Fruits of being thankful (September 2019)
Colossians 2: 67 --
“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up
in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (NIV)
The turning of the calendar from August to September brings us face-to-face
with the reality that the fall
season follows our summer. With the arrival of fall comes many fruits — in many cases fruit full of seeds
that provide the basis on which another future year’s crop will result.
The image of growth, especially of a plant or a tree producing fruit, is used in the Bible to illustrate
spiritual life. Followers of Jesus, born of His Spirit when we recognize and receive him as our Saviour
and Lord, are described as being “rooted” in Christ. We are rooted to grow — to be built up — just as a
tree is rooted in the soil of the earth to grow upwards. As we grow, nourished in the vine — who is Jesus
— as branches we produce fruit. The fruit is described as “overflowing” — with thankfulness.
Being thankful — and expressing an attitude of gratitude — is contagious. How much different our daily
interactions are when we express words of thanks, and exude an attitude of cheerful thankfulness, than
when we are dissatisfied, or receive things with an attitude of entitlement. Lives marked by increasing
evidence of the fruit of the Spirit — itemized as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self control
— lead others who taste and savour these fruit to also overflow
with thankfulness.
One of the hallmarks of Paul’s letter to the Colossians is his attitude of thankfulness for the people who
comprised the church at Colosse. “We always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we
pray for you,” is how he begins his letter (chapter 1: 3). He takes special note of the love which they
express for all the saints — their fellow believers. Indeed, he says, “All over the world this gospel is
producing fruit and growing.” (verse 6) He is referring to the gospel of good news which has brought the
Colossians to know and love and serve Jesus Christ. The life they live and enjoy in Christ is a life they are
eager to share with others the world over.
In turn, Paul’s own labours for them and for others are a joy and not a burden. Even though he is absent in
person, he says, “I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your
faith in Christ is.” (chapter 2: 5) As he comes to close his letter, he encourages them: “Be wise in the way
you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of
grace, seasoned with salt.” (chapter 4: 5)
Let us not wait for Thanksgiving to be thankful, or to show thankfulness in our daily conversation and
conduct. In our ordinary expressions of thanks, we may very well be sowing seeds of the gospel of God’s
grace revealed in Jesus Christ. May God use those seeds to bring others to know and love and serve Jesus.
Your pastor, thankful for fruit, and eager that it multiply,
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On signs -- and elections and detours, and more! (October 2019)
Everywhere one looks, there are signs.
Perhaps it is a mere coincidence. The current federal election campaign has given birth to the usual
multiplicity of candidates’ signs on street corners everywhere. At the same time, however, road
construction (at least in the parts of the city in which I live and work and try to travel regularly!) has
resulted in all kinds of signs announcing road closures, directing detours, and promising delays in travel.
Some of these signs are distractions, depending on what one is looking for. Yet each is designed for a
purpose. Some seek to convey information — sometimes vital information. I learned of plans for a
temporary but recurring road closure near my home from one sign. Another informed me of the name of
one of the candidates running in the local riding in the upcoming election.
With the advent of light-rail
travel in Ottawa this fall, we will also face many more signs, advising of
route changes and cancellations.
Some signs warn us of danger; some direct us to alternate routes. Some merely announce or identify
individuals or remind us of issues to be considered in preparing to vote.
In sorting out the meaning of these signs, and in seeking to make sense of all of them, I was led to think
about what the Bible tells us about the place of signs in God’s design.
God built signs into the universe from the beginning. Genesis 1:14 tells us: And God said, “Let there be
lights in the expanse of the sky … and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.”
(NIV)
Not only does God put up signs, but God himself reads signs. Genesis 9:13-15
says: “I have set my
rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I
bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between
me and you and all living creatures of every kind.” (NIV)
In calling Abraham and his descendants to believe and worship and follow, God instituted the sign of
circumcision: God said, “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant
between me and you. (Genesis 17:11)
In delivering the covenant people from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses, God called his
people to eat the sacrificial Passover meal, and to put up the sign of blood on the doorposts of their
houses, prior to the visitation which would bring death to the firstborn,
and secure their escape from
Pharoah’s oppression. The blood was a sign for both the people and God alike: “The blood will be a sign
for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:13)
With the arrival of Jesus, and His once-for-all
sacrifice for sin on behalf of all who receive and believe on
Him, the signs changed from circumcision to baptism, and from the blood of the Passover to the bread
and wine of the Lord’s Supper. The signs continue, though, to remind us to look to God for provision and
direction; and to remind God of His promises. We do this together every time we celebrate the sacraments
of Christian baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Let us heed and navigate the signs: for travelling, and for participating in an informed way in the election.
Let us study to learn the reasons and the issues, and the plans and the people that are behind the signs and
to which the signs point. Let us also attend to the signs and participate in the sacraments which God has
posted for our life and growth in His grace and mercy. God posts and reads signs. We are called to so too.
In Christ,
Your pastor, thankful for fruit, and eager that it multiply,
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What to do after the election? (November 2019)
1 Timothy 2: 12
I
urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made
for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all
godliness and holiness. (NIV)
On the morning after the recent federal election, the results of which gave no party or leader a majority
or a clear and convincing mandate to govern the people, it is perhaps particularly appropriate for us to
consider how we might best pray for the leadership of the country.
Here are half a dozen considerations that might serve as seed thoughts for specific intercession.
First, let us pray that those who govern will sense a high calling for which an account will one day need
to be given. Too often we act — or react — to the most immediate, urgent condition or crisis. Let us
pray that a long-term
horizon and well-grounded
principles of righteousness, justice, and mercy will
shape any legislation put forward by those who govern.
Second, let us pray that those called to leadership will serve humbly, without “airs” or an exaggerated
sense of self-importance.
Third, let us pray for leaders to listen. Too many so-called
“debates” have degenerated into shouting
matches, or forums for individuals to talk at or over each other. Let us pray that questions asked in
Parliament and in public discourse will be real questions, for which answers are truly being sought, and
that questions heard will be ones to which real and relevant answers will be offered.
Fourth, let us pray for the exercise of good stewardship: stewardship of the earth and its resources, so
that we will pass along to future generations what we have been given in trust; stewardship in the sense
of living within our means, and not borrowing from future generations and expecting them to repay what
we have squandered; and stewardship in ensuring that there is a wise investment of capital and an
equitable sharing of the dividends of growth.
Fifth, let us pray for genuine co-operation
between levels of government — national, provincial, and
local — to address important issues. Too often there is too much “passing the buck”, in which problems
or solutions are left to “somebody else” to solve. Let us pray that the skills and leadership of all
members of our parliament, legislature, and council be marshalled to enable major issues to be
meaningfully addressed.
Sixth, let us pray for Canada’s appropriate participation among the councils of the nations, and that our
place and share in global affairs will be marked by responsible partnerships and the offering of
leadership with integrity.
Your pastor, pondering our politics and praying for our politicians,
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Homeless (December 2019 - January 2000)
Luke 9: 58 “
Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Several things have come together in recent weeks and months to impress upon me the
need to invite us to reflect on the issue of homelessness. Our congregation is a
microcosm of what is very real in our city, our country, and our world. People are
“homeless”.
There are at least four ways in which this is true.
First, there are individuals who literally and physically do not have a home to return to
tonight. The circumstances may vary: a lost job, a lost relationship, a lost house by fire, flood, or wind.
The reasons may be complex: addiction, abuse, mental illness, guilt, fear, insecurity, or issues undefined
and unresolved. There is no shortage of faults, failings, and falls.
Second, there are those in our midst who have fled their homes and their homelands, to save their lives.
Some have no country left to call their own.
Third, there are those who have lost a spiritual home. Some are estranged from the church — the
community of faith — that they have once called “home”. Again, the reasons may be many and varied: a
breakdown in relationships, in trust; a loss of position or place. Some have hurt others, and some have
been hurt. We live in an imperfect, broken and fallen world. Hurt people hurt people.
Fourth, some have never found a true spiritual home — a deep, lasting place of peace. The intent of Jesus
— born to be “the Prince of peace” — was and is to truly bring the peace of a truthfilled,
lovefilled,
caring and compassionate God who is Spirit — to every human heart and life. To be with Jesus is to be
home — in the heart of God. The human heart is restless until it finds its rest in the One who made us; the
One in whose likeness each of us has been created.
Jesus addressed homelessness — not in a detached, social-science-study-sort-of-way
— but out of
personal experience. He moved from place to place, and simply stated “The Son of Man has nowhere to
lay his head.” For all of the value we put on “having a roof over our heads”, “having a permanent
address”, and for all of the labour we put into those things, we need to be reminded that during much if not
all of His brief adult sojourn on earth, Jesus was “of no fixed address”. Yet He created a home for Himself
and His disciples in a community of faith, and He invited all who would to find and make their home in
Him.
In the current, recent, and increasingly longstanding
political climate, homelessness is viewed as a
problem which is batted about between three levels of government: municipal, provincial, and federal. Far
too much of the time, the communicated attitude is “it’s their problem” (the “their” being one of the other
levels of government) and the arguments centre on “who’s going to pay”. The result is more talk, little
action, and the gap between what many have (a home) and what many lack (a home) grows wider, as the
cost of housing continues to rise faster than the wages and salaries.
Jesus challenges us by personal example not to view homelessness as “a problem”; and much less as
“somebody else’s problem”. Rather, it is life — resolved when each of us makes our home with Jesus,
and when all of us make our home with Him — the homeless One who makes us a home.
I do not have a solution to offer to the politicians; more cooperative
reflection and shared action is
needed. I do, however, invite all of us during the Advent and Christmas season when many of us are
looking forward to “being home for Christmas” to reflect on the missing homes where many will not be
for Christmas, and to ponder the attitude reflected by our Saviour Jesus — the Christ of Christmas —
who in response to one who was eager to be one of His followers said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the
air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Perhaps we will be led to assist and support others in finding a physical home. Perhaps we
may also aid some in finding their home among us in community together. Perhaps, of
ultimate significance, may we strive to enable each one to find a spiritual home in
relationship with Jesus — who came to be homeless, for the homeless.
Your pastor, thankful for a home for my body, and more for one for my spirit — with Jesus,
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Refuge in Canada and in Christ (February 2000)
2 Corinthians 11:26-28
“
I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger
from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger
in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have laboured 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.” (NIV)
Several of those who worship and fellowship with us at Parkwood Church have come to Canada from
places and situations in which identifying, worshipping, and living as a Christian is accompanied by life-threatening
danger and difficulty. Many of us who have lived in Canada all of our days and years have
been blessed all our lives to worship and live and serve in peace. We are tempted to take for granted what
we have and know, and often do not realize or grasp the extent to which we have been blessed.
Recently, I was able to read a classic work, long out-of-print,
which offers insight into what conditions
were like two hundred years ago in some parts of what is now Canada. William Gregg was in 1885 the
Professor of Church History at Knox College, Toronto. He wrote a book entitled "History of the
Presbyterian Church in the Dominion of Canada from earliest times to 1834".
Most of us have been to visit (or at least have seen pictures of) Niagara Falls, and are happy to marvel at its
majestic beauty. It is one of the gems of our geography. Here is an except from Gregg’s book on what two
pastors, John Burns and Daniel Eastman, experienced in the Niagara region in the early years of the 1800s:
“Niagara and Stamford next obtained as their pastor the Rev. John Burns, a minister of the Associate
Synod of Scotland. Having come by way of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, where he spent several months with
his friends, he arrived at Stamford in 1804, and took up his residence there till 1806, when he removed to
Niagara. He laboured in the congregations in both places, till the war of 1812-1814.
In the first year of the
war the Presbyterian church was used as a general hospital. Next year it was deliberately destroyed by the
fire of the enemy, the reasons assigned being that its lofty spire afforded the British troops too good a view
of the American camp and fortifications. In the month of December of the same year, the town was burned
by the Americans; only one house was left standing. Mr. Burns, who had gone with his family to Stamford,
was taken prisoner, and carried over to the American fort. Through the influence of one of the officers…
he was treated with great civility; and by invitation of the commandant, he preached to the garrison every
Sabbath for six months, until he was liberated and restored to his family… He died in 1822, in the fiftythird
year of his age. His death was caused by pleurisy which resulted from exposure to a blinding storm in
which he lost his way through the woods.” (Gregg, pp.184-185)
“A few years before the arrival of Mr. Burns in Canada there came to the Niagara District another
Presbyterian minister, whose long continued services of upwards of three score years are deserving of
special record. This was Rev. Daniel Ward Eastman. Mr. Eastman was a native of… the State of New
York; his parents were of English and Scotch descent. At the age of fourteen he became deeply impressed
on the subject of personal religion, and, on profession of faith in Christ, was admitted a member in full
communion in the visible Church. He now also felt that he was called of God to preach the Gospel.
"… Having been licensed on 17th March, 1801… he preferred to come to Canada. …Before the year
1807 his missionary labours were extended from the Niagara River westward to where the city of
Hamilton now stands, and for miles beyond. …By the joint labours of Mr. Eastman and the Rev. John
Burns and of the Rev. Lewis Williams, who came to the Niagara District in 1808, the different churches…
were supplied with regularity until the war in 1812-14.
During this war missionary labours were seriously
interrupted and the lives of the missionaries imperilled. Church buildings and school houses were occupied
as hospitals, and congregations were gathered with great difficulty. …Several of the severest battles of the
war were fought near Mr. Eastman’s manse. That of the Beaver Dams, in June, 1813, 'was at his very door,
and his family were imprisoned in the cellar for personal safety, while careless musket balls made music
over their heads, whistling through the windows, and penetrating the siding of the frame building… The
house was not seriously damaged; but long years after, the terrors of that bloody strife and the darkness of
those hours of suspense in the cellar were fresh in the memories of some of the children.'” (pp. 185-188)
As we seek today to welcome those who seek refuge from war and danger, let us remember that some of
our forebearers here experienced similar struggles and sought similar refuge and peace only two hundred
years ago in this country. Let the words of the apostle Paul challenge and comfort us.
Amid his trials, the apostle Paul was given visions, assuring him of God’s gracious provisions. Yet he
suffered, and sought relief from his “thorn in the flesh”. He testified that Jesus replied: “My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This, beyond all else, led Paul to assert that
“for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)
Let us also take heart and be inspired both by those who have gone before us, and those who are among us.
Your pastor, more mindful of those who seeking and offering refuge in Christ’s name,
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Maturity (March 2020)
James 1:4 Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (NIV)
An artist crafts a work. It might be a painting, or a sculpture. It might be a piece of music -- either
a tune or a set of lyrics, or both. It might be a poem, or a drama, or a book. It might be a piece of woodwork, or a
piece of embroidery. It might be a garment or a tapestry.
Whatever it is, the artist begins with an idea, and a piece of raw material. The “thing” whatever
it is does not take shape immediately or instantaneously. The artist begins with a single action, a
simple stroke. Added to the first “touch” is a second, and then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and many more, beyond
count. Time is required. Sometimes mistakes need to be erased or reversed. The work takes time, and
patience, and perseverance on the part of the artist.
All the while, the artist has in mind something that is not yet complete. The artist is not satisfied with the
partial work-in-progress, but continues working, until, at last, the final stroke or touch is completed. What
was at first only an idea is at last a reality. Often, it is at this point that the artist is ready and willing to
share the work with others. What was only a concept in the mind of the crafter is now a creation to be
enjoyed by many.
This process also helps to illustrate the work of God through His Holy Spirit in fashioning chosen,
beloved, and adopted sons and daughters. Each of us is, in the first instance, a creature made in God’s
image. Sadly, the divine image in each of us is marred by sin, both on our part individually and on the part
of a broken, fallen world. Yet as the apostle John reminds us, God loves us and both wants and works to
recreate us. In his first letter, John writes: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” He goes on to tell us, “Dear friends, now we
are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.” (1 John 3:12,
NIV)
God is at work to reshape us. When we hear His call and accept His invitation to be followers of Jesus,
we discover that God has begun a work in each one of us, to recraft and restore us into the image of Jesus -
not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. What God desires and designs is that the qualities
which (beyond all measure) marked the life of Jesus things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control should also mark our lives. The beauty of God is
intended to fill His people with the fullness of life, and to flow through us, overflowing into the lives of
others around us.
Such a work takes time a
lifetime, in fact. Such a work entails perseverance both on God’s part (and He
is faithful!) and on our part. The apostle Paul is convinced that God is crafter who does not quit or give up
on us: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
For our part, we need both allow Him to continue His work in us, and to cooperate with Him as He works
in us and through us. His eventual aim is to present us, together, as one body, one family, complete and
perfect in every way.
In the days of Lent leading up to Easter, we aim in our gatherings for worship to explore various images
used in Scripture to help us understand the process of growing into maturity that God intends for us.
God invests His best work in us, and invites us both to wait and to work with Him.
Your pastor, eager to grow together into maturity in Christ,
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Troubles, affliction, and distress... Trust, protection, and comfort (April 2020)
When I wrote last month’s meditation, I had no idea that this month’s would be written under vastly
different circumstances. The suspension of public gatherings for worship, fellowship, and study was
not contemplated.We suspected that some precautions might be prudent — eating together and
shaking hands were practices that we about to lay aside for perhaps a few weeks. How much has
changed in so short a time!
It is appropriate for us to seek wisdom, comfort, and hope in God’sWord. This month, I call attention
to Psalm 25, which has often been a psalm to which I have turned with isolated individuals confined
to home or hospital. I quote it in full:
- To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
- in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
- No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
- Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
- guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.
- Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
- Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.
- Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
- He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
- All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
- For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
- Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
- He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
- The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
- My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
- Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
- The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
- Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
- See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!
- Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
- May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
- Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
The psalm is appropriate and helpful as we would come together in spirit while we are physically
separated. It calls us together to worship, and it contains all the elements present in a typical service of
worship.
It is good and right that we lift up our souls — each one of us, and all of us together — to God. The psalm
gives us words to affirm our faith — that we trust and place our hope in God alone. God, revealed in
Jesus, is our Saviour, and we are bid to follow as disciples of Christ. The psalm contains words of
confession, in which we acknowledge our sin, and helps us seek forgiveness, for the sake the one Name
given under heaven and earth by which we must be saved -- Jesus.
The psalm also offers us counsel, and points us to the Lord who instructs us in the way in which we are to
go and live. The psalm speaks of the promises of God to us and for us: plans to give us hope, and a future.
The psalm reminds us that God invites us to look always to Him, and assures us that for HIs part God
confides in those who look to Him.
The psalm meets us in our loneliness and affliction and distress. It ends assuring us of God’s protection,
because our hope is rooted not in ourselves, but in God, and it reminds us to pray for all God’s people, in
their troubles.
Let us use this psalm as an expression of our faith, and as our prayer in these times, and I pray that God
will use it as the means of blessing each and all of us, and enabling us to a blessing to others as we share it
and our faith with them.
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Never Alone (May 2020)
On Sunday evening, April 26th, it is said that one out of every three Canadians watched an
unprecedented national music “concert” via television or other streamed media, on the theme, “We’re in
this together.” Musical artists and celebrities from many walks of life joined in a national expression of
thanks to and support for doctors, nurses, first-responders,
and essential workers in maintaining and
delivering food and other necessities during the present pandemic. The theme, “We’re in this together,”
was designed to affirm that though many are isolated either because of illness or the need to prevent the
further spread of illness, we are very much connected. Those blessed were encouraged to contribute as
they could to raise funds for local food banks. The call was to affirm and strengthen human solidarity.
“We will get through this together” was the common refrain.
Among many others, I tuned in, and was grateful to be able to do so, and to join in giving thanks — both
for those hard at work on the front lines, and for those patiently enduring “physical distancing”. I am
deeply conscious of our present separation, and while thankful for the technology that has allowed many
of us to connect electronically for worship through Lent and Easter and beyond, I am very much
burdened for those in hospital, in care facilities, and in private homes, who cannot connect and who are
very much separated and isolated and cannot be in the presence of family and friends dearly loved.
I am reminded, though, that for Christians there is another dimension to this “We’re in this together.”
Those in whom and among whom the Spirit of God dwells have a much more profound affirmation to
make. As much as we are in this together, it matters far more that God is in this with us.
Moses at the age of 120 years was conscious of not being the one to lead the ancient Israelites into the
promised land; God had told him that instead “The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of
you.” (Deuteronomy 31: 3, NIV) Moses’ response was to call Joshua, and to repeat “in the presence of
all Israel” this assurance, and to add the immortal words, “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
God would be with His people, leading them out of the wilderness and into their future together in the
land of His promise, and with His enduring and abiding provision.
After Moses’ death, God “inducts” Joshua to his position of leadership, and repeats the promise
embraced by Moses, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake
you.” (Joshua 1: 5) Human leadership may change, but God’s commitment to accompany His people
continues.
Centuries later, when the apostle to the Hebrews wanted to encourage first-century
disciples of Jesus
who had suffered rejection and loss for the sake of Christ, he catalogues (in Hebrews 11) the great men
and women of faith who put their trust in the One who is unseen, but who pressed onward and forward,
and he then offers the concluding exhortation and encouragement in Hebrews 13: 5 “
God has said,
‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” — quoting again from God’s promise to Moses and to
Joshua. The same apostle goes on to remind us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for
ever.” (Hebrews 13: 8)
Jesus Himself, preparing the disciples for his physical leave-taking
after his resurrection and prior to His
ascension to return to heaven, issues the great commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations …” and
adds the assurance, “Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20).
All of this is designed to tell us that as much as “we’re in this together”, God is in this with us, and
Christian disciples bring to those around us the One who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.
Let us affirm Jesus’ presence, and all the strength, guidance, and peace that flow from Him.
Your pastor, aware of (and thankful for) the presence of God the Father,
Jesus our Saviour and Lord, and the Holy Spirit our Comforter and Guide,
P. S.: Contributions designated for our Benevolent Fund enable us to support those in need with food and
other necessities now and at other times throughout the year.
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Plans and changes — changes and plans (June 2020)
What plans have you made in recent weeks that have been changed? And what changes have you experienced that will affect future plans?
In modern English, the expression “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray” is used to
convey surprise or dismay when things don’t work out the way we planned them. In fact, the
expression owes its origin to the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who in 1786 wrote a poem addressed “To
a Mouse”, apparently after upending a mouse’s nest while ploughing a field. In the original Scots the
poem reads:
Clearly Burns was observing that though the mouse thought a safe and suitable spot for a nest had been
secured, the field the mouse planned to live in and raise a family was not the most satisfactory space,
for the field's farmer intended to turn over the soil and plant a crop. The mouse’s plans went awry!
We have seen many of our plans go awry this spring. The school year did not end the way it was
planned to. Graduation ceremonies long dreamed about
look very different, if they are happening at all.
Farmers who planned to sell certain crops to restaurants have had to find new ways to market or
dispose of last year’s harvests. Travel, employment, shopping — all kinds of activities planned and
intended have been changed, curtailed, or simply stopped.
One of the more intriguing mysteries in the Bible involves the changes in plans in the ministries of the
early apostles. Paul writes to the Corinthians about one of these plan changes:
“Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. I planned
to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you
send me on my way to Judea. When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a
worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no”? But as surely as God is
faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No”. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No”, but in him it has always
been “Yes.” … I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to
Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith
you stand firm. So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.”
(2 Corinthians 1:15 2:
1, NIV)
Clearly Paul made plans, and then had reason to change those plans. Circumstances in the church in
Corinth changed, and Paul’s intended visit would have been very different if he had gone ahead.
His basic intent, however, to honour Jesus Christ by serving the Corinthians faithfully as Christ’s
servant to bring God’s word to the church in Corinth, did not change. He simply believed that it
would be better to wait and visit at a different time.
This suggests that for us today, changed circumstances call for a change of plans, and we are called to
work out those changes, keeping our focus on Jesus Christ and our call to honour Him in our life
together and in our testimony and witness for Him in our contemporary world. Some things are
beyond our control… but we can control our response to those changes.
We can also take heart in the knowledge and assurance that amid the changes, God’s plans remain
unchanged and ever faithful. His word to the prophet Jeremiah is the basis for our confidence: “‘For I
know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)
Let us remember, amid the changes we face, that God’s plans endure. God’s plans are rooted in His
unchanging nature: He is constant. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever
(Hebrews 13:8, NIV). The plans of mice and men may go astray, and we may well need to revise our
plans as a result, but let us remember amid the many changes we face that God’s plans are constant
and firm, and are designed for our good and our future.
Facing changed and changing plans, but thankful for God’s unchanged and unchanging plans,
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