The pastor preaching shades of hate The self-inflating head of state The black and blue, the starved for bread The dread, the red, the better dead The sweet, the vile, the tall, the small The one who rises to the call The list is long—as I recall Our orders said to love them all The one who lets his demons win The one we think we’re better than A challenge great—as I recall Our orders said to love them all
Mary Oliver writes in When Death Comes :
When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
Steve Martin ( 2025 ) writes:
Intrepid guide
Prodding gently
the contented
the agitated
those convinced
those floundering
over
narrow trails
toward
untapped destinations
resurrection moments
As you can see, I am all over the emotional map in my last few days of being pastor here at Poole. As I mentioned at the worship reflection last Sunday, I have been blessed in serving three congregations. I have grown as a person and pastor at all three. I have been a congregational pastor since 1987. The world and the church have changed, and I too have changed my beliefs and faith. God has been the constant, but if I have changed, then I guess God has changed in my body, mind and soul. If I change, then my understanding of the Divine Master has also moved to a stronger and more merciful place.
Praying for the peace of this world to arrive in Gaza, West Bank, Yemen and Syria. AMEN
So what are you going to do ? This is the question for me everyday since I announced I would not accept another term of service as pastor here at Poole. It is not only from Poole people, but from friends and family and strangers. Some say that one ‘ should do nothing for six months ‘, while others say ‘ do what you love ‘ and some people say, ‘ it will be revealed to you in a good time ‘. These were sort of the responses I received after recovering from my heart attack in 2007. Well, we are going on a five week trip, two weeks to Europe and then on to Amman, Jordan to visit Hannah and Alaa. We return to Elmira in early May. As a good Type B personality, I am only delaying my decision. Ha ha. Thanks for the question.
The cartoon character ” Pinky ” asks his friend ” Brain ” what are we going to do today ? ” Brain ” responds by saying, ” The same thing we do every night Pinky. Try to take over the world “. Oh, I wish I had such high aspirations. My dad just tried to make it to another day. I guess I am somewhere in-between. I do not have a bucket list of things I need to do. I am not a good planner, but I do want to go to Winnipeg more in the future. I want to get back to my cross-stitch work. I want to advocate more for more justice for all people in the world. I want to get closer to God through prayer and silence. These are not new things, but are old things done in a new time of my life.
The Philosopher says in Ecclesiastes :
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn anda time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Pray for the peace of Gaza in the twinkling of an eye. AMEN
TheMartyrs Mirror book of the 1660’s, documents the deaths of Anabaptist believers of the 1500’s. It tells about 800 or more of the people that were killed. It is a gruesome book about man’s inhumanity to each other. It does not document the violence done by Anabaptists that occured in a few places in the Netherlands and Germany. And it does not tell about the people who renounced their faith in Anabaptism, so they could live. It is a complex history.
Vision magazine ( from CMU ) had a whole issue devoted to the world of Anabaptism of the 16th century in 2024. Jennifer Otto writes the following:
” [ the stories of martyrs ] were copied by Anabaptists for the purpose of inspiring other Anabaptists . That is not to suggest that they are not authentic
, but it is to remind us that they are not disinterested . Martyrs Mirror aims to depict the early Anabaptists in the best possilbe light ” ( page 33 )
She invites us to think about how we remember these stories. The best of the martyrs is Dirk Willems. He is a selfless person who is chased by a police officer. The officer falls through the ice, and Dirk stops, and rescues him. Dirk is re-arrested, and is put in jail and eventually executed. We honour the courage and faith of Dirk. Other stories are not so uplifting, and Catholics are vilified in many of the stories. Not all early Anabaptists were nice people. This should be no surprise . We are all a part of a complex church history. It took over 400 years for churches that killed Mennonites to ask for forgiveness, and it took that long for Mennonites to offer forgiveness. That is a long time to hold onto being martyrs.
Who are your faith people who guide your daily lives ? Today, we have a complex history with leaders who have done sexual harm to people. We have people who have changed the lives of people for the better through the church and MCC. My most challenging person is John Howrad Yoder. His writings changed the way I read the Bible, and what I thought of peacemaking ( in 1981 ). Then in the 1990’s it came out that he had abused over 30 women, while teaching at the Mennonite Seminary. How do I hold both things in my faith journey ?
We should all try to be like Dirk Willems .
Seen on a Pennsylvania highway last week. Our hero, Dirk Willems.
” When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.“
Jesus says a lot of things that are written in the New Testament. Here he has declared that he is on his way to Jerusalem. He has met a Pharisee. a Jewish leader, along the way and has lunch. Jesus does not follow the rules of the day. He is always challenging the leadership. Would you have followed Jesus, or would you have been afraid to draw outside of the lines of faith and life ? We tend to want to conserve the tradition. Jesus invites his disciples to change their attitude.
Jesus challenges the attitudes of the Pharisees about greed. I feel it. I have more than enough things and resources. Am I greedy ? How can this be part of my 40 day Lent journey ? Where is the tipping point of when I move over to being greedy or not ? A very fine line ? And the remedy for the greedy virus in the world is to ” be generous to the poor ” . Do not ask why people are poor, but be generous. There are many reasons that people do not have enough, but we are to be generous. Am I complicit in why people are poor ? Jesus, help me in my 40 days/years of Lent.
Jesus remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Taize song.
I met Vernon Schroeder today. From 1987-1991, I served as pastor at Bethel Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a small church with many former Russia refugees, and volunteers working at the head offices of MCC in Akron, PA. It was my first pastorate where I made many mistakes, and learned many things that have helped me since then. I did my first funeral, first wedding and first child dedication at this congregation. The church closed about ten years after I left, and it is now part of a different denomination.
Vernon is 97 years old, and has a sharp mind. His wife died two years ago after a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Vernon had a heart attack in late 1989, and he read my recent article in the Rejoice! magazine, where I talked about my own heart attack. As we visited today he recounted the event around his heart. He had the balloon procedure that attempted to open up his arteries, and the eventual stents that the surgeon inserted into his arteries. It was the first time that I provided pastoral care in the ICU and heart unit. I felt so inadequate, as I walked into the room where Vernon was hooked up to all kinds of machines and IVs. He survived and thrived, and I survived and thrived as a pastor.Vernon had the same smile that I remembered from 34 years ago. We thanked God for the life God has given to each of us. We talked about our children, and talked about faith. We did not talk about Trump, Trudeau or Carney. There are many people that I have met that have mentored me in the right direction. Vernon is a humble, faithful and positive guy that is one of the many of these people who have been influencers in my life.
Gaza is out of the news, but continue to lift prayers to God for peace to come, and the guns can be silenced. AMEN.
The Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Mennonite Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. The issue was over the ban or ex-communication. Ammann wanted to not allow people to take communion and not have meals together when they had sinned, while the main group wanted to allow the excommunicated members to have meals together but not communion. When people refer to the Amish today, they normally refer to the Old Order Amish, though there are other subgroups of Amish. There are differences today with buggies, beards, bonnets, buttons, phones, and skid steers. They break apart over issues of obedience and not thology… from the Wikipedia files
The breaking up of various groups of Amish and Mennonites is part of our Christian tradition. We have always thought that we were right, on the issues that we could not agree on. In Floradale, at the north end of town, we had seven different Mennonite congregations represented , and two other houses where the people left to go to other denominations. We were civil to one another, but we couldn’t celebrate the Lord’s supper together.
This history of separating comes from our beginnings. Some believed in ‘ sola scriptura ‘ only Scripture. The group interpreted the literal meaning of the various passages from the Bible. While others saw the Spirit behind the text. This was more important than the actual letter of the Law or Bible. You can see where the different groups could, and did, run into problems. Since most of these people, both men and women, were strong leaders, they tended not to give into the other’s point of view. Therefore, today we have hundreds of different Mennonite groups. Mostly we all believe in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but is it our obedience to other rules, not biblical , that brings us into disagreement. Mennonite World Conference has tried to bring the various groups together, but there are still issues that they cannot even bring up for discussion . They have seven core beliefs that they agree upon, but it does not solve all the issues of faith and life. In his life, death and resurrection Jesus tried to bring everything and everybody into the right relationship with each other. We must continue to try to repair the damage among Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites as we live into the Kingdom of God. AMEN Fred
Lent begins in a week. In the tradition, it is time to repent of our sins and failings. We invite God to forgive it all with God’s grace. I think it is all about letting go of our fears. It is not the fear of the Lord or reverence for God. That is a good thing that invites the worship of the grace of God. It is the other fear that we all experience at different levels that we will find in Lent.
We fear the future in many different ways. There are different tiers of fear. Some fear does not allow us to function in our lives. Most fear is somewhat irrational. And fear usually does not change things well. Action is better. Guilt or shame are also places that do not lead to good decisions or results. We fear war, climate change , our health or our age or the economy. We have the ability to act on all of these things in some way. But sometimes fear takes over, and we are lost.
Jesus says in John 14:1, ” Do not let your hearts be troubled . You believe in God “. This is part of the Last Supper. My mind goes to ‘ what am I not supposed to be troubled about ? ‘. Jesus’ words bring a level of fear. Some of the things that bring fear into my thoughts and prayers, I know where they come from in earlier experiences in my life. I cannot seem to tamp or stomp them down. They began a long time ago.
I have brought them to God during Lent, to release me from them. But as I name the fear, they seem to arrive with fury. I am invited to lay them at the foot of the cross, or in the wilderness of the desert. Some have told me that the fear might be a gift to keep me on the straight and narrow road of faith. Maybe. ‘ Believe in God ‘ despite my fears. This will be with me beginning on Ash Wednesday next week.
God of the 40 days of Lent, I will offer my fears to you, so I may experience your love and grace, in explosive ways, Calm me, and bring your peace to my heart, soul and mind. AMEN
( I am taking an on-line class on Dietrich Bonhoeffer from CMU )
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian and church person. He grew up in upper class society, and was destined to continue with such a life. He received his Ph.D at the early age of 21, and was going to be a teacher. He went to the United States in the early 1930’s and his views were radically changed by reading the Sermon on the Mount, and attending an African-American Church in Harlem, NYC. He says he became a believer. Our life as believers, as he discovered, was not to be effective, but to be faithful. He became a pacifist at this point.
He was part of the Confessing Church after Hitler came to power. He spoke truth to power. Most of the German church followed Hitler and became part of Nazi propaganda. The Confessing Church refused to back down, and Bonhoeffer became the face of this movement. His family wanted him to leave Germany because it was too dangerous for him. He went to New York in 1939, but almost immediately got on another ship, and returned to Germany.
He was arrested in 1943 on charges of conspiracy, in attempting to kill Hitler. He was executed on April 9, 1945 right before the end of the war. It seems everyone takes something out of Bonhoeffer’s life and theology, and uses it for their purposes. Eric Mataxas is a right-wing church person in the United States, and has written a biography on Bonhoeffer that seems to use the theologian’s writings and life, to defend the church’s defense of Mr. Trump. Three Mennonite scholars just finished a book that states that Bonhoeffer was not part of any plot to kill Hitler. Would any of us be justified in helping to kill Hitler. A Mennonite problem, for those who are committed to pacifism ?
Steve Martin, a Catholic poet/musician from Kitchener wrote a poem on Bonhoeffer. Below is part of it:
So Bonhoeffer with mind and heart
Along with kindred souls
Devise a plan to stanch the threat
with cunning and with moles
They thought that ending such a plague
Was aiding in God’s will
Even if it meant a murder bold
A despot’s blood to spill
His faith on action built to last
The Bible anchor sure
His writing showed no tolerance
For those might demur
His life and work for justice was
a template hard and clear
To follow in his dogged steps
Meant facing down dread fear…
Steve Martin April 2019
Lord of heaven and earth, help us to be faithful to our call to peace… AMEN
3) Communion was a remembrance of the Last Supper. No mystery.
4) Separation from the world, the church was holy and the world was evil.
5) Ministers must live ethical lives.
6) Non-violence and pacifism.
7) No swearing of oaths.
One of the early leaders of the Swiss Anabaptist movement was Michael Sattler. He was a Catholic priest who came to read the Bible, and he left the Roman church. He was the main writer of the above articles. The Swiss Brethren ( as they were called ) met in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and agreed on the document on February 24, 1527. Every one of these articles brought the community at odds with the state and the church. For example, in saying that the Lord’s Supper was an act of remembrance, the group was saying that the bread and cup did not literally turn into the body and blood of Jesus during the Mass. In article six, they said they would not fight for the King or the state. Baptism of babies was for tax purposes, and when the Anabaptists did not baptize their babies it was an act of treason.
In the celebration of 500 years of Anabaptism, we are trying to define if we are still Anabaptist . Does it mean the same thing as what it meant for the people of the 1520’s ? There was disagreement among the various Anabaptist groups, just like today. Some Anabaptist groups today continue to practice the ‘ban’. Some keep away from the ‘world ‘, while others see their ministry within the ‘world ‘. Is baptism the core belief that makes us Anabaptist ? Young adults are delaying the decision of baptism because rituals, such as baptism do not hold the same meaning or value as they did before. And what role does the Sermon on The Mount ( Matthew 5-7 ) play in our daily lives ?
Michael Sattler died for the faith he expressed at Schleitheim. He was arrested in May 1527, and put on trial for most of the seven articles. He was found guilty and was brutally tortured, and eventually burned at the stake. His wife was also killed and a few other Anabaptists in the area. The authorities really feared that these beliefs were a real danger to church and society. It is a miracle that people continued to take these new beliefs, and live them out. ( There is a movie on Sattler’s life called the “Radicals ” )
In the love of Christ, and in memory of those who held to their faith.
Ponder Anew 