Some Further Thinking

It is about a year and a half since I posted a blog the day after the death of our Queen Elizabeth II. The occasion definitely brought out the best in many of us grieving a beloved majesty. I sympathized with the Royal family and our whole British Commonwealth of Nations now needing to face a new chapter, including the immediate appointment of heir to the throne, Prince Charles now become King Charles III. Here are a few paragraphs of that sentiment.

Charles was the princely boy whom my brother and I watched not like a hero, but as one who would be king someday and who lived his life way out there up there somewhere waiting for the day. That's quite a while ago. And while we were apparently growing up and trying to make something of ourselves, in our mind Charles just needed to show up with his sister Anne, looking handsome and well-groomed and only needing to behave royally. Then Charles changed a bit, as we probably also did during the growing up years, Charles definitely becoming a little more interesting at least according to radio reports and newspaper and journal articles (no sidebars, no social media, in fact no computers yet in our possession)! He was fascinating, somewhat of a free thinker quite akin to many others our age with hippyish inclinations during the 1960s. Then Charles entered into marriage including some behaviors which caused much grief to his beautiful wife Diana, also his parents the Queen and the Duke, and obviously feeding eager journalists and paparazzi with many a juicy tale. The slow maturation of life then included Diana’s tragic death, allowing Charles to marry 'the other woman', quietly enduring the pain caused to his two sons and the ill-repute which has dogged him ever since, even among his own family members. Now at age 74 he is King!

How can a person with spotty personal life, spending an almost total lifetime in training, learning protocol, riding in motorcades, reading speeches written by others, step up to a position increasingly questioned not only by those who idolized his mother, but also wondering about the man who would now be king. I do not blame a people questioning the state of British monarchy, and possibly the state of a monarchy period. Is it an outdated expense for all concerned? Needless to say, the wrinkles and worry lines on Charles’ face suggest he may have already spent considerable time thinking about this.

This begs the subject many have reflected on, many have agonized about, and yes many have made a profitable profession of, including psychologists, psychiatrists, theologians, and of course historians who have provided the story line (?) for our kids in elementary and high schools in the many countries of the Commonwealth. How Should we then Live? said Francis Schaeffer a Presbyterian minister a number of years ago in his famous book of that title (Crossway, 1976), even then already noting the mainstreaming of religion blended into everyday western life. Schaeffer’s still troubling question probably is why Father Richard Rohr's books have come to my mind alongside the Prince. Rohr’s contemporary wisdom of a doing–reflecting life cycle strikes a chord seemingly for many, religious and non-religious, for persons of faith in many religions certainly including Catholics and Protestants, and interestingly with advocates and critics in both the evangelical as well as the liberal versions of Christianity.

Thus went the tone of that ‘tome’ which at the time appealed to positive (sympathetic?) interpretation when things happen in royalty. I am almost surprised at my own civility as I went on to reflect on what is the best way for Christians, albeit of many stripes, to pray for, obey and give service to those whom “God has appointed” (Romans 13:1) to rule over us. Although I am a firm believer in the democratic process in selecting governing authorities, I focused on our responsibility to our leaders. That biblical instruct, however, is being strained these latter days, especially as one observes almost a "divine rights of presidents" mentality as another electioneering year foists itself on our neighbors to the south, while in Canada we claim an equal opposite mentality as we crap on our Prime Minister at will! Much prayerful discernment (repentance?) is needed especially among those of us who call ourselves Christian in our western colonializing democracies.

Yesterday I received a ‘forward’ in my inbox, one of many every day. I read most from this particular sender because I enjoy his vantage on almost everything. He is a spiritually and politically wizened friend, and we both know that some topics may well comfort the afflicted, and others may afflict the comfortable. Here goes.

 Not all Children grow up in fortunate Circumstance

When I was a child, my father cheated on my mother and didn’t love her. Later, my parents divorced.

My mother died in a car accident, and my brother and I had to live in my grandma’s old house.

Grandma’s sister was an alcoholic.

The whole family lived on my grandma’s savings.

Grandma died recently.

My Uncle Andy is barely keeping himself out of jail from day to day.

My brother left home, and won’t talk to us anymore.

Dad, now 73, had to go out to work to support the family, and eventually he is going to want me to do the same thing.

Yours sincerely,

Prince William

Obviously written by another other than the prince, possibly a critic or a friend, this is still continuing fodder for the academics and journalists. It also raises a self-critique in me. I’m not sure that civility is the most compassionate or best response to some of the governing and leadership structures flaunted not only in BCN, but many nations in today's warring world. Children are being victimized.

"A Lifetime in Waiting" was title of that earlier blog. Seems to me now that it is not only thinking but very much our thinking AND our doing which must be part and parcel of whatever we are waiting for.

The Spirit and the Survey

Yesterday morning I heard a grown man cry. This alone is not particularly significant to me, myself one of the male species also given to occasional tears. This time however, it was loud and troubled in a public place. A homeless man woke up in a corner of our local McDonalds and either remembered all the troubles of the night before or else simply did not like looks of the new day. He cried loud, beat his hands on his head and a  windowsill; it was for anyone to hear! My heart went out to him. Although my circumstances so very different than this man, something in me recognized his deep calling to my deep. I walked over and began massaging his neck and then his shoulders and down his back. He quietened down, received it like a grateful child even with a little smile … and then woke up enough to greet me with the line I am quite familiar with, “Do you have some spare change?” or something of like that, not much diction at all.

I did not stay for further encounter, already aware of two employees coming our way, probably to ‘excuse’ him out the door. I gave them a sympathizing smile – no need to stick my nose into their job protocol - and both smiled back. Each of us seemed to sympathize with the wobegones of this poor guy.

I cannot but relate this to a Christian magazine, latest issue which I read a little later yesterday. [i] Several articles seem quite on topic with the McDonalds morning wakeup. This is a quality publication showing spiritual sensitivity as well as openness to widespread deeper issues obviously included in life within and beyond the Christian faith. It is definitely NOT a boring churchy read! An editorial “Survey says …” by the publisher reports results of a recent reader survey, recognizing a societal trend towards digital. Without lamenting this fact, it goes on to announce some adjustments which will be made in order to continue good communication. Then there is the feature article, “To thine own self be true?” a thoughtful commentary on the type of spirituality which we are now ‘growing’ in our young people. "Instagram, Jesus and the quest for the ‘authentic self’" is the subtitle.[ii] Kyle Penner, pastor of a Mennonite Church, describes “identity in Jesus” as something that requires awareness and relationship with those not part of church culture, “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Faith in Jesus is more than finding a comfortable spot in the church. The deep sadness of the homeless and the deep sadness among wealthy neighbors is a part of the work of the church and not necessarily addressed in comfortable worship chairs or pews, as Pierre Berton once said many years ago.[iii]

To me this resonates also with a call for ceasefire in Gaza. Church members especially of a peace church cannot be duped by corporate and political powerbrokers. It is especially important for us to let the message be clear. Our calling is to be messengers of peace in this broken world, regardless of institutional or personal risks. That is what was lived by none other than our savior Jesus whom we claim to follow, “Then he said to them all, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9).

Voila, this latest edition provides another volley precisely on topic. Ed Olfert, a retired pastor and longtime prison visitor, writes a regular column, this time about his friend Greg, incarcerated for 30 years and now on parole for the remainder of his days. Olfert describes this character friend speaking in his rough style about an academic Christian topic he just came across in his reading, “I wonder how much time this [fancy writer] has spent feeding hungry folks, visiting in prisons, sitting with people who are sick. Do they just sit at home making up theology, deciding what God wants?” [iv]😏 Olfert, obviously enjoying his weathered friend, says, "I giggled at his indignation." What a fine statement about where we find the guidance and the source for our Christian activities.

Now I’m smiling. I remember similar incidents telling stories (theology) with many friends during my years of long-haul trucking. Profound insights and hilarity often came in the same sentence! I was ready for this little blog piece to be somewhat gloomy, given the sadness at beginning, but it is not. Now I cannot but smile. Fact is, there is encouragement here. Our thinking and our holy assemblies are to help us worship God, and on this date at beginning of January, Epiphany no less, the magi came from the East to do that very thing, worship the newborn King. That newborn is available still as the truth and the life (John 14:6) and we so need to worship him no matter what direction we come from.

If I meet the crying guy again, I will tell him about the jailbird guy. On second thought, perhaps not; if they do not know one another they at least know about each other! 😇 The mystery of this holy faith journey, including sadness and joy, always shows up in those surprising places, just outside the doors of the church.

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[i] Tobi Thiessen, "Survey says...", Canadian Mennonite, Dec 15, 2023, p.2. Apologies! This is a magazine! I erroneously used "newspaper" when I first clicked 'Publish' because of the newsprint it is printed on (environment and economy). Type of paper is one of the reconsiderations after the recent survey.

[ii] Kyle Penner, "To thine own self be true?" Ibid, p.8.

[iii] Pierre Berton, The Comfortable Pew (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1965).

[iv] Ed Olfert, "The gift of Greg", op. cit. p.13.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Make lemonade! That is the oft-quoted answer to this well-known query. It is a useful life  perspective, one of those handy little sayings that can arrest a pity party that needs to stop, like right now. Useful and also trite; it is kind of simplistic.

Why would we think or talk about lemonade when there are starving children all over the world, when the Middle East, the place of origin of belief in one God is now scene of the ugliest warfare imaginable, not unlike the inhumanity of the holocaust in World War II. In fact, lemons, to my limited perspective are a considerably useful ingredient in many recipes for delicious food. Nothing undesirable about lemons, except that they provide a bit of the rigorous bite – mostly just beyond our sugar preference!

It is the time of year to think about this. The season of Advent, church year B just begun (November 30, 2023 to November 28, 2024) brings on the latest version of how to wait, celebrate, or whatever as Christmas day closes in on us. "All is calm. All is bright" - except that nothing is calm, and nothing is bright (other than the latest energy efficient colour-changing LED lights on display everywhere). It is that 'wonderful' time of the year which according to psychologists and sociologists also creates considerable clash for many. I remember with bizarre clarity the pressures I felt during my years of service as pastor in several churches. Christmas required especial attentiveness, especially as people would want something interesting and new, even while longing for re-enactment of something old - sentimental memories back there somewhere, which is why non-church goers show up in church at least once a year! The challenge for preachers is to be friendly and welcoming and try to ignore the nagging thought “where were you the other 364 days of this year?” It is a cyclical reality that persons in leadership need to deal with.

And then there is a curve ball being thrown at the whole world this year – actually the last several coronavirus years. A new way of thinking has entered in, stronger opinions and greater fearfulness. I posit that present fearfulness may be an uneasy hunch that we are dealing with a little more than lemons, and perhaps some long-held seasonal points of view may need adjustment.

Lest I now wade into some socio-religio-political (a new word I just created) hot potatoes like Social Activism, Zionism, Progressivism, Evangelicalism or rightist and leftist politics, this time I wish to stay only with lemons and lemonade! Making lemonade is something to do. It is a positive creativity which can be accomplished even by the ones who do not like to think - not much thought required to stir up a pitcher of the good stuff. On the other hand, you make lemonade only after you have decided to do it, and as suggested in the pithy query, a lemonade project commences after deciding what not to do! When making lemonade you are not making home-brew in a backyard distillery. You are not moping in a corner or lying in bed playing video games on your device. No, it is a positive activity. To me this is important, probably because I still hear my dad’s words (R.I.P. dear dad), “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” This lemonade thing is useful but probably needs a slightly wider base. Two ingredients needed in order for the ‘doing’ to be of good purpose.

Firstly, what is it we are keeping busy at? A little self-examination is in order for all, whether we are spiritually or secularly inclined, peaceful or restless in our inner being (an inclination bestowed by DNA, see Psalm 139:13). Self exam is a common theme, obvious almost wherever you read in the Bible: “Examine yourselves ... test yourselves” so we read in 2 Corinthians 13:15. "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Romans 14:19). “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). And most interestingly also from one who was known for impulsive actions and quick responses to everything he encountered, even Apostle Peter says, “So then, dear friends … make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace” (2 Peter 3:14). More important than what we do is how we do it. In fact, even our talking, bad behaviour, our swearing and carrying on is addressed in terms of where it comes from, e.g. “the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart" (Matthew 15:18). Recently I heard a sermon [i] from an elder brother in our church telling us of the young virgin Mary’s time of waiting, likely a very personal experience for her. At this point our elderly preacher asked the teenagers to raise their hands 😊 and then implored all of us to think of this personally, i.e. how are we personally waiting for God's guidance in our life? Young, old, or in between, there was extraordinary attentiveness to this sermon! 

A "world contorting itself in endless strife, cynicism and despair,” as I said in my last blogpost [ii] is because we are loathe to examine ourselves. Busy-ness is still our go to, something to do while we avoid the personal. Within our busy-ness we intrude on one another, not at all bothering to see where the other is coming from. Apparently, that is still the main reason for road rage, for young people of immigrants gathering in gangs, for international resentments in a repopulating world. We are inconveniencing one another even while we are lonely. 😏

Secondly, prayer. My heart is compelled to conclude with this. Nothing new here. It is as old as eternity, as old as anyone just learning to pray, or well experienced, or perhaps recently discovered how to be in touch with “the Wholly Other, the One Above, the I AM, God, Allah, Creator.” I have had a recent discovery (reminder?) of prayer. In my lifetime there have been periods of fervent and grateful prayers, as well as periods of deep disappointment especially during SAD depression stretches when it seemed as though prayers could not even get organized in my head, let alone make it through the ceiling of wherever I was laboring (outdoors always better, yes). My recent learning here is simply the adequacy and importance of prayer. 

Prayer is of course not a litany of pleadings; it begins with prayerfulness, that self-exam referred to above. Perhaps the best way to illustrate and conclude here is with memory of a hospital visit I made many years ago. I shall never forget. Rev. Yordy was on his death bed, and he was warm and welcoming as I came beside his bed that day. He was eager to share something with me and his two sons. It was a portion of scripture, the first few verses of Psalm 131.

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
    I am like a weaned child with its mother; 

like a weaned child I am content.

The following day he passed away. In his many years of pastoral ministry he never avoided tough issues, he preached faithfully and sometimes prophetically if need be, definitely a man of faith in action. From the vantage of today's world stressors, I smile as I remember the peace filled ending of his days. Seems to me we have here a good perspective from one of the residents in that "cloud of witnesses" up above (Hebrews 12:1). A little self-examination and a little kneeling is good posture, not only for me but good lemonade for all of us.

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[i] Erwin Strempler (2023), "Mary’s Magnificat,” unpublished sermon, Foothills Mennonite Church, Calgary, AB.

[ii] “Redemptive Clowns,” jcfroomthoughts.blogspot.com, Nov. 22, 2023.

Redemptive Clowns

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:4-6).

There’s a new image in my head. Fresh and new, straight out of the Bible, I also know how it will be perceived in the readers’ mind. My younger friends – including my children – may click onto something else quickly because already it has the look of a sermon. 😉 My oldster friends may be smiling indulgently, “What is Froese thinking about now?” Indeed, Froese has been thinking - hesitating - for quite a few days, finally deciding it must be shared. I cannot but speak of what I've been learning recently (adapt from Acts 4:20)! I once heard a little saying, "Fear of the reader can make for boring articles, just like fear of an audience can make for boring speeches." John the Baptist seems not to have been troubled by any of this.  

Steven Charleston is author of a book providing much timely food for thought, one chapter entitled “The Clown.” [i] What is so funny about John the Baptist? so begins the chapter. "Not a lot," answers the author, and then into description of this character making waves everywhere. “Not even the Virgin Mary rates such a fashion report." [ii] We have here a clown who makes no effort to entertain and a hippy with full detail of his duds. During my years of preaching, I openly and easily claimed ‘J the B’ as my favorite character in the Bible, not only because of his no-holds barred style (You brood of vipers! Matt 3:7), but also his absolute humble devotion to the one coming after him. Interesting man this anointed precursor of Jesus. I have enjoyed him forever and now fascinated to learn a few more things about him.

But a clown? I am now reading this Vision Quests book for the third time; something I just don’t ever do as a matter of principle (so many more books to read). Very intriguing, this biblical character presented as a clown! Especially in these last several years as the world seems to be unraveling – irresponsible politicians surprisingly tolerated as though that’s all we expect of them. "I remember when ..." is a common expression among my peers. 😏 Apparently, age has a way of skewing memory of history and anticipation of next years, "… when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will ... lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). Somebody else seems to be in charge now.

Enter a clown. Enter John the Baptist, at least as per Dr. Charleston, member of the Choctow Nation and an Episcopalian Bishop. He describes John the Baptist-type eccentrics as regulars in Indigenous faith communities. He acknowledges that non-Natives may find this disrespectful and offensive. He explains, “from the theology of the Native Covenant, it is perfectly accurate because a “clown” in Native American tradition has a different meaning than it carries in European-based cultures. In that culture they are not just buffoons to make us laugh … but spiritual teachers whose job is to make us think.” [iii]

A clown. Perhaps this is why I am now reading Charleston again. My response is likely in character for us European Caucasian types, and even moreso for my Mennonite no-nonsense orderly version of that type. From within this vantage, I confess we are as much a part of the world’s problems as the Israelis and Hamas or the Russians and Ukrainians. Is there a right and a wrong side? Apocalyptic explanations are everywhere and fully as self-righteous as the many battles of the Old Testament, usually with emotive overtones if you do not agree. Among all of this political and interpersonal heat, here is the biblical account. Jesus, the one who us Christians claim as Messiah, came to be baptized by this character John, who protested saying “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14) but Jesus confidently knew what was needed. When John complied, after baptizing Jesus the heavens opened up, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (3:17). John the Baptist did that which was required of him. While I still have some resistance to a holy anointed person characterized as a clown, the large large purpose of this one preparing the way of the Lord, spoken of already in Isaiah and fully referenced in the New Testament gospels, [iv] cannot be ignored. Charleston is not being clownish; he is making a point.

Most of us can think of people who act somewhat contrary, embarrassing parents and neighbors, usually one or two in almost every small town that I can think of during my growing up years. Not necessarily criminals or troublemakers, but often did not quite fit in (Uhtbundts in the Low German language). Almost every family has what used to be called (inappropriately) a black sheep, or at least one who does not quite toe the line, a bit of mystery to siblings and parents. Some of these may actually be over achievers. I have a brother who was out of step with his siblings. He was positive, not given to teenage shenanigans and never in trouble with teachers or parents. He became a legendary softball pitcher well known in all the small towns and even the big city nearby. He pitched to a back catcher also skilled and very competitive, not at all given to Peter's kind-hearted naivety. He signaled the curve balls, burners, change-ups, etc. to the tune of many no hitter games. The crowds would laugh and roar their approval. My brother would pitch exactly as signaled by Cliff - and feel kind of badly for the batters he had just struck out! 😀 Now in his 70’s this brother of mine is still out-of-step with many. A passionate anti-military pacifist living in Colorado with his wife and other like-minded activists in radical simplicity, often appearing in local media not because he craves it, but it makes interesting news clips. Just like when he was a teenaged star athlete, people cannot but pay attention to a personality like this!

Autism comes to mind as another example. My wife and I have a daughter finally diagnosed in her thirties -   Aspergers high functioning, after years of bullying by teachers and/or fellow students in elementary and junior high. Now in middle age she is finally claiming all her God-gifted abilities. Thank you, God! 

Additionally to uhtbundts, there are also many ways to ‘discover’ or ‘receive’ the gift of faith. There are those who once lived a life of absolute debauchery and sin, only to be smitten by a sudden experience from God to the extent that everybody around is now paying attention. The story of Nicky Cruz, [v] a gangster-become-preacher in New York City has become a best-seller book and a blockbuster movie. The Apostle Paul’s discovery of Jesus could be described similarly. He got knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Timothy, one of the other Apostles, learned his faith at the knee of his grandmother (2 Timothy 1).

So, with the world contorting itself in endless strife, cynicism and despair, many of us seniors (the postwar baby boomers who created the good life) and millennials and gen xes and zes (children and grandchildren - those now benefiting from the good life). We seemingly know only good life solutions and that’s how we analyze and talk of all the crap going on. I see provinces liberal or conservative, states democrat or republican. I see professional sports teams regularly firing coaches just to provide winning numbers for small-brained fans. Among all of this there are disillusioned faith seekers shopping around for a perfect church or club, often self-righteously demanding good logical clean credible opinionated resolution to world problems (avoiding their own complicity), along with budget implications of course! Then we read articles, analyses and reports in Christian media using updated language like “imagine” and “live into,” a new faith lingo carefully edited with inclusive language complete with correct pronouns.

Clowns! We probably need some. Not the kind we hire for birthday or office parties to make us laugh. No, we need un-characters similar to the ones that show up at Indigenous Round Dances (Spirit Dances), the ones who act out and even offer some fresh ridiculous ideas on problem solving, like give-aways and sitting with elders to process vision quests. Good reminder from Charleston that John and Jesus both lived the give-away life to the point of sacrifice. “John lost his life as a sacred clown because he brought the chaos of hope into the place of power…. Jesus lost his life because he loved without exclusion.” [vi] 

Personal reminder to me that our neighborhoods can and must include increasing awareness that we are settlers and indigenous. And neighborliness includes a little more than evaluating the tidiness or messiness of each other's yards! [vii] The possibilities are before us. It can happen as result of unreserved commitment to the One who received baptism from the anointed clown. The invite is here, Indigenous and/or Settler to come follow Jesus, even if in some new unconventional ways perhaps not dreamed of before.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

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[i] Chapter 5 in Steven Charleston, The Four Vision Quests of Jesus (New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2015).

[ii] Ibid, p.78.

[iii] Ibid, p.80. Two sacred clown groupings, the koshares of the Southwest and heyokas of the Plains. See pp. 81-82 for examples of their goings-on.

[iv] Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:1-3; Luke 3:4.

[v] David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade (New York: Berkley, 1986). 

[vi] Charleston, op. cit. p.90. 

[vii] "Strangers to Neighbors" very appropriately (providentially?) happens to be the Calgary Interfaith Council theme for this year 2023. It is being recognized as very appropriate given current events in this city as well as world-wide.

About those Saints

Today is All Saints Day. It being the day after Halloween, this year I cannot but take a deep breath of relief and also appreciation for my neighbors. It seems this year there were fewer coffins and skeletons and witches and scary noises than previously. The children who showed at our door were cheery and appreciative of the safely packaged little treats, even with friendly parents hovering at the sidewalk. It was a neighborly evening, all of us seemingly enjoying some non-drama, unlike CBC’s The National, or CTV, PBS or CNN, news available on television after the kids had gone home.

Today, the morning after the 'hallowed eve' before, I consider it a privilege to sit down with Bible and good old Rejoice! booklet. Ray Harris is writer of the week and immediately takes me away with some good thoughts! [i] “For All the Saints” it’s entitled, and he bases his thoughts on Ephesians 2:11-22. I quote him briefly, “Many of us who are followers of Jesus, seeking to be apprentices in the faith, might cringe to call ourselves “saints.” The undertone of the world has made it a term of either confusion or comic derision, as in “I ain’t no saint!” Obviously identifying well with most of us readers, Harris goes on to make a very significant point. A saint is no pretender; a saint is one who is set apart, designated for service in God’s design, and it's important to recognize yourself as such. The apostle Paul uses this term in greeting the Christians of the first century, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near... For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us (:13-14). ...for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God (:18-19). Very appropriate these words as most of us sit glued to televisions and devices seeking updates to the warfare continuing in that very Middle East locale.

My morning read continues [Yes, creature of habit, my morning rituals always include some 'further reading - or clicking']. 😑 Today's read includes a nice connect with several longtime forever friends living in other provinces. In short order I am listening to one link shared, a heartrending podcast by Dr. Gabor Matte, an Israeli who has lived in trauma, barely survived as an infant and grandparents killed in the WW2 holocaust. He speaks with a journalist who happens to be his daughter, tired and thoughtfully challenging all listeners to understand the history and speak responsibly and compassionately. Another friend, retired from years of overseas service with Mennonite Central Committee, shares a local agony. His son-in-law, mayor of Saskatoon, SK has both Jewish and Islamic friends and being pressured by each  group to make supportive public statements for 'their' side. An unofficial estimate 😏 is that 90% of Saskatchewan coffee shops are pro-Israeli! This of course is only social pressures commentary, always fueled by gossip and local anxieties, and nothing compared to the horrors of those living in Gaza, but it illustrates well the pain and restlessness being dealt with everywhere.

Later in the day some further reading provides a little more. My CBC News App [ii] claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been supporting Hamas for years because they too oppose a two-state solution as represented by the Palestinian Authority – divide and conquer? Strategies continue, journalists report and the world watches. 

Perhaps my view is simplistic, but I cannot ignore these old old scriptures above which have already survived some 2000 plus years of interpretation and reinterpretation. As stated in this Ephesians text, all people are invited to an encounter with God thanks to that Jew who went the distance for all of us, not a military strategist but the savior who invites all to come on board. Thanks to Jesus the dividing wall of hostility is gone. Would that the Nazis of the 1940s might have acknowledged that truth and would that the Hamas and the Israelis of 2023 could humble themselves enough to acknowledge the One who is available even for them. Further, it's important to note that many Palestinians are Christians who have responded to the invitation (Matthew 11:28-29).

Reading the news and the strategies of the military experts (Israeli, Canadian, Lebanese, Syrian, American et al) is prolonging the agony and the suffering of many in that land of our Christian beginnings. To hold back on seasonal Halloween witchcraft has definitely been an appropriate thing. But it would be extra good if those of us who have received new life, now designated as saints in God’s reign, would take up our saintly responsibility and declare simply and clearly to all the strategists. Cease fire!

May it be so. Come Lord Jesus.

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[i] Rejoice! Vol. 59, no. 1. www.MennoMedia.org/rejoice

[ii] Evan Dyer, CBC News October 28, 2023. 

Babble Possibilities

 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? (Acts 2:8)

“Careful about the telephone calls you answer” is a new byword, so it seems. Having long been an advocate for picking up the phone and talking with others rather than endless texts or emails, in the last while I confess I too becoming a bit cautious. I take a quick look at call display before I answer. This is because half of those displays are mysterious, either friends with new cell numbers or weird solicitations with strange accents from another country. The familiar familial ones come not with the telephone ring but via text or WhatsApp, Facetime, Messenger, ... Instagram? So what’s a guy to do? In the Old Testament (Genesis 11) also is a story about new styled communication - or miscommunication. God’s people resorting to ingenious plans to avoid the next destructive flood by building a high tower, got that idea messed up when God introduced many languages, a babble at the Tower of Babel by which even the engineers could not understand each other! Our New Testament, however, has the counter story. At Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus a Holy Spirit language is introduced. 

Communication is possible in new ways and in many tongues, profoundly enabled by the Holy Spirit, God’s timeless universal language. Technology, including the recent insertion of artificial intelligence – with endless advertisements proffering new efficiencies and editing and stylizing help - is not the new ways I am thinking of. My enthusiasm is not in new technical possibilities. My enthusiasm is new possibilities in … yes, in religion.😊 It has a story, and as per usual, I can best communicate it via some recent experiences.

A week ago I participated with a group of Laotian Christians who were gathered for internment of the ashes of a pastor who had died two years ago, remembered for his ministry in this community many years ago before moving to the U.S. which is where he died. Fascinating to me was the heartfelt participation of the current minister of this immigrant group. Never having met the deceased pastor, with guitar and voice he facilitated opportunity for sharing, for singing, and a meditation spoken mostly in Lao with English interjections here and there, very helpful for all of us in this duo-lingo gathering. Also intriguing was the presence of a number of young adults who had made decisions for Jesus as children in those Sunday School classes of the 1990s. As the sharing continued I suddenly realized the testimony of these young adults was coming to us in English with nary an accent. The older members of this group still hard to understand when they faithfully show up in our church's worship services, while their children – the ones with the heartfelt faith testimonies – have never been in our church! This evening’s celebration, remembering a former pastor’s life well lived, became inspiration for all of us gathered regardless of original language and places of present worship! The theme of this gathering was life lived with Jesus as our Saviour.

This last weekend I visited a congregation of Mexican Mennonites near Two Hills, Alberta. The visit became important to me because of a tour I had participated in several months ago along with about twenty urbanites from Edmonton and Calgary to learn some things about these latest ‘Mennonites come back.’ These people have returned to the country they departed in the 1940s. At that time a group of the Old Colony from Manitoba and Saskatchewan departed for Mexico to get away from English school education and other perceived worldly requirements in this country which had welcomed them so amiably only half a century before! Now half a century later they come back because they need land ... and jobs!

Unbeknownst to me (as I learned years later), just before my birth in 1947 my parents had resolved that they could see no good reason to take their children and join with some of their siblings and fellow church members in the perceived need for auswanderung to escape public education. In the years of our growing up we would occasionally hear dad somewhat sarcastically “The devil can show up no matter where we live”. 😏 So it is that education was encouraged in my family, and accordingly kind of free-willed, some of us casting our lot with a more progressive Mennonitism and others the other option, no church at all!

It is therefore with keen interest I now observe some of these returning. The province of Alberta is providing a considerable welcome to these hardworking enterprising farmers, laborers, servants, contractors and business owners, most of them children and grandchildren of the earlier emigrants, probably quite in keeping with our current Premier Danielle Smith’s recent election victory speech, “Alberta is open for business.” In short order the historians and maybe even the sociologists and theologians will write about these Mennonites and their ever changing reasons to move. [See also an earlier blog “Solutions Outside the Lines”, June 17, 2023, https://jcfroomthoughts.blogspot.com]

Generations come and generations go, as illustrated perhaps everywhere these days. I spend some time at one of Calgary’s libraries, located alongside local YMCA and a Catholic high school. This is an environment with a super abundance of colors; white, black, and various shades of brown skins, beautiful tone mixes along with latest fashions and hair styles, the teenagers chatter just like teenagers will – in English with nary an accent. Similarly, one of my South Sudanese friends, he and his wife still struggling with English lessons, listen to their children, arguments and all, in their townhouse here in Calgary’s own English! And three hundred kilometers out of town we have these Reinlander Mexican Mennonites’ children already fluent in non-accented English, and parents still pressing a considerable plautdietsh.

My intent here is not merely to make observations about generational and cultural changes. My interest - fascination actually - is about something more basic. It is the eternal interest (thirst) very evident in all of these, in all peoples. Recent experiences are reminding me there is still a common communique – a need for basic values well illustrated by all, some of us now in the big cities, some from the villages of Mexico or Africa. Basic values include an invitation to a living faith, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God”, (John 1:12 quoted by one of the Laotian dads); to stay away from all the enticements of this world, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord, and I will receive you, (2 Corinthians 6:17 center stage for the Old Colony).In my previous blog I mentioned full churches in the Two Hills community, unlike urban Mennonite and most mainline churches. These rural churches with devoted but unlettered ministers, active youth groups, church life happening alongside land and business deals and education negotiations to provide for children’s religion needs even within the public system. In the past, sojourning Mennonites have moved for faith and/or lifestyle reasons. In those years they negotiated for privilegium (privileges) that would be forwarded in exchange for farming and business opportunities, to advantage of the hosts as well as the immigrants. That is still true; moves made only after careful negotiation.   

These Mennonites are here now for economic reasons, no genocide in Mexico to escape from! Also at this time refugees are entering Canada from other places to escape from desperate wars with neighbors or civil wars within, like our forbears when they first appeared on these shores. It seems to me those now returning to this country are well situated to reach out to present-day refugees together with those of us already settled here.[i] Here is a good bridge building opportunity for all of us, those who left and those who stayed,[ii] to humbly examine ourselves, perhaps to engage in new ways - colonialists, immigrants, and refugees. A good corporate read of 1 Corinthians 10:12 would be in order, So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Things are different now than when our early ancestors departed from the European beginnings! My African and Asian friends are aware of this, understanding our early refugee status. They are keenly interested so it seems, to study and worship together with us especially because of our peace stance, which at present also needs review in our affluent lifestyles. What is a good and a faith-filled way to move perhaps from babblers to proclaimers, together giving thanks for this country which is in fact a good deal for all of us? These are new and important considerations, especially for a peace people in a peace church, going forward. 

Thinking about my dad's prophetic cautionary words back there, I am reminded of a scripture quite on-topic, Ephesians 6:10-11. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. These days, even in our turmultuous world, including Israel and Palestine, the land of the faiths which claim One God, I'm praying for our one God's Holy Spirit to help us understand each other and to unite us in ever new peaceable possibilities.

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[i] Note: Some of these farmers are already participating with Canadian Foodgrains Bank to assist in world hunger needs. 

[ii] And also those who have been here forever, the Indigenous. See Steven Charleston, The Four Vision Quests of Jesus (New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2015).