Ponder Anew

Tuesday January 5, 2021

" The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible …"

                                             Colossians 1: 15-16

The Virus is " unseen". It passes to us through micro-droplets. I do not think you can see it enter your body. Then, I believe, it replicates and attacks your immune system. This is how I relate to my body all the time. There are things it does every moment that I do not know about. It keeps me healthy, without my help. The amazing part of the body remains unseen by me or others. Blood flows. The heart beats. The lungs breathe.

This is how God works in my life. I am not sure how God is working in the world. Not exactly. Maybe God works like the droplets , mostly unseen, but works in extraordinary ways. In Paul's letter to an early church community at Colossae, he talks about invisible and visible. How does he know that God works invisibly ? I believe he is saying he does not know everything about God. He knows that the God of heaven and earth moves in mysterious ways. What invisible things does God do in this world ? I must have faith, because I cannot see it.

Prayer

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

                                              from the Hymnal Worship Book # 70

Shalom and strength through our journey of life and faith, together.

Fred

Soaring like Vultures

Lifted up by unseen Hands

Trust, Silent, enter my fears

                                               Monica Pieper Landoni  2021

September 30, 2020,

Good afternoon,

"And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."   Isaiah 9:6

These are words that we usually hear in Advent. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah, and we Christians are waiting for the return of Jesus. Are we waiting for the return of Christ Jesus or Jesus of Nazareth ? For us to recognize the King of Kings, God will have to be in human form, or not ?  Isaiah'a prophecy was for a King to come, and save the world from itself, but Jesus came in a small stable, in a small town to an unmarried couple from Nazareth. Not the idea of the Lord of Lords, as understood by people of faith. I hope and trust I will recognize God when God arrives again.

During the pandemic, what idea of God are you hanging onto ? Jeremy Bergen, Religious Studies prof from Grebel , spoke to about 40 pastors today, over ZOOM. He spoke to us about God, and our thoughts during these months of the pandemic. Is God the great protector, so we do not need to wear masks or meet through ZOOM ? Is the pandemic the judgment of God, so we might recognize the poor/marginalized among us ? Is God the absent God, that the Psalmist and the prophets talk about ? Or is God the " Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father or Prince of Peace ? Or is God the great caregiver, and we are to respond the same way to each other, inside and outside the church ? God is so many things to us, and maybe at different times, we experience God's attributes in new and exciting ways.

In the Greek Orthodox church, one of the main ideas of God is the "Pantocrator '' or Almighty or all-powerful. Most Orthodox churches have a large dome, and often the icon of the Pantocrator is painted on the inside of the dome, and Jesus is looking down upon the whole congregation.  It is the faithfulness of God in worship form. It is strong imagery for Orthodox believers of the awesomeness of God.

What image of God sustains your Soul/Spirit during these days of uncertainty ?

Shalom and strength in our journey through the pandemic. Be safe and be well !

Fred

Tread on bold new paths!

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal !          Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

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September 29, 2020

Good afternoon,

" Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men "                 Jesus in Matthew 4

" And the first shall be last, and the last shall be first "                  Jesus  in Matthew 20

The attached photo has a dried fallen brown leaf among a lawn of clover.

This can be a metaphor for leadership and following the ways of Jesus of Nazareth. There must be a leader within the group. Jesus was the Son of God , and he stood among the clover. But, the leader cannot be too far ahead of the group of followers, or the people will go in a variety of directions. I believe that Jesus was patient with the disciples and others who followed him So, the leader must stand with the people that she/he leads, and be not too far away.

And yet we are also like the leaf, in that we are one of many that make up the community. We might be the "last" for a while, but we are all part of the community. We listen to one another, and try to discern the will of the Spirit. This might take a long time to come to a decision, but we all own the agreement together. We clovers are finding our way to the church, God and each other. The clover, from a distance looks all the same, but some clovers are bigger, and some are smaller, and some are three-leafed while others are four-leafed. It is a long journey to understand everything .

As the lone leaf, it can be a lonely place of leadership. You can get blown all around,. You can get all wet and soggy . You can change colours, from a brilliant green, to a bright red, to a dark and dying brown. But, you still sit around among the clover, sitting on top of the people, and being carried along by the church and the Spirit in the clover field.

How are you the clover at Poole ? When have you been the brown leaf ?  Where is God in this picture ? Do you want to stand out in the crowd or just blend in ?

Prayer.

Thank you for the creation.

Thank you for the clover, the grass and the leaves,

especially,

for the changing of the colours of the leaves,

red, yellow, orange and brown.

for the shiny ones, the shriveled ones,

and the ones with life lines.

God change us, just as the creation is

forever,

changing.       AMEN

Fred

September 22, 2020

Good afternoon

Letter to Laodicea      Revelation 3:14-22

We come to the final letter to the seven churches. Seven is a number of perfection, similar to the seven days of creation. As I mentioned earlier, these seven places are sort of a geographical circle. So, the circle ends in a perfect alignment. Laodicea is an active archaeological site. In recent years they uncovered a church, another theatre and old pipes. The " neither hot or cold " is a geograppy reference. North of the city were the hot springs of Pammukale. The waters come off the hills and deposit calcium, and the rocks are bright white. To the south of the city are the highest mountains of Turkey, with flowing cold water.. So, the hot water comes from the north, and cold water comes from the south and meets in Laodicea.

The church of Laodicea is seen as the worst in the list of seven. But it is not so. They are " lukewarm… wretched, pitiful, poor, blind  and naked." Yet, John ( and Jesus ) again invite them back in where they are refined. " Here I am ! I stand at the door and knock." God's invitation is always there. He always wants to have a relationship with the people. In the end (  3:21 ). Jesus invites us to sit on the same throne as he is now sitting.

The whole book of Revelation is hard to understand with its many strange images. My understanding of the seven letters are only temporary because my ears do not listen well, yet. As I read them again, other images will strike me differently. As you notice, I see all the churches as mirrored into the life of the church today. Our difficulties with the pandemic can be seen in the sufferings of the lettered churches. What do the letters tell us about ourselves as we seek to be the people of God in 2020 ?

Shalom and strength for the journey of faith and life in the church,

Prayer ( Revelation 3:22)

Whoever has ears,

Let them hear,

What the Spirit

says to the churches !

AMEN

September 11, 2020,

Good afternoon,

"  At the time the disciples came to Jesus asked, " Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ?" Matthew 18:1

I find this a strange question that is being asked of Jesus. Why does it matter who is the best ? Is the question about the kingdom of God here on earth, or is it for heaven ?  Would not the greatest be Moses, Abraham or Sarah or Ruth ? Maybe the disciples want to find out how to act so that they can get into the Kingdom of God. The question might be so that the disciples find out what more they must do, or what they must believe ?

 Jesus answers the question by saying that we must become like little children. For me, this really does not clarify the question or the answer. Children are not perfect, at least I was not perfect. What exactly is it about being a child that Jesus wants us to follow. He says we are to take the lowly position like that of the child . We are to become " small " . What does that mean for how I work, have friends and relate to my family ? Often , we will say that we do not be run over by other people. What does it mean to be lowly in the " kingdom of heaven ?  If we choose to be lowly, does it give us the power of God ? The upside down kingdom ?

This question comes to Jesus close to his death. The disciples would have been nervous as they approached Jerusalem. I think they are anxious and they ask these kinds of questions in order to feel somewhat in control. What question would you ask Jesus of Nazareth as one of his disciples ? We are nervous and anxious in this pandemic. What question would you ask of Jesus today ?  Jesus, " How …. ? " We do not need to be in control

Prayer

Life is the answer to our questions.

And,

life is uncertain and unknown.

So,

we live with this kind of

believing that you, God , are in control of all things

here and beyond here.

Thank you O Lord of heaven and earth .

AMEN

Fred

Tread on bold new paths!

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal !          Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

September 10, 2020

Good afternoon,

"  Help me with my unbelief " —–  A man who interacts with Jesus in Mark 9:24

" Ponder Anew what the Almighty Can Do. "

This is the verse from the song "Praise to the Almighty…" and the title of my blog. What will the events of the pandemic do to us as individuals and the church. I have signed up for a seminar put on my Mennonite Church Canada called " Does the Church Still Have Legs " . It was being planned before Covid hit all of us. I am sure the pandemic will be part of all of the discussions. For after all, the conference will be virtual and not in person.

What will be the same about the church after the pandemic ?

What will be different ?

What do you want to hang on to from before Covid ?

What should we leave behind ?

What kind of pastoral leadership will the church require ?

When can we sing together ? "How can we keep from singing" ?

What will our prayers be like in the next years ?

These are my seven questions. What are the questions in the front of your minds ? How has your faith changed through the last seven months ? Job's faith changed. Peter's faith changed. Paul's faith changed. It is fine to see a new God through these never before seen events ( at least in our lifetimes ). What would it mean for us/me to always have to wear a mask when I enter a public place ?

Salaam and strength for our faith together ( although apart ).

Fred

( the email might be smaller today. I am working on fixing the problem )

Pastor  Poole Mennonite

Tread on bold new paths!

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal !                        Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

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