Carrying baggage

The past few years, I have become quite skilled at going through things and weeding out what is unimportant, and keeping only the important things. When we moved from Canada, we only came with a few suitcases of things.  We decided we were not going to ship things. Our furniture had seen its "best before date" come and go and so we decided to get rid of it all except for one piece which we keep at a friends house. Lots of ornaments and souvenirs were either given away or thrown out. Items which had not seen the world other than through a cardboard box for years were discarded. Momentos and family heirlooms were examined and only the best ones were kept.

This was a tough process. Saying good bye to things can be hard- hard because they are filled with memories. Hard because maybe Uncle Joe gave us that or Aunt Wilma wanted us to have something. But sometimes you have to let go. We knew that if we were moving half way around the world, then we had to be ruthless with our discernment. Only the best could stay. Everything else had to go.

I think our memories are like that. There are people who have helped us along the way, who have encouraged us, who have blessed us.  We want to remember those. We also want to remember the lessons that we have learned about helping others and how to be a great neighbour. We want to hold on to these memories as long as we can, because when the way gets tough, it is those wonderful memories that will inspire us with hope.

Human beings also have negative feelings and experiences which hold them back. We hold grudges, we blame a whole group on the basis of the actions of one person, we seperate ourselves from our fellow human beings. We allow these feelings to pollute our relationships with others. I think this is like the usage baggage that we had to get rid of when we came to Australia. We need to let go of our hard feelings, our grudges, our pain and move forward. We need to lighten our emotional loads in order that we can move forward.

Lightening our emotional loads is like trying to discern what items to keep and what items to throw away. Lightening our emotional loads won't be easy. It is hard work to let go. We have to learn to forgive, to forget, to forge new relationships. But when we do so the road forward will be much easier. Blessings.

Fear no more

I think I am a lucky person. I don't frighten easily. Oh that doesn't mean that there aren't things which scare me. I am not one to take a lot of risks. You won't find me climbing Everest or lining up to do one of those super roller coasters. Oh I might climb small hills or do more reasonable amusement rides, but I know that somethings are just out of my comfort zone. I am not crazy about snakes and spiders, but have adopted a I won't bother them if they don't bother me attitude" about them. You won't see me driving at 160 kph, but it is not that I am afraid to do so, I just don't see any reason to do so. I have my irrational fear (birds flying near me frighten me) but when you get right down to it, I don't think fear controls my life.

But right now we seem to be living in a time of fear. Politicians in this country and around the world are using fear in order to get elected. The media is constantly telling us stories that cause us to fear the other. Even though the chances of getting killed in a terrorist attack are smaller than getting killed crossing a street or being hit by lightning, the media and politicians have made terrorism our number one concern.  In a world where fear becomes our prime motivator, distrust develops, and hatred of the stranger increases. Hatred often leads to violence. Violence makes us more afraid. Discord wins out.

The Late American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, told a world suffering from the Great Depression that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. He knew that if people were afraid to invest, if people were afraid to buy, if people were afraid to hire more workers, then the economy was doomed. Only by showing confidence, would the world be able to lift itself out of the Depression. Fear for Franklin Roosevelt was a living entity that destroyed all good things. Fear was a powerful force that could destroy the world.

FDR showed that fear could be conquered. If we worked together, good things were possible. If we worked together and put aside our fears, our world would be a better place.

Our world needs an FDR right now. Someone who can tell us to put aside our fears and move forward together rather than to live in fear. Fear is a powerful force. It has taken control of our press and our politicians. It is destroying our world. But together we can overcome the power of fear. If we work together, we can make our world a more human place. Now if only I could learn to like spiders.  Blessings.

And so it begins.

The first day of school. Depending on the school here in Australia, the new school year begins either later this week or next week. Families are busy shopping for school uniforms and supplies. Teachers are busy getting their classrooms ready. And many people are going back to work, after having enjoyed a summer break. Its like the world is beginning a new.

I remember what it was like each year when I began school again. I was filled with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I liked school. I liked the routine. I always found the unstructured time of summer a bit unsettling. I liked meeting up with my friends. I wondered who my new teachers would be. But at the same time there was a bit of angst. Would I do well this year in school? Would my friends be in my same class? Would there be bullies in my class?

I think the same mixed feelings of excitement and angst have followed me throughout life. When I move to a new town, I am filled with mixed emotions. Starting at a new church I always look at the new possibilities but always wonder what challenges might lie ahead.

Beginning something new is never easy. We are bound to be filled with these mixed emotions. There are things to let go of and things to keep. There are new things we have to learn and try. But change is inevitable. It is going to happen. May we all rise to the challenge. Blessings.

Resolutions Schmesolutions

I recently overheard the conversation held by two people in their twenties.  One asked the other about a bad habit they had. The other person said that they would give up this bad habit when they reached 30.

I smiled as I heard this. Would the person wait until they reached 30 to give up their habit? Might they do it before? Or would they keep doing their bad habit for many more years after they turned 30? One only knows.

Change is hard. It takes determination. It takes commitment. It takes sacrifice. Change means giving up the old and the familiar, and venturing out into new and untried paths.

Diet companies and gyms tell us that the New Year is a perfect time to make changes to our lives. They tell us that it is a New Year so why not make way for a new you. It sounds simple enough. Why not use the New Year to change yourself. But if you are not ready on that date, such resolutions are doomed to fail. If the drinker is not ready to give up booze on January 1st, then they won't change no matter what the calendar says. Resolutions fail if people aren't ready to live them out.

But change is possible. If I am willing to break a bad habit I need to be willing to endure the pain, the angst, the cravings, the sacrifice. Only then will I be able to change. Change can happen on New Years or on our birthdays, or on any day of the year as long as we are committed to that change.  However if we rely on the calendar to give us that impetus to change, I think we are more doomed to failure. I will change next year is code for I am not ready for change yet.  

Be not afraid

Be not afraid

I go before you always

Come, follow me

and I will give you rest

--Be not Afraid Canadian Catholic Hymnal

We have nothing to fear but fear itself

--Franklin Delano Roosevelt

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

--Luke 2: 10-11

We live in a time of fear. We fear the other. We have set up detention camps on Manus and Nauru to keep the refugees out. We live in a world where it is ok for politicians to make racist statements because they are "standing up for the nation or trying to make their nation great again." We are taught by the media to fear those who practise other faiths, who have different skin colours, who come from other cultures. We are afraid of anyone who in not the same as we are.

But on that first Christmas, a child was born who was to change the world forever. He taught love. He worked to strengthen community bonds and not divide them. He changed the lives of everyone. 

Is it any wonder then that the message of the angels is to fear not. God tells us to tear down barriers and not build them. God tells us to reach out to the stranger and not turn them away. God welcomes everyone, and in return we are to be welcoming to all- and that is without reservations. All means all, not people just like me. Christmas may be about peace, joy, hope and love, but that can only be given when we put aside our fears. The good news is we don't have to be afraid anymore. Blessings.

What we need?

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need 

*****

They say our love won't pay the rent
Before it's earned, our money's all been spent
I guess that's so, we don't have a plot
But at least I'm sure of all the things we got

*****

Daring to show my age once more, I had to post these two well known songs from the sixties. One of course is the Beatles' "All you need is love." The second is Sonny and Cher's "I've Got You Babe." Both songs leave us with the impression that with love we have everything.  It is a lovely sentiment. But is it true.

Well in one way it is definitely not true. Try not paying your bills for a few months. Then when they threaten to cut off your power or evict you from your apartment try to tell your creditors that all we need is love. Let me know how that works for you. As you know it won't work. Commercial places and service providers demand hard cold cash or plastic as payment. John Lennon and Sonny Bono won't help you there. 

But I think more importantly, these two songs are very true. It is fine to pay off all your bills, have a huge bank account, and have all of the latest gadgets. I would be willing to give up my glamourous life now and travel first class, go to the best concerts, drink the best wine, and live in a fancy mansion. But if I don't have anyone to share that wealth with what is the point. My things and possessions can't give me any comfort. My things don't care if I am happy or not. And next year, there will be new and better things that will put this years things to shame. Without someone to be with, things can bring no joy.

But if you have a loving family or set of friends to enjoy things worth, maybe it is not that bad. And if you are kind enough to share your things with the stranger, the outcast, those in need, well then your wealth and good fortune could be a blessing to others. I am always amazed at those who have had fortunate lives, and then decide to give it to a hospital to fund cardiac or cancer research. Yes these people were born blessed, but they have decided to pass on that blessing to others. This is love at its finest.

Love is an overused word in our vocabulary. We love our jobs, we love our cars, we love our dogs, we love our friends, we love our families, we fall into romantic love one with another. Someone I recently heard spoke wanted us to stop using the word. I think that is wrong. We need to spread love around. Because as we do so it grows. I love wombats for instance. There I have said it. It is not merely empty words. This has led me to protecting the environment, trying to be kinder to nature itself, recycling, reducing, reusing, more. My wombat love is different from my love for my family. But it has changed me. And hopefully has changed the word. Let us continue to live in a world where Love becomes all we need and remember "I've got you babe." Blessings.

The songs of Christmas

I don't make any bones about it. For me, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. There are so many things about it that the other seasons don't have. First of all there are the directions. My hearts leap when I see the wreathes, the trees, and lights. It's something that in our culture you don't see at any other time of the year at least to the same extent. Yes there are special lights for Dhawali, and one does see some Easter and Hallowe'en decorations, but at least in Australia, these decorations pale when it comes to the proliferation of Christmas decorations.

Second there is the element of surprise at Christmas. We buy gifts for our loved ones, hoping that they will be truly surprised. Children wait with anticipation for the visit of Santa Claus.

Third there is the spirit of fellowship at Christmas. We have special gatherings to go to where we meet others, make merry, and spread Christmas joy. There are parties at church, gathering in people's houses, festive concerts, and special worship services to mark the holidays. For a while at least, it seems people do heed the message of the angels and live in peace and harmony as it should be.

Fourth there is the food. There is the Christmas baking that gets done. There are chocolates given as gifts. There are the foods that one buys for the Christmas feast. There are candy canes handed out. There are belts that get loosened. Christmas is a time of feasting.

But what sets Christmas apart from all of our other observances is the many Christmas carols that we sing at this time of year. Some we sing for fun- Jingle Bells and Rudolph for instance. Other Christmas songs don't make a lot of sense to me anymore now that I live in the Southern Hemisphere. It is hard to sing with integrity songs like Let it Snow and Winter Wonderland when it is plus 35. It's just not going happen no matter how hard I sing. But my favourite is to sing the great carols like Silent Night, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald, and O Come All Ye Faithful. These carols remind of us of the true meaning of Christmas. These carols tell us once more the story of the child who was born in the manger. They remind us of the shepherds, of the anticipation, of the angels, of the love, of the joy of that first Christmas night. And during this time of year, we see folks from all walks of life, join together to sing these songs of God's holy love which we mark this time of year. As we sing these familiar songs, we unite as symbols of the peace and love that was given to the world that first Christmas. Blessings.

Getting Ready

It seems hard to believe that on Thursday we being the month of December. Didn't it just happen last year? December is always so busy what with cards to write, presents to buy, special celebrations to go to, special services at the church, food to buy, decorations to put up, and so on. It doesn't seem possible that it is that time already. But there are the tell tale signs all over that December is almost here. Nights here in Sydney are getting quite warm and humid. The elevators have been blasting Christmas carols for weeks now. TV ads are all full of Christmas gift ideas. I may not seem ready or not, but it is here with or without me.

Maybe that is why it is good we have the season of advent in the church. We enter into this few weeks at the end of November the beginning of December and we don't barge head long into Christmas, but rather we have time to get ourselves ready. We take time to think about the gifts that Christ brings to us: hope, peace, joy, and love. We hear about Jesus' parents being told about the birth of the child. We hear about the prophets of old and how God came to them and told them about the one who is to come. We hear about John preaching about the child who was to follow after him. We hear all of this before the main event. Then on Christmas eve we hear about the child born in the manger and the angels telling us that with that babe God is here and is well pleased with us. In church we have four weeks to prepare for all this. And that is good.

I write this this week not to say that the Christmas movies, the special food, and decorations are not a part of our holiday festivities. They are ways in which we get ourselves ready. The songs, the cards from loved ones overseas, remind us of the love at Christmas. The cheer that we share at Christmas is a sign of the peace and joy foretold by the angels. And the dreams that even old man Scrooge had and the resolutions made at New Year, remind us all of hope. I think these other ways of celebrating, decorating, baking, singing, card writing, all are ways in which we prepare.

But what might be different is the effects of the celebrations. In many households, once boxing day is over everything is put away until next year. There has been little change. Oh we might add a few new things to our memories of good tidings, but that can wait again until next December. But in the church, we celebrate that we are changed. The child born in the manger means that our lives have eternal significance. With the reminder of his birth, we can never go back to just the way we are for we have been changed. This is the good news. Blessings.

Milestones

What are the significant events in your life? What milestones do you remember? Some in my life are very important. Graduating. Getting ordained. Getting married. The day we became parents. The year I moved from Canada. I don't think I will ever forget those. Other events seemed very significant at the time, but have become less important over time: learning to drive, getting my first job, moving from primary to high school, etc. At the time they seemed to be very important. But now looking back these secondary events seem to have less and less importance.

Marking events. In one way it is very important. It gives our lives meaning. Without marking the events that we go through what is the point? Getting my first job- a job at a store in a provincial park- seemed very important at the time. I got it on my own. I applied for it, I was interviewed, I was successfully hired, I learned what earning money was all about. I also learned the value of things. I wanted to buy a pair of western boots with the money I earned. I figured that it took me about 30 hours of labour to buy them. For those learning experiences I was very thankful.

The other reality though was that it was not a great job. My boss told me on the first day that he was a very difficult man to work for and he was true to his word. I was only there three months (it was a summer job) and so it was very brief and I did not earn a lot of money. Somedays the job was exceedingly busy and I would come home exhausted. Other days the job was exceedingly slow and I had to seek out things to fill up my time. Some customers were exceedingly rude. And often I had to deal with things like mice, squirrels, and backed up toilets things that were not much fun.  Getting the first job was very important at the time. But now, it is very much less important in the scheme of my life.

As I write this blog today, some children from the child care centre are preparing for a ceremony marking their leaving the centre and going off to Kindergarten next year. For them, it is a very important event. They will have to say good bye to their teachers who have been with them for the past few years. They will be saying goodbye to friends who will be going to different schools. Right now it is a life changing event for them. However in the scheme of things, I am sure that this event will be less significant in their lives. They will have other changes, other awards, other achievements, other passages which will make this event but a footnote in their lives, but today it is very important.

And maybe that is the message for us today. Things will happen in our lives that may seem quite traumatic and life altering. Some no doubt will be- birth of children, death of a spouse, losing a job, etc. Some though will fade away. This should be a good reminder to us. Bad things do happen, but most likely they will fade away in time. We might have already experienced things which we thing are the best ever, but sometimes the best is yet to come. The huge milestones of today are but mere pebbles in the grand scheme of our lives. Blessings

Now what

After billions of dollars spent the US election is finally over. In one of the most divisive campaigns ever, Donald Trump was declared the president elect. It was not the result that I wanted, but in their complicated system, Donald Trump won the most votes in the US Electoral College- even though he lost the popular vote by 120,000 votes.

Trump won the election on basically two planks. The first plank was that as a complete political novice, Trump was able to state that there were many problems in the establishment in Washington DC. Stories of corruption are always bubbling up in Washington. Lobbyists hold too much influence over politicians. Omnibus bills mean that all politicians have to swallow their pride at time and vote for things they don't believe in just so that bills they support get passed. Politics in Washington does need a good cleaning out.

The second plank that elected Trump was fear and anger. Since 9/11 fear has gripped the US. The "other" is no longer welcome by many Americans- even though they talk about being the great melting pot. Since 9/11 the US has increasingly become like a fortress with figurative walls keeping the strangers out.

Anger has also gripped a large part of the US. Many states are suffering. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin for instance have seen many of their industrial jobs shut down because of global trade, environmental concerns over coal, and other factors. Agricultural states like the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas have struggled much more than the urban areas of the country. Some Americans find it increasingly hard to find work and so they blame immigrants for taking their jobs.

These two planks got Trump elected. When people are feeling good about themselves, it is easy to vote for hope and togetherness. When people are struggling, like so many Americans are, it feels better to blame and point fingers. Trump's words, abhorrent as they were to so many of us, seemed to reach out to those Americans who felt they were falling further and further behind.

But now the genie is out of the bottle. Since Trump's election hate crimes have increased around the world. Swastikas have popped up in Holland, Canada, and all over the US. People have been bashed because others thought they were gay or lesbian. People have been told to get out because their skin colour was not ivory white. Women have been told that they will never get ahead in business or politics because of their double X chromosomes. With the election of Trump, it seems ok to hate again.

This is what scares me, not the election of Trump per se. Yes Trump was not my choice for president, but politicians come and go. They may do great things or horrible things for a few years, but in a few years they will be replaced. It's like the weather in Melbourne, if you don't like it, wait fifteen minutes and it will be something else. Politicians are like that- they rise to power and then they fall. But what scares me is this increase in hatred. In my way of thinking it is abhorrent to hate the other. Everyone is a child of God no matter who they are: old, young, male female, gay, straight, white, black, yellow, whatever. Everyone is worthy of respect. No one deserves to be hated because they are of their sex, because of their faith, because of their language, because of the colour of their skin, because of where they were born, because of who they love, because they are the child God created them to be. Love has to triumph over hate. Let us strive for a world that breaks down barriers, puts aside differences, and works for the good of all people, not just for some. Blessings

Connections made and lost

I like to think that I am a fairly social person. Yes I am an introvert. Yes I do find a lot of social interaction to be quite exhausting. But I enjoy people. I like getting to know them. I like sharing jokes with them. I could never be a hermit. I need people.

In this modern age I have the ability to connect with anyone in the world using a computer or my smart phone. As long as we are both on line, within milliseconds I can connect with friends whether they be in Australia, Canada, the US, Britain or wherever. The thousands of kilometres between us don't matter although time zones limit when we can talk.

I realise that even though I have the ability to connect with anyone, I sometimes don't. Some people I have little in common with. Some people may have been my friends when I was a child, but we have moved on in different ways. Sometimes long standing arguments hinder my relationships with a few people. Some people cannot understand English and I cannot understand their language. Some people move in different social circles then I do (Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, Malcolm Turnbull). For whatever reason my circle of friends and acquaintances is a minuscule part of the population as a whole.

In some ways this is understandable. The world is very vast and very diverse. I have travelled a bit, but there are great portions of the world that I will never see. People from all walks of life could join a church where I serve, but in reality there are not that many billionaires or Satanists that I come across in my line of work. Also, I am a person who well knows my limitations.  I have a few problems putting names to all of the faces that I have already met- just imagine if I had to do that with all 7 billion people in the world.

But in another way, I lose when I can't connect with others. What wisdom might they have to share with me? How might they have challenged, inspired, guided, listened, laughed with, cried with, and celebrated with me. No I am not suggesting that we can connect with everyone. But maybe we can be more intentional about keeping the connections that we already have. Let's listen and share with each other. You'll be glad you did.  Blessings.

Over and under selling

Picture this scenario. A friend has just seen a movie that they really enjoyed. They begin sharing their excitement with you. They tell you that this movie has everything, maybe that it is one of their top 10 favourites ever, and that you just have to go see it. You get all caught up in their excitement. Well after all if your friend enjoyed it, then surely you would enjoy it as well. But when you leave the theatre you are very disappointed. For whatever reason you hated it, or were bored by the movie. It was just not your cup of tea. You figure that your friend must be totally off his/her rocker to have enjoyed this movie. 

Has that ever happened to you? People tell you that something will be wonderful when it isn't wonderful but merely good or bad. This week I have been laughing all week. Someone invited me to a meeting that they have said will be extraordinary. Such an invitation is doomed to failure. If it is indeed a wonderful meeting all you can say is that the event lived up to its expectations. You will forget how wonderful it was just because the invitation already promised that it would be. The effect of that terrific meeting will have been lost because of the invitation. If the meeting is rather ordinary, you leave the meeting hall disappointed. It wasn't extraordinary at all. If the meeting is a good meeting but not terrific, you will have felt left down. The invitation was like my friend explaining their excitement over that movie- it built things up too much.

I think a worse problem though in the church is that we undersell our work too much. We are too self effacing. We forget about all the lives that we have touched and just put it down to "oh it is just something we did." We could share wonderful stories of all the work that we do, but instead we either forget about our stories or just refuse to tell them to others.

During the years 2008-2011, I worked for the National office of the United Church of Canada. My job was to promote the good news of all of the work that was being done by congregations, outreach ministries, global overseas partners, and the national church. It was indeed a work of love. And I was amazed at the thousands of lives that had been touched by our churches. Through the dedicated work of church men and women and the various church agencies, our United of Canada can and indeed made a difference in the world. But too often churches forgot to tell the world that they were doing this work. Not only were they not overselling their efforts, they were underselling their efforts or just ignoring them completely. We forget that others outside of our walls don't know that we struggled to make working conditions more humane, support the rights of children, support women's rights, work for peace in the world, empower people in the third world, feed and provide shelter for the hungry, and so many other things. People forget we are a vital part of our community because we forget to talk about the work we have done and are doing.

That is a great problem. We live in a world where we hear so much bad news. The community is seeking a respite from this doom and gloom. The world is looking for good news. The church's role is to preach the good news. And if we are unwilling to talk about the good news of the work that we have done, our world misses out. We need to stop underselling our works. Blessings.

Sometimes take a turn

I like to think of myself as a fairly organised person. When I make an appointment with someone, I arrive on time. Well if truth be told, I arrive early because I hate to keep others waiting. I make to do lists and I try to prioritise and make sure that I get everything done on my list. There are some days when I see what is on my agenda, I know what I have to do, and I work my way through it.

But the vocation of ministry is never quite that straight forward. Sometimes you receive phone calls when people ask you to come visit them and things need to be shifted. Sometimes a committee plans a surprise meeting. Things happen. Your schedule rarely goes to plan. You need to be flexible and adjust. You need to re-prioritise on the fly. 

I think the vocation of ministry is quite like life. You see we never quite know how each day will end up. There are always unexpected curves in everyone's life. A friend phones from out of the blue. You are offered your dream job, but it is hundreds of kilometres away. A loved one gets sick. You get fired. A downpour floods your basement. Your child makes excellent grades at school and the principal wants you to come in right away to talk about their future. There are those days when you get up and everything goes to plan. But they are indeed those rare days. Most days we can expect one unplanned event that will thwart our careful planning.

This is not a bad thing however. Scientists for instance, have tested stress on plants. The scientists had two sets of seeds. The first set of seeds was raised in the perfect environment. They were set in the richest of soils. They received just the right amount of light and the right amount of moisture each day. They were sheltered from the wind and protected from pests. The second set of seeds were not neglected by any means, but they were raised in less than ideal environments. They would go through times of drought and times of over abundance of moisture. They faced the occasional pest and times when they had a bit too much light or a bit too much shade. What the scientists found surprised them. The seeds raised in perfection did not perform nearly as well as the seeds that had just a wee bit of stress. A little bit of stress made the seeds hearty and strong. 

I do think it is best to be planned and organised. It just makes the world a bit easier to deal with. But no matter how organised we are, we need to be ready for those distractions that take us from our desired route. They make us strong. They make us hearty. They sometimes show us a new and exciting path. May many of your plans go well but hopefully you will enjoy life's detours as well.  Blessings.