Our times are in your hands:
But we count our times for us;
we count our days and fill them with us;
we count our weeks and fill them with our busyness;
we count our years and fill them with our fears.
And then caught up short with your claim,
Our times are in your hands!
Take our times, times of love and times of weariness,
Take them all, bless them and break them,
give them to us again,
slow paced and eager,
fixed in your readiness for neighbour.
Occupy our calendars,
Flood us with itsy-bitsy, daily kairoi,
in the name of your fleshed kairos. Amen1
1 (Brueggemann 2004, 147, Montreat Conference: Jubilee/June 1, 2000)
Brueggemann, Walter. Awed To Heaven, Rooted In Earth: Prayers Of Walter Brueggemann . Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004.
I am feeling the need to take a trip to a place where I can see a large number of stars at once. Every once in a while I get this sense and I have learned to listen to this call of my spirit. I find I need to periodically make time for seeing the stars. It renews my sense of awe and mystery. It reminds me how small we are. It reminds us that this planet on which we reside circles around a star not unlike the thousands we see dappling the sky. It reminds me that God has a much bigger plan than just my little life.
Seeing the stars of course requires that I get away from the light pollution of large cities. It is not as easy as it once was but it is still possible to find places with a decent view of the cosmos. In the rural community in which I grew up we readily saw stars, northern lights, and other stellar majesty on any clear night. But 40 years later light pollution threatens to obliterate the view in the countryside as well. Now that I live in Vancouver I will plan to take a short trip up the north coast on a clear night. There, using the mountains to block out the glow of the highly populated lower mainland, I should be able to get some good views. It will be good for my soul.
The value of staring at the heavens in awe, as most of us used to be able to do, is tremendously under-rated. You can feel that sense of wonder and smallness; the inexplicable understanding that there is so much more that we cannot understand. There is a huge difference between a culture that is humbled by the stars and one which lets you think you are one.1
(Click on the photo for a larger image.)
1 Peter Menzies in The Cardus Daily, http://www.cardus.ca/blog/2013/03/in-defence-of-star-gazing?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=Comment%20Weekly
My maternal grandfather went by the name, George Edward Maclaren Smith. “Maclaren” was his own invention. He liked the sound of it; it served him well when he wished to emphasise his Scottish heritage to seek employment; and he liked the initials G. E. M. S. on the steamer trunk that carried his belongings from Enfield, England to Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and on the Canadian Pacific Railroad to the prairies of Western Canada. His father, John Smith, was an Englishman and his mother, Helen Smith (maiden name and married name), was from Auchterless, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. From these Scottish roots George developed an appreciation for bag-pipes, scotch whiskey, Robert Burns, fishing, and the history of the United Kingdom.
George Smith has been a great inspiration to my life. I find I have developed many of his same interests. He was a member of the Church of England/Anglican Church and it was through his influences that I realized that one could be a man, a church attendee, a lay-minister, an outdoorsman, a father, a grandfather, and a community volunteer all at the same time. George and his wife, Bertha, were awarded the citizens of the year award in Stettler, Alberta in 1974 for their exemplary community service.
I have no doubt that I have an idealised image of my grandfather; he was not perfect and likely had sins that I never saw. Yet, it is healthy to have people in our lives to whom we can look for inspiration. George Edward Maclaren Smith was all that in my life. To whom do you look for inspiration?
There is much rhetoric today about men’s and women’s roles in the church. Words like patriarchal, strong complementarian, moderate complementarian, egalitarian, and feminist get used in the debates. It is certainly a lively controversy in the church. You might want to read Adrian Warnock’s blog regarding the spectrum of views on gender roles to familiarize yourself with the variety of opinions.
As a reasonably strong egalitarian I have found the following quotes helpful. They represent two people who come to quite different conclusions about the role of women in the church. First, J. I. Packer, a conservative evangelical, complementarian, and member of the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood speaks to the issue of women preaching,
Teaching . . . . is a different exercise today from what it was in Paul’s day. I think it is an open question whether in our day Paul would have forbidden a woman to teach from the Bible. . . . It seems to me that this significant difference between teaching then and teaching now does, in fact, mean that the prohibition on women preaching and teaching need not apply.1
From another point on the continuum of belief regarding gender roles is Kristen Rosser. She is a blogger who describes herself as a 40-something Christian from the Pacific Northwest: paralegal, mother of two, wife of 24 years, with a BA in English, and says,
And this is the sad thing. That we’d rather live with cognitive dissonance, believing that women are somehow equal but yet somehow lesser . . . than to believe it’s possible we’re misreading our Bibles. We’d rather restrict women and have the Bible be “clear” than admit that we just might be wrong. Certainty is more important than female humanity.2
The fact is, it is easier to point to passages of scripture and say, “This is what the Bible says” than it is to truly wrestle with the meaning of a text and struggle to understand it in its original context and its contemporary expression. Mark Noll, in his book, The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, points out that in the debate regarding slavery and abolition, those who had the easiest time in the public debates were those who defended the legitimacy of slavery. They would open the Bible to a verse like Leviticus 25:45 and read, “you may buy slaves from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are with you, whom they have fathered in your land, they may become your property.”3 Or they would read 1 Corinthians 7:20-21 that says, “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.”4 All they then had to ask was, “What does the Bible say?”5 Abolitionists had a much more challenging time making their point. “They had to appeal instead to the ‘broad sweep of Scripture’ and to generalities regarding justice, love, and common humanity. As abolitionist Gerrit Smith put it, ‘the religion taught by Jesus is not a letter but a life.'”6
As we today consider the roles of men and women in our culture we must ask ourselves, “Can we do the difficult work of recognizing that this might actually be hard to understand?” “Can we listen to the Holy Spirit in the text rather than the letter of the text?” Let us not seek the easiest answers or the simplest to defend. Our relationships as men and women and the lives of our sons and daughters are at stake. Let us work hard at this endeavour.
1Tidball,
Derek, and Dianne Tidball. The Message of Women. Intervarsity Press,
2013 Quoting J. I. Packer, The Proceedings of the Conference on Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Broadman, 1988), pp. 11-15.
2 Kristen Rosser with “But That’s What the Bible Says” (https://www.keithshields.ca/2013/03/i-have-written-extensively-on-this-blog.html)
3 New English Translation
4 New International Version
5 Noll, Mark A. The Civil War as a Theological Crisis. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2006, p. 50 and also at http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3403
6 Evans,
Rachel Held. “Is Abolition Biblical?” rachelheldevans.com.
February 28, 2012. http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/is-abolition-biblical
(accessed March 6, 2013).
It is often recounted that Ernest Shackleton ran an ad in the paper seeking men who would join him on a Trans-Antartic expedition. The ad is thought to have said, “Men Wanted: for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honour and recognition in case of success.” The story goes on to state that 5000 men responded.
It makes for a great inspirational story; but it is almost certainly apocryphal. The photo above representing the ad that some say appeared in the London Times shows an American spelling of the word “honour.”
Yet, people still use this quote to inspire people to do great things when doing those great things may be at great risk to their personal safety. Check out the last slide of this TED talk by Bill Stone for a recent use of this quote.
In some ways, it is easier to ask people to give up everything on a one time gamble. Our culture has predisposed people to consider the big risk that could result in death or tremendous fame and fortune. Maybe it has always been this way. The explorers of the past did find people who would join them on expeditions with low probability of success. I suspect that very few went on to fame and fortune. What members of the Shackleton team are remembered today? The question is, which is harder, giving up all on a one time gamble or living with discipline every day of our lives as we daily deny ourselves and reach toward a common good? The parent who chooses to stay at home and care for small children knowing that they may be giving up chances for promotion goes namelessly into history while others go on to greater glory. The person who could take a business class flight but opts to fly economy for the sake of others will likely not be noticed. The administrative assistant who makes things flow smoothly so that the busy executive can make the deals could have trained to make the big deals herself but has chosen a lifestyle that allows for Sabbath and family and church. Do we wish to be remembered for attempting a monumental task (succeeding or failing) or do we wish to accomplish great things with the likely result that we will not be remembered at all? I think I am reassessing some of my own priorities as well.
When Hurricane Sandy unleashed her force on Atlantic coastlines, and particularly New Jersey and New York states, there was much media coverage of the destruction and several heart-breaking stories that arose. Mike Charko read one of the stories regarding a woman who lost her Staten Island home and caught the inspiration for a song. Mike and I wrote and recorded the song over the next few weeks.
Pictures in the Mud
(Lyrics and music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; SOCAN 2013)
(Listen while you read the lyrics)
The brutal winds have torn
Her life across the field
The pictures that she owned
Are buried in the mud
She’s weeping for her home
The treasures of her life
Are scattered miles away
Her mother’s wedding ring
Lost in the debris
The storm has taken everything
She knew it was coming
Hell’s driving rain
Now standing alone
Her world is washed away
Living there for 30 years
Raising kids alone
She is uninsured
Where can she go?
Her cries have not been heard
Politicians claim
The homeless will be helped
They pitch a bag of sand
As the cameras roll
There are no helping hands
She knew it was coming
Hell’s driving rain
Now standing alone
Her world is washed away
A mother to us all
The firemen will declare
Church bells have been rung
There is hope in the pain
She feels the love of a son
How can she pass on
Her memories to her kids
She saved them through the years
Now they’re in the mud
Her stories will disappear
She knew it was coming
Hell’s driving rain
Now standing alone
Her world is washed away
How can she live with this
Injustice and pain
These troubles haunt her every day?
One day you’ll understand
The trials you’ve been through
Until that day we’ll walk with you
She knew it was coming
Hell’s driving rain
Now standing alone
Her world is washed away
The song points to the feelings one person experienced as she suffered through this natural disaster. It focuses on her loss. What kind of human compassion can she expect as she deals with her sudden homelessness? Who will walk with her through this time? The answers are complicated.
The situation is not without hope. There are examples of people who have helped with the plight of those who lost everything. One church that has helped with the cleanup in New Jersey is the North Jersey Vineyard Church . This church was part of the initial relief efforts as the fire department set up a station where people could go to get immediate assistance. Now several months later this church continues to send out teams of people to help with cleanup efforts. In the midst of disaster these people have reached out with hope and helping hands.
On March 2 I posted Information and Meaning.
This cartoon by Bill Watterson is an appropriate follow-up to that
blog post. In three frames this philosophical cartoonist captures the
angst of many regarding both meaninglessness and medications of choice. (Click on the comic for a larger image.)
I have had to ask myself how much I am willing to trust God this week. One factor in this questioning was the fact that I was given the text of John 18:1-11 to preach from last Sunday (read the sermon notes here; listen to the sermon here). This passage is about the arrest of Jesus by a mob of soldiers, priests, servants, and Pharisees. The main message that came out of the text was that “Jesus willingly and sacrificially lay down his life to do the will of the Father.” It cost Jesus much to do the will of God. He had the ability to make a different choice. He could have walked away from the arrest. He could have fought his way out of the arrest. He could have called 72,000 angels to wipe out this mob. Instead, he trusted that God knew the right path. He trusted that the cup that was there for him to drink was uniquely his and represented the best way to live and die.
I have found myself analyzing this approach over the last week or so. What does this mean for my life? How do I willingly do the will of God, the Father? How do I sacrificially live my life for others?
I have read two articles which help with my perspective on this. One, about marriage, reminds me that I still have much to learn about living sacrificially toward my wife. Sarah Markley writes, “. . . it’s a struggle each day to love well and like wading through mud to suppress our own selfish inclinations. Each step toward Jesus and toward grace is harder than the last . . .”1 I can relate to “my own selfish inclinations” all too well. How do I really love my wife with whom I have journeyed for over 31 years. How do I give her the respect she deserves as a child of God? How do I set aside my stuff?
My own selfish inclinations say, I can do this my own way. Jesus says, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” There it is, that unswerving trust that says, “the Father knows best.” He really has the best plan for our lives.
The second article that has been a help in this week’s journey is one entitled, “Why I Don’t Believe in God Anymore.” Peter Enns has said, that rather than believing in God, he trusts God. This he says is far more demanding.2
Perhaps that is where it comes down to for me: trust. Can I trust this God whom I do not understand nearly well enough? Can I say, with Peter Enns and others, that I cannot get all of my beliefs about God to line up and make complete sense? I know I can say, “God, there is so much about you that is a mystery to me.” “God, there is so much about how you reveal yourself to people that is still a mystery to me.” “God, there is still much in the Bible that I do not understand.” Many times I have echoed the words of a father with a sick child: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24); today I want to say to God, “I do trust you; help me overcome my un-trust.”
1 (Markley 2013)
2 “The older I get, making sure all my “beliefs” of God are lined up as they should be loses more and more of its luster. I see the Bible focusing a lot more on something far more demanding: trust. Try it. Which is harder to say? I believe in God or I trust God?” (Enns 2013)
Works cited:
Enns, Peter. Patheos: Hosting the Conversation on Faith.
March 1, 2013.
(accessed March 6, 2013).
Markley, Sarah. “When a Post-Crisis
Marriage is Full of Imperfections.” The Best Days of My Life. February
27, 2013. http://www.sarahmarkley.com/2013/02/marriage-imperfect/
(accessed March 6, 2013).
We have all seen this situation numerous times. We are sitting among friends talking about some subject when someone asks a question to which no one has the answer. Soon, someone pulls out their phone and googles the question (yes, I did just use the verb form of Google; language is always changing). A few seconds later we have the information. Information is ubiquitous. What is not as available is meaning. Alister McGrath has said,
We live in an age when the growth of the Internet has made it easier than ever to gain access to information and accumulate knowledge. But information is not the same as meaning, nor is knowledge identical with wisdom. Many feel engulfed in a tsunami of facts, in which we can find no meaning.1
He speaks of the glut of information and the dearth of meaning.
. . . we cannot make sense of the “shower of facts” with which we are bombarded. There seems to be “no loom to weave it into fabric.” . . . . we find ourselves living on the brink of incoherence and meaninglessness. Meaning seems to have been withheld from us – if there is any meaning to be found at all.
Many find the thought of a meaningless world to be unbearable. If there is no meaning, then there is no point in life.2
Those of us who claim to have found meaning find that our hope is sometimes called into question. People ask us how we can possibly believe in such meta-narratives when “all of them are power structures of control.” Of course, that last phrase is the proclamation of another meta-narrative.
For my part, I don’t ever plan to give up the search for meaning. This is the ultimate “Holy Grail.” The quest is as important as the result. There is still hope at the end of the journey if we are willing to engage the question. Yet many have given up the quest choosing instead to medicate themselves with their prescription of choice. They withdraw from the world and from questions of meaning. They fill their lives with entertainment, isolation, depressants, and mood boosters. Perhaps the real problem for the average person is not that the universe might be meaningless but that “the universe might turn out to have a purpose of which he does not approve.”3
1 (McGrath 2011, Kindle Loc 91)
2 (McGrath 2011, Kindle Loc 91)
3 (McGrath 2011, Kindle Loc 112)
One more book recently read: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. The following sentences are key to the story she tells.
“The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don’t know.” – Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna.
“. . . that you can’t really know the person standing before you, because always there is some missing piece: the birthday like an invisible piñata hanging great and silent over his head, as he stands in his slippers boiling the water for coffee. The scarred, shrunken leg hidden under a green silk dress. A wife and son back in France. Something you never knew. That is the heart of the story.” – Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna.