Just in case anyone’s fed up with winter and snow and ice, have a look at the short video our son sent yesterday. He’s the cook on a Clearwater shrimp boat, which is presently off the northern tip of Newfoundland (see map). When asked if he is cold, he said he is working in a short sleeved chef jacket, however for the deck hands it’s an entirely different story! When Matt asked him what it sounds like, he said “crunchy at times … when they are steaming to a new spot.” He is advised that the ice is getting thick enough that they should soon see polar bears. Enjoy your next feed of shrimp folks!
This Sunday, we continue to read about the ministry of Jesus as it is recounted in the gospel of Luke. We will hear the story of John the Baptist, who was in jail, and sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus, “are you the one we have been waiting for?” We will explore questions like “how do we get to know Jesus?”, and “who was Jesus?”, and perhaps even, “how do we know he was the Messiah?”
Sometimes, when we are looking for something, we are looking in the wrong direction.
I am going to show a very short one minute video to the children this Sunday to demonstrate exactly this point. For those who watch online, (another storm is predicted!!), or those who sit at the back of the church, or choir members who might not have a view of the TV, here is the link …
(2591) Basketball Awareness Test - YouTube
But PLEASE … don’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. It is fun to watch the surprise on people’s faces when they get to the second half of the video (like I did with Dana, Ann and Louisa this week, who all convinced me it was a good idea to show it in the worship service!)
I will also probably talk again about the ABCs of Jesus poster that is in my office. I talked about this in one my very early blogs. It shows Jesus as represented by the 26 letters of the alphabet … A is for Activist, B is for Black, C is for Carpenter … you get the picture. There is a little line drawing beside each one. It is a great way to get people talking about Jesus, their favourite story, and how they personally relate to Jesus.
I came to know Jesus in a much deeper way when I was commissioned to write the United Church of Canada 2017 Lenten Study Parables, Prayers and Promises, Daily Devotions about Jesus. At the time, I remember thinking that I might be the least likely person to write a book about Jesus. It felt quite daunting to think about writing 40+ (one for each day in Lent) reflections about Jesus.
The book itself was a bit of a miracle. I was asked to write it in the fall of 2015, just after my Achilles tendon rupture. At that time, the deadline of 4 months seemed reasonable. All the complications I had after my surgery resulted in me taking almost seven months to finish it, and the fact that I was able to finish it at all is a testament to the patience of the United Church staff person supporting me, and the enormous support I received from family, friends and my faith community while I recovered.
The book is meant as a study, and also a devotional resource, with each day in Lent having a scripture passage about something Jesus did, or said, a short reflection, a prayer, a hymn suggestion, and also a link to a video, or picture, or other popular culture reference. It is organized around the parables, prayers and promises of Jesus.
The fourth reflection in the book is called “Jesus the Son of God”, and here’s an abbreviated version.
“When my daughter was four years old, I was still in the midst of my diaconal training at the Centre for Christian Studies. I was doing my educational field placement at Bedford United Church in Nova Scotia. Driving home early one Sunday afternoon, she announced from the back seat, “I’m going home to draw a picture of God.” I asked her what she thought the picture might look like. “I don’t know”, she said, “but I know he wears sandals.”
Now, I was in my early days of feminist theological awakening, and all I heard at the time was the word “HE”. I launched into a great talk about “some people think about God as a woman blah blah blah …” at which point she furrowed her brow and looked confused. Later, when we got down to actually drawing the picture, it turned out to be a beautiful page of flowers, with the word “HEAVEN” at the top, and a giant picture of a man with sandals over the whole picture. It was Jesus. I had completely missed the point that for her, God and Jesus were somehow the same. I still have the picture to remind me of a child’s wisdom and my tendency to overthink things sometimes.”[1]
Here's the picture:
[1] Parables, Prayers and Promises, p.8; © 2016 United Church of Canada
