Colour My World

The gloriously colourful leaves are falling, the harvest has come in, and the church has begun her countdown to the last days of the Church year. The end is near, and it all has me thinking. It has me thinking about how riotously (and sadly) colourful it all is.

Let me explain.  For many years, while I lived out west, autumn seemed to be a three day process. The leaves turned yellow one day, they fell off the trees the next, and everything was covered with the first snowfall on the third. There was very little “season” to the whole process … more like a shotgun start of winter at the end of every summer. How very unlike where I live now! The autumn days are colourful and vibrant, the air is pleasant, and while rain may dampen things once in a while, the threat of snow still seems a long way off. Here, the world is simply enjoying itself too much to go rushing off into winter!

But alas, it all must end. Indeed, by the time you are taking your evening walks or afternoon drives to thrill at all the lustrous hues of autumn, the objects of your attention are already dead! For leaves only begin to show off all their stunning colours, once the stuff of  life – the chlorophyll – has gone. By the time they get vibrant and exciting to look at, they are dead and useless to the tree. Their fate is sealed, and it is only a matter of time before you will be raking them up and carting them off for burning or compost.

How very much like the end of this world of ours. Many people think that things are getting better all the time. But God’s Word tells us that so much of the seeming vibrancy, colour and excitement we see building around us is really the shading of death bursting to the fore. The world continues to rush headlong into the shallow pursuit of feeling good and having fun, and receiving all that I can claim as my right.  The world loves to shine forth the beacons of tolerance (at any cost), inclusiveness (of any ideology), and absolute relativism, and then sits back and revels in the riotous orgy of colour and expression it has created …

… but all the while fails to see that all the good and useful virtues like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control have slowly been seeping out of our society as Christ and the Holy Spirit are removed from people’s lives.

And when that Holy Spirit is removed, what’s left may look spectacularly pleasing to our eyes … but it is dead. A dried up husk that leads nowhere and can produce nothing worthwhile. It may be riotously colourful, but it is only a matter of time before it is all raked up and thrown into the fire as the useless stuff it is. Indeed the more colourful it gets the closer the end has come.

But sin is not the only thing to colour our world.  For there was a different three day process that led through death to life … when our Lord a Saviour died on a cross, was brought down and buried in a tomb to , but then rose again to new life! Over the course of three short days all our sin in all its riotous colour was paid for, death was defeated, and our lives  were covered in a blanket of  righteousness – Christ’s righteousness – painting even the darkest of sins as white as snow.

So I for one won’t be complaining (too much) when the raking is done and the shoveling begins. Not only is white a colour, but it is a truly glorious one that sparkles with all the promises of a blessed end and a fresh start in Christ.

Year One

So here I was in a new congregation … a mission congregation … and looking for ways to make myself better known to my people and my community. I was looking for a way to connect with people beyond my office doorway. I had friends who had been blogging for a while (who doesn’t in this day and age!), and so I thought “Why not?”

Why not, indeed.

So it was that “Hope for the Hapless” was created and launched at the same time as my congregation’s new website and sermon podcast site. Has it been the outreach tool that I hoped it would be? Sort of … It has sparked a few interesting discussions, and engendered at least a couple of negative reactions. Once or twice I seem to have struck a chord with others, and sometimes it was only a nerve that got struck.

Even if it hasn’t opened all the doors I hoped it might (especially within my local context), it has given me the opportunity to put thoughts to paper and in this way has helped me be better prepared when interacting daily with the people and events around me. If it hasn’t been all I had hoped it would be for others, it has been a much greater blessing to me than I ever would have thought!

What I am here offering to both of you my loyal readers, is a collection of postings from my blog, running from October 2008 to the end of September 2009. It’s in a handy-dandy PDF file for easy printing and/or ignoring.  Again, if you can find use for it, or some enjoyment in it then all the best … but this is probably more for me.   I know there are services that will do this sort of thing with just a click or two (and a few dollars!), but putting it together gave me the opportunity to look at each post once again.  Preserving, revisiting, reflecting … that’s what this collection is all about.

Download: Hope For the Hapless Year One

Writing it one piece at a time, I never knew just how much I liked to talk! (But those who know me would not be the least bit surprised, I’m sure.) Putting it all together in one place should give a guy reason to pause … shut him up so to speak …. Who do I think I’m kidding?  So don’t worry, whether you like it or not, I’ve got lots left to say …

On a Dark, Dark, Night …

The sun had long since hidden its face from the world. The streets of the town were deserted but for a lone figure. The cobblestones echoed with his hurried footsteps. This was no night for a person to be out alone. Evil was about. This was a night of spirits, murder and mayhem. The large black shadow of a building loomed ahead. Determinedly, the man set his shoulders and went straight for his goal. He had started this endeavor in great anger. That anger had now cooled some, but he knew that he must go through with his intentions. With a short intake of breath he steeled himself for the unpleasant task ahead. Staying close to the side of the tall building the man had only to travel a short distance before he came to an old and well-worn door. He stopped. Taking a short breath, the man reached for the door with one hand while he raised the other above and behind his head. The cold gleam of metal could be seen in the moonlight …

Tonight marks one of the pivotal moments in Church history – perhaps even human history. Tonight is the night when in 1517, a lowly monk nailed 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg. They were meant to begin a debate over the sale of indulgences in Christ’s Church. What they did was start a reformation. From the small spark on this night a bright flame called the Holy Gospel would soon reignite the hearts and minds of people world-wide.

Find out for yourself what the big deal was. Follow the link below and read them for yourself.

Luther’s 95 Theses

Then why not have a look at this Article by Ian Adnams to see where it has all led since then.

After 492 Years

May you have a blessed Reformation!

Going to the Dogs!

Montreal-area church embarks on dog service

A Montreal-area church will offer a monthly service for dogs and their owners as part of a pilot project that hopes to spark further debate on the place of animals in society. The first “Paws and Pray” service was held earlier this month at Christ Church Beaurepaire in Beaconsfield to coincide with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Three more monthly services are planned at the Anglican church as part of the pilot project.

Johanne Tasse, president of the Companion Animal Adoption Centre, came up with the idea and said she hopes the concept will spark a debate on the role of animals around us. “Animals deserve our care and respect,” Tass told the Montreal Gazette. “If we can bring dogs to church, how can we turn around and abuse them?”"It’s a discussion we need to have in society,” she said.

The service focused on the special bond of companionship between dog and humans and was attended by about 50 worshippers and 30 canines.The dogs ranged from a Chihuahua puppy that could fit in the palm of your hand to a 50-kg-plus bulldog. Most of the pets sat in people’s laps, while the bigger ones stood in the aisles.  “It was moving, I got very emotional,” Tasse told The Canadian Press, adding that sometimes, however, dogs will be dogs. “I have to admit it was a bit of a zoo. There was a lot of barking.”

Dogs get biscuits

The minister, Michael Johnson, conducted a one-hour, full communion service, complete with reading from Scripture. While parishioners received a communion wafer, dogs were treated to a selection of freshly baked dog biscuits, including peanut butter and garlic, and bowls of water. Many Anglican churches bless animals once a year, but Johnson said he jumped at the idea when Tasse approached him about trying a monthly service. “My initial thought? ‘This is great,”‘ he said. “Then my second thought was: ‘I better ask the bishop.”‘

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“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn and attack you.”

Matthew 7:6

Before the fur starts flying, let me state that I have pets and I care for those pets.  I am not hereby sanctioning any form of hatred or abuse toward our animal companions. The quote above is not really about dogs … or pigs … but people who act like them.  People who see nothing wrong with hijacking the services of God’s house to make a point – any point.

The point may be valid, but it (and the dogs used to make it) don’t belong in church.

It is an alarming trend we see more and more.  People coming to view the Services of the Lord’s House as a tool that can (and should) be commandeered for partisan interests.  Need to raise awareness of animal rights?  Host a service complete with doggie communion!  Need to show heavy-metal enthusiasts that they are a valid segment of society?  Host a heavy metal mass!  Feel the need to redress the wrongs society has committed on any minority?  Hold a service of redress and healing!  I’m sure that you my readers can come up with literally dozens more examples. (Post ‘em below!)

As Christians we should care about how humans treat animals and all of creation.  It is part of our rightful stewardship under God.  As Christians we should be concerned for all people regardless of musical tastes or social groupings.  It is part of the love we have for our neighbours.  A love that God first shared with us in Christ.

And that is why such “uses” of the Divine Service are never right.  The Divine Service is not some sort of tool to be used … not by us anyway!  It is the exclusive tool of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Every single service of the Lord’s House is meant to be a vehicle of grace and forgiveness in this world.  It is the place where Jesus comes and Serves His people … serves all people … with the Good News of sins forgiven in His holy death and resurrection.  Such forgiveness is never partisan.  It is never out to make a point – other than sinners are freely and completely forgiven in the precious blood of Christ!

Any time well-meaning people feel that they can take the Divine Service out of the Divine’s Hands, and use it for some purpose other than pointing to the forgiveness of sins in Christ Jesus, it becomes a mockery of what God designed it to be.  It confuses the issues of this world with the one and only place where the certainty of the next world can be found.  It confuses and muddles people’s ideas of what the church is all about, and why it is so vitally important.  It obscures and belittles the importance of the Word and the Sacraments for the enduring consolation of souls, and hope of everlasting life.  And this forgiveness of sins … this hope in Christ … is simply too important to let go to the dogs!

Who do you thank?

My thanks goes out to all who continue to read and comment on this blog.  I’ve enjoyed it lots.  God has blessed me time and again, through our discussions!  May each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends.  See you in church!