Weekly wonderings

  Over the next few weeks we will be working through material provided in preparation for Mennonite Church Canada's national assembly.  This is a gathering open to people from Mennonite congregations across the country interested in joining together to connect, to worship, to study, and to discern together. This year the theme is "We Declare...what we have seen and heard" (based on  1 John 1:3). What is it that we have to declare? What do we have to say that is relevant in this day and age? How do we share our experience in a way that is sensitive to those around us and true to the Gospel we have received? As it says in the provided material: "How can we speak of our faith in a society of many faiths and no faith, ...claiming and living out a good news that is truly good news for humanity and all creation..."  The Scripture passages for this week include Mark 1:14-15, Acts 1:6-8, 4:20, 1 Peter 3:15-16, 1 John 1:1-4. These passages are calls to, and testimonies o...

 This Sunday we will be hearing about the work of CPI: Canadian Peacemakers International, an organization dedicated to fostering personal leadership, housing, and food security, economic opportunity, and self-sufficiency through education and vocational training in Honduras and Sub-Saharan Africa. The Scripture passages that we will be looking at include the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit   and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. " (Matthew 28: 19 & 20) In most of the Gospels, Jesus gives some form of this commission shortly after his resurrection, when he appears before his disciples who are cowering behind locked doors. (Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21-23). They know their lives are in danger. Their confidence is shattered by the death of the person they coun...

  Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed! What an amazing declaration!  What an amazing thing to have happened!  Over this past week we have, once again, seen the crowds, and even one of Jesus' own disciples, turn on him. We have seen those who seemed to know and love him best run away, and deny even knowing Jesus. What a weird and awful week as we saw the certainty, joy and hope of Palm Sunday diminish and turn into the confusion and anger of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We celebrated the intimate ritual Jesus instituted at that last Passover meal, became quiet as Jesus prayed in anguish, then watched in horror as he was led away to be tormented, tortured, and killed. All this in one week. How can we take it all in? Then, when many thought they now understood that all was lost - Jesus arose! The grave was empty! Mary even claims to have seen him! What could it all mean?  The immediate reaction of the disciples wasn't joy and celebration, but disbelief and wonde...

 Hosanna!  Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! These words bring images of Jesus entering Jerusalem to the praise and adoration of the crowds as well, for many of us with church going backgrounds, of little children parading up the church aisle waving palm branches. Both of these are joyful, celebratory images that help us want to celebrate Palm Sunday every year. It is good to celebrate Jesus. Unfortunately, there is more to the story. In Luke's telling of the entry into Jerusalem (chapter 19:29-40) we hear the crowds calling: "Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory to the highest heavens." (CEB) The crowd was excited to see Jesus, not because he was teaching them how to follow God's way, but because they saw Jesus as someone who was going to overthrow Rome and become their new king. They were placing their political hopes on Jesus' power, which they hoped would be power over even th...

Throughout Lent we have been exploring following God's way, instead of the way society dictates. Following the lectionary passages we have looked at how we are called away from focussing on security, fearing what could go wrong, figuring how to earn our own way, and discerning who is in and who is out.  We are called, instead, to trust God, to allow ourselves to be generous with what we have been given, to care for others, to open ourselves and our congregations to all people, to believe God loves us, no matter what.  Now we come to the story of Mary embodying many of these characteristics.  In the story in John 12:1-8, we come once again to the home of Martha, the consummate hostess, Lazarus, the man who had been risen from the dead, and Mary, the open, loving, and somewhat impulsive disciple of Jesus. Without a lot of introduction we are told that Mary appears with some very expensive perfume, pouring it over Jesus's feet, then wiping it up with her hair. She isn't worr...