WILDERNESS: READY OR NOT HERE I COME

I am feeling a bit cheated.

I have been in Saskatchewan for 10 days so far, attending the Ministry of Supervision training course. St. David's has applied to be a learning site for a student minister and this training will allow me to take on the role of supervising that student. The timing of this event has meant that I am here for the start of start of the season of Lent. Today is Ash Wednesday.

It also means that I was here for Shrove Tuesday. I know that the people of St. David's would have enjoyed the fruits of the Men's Club's labours with the annual pancake supper last night. I was expecting to be with them in spirit, here at the Prairie CHRISTIAN Training Centre. I was prepared for the succulent smell of sausages and pancake and syrup as I made my way into the dining room ...

But my senses gave me a different message. None of the smells fit. It was Swiss Steak! [I was not aware that the Swiss liked their steak tough and tasteless] How is it supposed to be "Mardi Gras" (FAT Tuesday), if I don't even clear my plate?

Am I ready to head into the wilderness of Lent, without the "usual" preparation. I still have hungers to fed and yet, I am invited out into the unknown - to wrestle with the most basic questions of life. How should I live?

Thanks be to God, that I am not alone.

Ready or not, here I come!

SNOWMAGEDDON

I learned a new word this morning when I turned on CNN. Washington DC is snowed in and the news spin is bringing up images of the apocolypse. Not the traditional fire and brimstone, but snow and ice.

I must admit that, as I sit in a motel room in Regina, basking in the minus 20 Celsius prairie sunshine, that I laughed a bit at the reporter, who was standing on the already melted sidewalk with no sign of a visible winter breath. But I quickly move to a more compassionate attitude. What is familiar to me, is foreign to them. Not that either of us normally has it better or worse, but that we have grown comfortable with what we experienced most. I have been out of my comfort zone on more than one occasion - and so, I have empathy for those people who may feel that mother nature or father god is moving against them.

But "snowmageddon"?

Un-necessary extremes have a comical purpose, but I submit that we must not let ourselves lose track of the opportunities for growth that come with abiding with the unfamiliar.

PLANNING AHEAD

I enjoyed the Sunday morning service. It was nice to sit and sing and worship without having to plan. St. David's has a long history of recognizing that their clergy are well served by having Sundays to rest and maybe worship elsewhere. A few times a year (above and beyond holidays and study leave) I am given this opportunity. This past Sunday, I worshipped with Devon United Church. It was a familiar place - I now many people and they know me. It was nice and enriching. Thank you DUC!

Then quickly my mind fast forwarded to the next major season of the church year: Lent. So on Monday afternoon, I began planning - looking at the Lectionary readings, thinking about music and staring to outline themes and sermons. I find it helpful to plan a whole season at a time, so I had six Sundays before me between Ash Wednesday up to Palm Sunday.

Lent One will come up fast, as I will be away from Feb 8th to 18th learning how best to be a ministry supervisor. St. David's has applied to be a learning site and hopes to host a student intern in the fall. I will only have three days after I get back before the first Sunday of Lent is here. So an outline is essential - first of all for the church secretary who will need an order of service for the bulletin, but for me so that I can be thinking about the details while I am away.

Add to that the first wedding of 2010 that same weekend and planning ahead will hopefully make my like easier.

I have been down this road enough times, not to assume that all is done ahead of time. Things change and need to be open to change. I can plan the trip, lay out the route, but travelling it is another thing all together. I hope I am surprised along the way and will have need (opportunity) to adjust what has already been planned. That's life and it is good.

WEDNESDAY?

Well, Tuesday got away from me and I forgot "to blog".

I'm sure that I am not the only one who has slipped through an entire day and missed a detail or two. Even so, yesterday was a good day. I had a very enjoyable (although late-starting) meeting about the upcoming youth rally St. David's is hosting in mid-March (http://www.anwconf.com/public/upcomingevents.htm). I finally feel on track. Some of the nagging worries I have been having were shown to be moot or were alleviated. I now have a list of what still needs to be arranged and it is mostly slotting in the many people who have offered to help during the rally.

I also got things together for another major part of my life (being a minor football team registrar). Midget registration begins tomorrow and I think I have all my things ready to go.

This kind of settledness is not going to last, is it? Ah well, better enjoy it while I can.

THE END IS NEAR

There are sure a lot of those post-apocalyptic movies out in recent years: 2012; Children of Men; I, Legend; Deep Impact; Armagedon; The Road; The Book of Eli and let's not forget the literary masterpieces - the Left Behind series. And serious documentaries or showing on A&E and TLC about the Mayan calendar ending, the quatrains of Nostradamus and a world without humans.

It's kind of depressing. Why do I keep watching these things?

The Bible is no stranger to apocalyptic literature: the books of Daniel, Revelation, as well as small sections of the gospels and other books. What seems to be the common context in the up-swing of these writings is that the world around the authors is filled with uncertainty, war or domination. When people feel helpless, they begin to wonder openly if God will just wipe it all out and give the righteous a fresh start.

I suspect that this has a lot to do with living in a post-9/11 world. The shadow of fear that those of us who grew up during the Cold War knew only too well is back for generations of today: thanks to suicide bombers and invading armies.

Is life really that fragile? Are we that devoid of hope?

EPIPHANY

I Am the Light of the World!
Arise! Your Light is Come!

Yup, we sang 'em on Sunday, the first Sunday of Epiphany. I spoke about "noticing the light": Finding the hints that point to presence of the Spirit. And how life is up-lifted when bouyed by the Spirit.

In light of that ... this is my New Year's resolution for 2010:

I WILL TRY TO MAKE EACH DAY A GOOD DAY
in terms of ..
..attitude
..health
..faith
..family
..happiness
..compassion
..justice

It seemed to make sense for me this year - the light has come on!

A WEEK OF SATURDAYS

Happy New Year;
It's just a turn of a calendar page, but it reminds us of the cycles of life and the constant opportunities for fresh starts.

I had the last week of 2009 off from any formal responsibilities at the church. With the kids home from school - it felt like a week of Saturdays. And in a strange sort of way, that was kind of stressful. You see for me, as a minister, Saturday is sometimes a day off, but it can also be the last day of preparation for Sunday Worship. Every once and a while over the holidays, I would feel a flush of panic - "I'm not ready!" Then my concious mind would kick in and remember that it is (first of all) only Tuesday and (second of all) I don't have any worship prep responsibilies this week.

I like to be prepared. Truth be told, I seldom leave Sunday planning to Saturday. I try to avoid that last minute panic. But I know the feeling - and it's uncomfortable.

There is a modern proverb that says that God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. I'm glad to be afflicted with panic from time to time, especially when I am getting too comfortable.

This is a good message for me, at the start of a new year or at anytime!

HAPPY NEW YEAR