An acceptable time ... a day of salvation

Our church's spring newsletter was published last week. This was my cover article.


Has the gospel changed your life? Are you a different person because of God’s grace, because of the love and mercy and forgiveness and generosity of God? I mean, are you a different person from the person you would be if Jesus hadn’t become a part of your life?

Most of us were baptized as infants, some of us as toddlers or even older children, maybe even a few of us as adults. What does that mean? We say that in baptism God sets us free from sin and death and that after baptism we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God. We are raised to new life and joined with Christians throughout the world in God’s mission for the life of the world. How has that been working for you?

On the Third Sunday after Pentecost, in the second reading, St. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah and then puts a new spin on those words. In Isaiah 49:8 we read:
“In a time of favour I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
This was part of a prophecy about God delivering the people of Israel from exile in Babylon and wherever they are scattered in the world. God promises to bring them back to their home, back to the promised land.

When Paul reads this prophecy he finds new meaning in those words and in the promise. Because of his faith in Jesus Christ he understands the prophecy in a new way. It’s no longer just about captives being set free to return to their homes. In this prophecy, and in the death and resurrection of Jesus, he sees a new homecoming and a new restoration. Now when Paul reads about “a time of favour” and “a day of salvation” he sees a restored relationship with God. So instead of “a time” and “a day” Paul writes:
“See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:2).

Paul also urges his readers not to take this for granted. The preceding verse says, “we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor 6:1). God has given us a marvellous gift. The good news is that through Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God. In him there is grace and help. God’s anger and wrath at our sinfulness is turned away. Instead we receive love and generosity and good. We receive forgiveness of sins and mercy and reconciliation.

Just as Isaiah announced that God would set the people of Israel free, we are set free from sin and death and all that would separate us from God. Martin Luther wrote a document titled Christian Liberty. In it he wrote about the freedom that we have in Christ but he goes further than simply writing about what we are set free from. He also writes about what we are set free for.
“I will therefore give myself as a Christ to my neighbour, just as Christ offered himself to me; I will do nothing in this life except what I see as necessary, profitable, and salutary to my neighbour, since through faith I have an abundance of all good things in Christ.
“Behold, from faith thus flow forth love and joy in the Lord, and from love a joyful, willing, and free mind that serves one’s neighbour willingly.”

When Jesus meets us and the good news of God’s grace impacts our lives we are set free and changed and now our lives aren’t about US anymore. Now we live for others and for what we can do to make a difference in the world, for what we can do as gospel people, spreading the good news of God’s love and mercy.

“See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation.” The time and the day are here for us to worship, learn, witness, serve, and share. The time and the day are here to make a difference in the world. The time and the day are here to be and do and live for others just as Christ was and did and does for us. How will that be working for you?

Wascally Wabbits

So, after posting links to the newspaper articles that refer to our church vegetable garden I wonder just what we'll be able to harvest.

The beans we planted came up quickly. The sprouts appeared about a week after we planted them. They pushed up and put out a couple of leaves on each stem. Now more than half of them are just stems, with the leaves stripped off by a rabbit or rabbits in the neighbourhood.

A few years ago they took off the leaves of the pepper plants we planted. I asked an old woman who lived next door (she died a couple of years ago) who always had a beautiful vegetable garden if she ever had trouble with rabbits. She answered, "Oh, you vouldn't believe how many rabbits I've killed over ze years!"

I don't want to start killing anything and I don't want to spend the money on an electric fence so I'll have to do some research into how to discourage the rabbits from destroying our garden.

Rose

I know I'm kind of blowing my own horn, but after the article in the paper on Thursday, on Friday the editorial page did it's weekly "Roses and Thorns" about the week's news and we received the first rose. You can read it here.

Loving our neighbours

My wife and I are in the paper today. They did a story on our church's vegetable garden from which we take the produce to the food bank. You can read it here.

Too nice outside

I just can't get into work this week. My oldest daughter has her last exam and is done grade 10 at the end of this week. The other three kids are done a week from tomorrow. After a pretty cool spring it's finally looking and feeling summery out there. And I'm in the office working on items for the newsletter and putting off working on my sermon. I'd rather be at home, out in the backyard, either relaxing or even actually doing some yard work. I'm planning to repaint and rebuild part of the picket fence, build a new gate at the side yard. Or I could be out at a golf course somewhere just eating up the glorious weather.

I'm searching for inspiration for my front page newsletter article. I haven't even thought about my sermon yet and I like to have them done by the end of Thursday so that I can take Friday and Saturday off. Five weeks from now we'll be camping. Three-and-a-half months from now we'll be at Disney World. I like my job but lately I've been pining a lot more for the not-job stuff.

Ho hum. I guess I better get at it.

7

So yesterday, June 9, it was seven years since I first presided at worship as pastor of this congregation. I commented to my secretary on some of the changes over seven years, citing as an example the members of our congregational council. As I run down the list I think there are currently only three or four who were members of council back then. Four of the council members weren't even members of our congregation back then. Five of the council members had either been inactive church members or had moved away and since come back.

On Monday I had a funeral which makes a total of 73 funerals since I've been here. They were not all active members but some were.

A couple of Sundays ago we had confirmation which makes a total of 20 kids that have made an affirmation of their baptism while I've been pastor here. About six of them still come to church on any kind of a regular basis. Another two come maybe once or thrice a year.

I've baptized 28 babies and children and one adult. About five of them come to church and Sunday School.

Some of that might sound like complaining, but I'm really happy here. There is a good spirit in this church. There is love for one another, wonderful fellowship, a welcoming atmosphere. Sure there's room for growth. Not just in numbers (quite a bit of room for that) but growth in faithfulness and service and witness to our community. But I think that's coming.

This Sunday's gospel reading describes the growth of a seed without the farmer knowing how it grows. It's like St. Paul writes, that it's "only God who gives the growth" (1 Cor 3:7). The Holy Spirit is present in this faith community and if we continue to be a gospel people then God will give the growth.

Wow! Seven years! I'm hoping for a lot more. I love this place. I love these people. I'm not getting itchy feet or any desire to move on from here.

Busy, Fun, Weekend

So, as I wrote below, last week was my daughter's birthday. Well, yesterday was my wife's birthday.

Being a pastor and working on Sundays, I take Friday and Saturday as my weekend. Most Sundays I'm home and done for the day by about 1 p.m. so it's almost like I have a 2 1/2 day weekend.

Anyway, on Friday my wife and I walked the kids to school then continued downtown to go to the market and buy some perogies from Maria and some Kettle Corn from the Kettle Corn guy. When we got home I had a sore back so I sat down and watched TV and played solitaire on the laptop while my wife went downstairs and watched her taped General Hospital episode. After the Advil and the ice pack took care of the sore back I went out to mow the lawn and she did some gardening next door at the church. After I finished mowing the lawn it was lunch time so I set up a little table in the shade of our maple tree and went to get some take out fish and chips from the fry truck a few blocks away. Then I called her over for lunch. She was surprised and very happy with the treat. After lunch I got out the patio furniture (for which we haven't had appropriate weather because of a pretty cool spring) in anticipation of a nice day on Sunday.

On Saturday we spent the day cleaning the house for the guests (family) who were coming on Sunday to celebrate both birthdays. The kids were actually helpful because we had planned a surprise party for mom that evening. We spent much of the afternoon gardening and planted our church vegetable garden, the produce from which we take to the food bank. Finally it was just after 5 p.m. and my wife wanted to do more gardening when I said, "NO! Get inside and have a shower and get dressed again in case your family wants to do something with you this evening." She later said that she figured we might take her out for dinner and a movie. Instead we did a little last minute decorating and preparation for the surprise party.

Two couples who are friends of ours and whose kids are friends of our kids came over and showed up at the door surprising my wife. It was a lovely evening so we could sit out on the patio. Our oldest daughter and I got out some snacks and appetizers, made some punch, we had some cheese cake (thawed, from a box) and had a really nice visit together. She had no idea we planned anything. Again, surprised and very happy.

Yesterday after church my brother came (his wife wasn't feeling well) then my parents-in-law, two sisters-in-law and one of them's boyfriend came. We barbecued lunch, sat on the patio for a while, they opened presents, we went inside where some of us played video games, others did other stuff, then we had cake, sat and chatted, and had a relaxing nice time.

It was a good weekend. Nobody got on anybody's nerves. Surprised worked out. The weather cooperated. It was just really nice.

Sweet 16

My oldest daughter, my oldest child, is 16 years old today. I'm so proud of all of my kids and love them so much. I don't feel like an old man, I don't think I'm an old man, but holy smokes I have a 16 year old daughter!

We let her take the day off school today. They weren't having classes, just some kind of school spirit day with games and activities and then an awards assembly. When I was home for lunch we watched an episode of Quantum Leap while we ate then went downstairs and played some Rockband. My parents and inlaws are coming over this afternoon and then we'll go out for dinner together.

She's so grown up, a real young woman, and I can still remember the little girl she used to be. It's kind of sad that she's not that little girl anymore, but I'm proud of, and thankful for, the woman she has become and is becoming.

Thank you God.

Serenity Prayer (in full)

I came across "The Serenity Prayer," attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, in its entirety. You see plenty of bookmarks and wall plaques with the first four lines. I guess the whole thing's too long to stitch on a sampler. Here's the whole thing.

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time,

accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

and supremely happy with Him forever

in the next.

In reading that again, my hope is that I don't resign myself too quickly to line 2. It's easy to give up because we're convinced there's nothing that can be done to change things for the better. Sure, there's such thing as banging your head against a brick wall, but if your head's hard enough maybe you'll make a dent and with others' help you might just get through.

I do like lines 5 and 6, about living and enjoying life as it comes, as best you can. And lines 7, 8, and 9 tell me that there is crap in the world that we have to deal with and struggle through, but I know we don't go it alone. And I don't just mean that God is there with us, perhaps carrying us like the sappy "footprints" poem says. We have each other, families, friends, faith communities who accompany us, and we accompany others in their times of need.

I pray that I have the trust of line 10. I believe I do, and that God gives me that faith. Line 11 tends to be a tough one. Surrendering just doesn't seem to be part of the human DNA, at least not mine. Am I right or wrong? Don't we fight for our independence, to do it "My Way"? To try to discern "His will" and to surrender and follow is hard. Again, I pray that God gives me the will and the way to do that.

I wonder about lines 12, 13, and 14. It might be semantics, but I think there's a whole lot to the meaning. What I'm getting at is the difference between this world and the next. Sure, we believe and hope in a "new heaven and new earth." But isn't being in a faith relationship with God about rebirth and a start to the "supremely happy" part already now in this life? I don't mean that we're guaranteed "happy, happy, joy, joy" our whole lives long, that we have to put on a brave face and smile in all kinds of adversity. But I think that living in the trust and hope that we have an eternity with God can give us glimpses of that supreme happiness already. I don't buy the idea that God's grace saves us for something someday somewhere out there. I believe we're saved and given new life and new joy for this life now, to continue in eternity.