January 24th, 2010 | Can we |
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| …looking instead to what our unique experiences reveal to us about God? |
| Will we |
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| …embracing the diversity of God’s presence in creation? |
| Do we |
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| …becoming the hands of God in action? |
For more on the creation of this affirmation, click here.
January 21st, 2010 Perhaps it is the curse of living in a northern climate, the long days without sunshine, the yellowing of pristine snow by the trails of salt trucks and human industry but I find myself hearing the bell ring for that dark tea time of the soul (to steal a phrase from Douglas Adams).
It tolls with the wounding, yet again, of the Canadian democratic process; marking the slow, not quick, death of a much maligned centuries old institution that once expressed, if not always upheld, the principles of a vocal opposition and responsible government. It sounds the death knell of traditions and practices once thought important, valuable, dare it be said, even sacred. It reverberates forcefully to those who hear it because it falls on the deaf ears of those who should and echoes in the silent response of those affected.
The discordant melody is amplified by the harmony on the street mixed with the hollow drone emanating from Copenhagen meeting rooms. The bitter refrain wafts across oceans and lands ravaged by the ceaseless chants of man versus nature, comfort over concern, words not action.
The bell peals louder yet with the shaking of the Haitian ground and vibrates through devastated streets and shattered human lives. It carries the familiar tune through the wasteland of New Orleans’ 9th Ward and cries, not, how could this happen but why is it allowed? The warning bells have sounded for so long, why are they never heard?
Around the globe the carillon clangs in a cacophony of ancient repetitive sour notes of war, poverty and violence. A thunderous melody that makes one want to cover ears and shut it out or, worse, answer the gong and dine in that dark parlor of despair.
And yet, even among that oppressive harsh tune sweet notes escape. Such subtle notes that one must listen closely for they are drowned out by the discordant caterwauling of avarice and greed. It is heard from a man, having lost his wife after 60 years – oh! so much more than a wife, an integral part of his very being – say quietly through profound grief, “Now I have to start my life over”. There is the rising swell of thousands saying this is not how governments, corporations, nations, people should operate. There is motivation even to one who shut the world out to stir in protest. In near and far off places venerable bells begin to chime, “The time is now for change”.
Perhaps it is with luck that living in a northern climate, I am reminded each year of the possibility of hope. For even on the most dismal days of a dreary January, I know that spring will come. The rains of April will wash the dirty snow away. The lifeless black branches will bud in soft greens, yellows and pinks. The sun will stream through those dark parlor windows and renew the soul. The bell will sound that “change is here”.
Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:10
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January 14th, 2010 This is the first time I have tried this so I hope it goes where it should.
All of us are watching the coverage of the devastation in Haiti.People are [...] Continue Reading…
January 13th, 2010 Why shouldn’t God be zipping around Heaven on a rocket sled?? The “bearded guy on a cloud” is more than just Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel finger-pointer.
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January 9th, 2010 What image comes to mind when you think about “God”? Spirit? Love? Parent? King? Judge? bearded-guy-on-a-cloud?
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January 4th, 2010 A candle cannot burn without fire. What is it that sets you alight with passion? What makes you want to reach out to others? To make a difference in the world?
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December 29th, 2009 May metanoia - transformation – fill our New Year with new hope, new life, and new understanding
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December 23rd, 2009 May you experience with boundless joy of Emmanuel, God with us, today and every day of the year.
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