Make room and time for the Holy Spirit
As we emerge from our cocoons of self-isolation, what revelations will inform us as we move through the stages of our collective pandemic response? This pandemic time has had far-reaching impacts. Employment issues, health issues and isolation issues have all been significant. For some, fortunately or unfortunately, there has been more available time to reflect…
A column about plague columns
If you’ve travelled in central or eastern Europe, you may have come across a plague column holding a prominent place in a town square. Plague columns were constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries as a display of public faith in the church and in God. At the time, the Catholic church was experiencing pressures…
The presence of Christ
Although our world is facing the challenge of COVID-19, I am so glad for the parts of life that remain unchanged. Every day brings press conferences with appalling numbers of the losses we endure, talk of restrictions and life that seems like it’s in a state of flux. Yet, peanut butter, Netflix, and, of course,…
‘Peace be with you’
There is a post-resurrection story that I find helpful this Easter as I contemplate the changing world around me. It is found in the Gospel of John, where we read that Jesus encounters his closest friends in their hiding place where they are holed up and fearing for their lives. We are told they are…
In uncharted waters
As with everybody else, my life and work these past few weeks have been a scramble to adjust and respond to the ever-evolving pandemic that has now hit us here in Canada as well. I am a pastor in a local congregation but I also work part-time for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, offering support and…
Beautiful and terrible connections
“Know we are connected in ways that are terrible and beautiful.” Last week I lingered over this line in a poem by Lynn Ungar on Facebook as I pondered the COVID-19 crisis. I am living into this crisis in Germany, where the pandemic has struck ahead of North America, and have struggled between hunkering down…
Living into a new imagination
Once upon a time, around 35 years ago, God brought into the world some new people. These people have grown up to love Jesus and follow him with all of their lives. They have also responded to the impulse of the Holy Spirit and God’s call to serve as leaders in the church. Some of…
God is inclusive, not exclusive!
There are many changes in Canadian society today that compel us to be trained in “diversity and inclusion.” As Christians, what direction do we find in our own biblical texts? When Jesus first returned to his hometown, he read a passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” The whole synagogue was…
Dear MC Saskatchewan:
In 2018, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan began a three-year journey called “Deepening our walk.” In year one, we opened ourselves to encounters with God’s presence by “Deepening our walk with Christ.” This theme grew out of an awareness that, if we desire to live well in this day of turmoil and uncertainty, we need to re-centre…
Expressions of encouragement
Over the years, I’ve attended many youth gatherings, even organized a few. But none were like the one I attended on Sept. 20, 2019, when the Manitoba Youth for Climate Action called students to gather for a Die-In in Winnipeg. In solidarity, I and a number of Mennonite Church Manitoba pastors stood on the sidelines…
