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July 6, 2020 Good afternoon, " We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment . One that fits all humanity and nature. " Brene Brown ( 2020 ) Prophets, futurists and seers have often looked into the future, to see where we can be a more excellent society. The Reformation was to be a revolution that would be good for all people. The two world wars in the last century were supposed to end all hatred. I do not see how we can believe that war will bring lasting peace. We know there is vast inequality in our world, when just a few billionaires have more than half the monetary resources of the whole earth. But, how do we restructure the whole world ? None of us want to see anyone in poverty, so how can we make sure that health care, access to water, access to food, and good housing can be seen as human rights ? Even as we live through the pandemic, we hear different voices about how it is passed to people, what is the best way to stop it, and all the controversy on wearing masks. There are seemingly double messages all over the news and social media. Is it possible to come together to make the world a more safe and equal place ? Can we return to Eden ? On all media, there are so many experts trying to tell us what the world will look like in six months, a year and two years. Who are we to believe ? What are we to do ? " The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 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. " Revelation 22:3-5 The above passage is near the end of John's vision. It is written to a community under threat from the Empire and their lions. John is trying to tell the community that God is in control, and that there is a new vision at the end of this time of persecution. He is trying to comfort them with a vision of safety and compassion. What is our message from the church to the community about a new vision for the world ? Prayer I have not heard the answer from you yet, O Lord. You want all suffering to end, but you have given us freedom in our faith and life. Help us not to look out only for ourselves and Canada. I do not know what heaven on earth looks like. O Lord, help me to see new visions. for the church, and your 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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Sunday July 5, 2020
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Sunday July 5, 2020 good morning, May this Sabbath day bring you hope, rest and the presence of God ! Blessed are the the poor in Spirit For theirs is the kingdom Blessed are those who mourn For they shall be comforted … Matthew 5:1-2 These are the only attempts at poetry for Jesus. Poetry has a different feel than history writing. It gets at your emotions, but other writing can also make you laugh and cry. The " blesseds " have a rhythmic flow to them. To me, it sounds like those first few verses in Genesis, " and there was morning and there was evening.. " . It sounds like Psalm 23 to me, " The Lord is my Shepherd .. " or many of the other worshipful Psalms that we can read. But, the Beatitudes could also be a call to political transformation. The words are going to upset the status quo of the Roman Empire. It depends where you are in the society, to the way that you hear it . The " Blesseds " are a call to action, to stand up for the marginalized in our society too. In verse ten, it says "Blessed are those who are persecuted …" . That sounds like a political theme to me. Jesus was not a politician nor a violent revolutionary, but he was speaking for a more equitable life for everyone. The Empire saw him as a threat. During the Vietnam War , MCC policy and volunteers stood alongside the peasants and farmers of rural Vietnam. MCC was not political , but people viewed them that way. Following the war, MCC stayed in Vietnam, not as a political stance, but because the country needed help in recovery. The United States did not see it that way. The call to be faithful sometimes is not an easy road, and our intentions of faithfulness are sometimes not interpreted in the way we intend them to be seen. Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150 Thanks be to God.
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July 4, 2020 A New Kind of Church
July 4, 2020,
Good afternoon,
" Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. " Ephesians 2: 19-21
What is the most beautiful building that you have been in in your life ? Is it a house or a skyscraper, a barn, or a mall ? Building and the space that they occupy are very important. Owners pay planners and architects big money to design a building that will meet the needs of the client. I know a church paid their building consultant over $250,000 to make sure the present needs of the church and its members would be met in the new space. What is your favourite spot in your house or apartment ? Where is the place that you can most relax ?
My favourite building the world is in Istanbul, Turkey, and it is called Hagia Sophia ( Holy Wisdom ). It was built as a church in 537, and for four hundred years was a mosque( 1453-1931 ), and since 1935 it has been a museum. It was the largest structure in the world for 1000 years. It was first a Byzantium Church, and so every spot in the church has spiritual meaning. It was not used as a community center or a meeting place: it was a place to meet God. I have been to see it seven times, and it is spectacular each time that I have been inside.
In Ephesians here, the author has the building or construction theme. There is the foundation, the cornerstone, the building being joined together, and the Temple. The ancients had many temples, stadiums and theatres in their communities, so they knew about big buildings. At the end of these three short verses, the writer says that we are being built together to live by the Spirit. This moves us from the building blocks to the spiritual sense of the community. Every church/congregation is made up of all kinds of spiritual building materials. We need to live by the Spirit.
We have now been out of our building since March 15, and that is 111 days. We have probably never been closed for two consecutive Sundays, and now we have been out of the building for worship for almost four months. What have you missed about the space ? How have you grown in your Spirit, since we have not been able to meet ? What space has God occupied during this time ? How has your thinking changed about the building ?
Number 1 in our Blue Hymnal takes on a different meaning as we have lived in these last 111 days.
Prayer
What is this place, where we are meeting?
Only a house, the earth its floor.
Walls and a roof, sheltering people,
Windows for light, an open door.
Yet it becomes a body that lives
When we are gathered here,
And know our God is near.
Fred
Tread on bold new paths !
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
June 29, 2020,
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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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july 2ns… a visit
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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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June 29, 2020, Do what I say to Do
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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 Pastor Poole Mennonite Church |
June 28, 2020 We need each other
June 28, 2020
( It is Shirley's birthday today )
Good morning,
It is the Sabbath. A time to rest. Find God in the hymns, the sky, the flowers, anywhere and everywhere. Rest , rest your soul, rest your being.
Thank you for your prayers yesterday as I rode for MennoHomes. I had not ridden that far this year. I rode from our place in Elmira to Millbank and back. It was along the Kissing Bridge Trail. It was an overcast, and slightly misty day. Perfect weather for riding. I began at 6:30 and finished around 11. That is quite slow riding. I did a facetime call with our kids in Linwood for 15 minutes. I was approaching Wallenstein, and was going down the hill, and then turning on to Highway 85 just for a kilometer or so, and I hit the WALL. My shoulders, knees and thighs began to hurt and burn, and then I felt I could not go on. I have heard that marathon runners hit the WALL at about mile 20 of a 26 mile race. I felt completely exhausted.
Do I go on ? Do I walk my bike the rest of the way ? Do I telephone Shirley to come and get me ? I was going so slow, but then I sped up a bit, and then my strength left me again. But, I continued on, and made it home riding my bike. To ask for help would not have been a bad thing. I could have phoned Shirley.
When we hit a spiritual wall or an emotional wall, we should reach out to each other . That is a sign of strength, that we cannot make it alone. We need each other. We need the church . We need God, the Ground of our Being. Even Jesus our Lord needed help. After returning to heaven, he left the community to lead the movement. The church could not be the church without the church.
Prayer ( with regards to Psalm 90 )
Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Not long we hope !
Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, this morning June 28 would be good !
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. We will sing from the depths of our stomachs !
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
We wait for you on this the Sabbath day, to smile on all of us with your everlasting love. AMEN
Fred
Tread on bold new paths !
Fireflies flash the direction
Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020
Fred Redekop
Pastor
Poole Mennonite Church
june 26 Love… more and more
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June 26, 2020, Good afternoon everyone, " As for other matters, brothers and sisters , we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of Lord Jesus." I Thessalonians 4:1-2 ( NIV) The believing community in Thessaloniki was part of an important city during the time of the early church. The city still sits on the north end of the Aegean Sea somewhere between Athens and Istanbul. They have not found any remnants of an early church building, So, this community that Paul helped to start met in homes, probably wealthy people's homes because slaves would have been outside the city, and would have not had the room to meet. We only have these two letters about this community. Today, there are Greek Orthodox churches all over the city. The city streets of Paul's time are buried under almost 2000 years of dirt, buildings and history. It is hard to determine anything about this biblical community for certain. Paul writes that he and the leadership gave the members some instruction. They have been faithful to what they have heard, and Paul invites them to do even more to be even more faithful. He talks for about six verses ( vv. 3-9 ) on sexual morality, saying, " and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister". Following this, he says we should love one another. What has the Lord instructed us to do ? We could list all the things that we have learned in following Jesus throughout our lives. Is loving one another, the overarching instruction or theme that we live by in this world ? Is loving someone only a feeling, or also implies action ? Prayer The letter makes sense even though written almost 2000 years ago. Love makes the world go around, but also right side up or upside down or even on a very right angle, Help us, aid us, wrap your heavenly arms around us, O God, so, we might do the same for all people we meet on the way to the end of the world. Instruct and teach us into the Kingdom of God here on 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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june 25 praying for the nations.
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une 25, 2020 Good afternoon, There are two walking paths in the new ( relatively ) subdivisions in Elmira. They run parallel to Park, Porchlight and Brookmeade Streets. Over the last ten years, they have had the trees line the paths, and people have built flower beds and vegetable gardens that bump up against the trail. In the morning, as the sun is just bursting out for the day, both of these paths, I find, a pleasure to walk on. Each season brings its own life to the two trails. The birds sing loudly in the spring, the leaves cover the trails in the fall, and it is touch sloshing in the winter. Most of the pictures I take in the mornings are from these two vantage points, but it seems everything is new everyday, never the same. One house has a clothesline with flags of the world. They are not all the flags, but I see Canada, South Africa and the largest seems to be Nepal, a distinctive double triangle flag. Why do these people put all the flags up on their laundry line ? There is a lot of lawn art too. I wonder why people put angels, gnomes, and reproduction statues of unknown people. The line of flags reminds me to be thinking and praying for the world of God's people. I should be praying for Brazil as it lives and dies through the Covid crisis. Pray for Jhonas, who is from Brazil, and has to return there in two weeks. His time with MCC is over. Pray for his safety and health, and for us, as we say goodbye to him. Pray for China, as it holds those two Canadians in jail. Pray that a solution be found, so they can be released. Pray for the European countries as they try to take care of their poor and marginalized. And pray for Canada, that is us, that we will continue to grow into a more just and peaceful country for all. No racism, no blaming the poor, and clean water for all. Who are you praying for today ? Where have your prayers been flowing for the last three and half months ? Can you share your anguish with God, through Jesus Christ ? "We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. " I Thessalonians 1:2-6 ( the apostle Paul ) Poole, continue to be a model of faith for people in other parts of God's world. Fred Tread on bold new paths ! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 Fred Redekop Pastor
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June 23… “and what is truth”
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une 23, 2020, Good afternoon, " Submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore , under God's mighty hand, so that in due time , he will exalt you. Cast all your anxieties upon God because he cares for you. I Peter 5:5-7 There are a lot of important voices out in the world these days. There are political people, health care persons, and economic soothsayers trying to tell us what the truth is. " You should wear masks in public " , and " there will be a vaccine by September " and "our economy will come back strong in 2021 ". We did not see the pandemic coming, and we are just guessing at how it is going to play out. One person told me that he wonders if he has had his last handshake. I have not shaken a hand in over four months. Now, people are saying we should take down this statue, and that monument, as we try to deal with racism. If someone had put up a statue of me, they would probably take it down now, because I am not perfect. They would find someone from my high school, and he/she would say that " Fred does not deserve it and take it down now. " How do we honour the good things that people have done ? Sir John A. was our first Prime Minister. He was the great compromiser to bring the places/languages together to make Canada . But he had a problem with his drinking. And he said some things about assimilating all the Indigenous people that were racist. Peter ( Jesus' best friend ) invites the community to be humble when we are with each other. Try to be humble especially when we are working for justice and peace in our world. Peter and Paul had different ideas about the Gospel. Humility and politics, and humility and church, and humility and power usually do not go well with each other. I know I might be wrong about Sir John A., and I might be wrong about opening or not opening the church for worship. How do I decide what is true, and what is fake, or maybe slightly true. Prayer You are the great God, of the universe. You know everything, I do not. I want to be faithful, to your Being And follow the ways of love and grace. I ask the same question, as the nasty Roman politician, Pilate, asked at Jesus' trial, " And what is truth ?" Keep inviting me to be a humble prophet of peace, and justice. So we can find a more excellent truth. AMEN.
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Ponder Anew 