JESSE TREE

 DECEMBER 1, 2022

Isaiah 11:1

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”


The Jesse Tree is basically an advent calendar that tells the story of God beginning with Creation following the story along to the leading of His people out of exile through Jesus Christ. Each day we will remember a different Bible story, showing how God has walked with His people throughout history, leading them to the promise of Christ, and revealing different parts of the promise along the way.

This advent season, as we wait for Christ’s birth and the celebration of His redemptive Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Light, let us wait with those who have come before us. Their Stories are our stories, we are all connected. Let us wait with the people who walked in faith, who sometimes really messed things up and yet observed miracles and unimaginable successes as they waited for God’s promise to unfold.

Even in the waiting God calls us to faithfulness.
Even in the darkness, God calls us to walk in light.
Come, you, who are already rejoicing
You, who are weary, lonely, or hopeless
Come, all who eagerly await the Saving One.

HIDDEN HOPE

 NOVEMBER 30, 2022

Isaiah 11:1-3

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the lord.


Henri Nouwen writes,

I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God’s saving power…Our temptation is to be distracted by them…When I have no eyes for the small signs of God’s presence – the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends – I will always remain tempted to despair.

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.

LET US PRAY

We welcome you, small child of Bethlehem, whose coming we await with quiet attention.
Shield us from the shouts, the screams, the empty promises of the season, and encourage us to turn our hopes to your coming.

We know that the promise is hidden in the stable in Bethlehem and rooted in the offspring of Jesse; let us look for our salvation there.
Amen.

TAKE AWAY

Today, look for one small sign that God is present in your daily life. Give thanks for his presence.

BE READY, BE WATCHFUL

 NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Matthew 24:44

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Luke 21:25-36

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

It could be argued that in recent history we have witnessed and experienced a world that was not “ready” for a global pandemic. While there had been other moments in time when preparation toward a disease of global proportions could have been taking place, it seems it wasn’t. The outcome was that no one, no country, was prepared for a disease on this scale, or for the impact it would have on societies.

Our passage today is one of a series of teaching verses where Jesus tells us to be prepared. Jesus’ words here: “Be careful…”, “Be always on the watch…” (v 34, 36).

In Luke 21, Jesus is not only referring to his eventual second coming. He blends language about the Son of Man returning in great glory (v 27) with more impending warnings to his generation about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (look at 21:5-6, 20-24, 32). We know from the history books that the demolition of the temple by the Roman army really happened in 70 AD, and the eyewitness accounts sound just as dreadful as Jesus’ descriptions in verse 20 and following.

Admittedly, we may not be 1st Century believers suffering the fall of Jerusalem, but I believe we can relate to Jesus’ warnings in verses 9-11 about wars, disasters and pestilences ( pandemics?). Living between Jesus’ first and second comings is not promised to be comfortable and easy, a bed of roses as we often say.

In Luke 21:34-36 Jesus spells out what it means to be ready, awake and prepared. You see, I believe, Jesus knows how easily we get distracted, and he loves us so much that he doesn’t want our hearts to be weighed down with the “anxieties of life." Jesus love is deep for us he doesn't want to see us trapped in a cycle of vices, or addictions, to dull the pain. 

There is good news in the catastrophic language Jesus uses: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (v 28). No-one knows what the future will bring, or when Jesus will finally return. But as Jesus’ followers we can anticipate the future with our eyes fixed on him.

I wonder if these words in our readings today are not nudging us to think about what distracts us from watchfulness.

Are there ways that we can simplify our life to keep our hearts in a healthier place?

Are there practical things - getting enough sleep or exercise, a daily time for prayer, communication with a good friend, or something else that can help us live with freedom and peace?

LET US PRAY

Lord, we have not kept watch for you. 

We have occupied ourselves with our own concerns. 

We have not waited to find your will for us. 

We have not noticed the needs of the people around us. 

We have not acknowledged the love that has been shown to us. 

Forgive us for our lack of watchfulness. 

Help us to wait to know your will. 

Help us to look out for the needs of others. 

Help us to work and watch for your coming. Amen.

MARANATHA

 NOVEMBER 28, 2022

Revelation 22:20

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.                                                      (MARANATHA)


Paul’s letters are mostly written in Greek, but when he closes 1 Corinthians he uses a surprise Aramaic word - Maranatha. This suggests that Maranatha was a common phrase of worship and prayer handed down from the earliest Aramaic speaking followers of Jesus, and that it had a particular importance

for the church in early times. If you think about this in our worship language today we use ancient words like Hallelujah, Hosanna, and Amen in a similar way – they have become part of the language of our worship.

So what does Maranatha mean? It is commonly translated “Come, Lord” (see Revelation 22:20), Bible scholar Kenneth Bailey, in his book Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes points out that there are really three possible meanings for Maranatha:

He writes, “As often observed, this last word can be read maran atha (Our Lord has come). This translation addresses the readers and affirms a reality in the present (he is here). The two Aramaic words can also be divided to read marana tha (Our Lord-come!). This is a request addressed to the risen

Lord that looks to the end of all things with the plea ‘Please come!’ A variant on this second option is, ‘Our Lord is coming.’ This also looks to the future but it is a statement of fact rather than a plea, and it is not addressed to Jesus.” (Pages 495-496)

What Bailey shows is that all three translations have been adopted through church history, and that the rendering, which is less known to us, the past-tense confession “Our Lord has come” has in fact been the favoured interpretation in Middle Eastern countries.

What if we do not need to settle on one definition over another, what if we understood the meaning of Maranatha as all these at the same time.

We declare with confidence that Jesus came in the incarnation. We can proclaim with hope that he is coming again. We can call to him in faith, interceding for our world and asking him to be present in our midst as we wait for his final return.

We would then confess the following when we say Maranatha,

Our Lord has come.
Our Lord is coming.
Our Lord - come!

1 Corinthians 16:23-24

Come, Lord!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

STEPPING INTO GOD'S FUTURE

 NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Ephesians 1:20-21

He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand... far above all rule and authority, power and dominion.” 


The words “king”, “kingdoms” and “throne” are ones we associate with storybooks from childhood, or perhaps epic fictional dramas made into long movies or TV series. The Advent invitation to wait for Jesus as “the coming King” can therefore feel as if it has little to do with reality.

Let’s instead try some other words from today’s verses: Rule. Authority. Power. Dominion. These are words that can be found in today’s newspaper, on the political blog you read, in the tweets of heads of countries. We are aware of the authorities around us: the leaders we’ve elected, as well as, the influence of big-business, tech companies and celebrity culture.

In light of these what does it mean to wait for Jesus, our coming King?

The believers in Ephesus knew about powers and authorities. Theirs was a city where Roman emperors were establishing and enforcing their rule, but it was also a Centre of religious power. The  deities they exalted were plentiful, and the power of magic was sought out and worshipped. To the Christians in this place, Paul writes that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).

Paul prays for this young church that their eyes would be opened to the “incomparably great power” (v 19) that they possess, through Christ. Do you think of yourself as having incomparably great power? If you don’t, you might want to look at what else Paul prays for them in verse 18: that they would become aware of their “hope and inheritance”.

Hope and inheritance have to do with waiting. Yes, Jesus is the resurrected King, with every other power and authority below him. And yes, we share in this power. And yet, our hope is in a future when this is completely fulfilled, when we finally receive our full inheritance.

Paul’s prayer is for the church to begin living out of the reality of these promises now. This is a reality “in the present age but also in the one to come” (v 21).

The invitation is to step today into God’s future for us, to “practice resurrection” in the here and now.



TAKE AWAY

Think abut the situations around you or in your community where you feel powerless to bring change. What would it look like for you to “practice resurrection” today?

With eyes opened to your hope, your inheritance in Christ and your shared power with him, pray for change in the situations around you.

LET US PRAY

Pray verses 18-23 below, as your personal prayer today.

18 I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened in order that I may know the hope to which he has called me, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

WORTH THE WAIT

 NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Psalm 130:5

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits.”


This weekend we begin the season of Advent.
“Advent” means “coming”. When we believe that something is coming, we live in an in-between state. When friends or family are about to arrive at our home for a celebration we might run around tidying up, glancing at the clock or out the window. We are not yet experiencing the fullness of our guests’ presence, and at the same time we act in expectation of their appearance. 

Let me ask you, How have you approached Advent in the past? 

Has it centered around a chocolate a day calendar, or perhaps the lighting of special candles? Or maybe Advent as a season has been trampled under the rush to buy gifts, or planning parties and finishing up some work in order to be ready for some time off, and a little break?

Take a moment to jot down some of your previous experiences of Advent on a slip of paper, or in your notes APP on your phone.

What if, this year, you decided to dedicate Advent to waiting? What would it look like to not rush ahead but to pause, to anticipate, to be expectant?

The psalmist wrote about waiting for God with their “whole being”. They looked expectantly for God to come and restore them: “I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning” (130:6).

Let’s not forget that this is the psalm which begins: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord.” This waiting is a result of struggle and hardship. The writer cries out to God for mercy, trusting in God’s faithfulness when all around them is crumbling.

I believe we all recognize that some waiting in our lives produces anxiety and impatience. This waiting creates frets and worries, as we try to hurry things along. 

But there is another kind of waiting, called a godly waiting, where with the psalmist we choose to “put our hope in the Lord” (130:7). During this Advent season lets us explore aspects of what it means to worship God in the waiting.

LET US PRAY

HONESTY TALK

 NOVEMBER 23, 2022

James 5:16

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Stephen Blandino wrote, “People are messed up. I’m messed up, you’re messed up, and we all have problems. If you don’t think you have a problem…that’s your problem.” When I read that quote it made me smile by its truth.

I find, maybe you do too, that I/we often don’t get very real in relationships. Keeping people at an arm’s length distance because we don’t want them to see the real us; the parts of us that are still unattractive and need a lot of work. I think we entertain the thought and to a certain extent we believe that if they saw who we really are, they might disappear from our lives and remove us from their lives.

The reason I liked Blandino’s quote above is that an honest evaluation of ourselves and others results in the acknowledgement that we all have issues. If we think we are free from problems or issues, that is our problem or issue. This is why we all need a community; we need to have that safe someone or group with whom we can be honest. That is the essence of community.

Generally, when we finally get to the place of sharing a struggle with a friend, often we are met with a compassionate, understanding response. It’s amazing how vulnerability breeds more vulnerability. I know for myself one of the barriers I am working to overcome is the anticipation that a persons reaction will be judgmental. I/We have got to let those notions go. We all have something we need to share and “get off our chests” as we say.

Recent Order of Canada recipient Séan McCann is perhaps best known for singing and playing energetic rock melodies inspired by traditional Newfoundland folk songs in the band, Great Big Sea. A man recovering from alcoholism and childhood trauma at the hands of a Priest posted these words a while ago: “There’s only one thing that can defeat a secret and that is sharing it.”

So, who do we open our lives up to?

People who have proven to be trustworthy, who are grounded in life, and grounded in the Word of God is a real plus, and who will keep our confidence. Transparency and honesty is reserved for a select few. When we are struggling, we may choose to go into greater detail with those who have earned the privilege of sharing and bearing our burdens.

James 5:16 says that if we want healing and freedom from those sins and experiences that trip us up, sharing with others lifts the burden w carry.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Opening our hearts to a trusted soul mate and close friend brings not only a sense of relief and freedom but also an opportunity to receive compassion and wisdom. Community lifts us out of our loneliness and into freedom.

DOING LIFE TOGETHER

 NOVEMBER 22, 2022

 ACTS 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2 describes a community: they ate together, prayed together, and had a great time together. Most days were filled with awe and wonder by how God was moving in their midst. Generosity coursed through their veins as they shared all that they had with whomever was in need. They spent time together every day and worshiped God with all their hearts. And every single day they welcomed new people into the faith.

Now that’s how to have community.

Our busy lives may not allow us to have community as often as what the Bible depicts but we can experience all of the same things they did. And we should. We were never meant to be alone, to “fly solo” on this earth.

To Me Doing life together can look like this:

Sharing a meal — casual or eloquent.
Studying and discussing the Bible.
Working out together.
Pitching in financially to meet the need of a family.
Attending a hockey game of a friend’s child.
Asking the hard questions.
Supporting a friend after a death in the family.
Sending an encouraging text to a friend after a hard day.
Offering a much needed hug to a devastated friend.
Having communion as we remember Christ’s sacrifice.
Traveling together.
Laughing so hard until we cry.
Celebrating holidays together.

What other things might you add?

Community can be as rich and deep as we make it. If we desire this, we must make the effort to have it. Community like this takes time to cultivate.

IT IS NOT GOOD . . . TO BE ALONE

 NOVEMBER 21, 2022

Genesis 1:1; 31

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth …. 31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

Genesis 2:18

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

John 13:34

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

1 John 3:23

And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.



From the beginning of creation, being alone was never the plan. So, God did something about that by creating companionship for us. That’s where this notion of community comes in.

So, what is community? As Jesus followers, community is having meaningful relationships where we do life together by sharing, encouraging, serving, forgiving, and pursuing faithfully after God.

I believe that community is a context where we can be our true selves with others. It is our place of safety; the space where we can share our greatest accomplishments and joys and our saddest moments and disappointments. It is a setting where we show up in each other’s lives for both the wonderful and the ordinary moments. It is the place of knowing and being genuinely known. It is pursuing God and developing into the person(s) that fulfills God’s vision for us. It is, to use the Apostle Paul’s words, “fighting the good fight” and helping those around us to fight it as well.

The Bible instructs us that we are to love others. There are some 59 verses in the New Testament that teach us how we are to treat one another. Here are several of the “one-another” passages we are called to carry out:

serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
honor one another (Philippians 2:3)
encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
pray for one another (James 5:16)
instruct one another (Romans 15:14)
forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)

I recently read that “We can’t one-another one another if we are living our lives in solitude.” We need human connections. If we have learned anything in the years of this pandemic it has to be that we discovered how vital human connection and relationships are to meaningful living. We missed community, we learned that we took community connections for granted. Would you not agree that a key take away from periods of isolating from others was that we really do need others. We missed out on the richness that deep friendships can offer to others and bring to ourselves.

I will be honest I have not always embraced the gift of community, that decision was to my detriment. Over the next few days let us reflect together about God’s gift of community, and the impact that this gift can have on our living from day to day.

“It is not good ... to be alone."

REFLECT

Does being in a community of like-minded Christ followers excite or frighten you? Why?

Pray for God to show you your next step in developing and participating in community on a deeper level.

 

DON'T GIVE UP

 NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I remember a friend of my dad's who was a pastor sharing the story about a man in the community of their church. He was really quite antagonistic toward the church. This particular church from time to time would hold outside services in their parking lot. This gentleman lived across the street from the church. And whenever these services would be going on. He would be blaring his music from his garage as loud as he could. At other times he would set off his car alarm in the middle of the service. And he would be in no rush to turn it off. My dad's friend went to visit him to talk to him about his approach to the church's outdoor worship. But he was cold, and sarcastic and harsh. 

Is there anyone, or any situation in your world that you are just ready to give up on? Perhaps you’ve tried and tried but you continually seem to hit a “wall”, a barrier.

Our Verse today says to us in those situations Don’t give up!

Back to my dad's friend. While many in the congregation felt this gentleman lost cause, my dad's friend did not. One day, he looked over from the church parking lot, and he saw the neighbor down on his hands and knees weeding his flower bed. So this pastor went over and knelt down beside him and began to weed the garden too. After that day, a relationship developed. And while he never came to a church service. He never interfered with the outside services again. In fact, on occasion the neighbor could be seen standing at the end of his driveway. Taking the service in.

“Don’t grow weary” this passage says. There will be a harvest, you just don’t know when. Continue to pray and continue to ask and continue to do good. Continue to be faithful.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Let this be the encouragement you need, we need today.

I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY

 NOVEMBER 17, 2022

Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


“You will be my witnesses.”

What does a witness do? A witness testifies to what they have seen, what they know personally. A witness shares knowledge of an event from personal observation or experience.

The first disciples did just that. In 1 John the opening verse says this: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. They talked about the miracles they had seen; they recounted the lessons Jesus taught them. Just think, these disciples were eyewitnesses to the miraculous event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ascension. That would not be easily forgotten. These miraculous events triggered the movement that has literally influenced and changed the world. It changed each one of the disciples, and all these years later, it is still changing lives.

Has it changed yours?

Let us be His witness! Notice what our verse tells us about our changed life, “ you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses. Sometimes we make things complicated. We think we have to be Bible experts or have a clever answer for every question a person might have about faith. But the simple reality is this: we are called to be witnesses, so we lean in and trust God’s power through us to continue his miraculous work.

That is a good word for us personally, and a good word for as a Faith Community. Amen?

 

BE PREPARED

 NOVEMBER 16, 2022

1 Peter 3:15

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”


As we continue to think about how we reflect the heart of God in our living and relationships today's verse has a message for us.

Our passage was written by the apostle Peter. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest companions during his ministry on earth. And it was to Peter and the other disciples that Jesus gave us the message of  God’s amazing love and commitment to each person.

As I read social media posts, news articles, stories of conflict and anxieties, I am convinced that people are seeking hope. There is a deep longing for a foundation on which to build our future. People worry about what is ahead. And now more than ever, it is vital that we, as a followers of Jesus, are prepared to share that hope that we have with others. You don’t have to be an expert in the Bible, you don’t have to have an answer for every theological question someone might propose. You simply are called to share the reason for the hope you have, which is part of your personal story and your experience with God and his son Jesus.

Perhaps just pausing to answer these questions today are a good starting point for us.

What is your experience with Jesus?

How has He changed your life?

What difference does He make from day to day?

It is tough to argue with "I once was lost but now I am found."  Our verse says that we should “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

PRAY for OPEN DOORS

 NOVEMBER 15, 2022

Colossians 4:1-6

2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

5-6 Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.

The Message


Something we have been identifying in this devotion series called Contagious is that Jesus continually demonstrated His willingness to engage with outsiders, the so-called sinners of his day, those who were of questionably reputation, or ones who were deemed lowly to the religious elite. 

In today’s passage, we are encouraged by the apostle Paul to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. This, to be sure, is something that we have witnessed in the Jesus’ stories we have been reading.

I believe, it is important that we occasionally do a “heart check” on how we tend to act toward outsiders of the faith community. We (I) sometimes need a reminder that we cannot expect non-Christians to behave like Christians. And judging other’s behaviors can be one of those areas where we are unkind or unwelcoming to others.

I am grieved at the way followers of Jesus have built walls of separation between themselves and their neighbors who are not Christ followers yet. I have said this many times in our devotions and in sermons and I will say it again here today, let us be known by what we are for rather than what we are against. We are for people, we are for loving people as God’s creation, we are for community, we are for people discovering the Peace, Joy, and Abundant Life that we have found in Jesus.

One of the take away’s from the Gospel stories we have read, is that Jesus’ arms were always wide open. We have read that whether it was sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, children, Jesus made the most of every opportunity to show love and grace to all, especially to those who were far from an adequate and saving knowledge of God. 

TAKE AWAY

Let us pray for a heart that is responsive to the opportunities God places in front of us to develop relationships with and impact others who are far from Him. Pray that in these divine opportunities we will with open arms, make the most of every opportunity and be gracious in our speech.

Pray that every time we open our mouth we’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to all.

LET THEM COME TO ME

 NOVEMBER 14, 2022

Matthew 19:13-15

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

 

When we read the words of today’s passage, it doesn’t seem that uncommon that Jesus would love on children the way He did. We’ve grown up singing, “Jesus loves the little children," and we live in a culture that generally values children.  Look at the City of Windsor as an example, notice the way that there has been investment in our parks with play structures, splash pads, bike trails, and recreational programs.

But in the first century, children were of extremely low status and held very little value. The disciples treated these children in our Gospel reading today, as an annoyance, as a bother. But Jesus took this opportunity once again to assign value to those who had little or none. And to show the heart of God for every human being.

“Let them come to me," he says. He invited them into His arms, and he touched them, blessed them, showing that His love has no boundaries.

I believe, Jesus is demonstrating the importance of sharing God’s love and truth with kids. This is something that we believe as a Community of Jesus, it is my prayer that we can continue to develop and grow our Ambassador Kid's programing.

It’s important, if we want to make the most of every opportunity, that we open our hearts and homes, our church, and give our time and resources, to share Christ’s love with kids.

After all, Jesus did and he is our example.

 

Take Away

What influence has God given you, or made available to you, when it comes to sharing Christ’s love with kids?

How might you give of your time and talent to do so?

 

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

 NOVEMBER 11, 2022

They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning.

We will remember them.

REMEMBER the PRESENT

 NOVEMBER 10, 2022

Psalms 33:20-22

Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in You.

Just last week the Canadian Army deployed a regiment of military engineers to give support and training to new recruits in the Ukrainian Army, who are training in Poland. Our service women and men will bolster the work already being done by the Polish army. Canadian troops have also been assisting and Supporting the Refugee Reception Centres in Poland. 

On November 8, 2022 Canadian military Veteran Joseph Hildebrand, who served two tours in Afghanistan died as a volunteer while fighting on the front lines in Ukraine. Joseph’s brother said that they had no ethnic or family ties to Ukraine, but his brother just decided he wanted to help.

I mentioned this today. Because in this week of remembrance we often focus on those who served our country in the past and made “the ultimate sacrifice” in offering their very lives. And it is right to do so. To give thanks for their service, to be mindful of the impact of war, on families, in towns and cities, and our country.

However, sometimes on this week of remembrance, we overlook that just as women and men served our country in the past in world wars, there are women and men, who have left their families for a tour of duty in places of hostility and tensions, unrest, and war. Some, even as volunteers. They put themselves in “harms way” because they just want to help. We should remember them and their families this week too.

LET US PRAY

God of peace,

We pray for those who have served our nation and laid down their lives to protect and defend our freedom, asking that we remember their sacrifice and make right use of our liberty.

We pray for those who still bear the scars of their service, asking for healing for them in mind, body, and spirit.

We pray for those who serve us now, especially for those in harm’s way, asking that you shield them from danger and bring them home in safety.

We pray for all those who govern, asking that you turn their hearts and minds to the work of establishing a peace born of justice and equity.

We pray for all those who are caught up in conflict around the globe this day, civilians and peace-keepers and the poor who have no escape, asking that we have the courage to defend the defenseless, make room for those who flee for safety, and look to that day when we will train for war no more.

May the peace you gave us, the peace that passes all human understanding, be the peace that guides and sustains us. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

PUT ME BACK TOGETHER AGAIN

 NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Today's Devotion is a revision of one that I wrote in 2020.
I believe it is on an issue that is important to highlight on a week of Remembrance. The scars of war and service go deeper than any physical wound.

 

Jeremiah 17:14 (The Message)

God, pick up the pieces.
Put me back together again

The Rev. Harold Appleyard served as a military chaplain during the Second World War. He joined the Grey and Simcoe Foresters in 1941 as their unit chaplain. Almost as soon as he landed, the destruction in England struck him as appalling. He quickly began to collect shards of stained glass from the shattered windows of damaged churches and began to envision using them for a memorial window at his parish church. On volunteer fire duty one night in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, he met an architect responsible for London’s ancient churches, who referred him to the Cox and Barnard Stained Glass Works in Hove, Sussex. The firm offered to design and re-lead the glass into windows to fit Appleyard’s Meaford, Ontario church, Christ Church Anglican, free of charge in gratitude for the Canadian war effort.

The Rev. Appleyard retrieved glass from churches in France, Belgium, and Holland, and a year after the war ended, the church unveiled the windows as memorials to the parishioners and townspeople who had been killed or wounded during the years of fighting.

The broken pieces of glass make me think of the many service personal who returned home alive. Many of them broken by what their eyes saw and what the war required of them. Shell Shocked, Battle Fatigue, Operational Exhaustion, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, these are the names that have been given to the emotional toll that war takes on soldiers. I am sure some of you have family members who served Canada in various wars, but who would never want to talk about the war experience. There is good reason for that.

Trauma is a horrific experience, its affect on the central nervous system because of the stress of life experiences can be devastating. The stories of soldiers returning home from battle, barely being able to function, the wounds of their experience spilling over into their family life with tragic outcomes, their loss of hope, and the tearfully heart wrenching stories of those who have taken their own lives. So, when I think of Rev Appleyard picking up pieces of broken glass I think of the broken pieces of the lives of veterans and their families.

I also thought of the words of Jeremiah 17:14, a prayer which says "God, pick up the pieces. Put me back together again." Have you ever prayed those words, or similar words about your own life experiences? Sure, we all have at some point, haven’t we? When in desperation we cry out to God, for ourselves, a family member, or a friend.

Throughout the scriptures God speaks into our lives words that talk of rebuilding what has been broken or destroyed, renewing the lives of his people, by the promise of fresh hope. One of the passages that always grabs me is Isaiah 61. Now, these are the words that Jesus read in the Synagogue in Capernaum, and when he finished reading them, he said, “these words are fulfilled in your hearing this day.” Read these words, below and allow the hope and promise of God’s word to penetrate your spirit today. This is a promise to all, fulfilled in your hearing this day.

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities.


Did you notice the promises?

· to proclaim good news to the poor

· to bind up the brokenhearted

· to proclaim freedom for the captives

· release from darkness for the prisoners

· to comfort all who mourn,

· and provide for those who grieve

· to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair

· rebuild the ancient ruins

· restore the places long devastated.

These are God’s promise to us all. God promises to come alongside of us in our difficulties, alongside those who are brokenhearted in need of emotion healing and without hope, alongside to comfort, release, rebuild and restore.

As today I remember those who live with the lasting effects of their service to our country, who struggle with trauma, with PTSD. I am thankful for their service, but I am also thankful for those brave souls who have given themselves to treatments, although these opportunities are in short supply, they have allowed us to understand the impacts of the trauma of war, which has led to an understanding of trauma in other contexts. The trauma of childhood sexual, physical, emotional abuse, the violence of rape, gun violence, robbery, the trauma of poverty, ….. and so on. I for one, as a trauma survivor, would not be writing this today if it were not for their bravery to confront their trauma head on and the treatments that are now available for so many.

Let us never forget those who carry the scars of war and their need of our prayers, compassion and the message of hope that God promises to all. ‘I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.’ John 14:27

PRAYER

O Lord, many of us have tears deep inside of our lives, because we’ve been hurt in ways that go to the very core of our being, and some of the hurts we carry around have been there for a long, long time – even for years. We experienced a loss from which even today we have not really recovered. We took a beating that ripped into our heart and soul and tore us apart at the deepest place in our life. We went through the betrayal of a trust, the betrayal of a friendship, and still today we find ourselves dealing with its aftereffects and its residue. We suffered the unforgivable at the hands of a parent or the hands of someone we loved, and there’s a scar there that breaks open over and over again.

O God, you are the one who looks way down deep inside of all of us. You see and know what no one knows, no one at all except we ourselves. And, not only do you see us and know us, but you also feel things along with us, even the very painful stuff, the deep stuff along with us, and we feel a strange kind of healing taking place. We are no longer left alone with our burdens.

Today, those of us who are struggling inside – who have been broken and hurt and still feel the tears within – we thank you for being there and sharing with us what we cannot bear alone.

Written by U.S. Military Chaplain Richard A. Lutz

  

PEOPLE OF PEACE

 NOVEMBER 8, 2022

Yesterday we reflected on the question. What have you done with what was saved?

Today I wonder if the best way to honor the service and sacrifice of those who fought in war is to be people of “peace.” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said in Matthew 5, “for they shall be called Children of God.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 records, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” Isaiah 55:12 promises “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Finally, these words “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace ….”

Let us Pray for Peace. The Words of John Oxenham’s 1938 hymn are good words to guide our Prayer today.

Peace in our time, O Lord,
To all the peoples – peace!
Peace surely based upon Thy will
And built in righteousness.
Thy power alone can break
The fetters that enchain
The sorely stricken soul of life
And make it live again.

Too long mistrust and fear
Have held our souls in thrall;
Sweep through the earth,
keen Breath of Heav’n
And sound a nobler call!
Come, as Thou didst of old,
In love so great that men
Shall cast aside all other gods
And turn to Thee again.

O shall we never learn
The truth all time has taught,
That without God as architect
Our building comes to naught?
Lord, help us, and inspire
Our hearts and lives that we
May build, with all thy wondrous gifts,
A Kingdom meet for thee.

Peace in our time, O Lord,
To all the peoples – peace!
Peace that shall build a glad new world,
And make for life’s increase.
O living Christ, Who still
Dost all our burdens share,
Come now and dwell within the hearts
Of all People everywhere.

Amen

 John 14:27

"My peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

A GOOD QUESTION

 NOVEMBER 7, 2022

MATTHEW 25:21

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

________________________

At a Remembrance Day ceremony I attended, I can still picture one soldier,  as she stepped up to the microphone and read from a folded sheet of paper she pulled out her pocket a reading that kept asking the same question throughout its text. That question was “What have you done with what was saved?”

That is a good question for Remembrance Week, don’t you think? What have you done with what was saved? Documentaries and news feeds carry presentations that make all too real the human cost of the wars we mark this week. What have we done with what was saved by that great effort, the sacrifice, tallied up in all the stories of struggle, suffering, courage and loss that we hear during this time of Remembrance.

On 28 July 1944 Mrs Bavass wrote to Mrs Blower and said,

My dear Mrs Blower I feel I want so much to write to you, although I know nothing that I can say to comfort you can be of much help. I do feel that at least you know how we grieve with you as our son Alastair was fatally wounded by the same shell which hit John. Alastair was unconscious from the first moment and died at the evacuation station and is buried nearby at Hermanville-sur-Mer. How we wish he too had been killed at once and had been laid to rest with your John and Hugh Ward by those he had fought with and who knew him, but this had not to be. Alastair (known  as "Algy") spoke with such admiration and affection of your son who was his troop leader. He must have been a very fine lad and I feel that their marvelous young spirits can never die and that they together will go into battle with the others to inspire and encourage them. They were both doing the most unselfish thing when this happened - going to the aid of their men - and surely this will not go unrewarded. How sincerely and deeply I grieve with you and how I understand. May God comfort you. My husband joins me in sending his sincere sympathy and I do so hope you will not take this as an intrusion. Very sincerely yours, Doris S. Bavass

What have we done with what was saved? One grieving mother to another should make us wrestle with the question. John and Hugh and Alastair just three names. We hold them and others like them in honour this week. Why? Many reasons, but one is that a mother called Doris in the agony of her loss struggled to answer the question ‘What does this mean?’ Beginning with solidarity and brotherhood, and then parenthood, fear, duty, danger, purpose, loss, to reveal to us out of the deep hurt of loss some sense of meaning.

In our remembering this week, we honor John and Hugh and Alastair, all who died, and those who in their footsteps serve the present generation. We mark with appreciation and gratitude the struggles of so many, but in the honoring the question comes from the lips of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, ‘What have you done with what we've saved?

Jesus once told a story of a powerful and wealthy man who entrusted his wealth to his servants while he was out of the country. The servants literally had wealth given into their hands. They were given an amount that was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage in each bag. Two of them put the money to good use, and when the master returned, they had turned a profit with what was given to them. The third one, however, out of the fear of his powerful master simply buried the money entrusted to him. Nothing was lost, but nothing was gained either. Something had to be done with the treasure that was given. Two did just that. They put it to work so that they and it developed and grew. 

The application of this Jesus story is to ask the questions, have we buried the treasure given us? Or are we striving to make it grow? Are we using it? I know that Jesus in the story was talking about the Treasures of God's kingdom, and their application in daily life. Yet, I believe there is some connection here that is worth pointing out, we do catch a glimpse of the kingdom in the things of everyday when the love of Christ motivates us and flows out of us into the lives of others. I believe it is a worthwhile question of faith to ask what we have done with the treasures of freedom, relative safety, and peace given to us out of the sacrificial sufferings of women and men in uniform. What have we done with what was saved?

I recently read that “To be eager in debate, concerned in politics, committed to justice, open to dialogue, caring of others, and responsible in action, is to do the right thing with what was saved for us, is to honor the dead in our living, is to share the tasks of the master.”

And what have you done with what was saved? A good question to ponder this Remembrance week.

PRAYER FOR THOSE 

WHO HAVE SERVED IN WAR

God of compassion, God of dignity and strength, watch over the veterans of our nation who have served with loyalty and at great sacrifice. Bless them with wholeness and love. Shelter those who are in want, heal those who bear wounds, comfort the hearts of those who have lost friends and family, and bring peace to all who are haunted by the terrible memories of war.

Protect them and their families from loneliness and want. Grant them lives of joy and bounty. And may their dedication and honor, which have shielded us from tyranny and oppression, be remembered as a blessing from generation to generation. Amen.

(Taken from Daily Prayer Website)

 

 

HAD TO GO

 NOVEMBER 4, 2022

John 4:1-42

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”



There are many important points we could draw out of this story of the Samaritan woman that Jesus encounters at the well, but for today let us narrow our focus to the heart of Jesus to make His way to a place that most Jewish people would  avoid at all costs – Samaria.

Although it was a shorter route to go through Samaria to get from Judea to Galilee, nearly all Jews would take a much longer route just to avoid Samaritans, even adding a day or two to their journey! Verse 9 reveals that Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Yet, verse 4 says Jesus “had to go through Samaria”.

Jesus had to go, I believe, because he was so compelled by His message, so compelled by His love for ALL people, that He chose the most unlikely place, and the most unlikely person to first reveal Himself clearly as the Messiah. He carried His message of love, hope, and welcome to those who were despised – “the lost sheep of Samaria.”

Jesus said that he came “to seek and save the lost,” here in this account today we witness what great lengths Jesus went to carry this out. We learn, in this story of how contagious Jesus message was, “many in that place believed.” The Gospel was spread into one heart, a woman at a well, a Samaritan woman, in Samaria, and then through her, we read many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him.

What a great reminder for you and me, that we will sometimes be called to unlikely places and unlikely people, to share the transforming truth of the love, hope, and acceptance found in Jesus.