-
Highlights from 2023
Below are some bits that caught my attention from the last year of Canadian Mennonite magazine, and 13 headlines I like. Thanks be to God. A wall still exists, invisible and seemingly insurmountable at times, that separates “original” Mennonites . . . and new Mennonites. . . . I long for deep, authentic…
-
A Prayer for Peace — Advent 2023
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord. Save us, God our Savior, gather us and deliver us from the nations. From north to south, nowhere is safe in Gaza. For unto us a child is born and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called the Prince of…
-
Survey says . . .
Starting in April, this magazine will be printed 12 times per year instead of 22. Many readers encouraged the change. In the Canadian Mennonite (CM) survey, carried out from July to October, we heard from nearly 350 people. In addition, CM board members and I spoke directly with pastors, church leaders and others across the…
-
Needlework from the Middle East
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker Alice Snyder (right) shows needlework done by rural and refugee women in Jordan and the West Bank to Esther Weber at the MCC Ontario offices in Kitchener in 1964. The Overseas Needlepoint and Crafts Project would become SelfHelp and later, Ten Thousand Villages. —With files from GAMEO.org For more historical…
-
The church cannot be silent
We have entered the days of Advent. It’s usually one of my favourite periods in the church calendar, but this year, the waiting is heavy. The candle is a tiny flicker in a world of darkness, and Christmas music rings false with its promises of joy and celebration. Advent hymns, like “Comfort, Comfort, O My…
-
The gift of Greg
It’s that season where gifts are received, admired, beheld. When thinking about gifts, my thoughts turn to my friend, “Greg.” Greg is interesting for many reasons. He has spent close to 30 years incarcerated and will be on parole for the remainder of his life. He lives with mental illness, which results in him being…
-
The best non-Christmas Christmas song
Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation. Christmas says that Jesus became a human; a baby who went through the terrible twos, puberty, the teen years and a carpenter’s life. In the words of what might be my favourite song about incarnation, “What if God was one of us?” The song is a terribly catchy,…
-
A strange act of fealty
I was on the cusp of starting a family, engaged to an honorable girl. It is one of the commands of scripture to “be fruitful and increase in number,” so marriage and then children (in that order) are a critical part of being obedient to God and fulfilling my purpose. But then, out of nowhere,…
-
Part VI: Stories of hope
This six-part series draws on Kara Carter’s PhD studies, for which she conducted five focus groups with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada pastors. Advent celebrates the coming of light, the light of love that “darkness cannot extinguish” (John 1:5). This light shines in our congregations amidst real and present challenges as well as fruitful and life-giving…
-
Ambassadors of God’s kingdom
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). These words of the apostle Paul are part of a letter addressing a church audience that likely included both Gentiles and Jews. Some were Roman citizens, and others were not. However, Paul…
