Pastor's Messages from Prints of Peace
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There are 68 Messages in 9 pages and your are on page number 8

Beginnings & Goals
The beginnings of our congregation are not unlike the beginnings of many congregations across Canada. Immigrants from Europe, escaping the destruction of wars as well as economic and political hopelessness arrived in this country and brought with them the faith of their ancestors. They brought with them the faith that had given them hope in times of hopelessness. For many years congregations grew by welcoming new immigrants into their midst and into their community. That entailed worship and Christian education, but also friendship, explaining culture and language, and offering positions of leadership to the newcomers. It was a wonderful gift, a true sign of grace and a new-found home.

Welcoming people into our midst is something we have at least 50 years of experience with. Welcoming people into our community is something we are good at. I remember how you welcomed my family and me, and many others since. It is something we can build on.

Think about what a marvellous beginning this is! Isn’t this what the church is about, to be open, inviting, to be a church for others?! This is a strength we have, and this historical experience illustrates that the biblical commandment of hospitality (eg. Genesis 18:1-8, Matthew 25: 31-46, Hebrews 13:2) is important for us, that the mission of sharing the Gospel entrusted to the church by her Lord is vital (eg. Matthew chapters 25 and 28). Certainly, in the past 50 years much has changed in society, including who the newcomers to this country are. But biblical hospitality, reaching out to others and Christian service are not tied to a specific time or group of people, except to those doing the welcoming, the reaching out, the serving: you and me, the people of God.

I find that looking back at our beginnings reminds us where our goals need to be today. We may at times be tempted to be a church just for ourselves. We may at times be worried about changes in society and how they are affecting us. But we know that old hymn My Life Flows on in Endless Song. It expresses so well what we believe: Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? And a little later, The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing. All things are mine since I am his; How can I keep from singing? Yes indeed, how can we keep from singing, how could we stop being an open church, reaching out and being a church for others?! We sing not just for ourselves but for the world to hear.

I find that our beginnings as a congregation are very much like our goals for the future. The church is the creation of the Holy Spirit and her mission is to be continually inviting and serving others. Our future is in Christ. Christ has called us into service. Thanks be to God.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Christoph Reiners
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:53

Commitment & Guilt
Making a commitment to worship
or:
I am not big on guilt

I admit that I have never been big on guilt. In essence I don’t believe that it is my job to make people feel guilty (I am still naive enough to think that most of us are pretty good at that all on our own) but that it is my job to help people experience God’s forgiveness.

But lately I have come to wonder if either I may have skipped a step or if I have just not been very clear.

Let me give you an example: I have had parents say to me that they really want to make the life of the Christian community (which we call church) part of their lives but they don’t know how. All they know is that so far they haven’t been very good at it. Or, to stick with this question, they may have come back to the church and said that they know they have failed but now they’re back.

Which is a thing so wonderful that just talking about it will never quite do it justice. After all, this is about the future of their children, about ensuring that their children have faith and that their children know that their parents have faith, and that this faith is important enough to make it into your weekly busy schedule. It says that this faith is important enough to have consequences, that it shapes our life, that it redeems what needs redemption.

Trying to be the empathetic guy that I think I am, I have sometimes responded to such announcements of wanting to come back or announcements to be back with words like, ‘yes, we’re all so busy. I know it’s hard.’ Which in my mind at least is true. Life pulls us in many different directions, we feel many different obligations and responsibilities and it is not always easy to determine which ones are more important.

Usually however, we tend to follow those that present the greatest case for urgency (like the current season’s ball schedule, or the obligation to the team, etc.), and we treat being part of the family of God even early in our children’s lives as something that can wait, or as something we can simulate at home (even though we often do not). Perhaps in part, because we in the church are so patient and so nice that we fail to emphasize how important the things are that we do here.

I have come to the realization that when responding with words as described above intending empathy and understanding rather than judging, that I come across as confusing at best, wishy-washy at worst. I have come to understand that this isn’t about making people feel guilty, it’s about helping them make the right decision for them and their kids or as the case may be, helping them to ask the right questions. Because, there is nothing more important than God and excuses aren’t part of the church’s ministry. Forgiveness, however, is. Though there is a hitch with forgiveness: In order to get it you have to really really mean it.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:41

Expectation
I was commenting last Sunday on how heavy the papers have gotten just because of the fliers that come with them. Now, I admit to you that I was remarking my surprise at all the things for sale that we do not need. We, at our house, have determined that we do not need the life size Santa (what is a ‘life-size’ Santa anyway!) for our driveway that shouts ‘ho ho ho’ because we’d like to stay on good terms with our neighbours ...

However, my surprise at all the things nobody could possibly need doesn’t mean that I don’t have any wishes. I do. We all do.

I remember how, when I was a child, I looked out for the Christmas toy catalogue from our favourite toy store. Back then it came once a year delivered with the daily paper at Christmas time. Even when I was a teenager I still looked for it and looked through it cover to cover, mostly because of the memories I had looking through it as a young child.

It was an important time for me, even though I admit, that there are not many presents I can still remember. There is my first bicycle, a few books, a go-cart. What I can remember is the anticipation of Christmas. In fact, the anticipation was almost the best part. I like the expression of ‘looking forward to’. Something we look forward to is surely coming, we know which way to look, and looking forward to it is half the joy.

One year, when I was perhaps six or seven years old, my excitement about Christmas got the better part of me and I decided to go looking around the house to see if I would be able to find anything. (My parents never talked about Santa Claus, so no one ever had to tell me where the presents came from).

Unfortunately, I did find some presents. Once I had found them there was a let down. If there had been anything I could have done to make my search undone, I would have. It was perhaps two weeks before Christmas. Maybe only one. But to me it seemed a very long time. I found presents for members of our family, including me. I don’t even remember what they were. All I remember is how I suddenly realized that having gone looking for them had really not been a good idea.

Contrary to what I had thought, finding them was an anticlimactic experience. The surprise was now gone. The anticipation was gone. And since it wasn’t Christmas yet and no one had given them to me I couldn’t play with them anyway. I couldn’t even talk about them (although I did).

I remember vividly how I had robbed myself.
What I love about this time of year is the anticipation. And I have long learned the value of anticipation. It is not so much about the presents themselves anymore but more about the sparkle in the eye of the giver. (Or the thought and imagination I have put into my giving). It is about what the presents represent: Love, affection, devotion.

That’s why I love Advent because it is all about anticipation. Not in my wildest dreams would I want to give up this season of anticipation and replace it with four weeks of recorded Christmas music only for it to be all over on Boxing Day. See, I love anticipation as much as Christmas itself. And the truth is, that anticipation is what faith is all about. It is about expecting, looking forward to, orienting ourselves on what will surely be, on the promises God has made. It is about not taking the present reality of the world for the final stage of things, not for the ultimate reality, but it means that whatever happens around me and to me now will be affected by what is still coming. And what is it that is still coming? It is the reign of God, the realm of peace, the heavenly banquet, the new creation, the world ruled by love for God and each other. It is Emmanuel, God with us.

Don’t skip Advent. Celebrate it. Don’t be too busy. Take time for Advent. Celebrate your hope.
During this season and always. Because we are a people of hope.

Yours,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:36

How to give
One of my sons’ recent homework assignment was to find out how many soup kitchens there are in Abbotsford. He also needed to find out how they are funded. Which brought me to one of my favourite subjects (probably not his): to talk about the boys' giving to charity from their allowance.1

We have not been overly consistent on this matter but we do try to point out to our children that they are very blessed compared with so many others. We encourage them to give thanks to God by sharing from their abundance.

Like you, my wife and I give to charities. We do try to push ourselves a little because we know that that is good for us. We discuss which charities we should give to. You know that there are more worthy causes than all of us have dollars so we must make some sort of decision as to which cause to support.

Most charities we give to are connected to the ministry of our church and reflect our values of faith, grace, and justice. Generally, we give to our congregation, to Lutheran Urban Mission Society, to Global Hunger and Development, to the Cyrus Centre, and to an environmental lobby group to keep the planet livable for our children. We have come to the decision to divide our monies in this way because of
a) what is important to us and what our values are, and
b) by looking at which charities are doing well already. So, for the time being we have decided not (or rarely) to give to any health related charities. They are very worthy causes indeed, but we figure that health is pretty close to home for most people and therefore most people who don’t have a faith connection through a church will give to Cancer, Heart & Stroke, Lung, and so forth. By my estimate that is the vast majority of people. It is a fact that people will always give to health. I am not jeopardizing important research by directing my dollars instead to church related ministries. We have decided that we want to spread our money around a bit more.

We give to our congregation because we believe that the ministry of the church is the presence of God made visible in our community. We give to Lutheran Urban Ministry and the Cyrus Centre because we want to remember those who so easily are forgotten and yet are loved by God. We give through Global Hunger because we know our wealth to be a responsibility and we are not sure we really deserve all we have. And you know why we are concerned for the planet.

Generally speaking, we don’t talk about money. Yet I think that we should. We just have to know how. I hope that these thoughts will help us all live a life in perspective for the great blessing and the great responsibility we have received as well as help you give according to what is most important to you in your faith.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Christoph

1. A great website to put our wealth into perspective is http://www.globalrichlist.com/ For example, if a child has an annual ‘income’ of $300, the child is still more affluent than a whopping 646 million people or 10% of the world’s population who have to feed their families. Imagine how the average Canadian income would compare! It makes you very humble.
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:32

Why?
Promise not to laugh at me when I tell you that I have been thinking about what makes you do what you do in and for our church. I know that for most people who offer of themselves my question sounds silly. Certainly, I could come up with some answers I suspect aren’t too far from the truth. But the whole thing goes very deep for me. On one hand there is profound gratitude for your commitment and the question whether we always show our appreciation enough. On the other hand is the question of how we can help others arrive in the same place that they joyfully give of themselves as an expression of their faith and their discipleship. Those who give themselves know that it is in giving that we receive and in losing ourselves that we find ourselves. So it is something we want to encourage.

I marvel at your commitment to Christ’s church and I think about what makes us as a community so blessed to be the recipient of such commitment. One thing is sure, it is a selfless gift you give.
I give thanks for those who come Sundays and those who come during the week, I give thanks for those who sing in the choir, for those who sing in the pew and for those who lipsink, for those who visit members and those who invite others, those who make coffee and those who clean the church or the parking lot. I give thanks for those who teach our children and for those who pray. I give thanks for those who bake cookies and for those who eat them. I give thanks for the support you give to the ministry of Christ’s church. You know that the list is much longer than our editor would give me room ...

Perhaps we should begin with the question of why the disciples followed Jesus. Problem is, the Bible doesn’t tell us much about that. But I suppose they followed because they could do no other. Which is why they followed right away. In light of the call to follow Jesus nothing else would have seemed right, no matter how important, good and honourable it was. Nothing could mean more than to be with Jesus. Besides, they knew he understood them and with a bit of ‘luck’ they might learn from him and begin to understand a few things themselves.
This is part of the answer but it cannot be the whole answer because if it was ‘only’ about the relationship between Jesus and I then I could offer my gifts just as well with the United Way, the Food Bank, or some other organization instead (as opposed to as well). All of it being an expression of our relationship with our Lord.

Someone in our church recently said to another, “You are among family.” When I heard that I thought, “That’s it. We are among family and that’s why we bring together our gifts.” Church is not only about our relationship with Jesus but also about the call and presence of the Holy Spirit. We are called together. In our midst and in each other we hear and see the risen Lord. In fact, Jesus himself called the disciples into community. We cannot have a relationship with our Lord without being in relationship with each other.
It is the love and care for each other (as well as others outside of our community) that makes the church contagious and that continues to draw us into a deeper and deeper relationship with our Lord. That love is not yet perfect as we continue to grow, yet it is most definitely here.

The hymn writer Fred Pratt Green writes:
God is here! As we his people
meet to offer praise and prayer,
may we find in fuller measure
what it is in Christ we share:
Here, as in the world around us,
all our varied skills and arts
wait the coming of His Spirit
into open minds and hearts

Lord of all, of Church and Kingdom,
in an age of change and doubt,
keep us faithful to the gospel,
help us work your purpose out.
Here, in this day's dedication,
all we have to give, receive;
we who cannot live without you,
we adore you! We believe. (778 Hymnal Supplement)

Thanks be to God!

Yours,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:23

Not Flawless
Most of the time I think of myself as a pretty decent human being. Not flawless, that’s for sure, but not a bad guy either. And basically, that’s probably a good way for all of us to look at ourselves.

We had a good summer holiday. It was a bit busy, I admit. But friends are something to be grateful for and we certainly enjoyed having them with us. Summers are always busy for us anyway. There is the time before you go away when you’re trying to get ready to go away (both at the church and at home), and then there is childcare and swimming lessons to be organized, school supplies, clothes for the kids, you know what I am talking about.
So somehow, our summers are always quite busy. It’s just a fact of life we have gotten used to.

Anyway, coming back to being a pretty decent human being: Somehow in all this business I discovered that I have the capacity for not only being a pretty decent person but that I also have the capacity to be a self-centred jerk. It’s quite amazing how convinced one can be of being in the right and yet be so wrong.

Despite all humility and personal insight, it did come as a bit of a surprise to me. See, it’s one thing to know about ‘your demons’, it’s another to know them personally.

It had a sobering effect. It put my feet back on the ground and I realize I still have a lot of work to do.
There are two good things that came out of all this. One is that I found out that I am loved anyway. And I realized again that love is pure grace and an experience of the grace and love of God.

The other thing is that you can only fight the demons you know about. So in that way, the experience was at least helpful. I am strengthened in my resolve to fight them, first by being honest with myself, second by being less self-centred (because that’s what skews your perception), and thirdly by working harder at being centred in God who will provide me with the strength and the means to live ‘a Christ-filled life’.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:21

Hope
Living in Hope

Rex Murphy is one of Canada’s cleverest political commentators. He is a whiz at the use of the English language and he is an astute observer of Canadian politics. Sometimes though, he is a bit too clever for his own good, whether that be because he occasionally likes throwing in vocabulary only he understands or because he ends up not just being critical but being cynical.

In a column for the Globe & Mail (Saturday, June 25, 2005, Page A17) Murphy wrote about the Live8 concerts by writing about celebrity: “Famous for being famous. The essence of celebrity is to maintain celebrity. Celebrities “do” things (sing badly, act poorly, dress strangely or not at all, talk rudely, smuggle dead raccoons on to talk shows), not for the sake of these things themselves, but as "hooks" to keep the cameras trained, to feed their gluttonous narcissism. (...)
What do they think this scattered concert is supposed, really, to do? What link do a bunch of celebrities singing passé songs -- in Barrie or Paris -- have to do with the politics or the development of Africa? Inevitably, the feeble and hoary answer will come back that it “raises awareness.” Awareness of what? Awareness of Bob Geldof and Bono mainly.”

Murphy was not the only person critical of the Live8 concerts and his observations about the nature of celebrity certainly have some truth to them. What bothered me though (and what always bothers me) is a criticism that rejoices in destroying someone else’s idealism without providing an alternate plan of action. An attitude that tears down without building up.

And so I have decided to actually (I hate wearing things like that) wear my white “make poverty history” bracelet not just because I believe that for all its flaws it is a worthy campaign but even more so to stand in the face of the cynicism of our age that is able to find fault with anyone except myself. I wear it in the face of an attitude of criticism that looks down on everyone and looks up to no-one.

You see, cynicism sees our own critical capacity as the measure of all things. Cynicism is an attitude that has no hope, that expects nothing, that is not open to the future, not open to surprises, and not open to God doing new things.

We Christians are a people of hope. Jesus Christ is our hope. He is the measure of all things, he is our future, and the future of the world. His Kingdom is what we long for. People may call us utopian or lacking realism, but nothing in heaven or on earth can take our hope away, for “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and his faithfulness. No merit of my own I claim, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” (LBW 293/294, Edward Mote, 1787-1874).

This hope is not only directed at the ‘beyond’ it is a hope in which we live now. It is the hope that knows that God loves this world (John 3:16), it is the hope that knows that all things will work together for good for those who love God (Rom 8:28), it is the hope that knows that nothing at all can separate us from God’s love.
Because ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’ we still expect good things to happen and we strive to be agents of God’s grace.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:18

Awe-Struck
We have two trips planned for the summer. One is to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. It will be the first time for our children to be there and I can’t wait to show them. Of course, I assume that our children will be as impressed with the scenery, expanse and wildness as I am, which may or may not be so. But I can’t wait to show them. Our other trip is to the interior to visit Jackie’s mom and dad at their trailer. Two landscapes that could hardly differ more but both very beautiful.

Perhaps it is because I have always been a city dweller that I am awe-struck by the beauty of the planet on which we live. But I would like to think that there is more to it. Early on my parents encouraged a sense of awe and wonder in me, both when we went to church and when we went outdoors. I am thankful for that.

I don’t know if you have noticed that I sometimes shy away from speaking of God in too plain or (what seems to me) too simple a way. I feel that it is one of my ‘flaws’. I should be more ready and willing to identify God’s activity in the world. I sometimes feel somewhat deficient for not using ‘God-language’ enough.

That has two reasons. One reason is that while I believe very firmly that God is the answer to all our questions and that God is present in this world, I don’t believe it is always easy to make simple identifications beyond the personhood of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in plain and obvious language. Life is complicated and God knows that. Simplifications may not always lead us to God, sometimes they are simply what we most want.

The other reason is closely related. When I am outdoors and rejoice in the beauty of God’s creation I always have to admit that if I had lived only 150 years earlier or lived somewhere else on this planet I might not only be open for the beauty of creation but also for experiencing it as threatening the way in which people who don’t live in houses with central heat and whose whole lives are much more dependent on their environment may. Nature is beautiful, but it can also be hostile to our human existence.

What is means to me is that there are pointers to God everywhere I go. They are representations, they are signs. I find them everywhere, in nature, in people, in the things that come my way. I know myself blessed and securely held in the hands of God. But I also know that all these things are only representations, pointers, still imperfect. I let these representations and experiences guide me into a deeper sense of wonder, because God alone is perfect. Thanks be to God.
Enjoy the summer!

Yours,
Pastor Christoph
Posted by Christoph Reiners on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 at 22:17

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