual for these earliest letters. "I want to thank you for all you have done for me" and for the "ways that you have lived out your faith in Jesus Christ ". Paul wants to inspire and love the small congregation here in the port city along the Aegean Sea. And, Silas and Timothy too.

I want to thank you for the many ways you have welcomed me as your full-time pastor here at Poole. I appreciate your phones calls, emails and responses. It is a different time and it will be remembered for a long time in our minds and in our faith. Thank you for your work, your labour, your endurance, your hope and your love .

" And now these three remain, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. "  I Corinthians 13: 13

Fred  

April 18, 2020

Good afternoon,

1. Check out Poole Mennonite's new Facebook page.

2. For tomorrow's sermon there is a painting ( 1602 ) from Caravaggio about Thomas touching Jesus' side. It is on the Facebook page.

3. Remember to continue to offer your tithes and offerings to the Church, by check  to Box 249 , Milverton,  N0K 1M0, or through e-transfer. Talk to Karen Scheerer.

" So again Jesus said to them , ' Very truly I tell you , I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits ; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved , and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. '"  John 10: 7-10  ( Revised Standard Version )

Sometimes the word abundantly ( in this passage ) is interpreted for the next life. But, I believe, it is for today and for us in this world. During this time of The Virus, it is more difficult to find things that we find abundant in our life . There is a danger to have all of our blessings being overtaken by the fear of getting the virus. We must live in an abundance of gratitude for our life. It is not to bury the difficult times that we are living in, but it is to focus on generosity and gratitude of God and our community.

And, we are blessed:

1.  We can self-isolate. We have enough room to do it.

2.  We have friends/family/church that we can reach out to during these days.

3.  We have enough food.

4.   If we are able, we can go outside and remain six feet from others.

5.   We live in Canada.

6.   We have universal health care.

7.   We can reach out to God in our prayers, and get angry, be silent, be emotional and thank God , for everything, at all times.

What other areas of gratitude are you thanking God for today ? What are you appreciative for in your life these days ?

Prayer for the Pandemic — by Carol Penner  

( only a few portions of the prayer )

This week, when we are tempted

to dwell only on our own loneliness

help us to reach out  to others ,

being the community we long to have.

Thank you for showing us new ways to be the church,

the church alive, vibrant and witnessing to the risen Christ

in times like these .

Amen.

Fred

.

Tread on bold new paths !

Fireflies flash the direction

"Hope springs eternal" .

                              Monika Pieper Landoni 2020

Fred Redekop

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church

April 17, 2020

Good afternoon,

   Tread on bold paths !

   Fireflies flash the direction

   " Hope springs eternal  " .       Haiku for 2020,  given to me by Monika Pieper Landoni

All three of the lines from this haiku are extremely relevant to my/our experience in 2020. One of my blogs in January talked about this haiku. I am not going to look at what I said, because the world has turned on its virus edge, exploding any understandings to smithereens. What kind of bold new path has been taken out of my hands, and now I think of walking a path that was thrust on me ? It will take bold ideas to lead the church from this day forward. Small lights from the backend of a firefly , yet to be seen, will lead the way for me, the church and the world. I take a lot of pictures of the sun, and am waiting for the signs of direction from the Son/Sun in the morning, at noonday and at night. I am living in hope that we will find a brand spanking new world, when our physical distancing time will end. I live in hope it will end, and I am hoping that we will learn to take care of the vulnerable, the poor, the refugees, older citizens and persons dealing with mental illness, in more just ways.

" Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. "

This passage is from the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22: 1-5. This is the new Eden, and how can I be part of the new creation on the other side of the pandemic ? How can the church witness to such a kingdom while here on this earth ? This is our challenge and invitation. How can we yell to the world, that we must live with more equality  because we are in this together ? The writer of the book of Revelation was speaking in code to the Roman Empire. This vision was not for heaven , but  a heaven on earth for everyone.

The Road Not Taken   by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

… I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Blessings and hope in our journeys of life and faith.

Fred