Opinion

Practising for tragedy

(Photo by Anneli Loepp Thiessen)

(Photo by Anneli Loepp Thiessen)

It’s no secret that there are gaps in our congregational song. In particular, gaps in the kinds of words we have available for moments of crisis, despair and loss. Voices Together sought to speak into this opening, and features many resources that offer new words for these moments.

The pendulum, Hegel and Christ

(Photo by Sunder Muthukumaran/Unsplash)

Some have described history as a series of pendulum swings, oscillating from one extreme to the other, between tyranny and freedom, conservatism and liberalism, progress and tradition. It has also been said, the pendulum always swings too far, meaning when we find ourselves in one extreme, there tends to be an overcorrection that takes us too far in the other direction.

CMC Yearbooks

(Photo: Conrad Stoesz)

The Konferenz der Mennoniten in Canada—now Mennonite Church Canada—was formed in 1902. In 1928, the conference started publishing an official Jahrbuch (yearbook) which documented proceedings and decisions at the annual gatherings.

Beyond free speech

(Photo by Claudio Schwarz/Unsplash)

The fellows at the next table were running on and on about refugees. So many false statements! I gritted my teeth as I sipped my coffee that morning. “No!” I wanted to holler, millions of refugees were not going to overrun Canada. Then the fellows changed topics. It got worse. The new topic was climate change.

New ventures in faith formation

(Photo by Alex Shute/Unsplash)

Reflecting and reshaping is what I have been witnessing congregations doing in the ministries of formation. Across the board, in ministries that engage adults, youth, seniors and children, people are ready to venture into new territory. There seems to be a desire, perhaps prompted by new realities, to flex muscles that were awakened during the past few years.

Untidied worship

“God of Every Place” is an invitation to bring our whole selves to worship, no matter what space we’re in.

“When we gather for worship, we bring all of ourselves, though some experiences or emotions might feel harder to name. Or maybe we feel pressure to keep them tidied away,” explains Alissa Bender when describing her worship resource in Voices Together. Found at #859, “God of Every Place” is an invitation to bring our whole selves to worship, no matter what space we’re in.

The complexity and simplicity of Christian unity

“If you watch an orchestra tune at the beginning of a performance, you’ll notice the musicians don’t all try to tune to one another. That would be chaos...” (Photo by Larisa Birta/Unsplash)

Understanding how to pray and work towards unity with all “Christians” has been a struggle for me. How do I seek unity with people who call themselves Christian, but embody attitudes, values, behaviours and beliefs that, in my opinion, are diametrically opposed to the teachings, character and heart of Jesus.

This struggle is by no means new, or unique to me.

Forever hybrid

Niklaus Mikaelson, Valerie Tulle, Lizzie Saltzman, Stefan Salvatore . . . do you know who these folks are? If not, maybe that’s because they are not from the Mennonite heritage but from a supernatural world featured in the TV series, The Vampire Diaries. These beings are “hybrids,” born out of the cross-breeding of supernatural species such as werewolves and vampires.

Gift for the Queen

(Photo: David L. Hunsberger/Mennonite Archives of Ontario)

Fifty years ago, in June 1973, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Waterloo region. What gift could she be given to represent the area? These two bronze figures of an Old Order couple by Waterloo artist Renie Ellis were chosen. At the time, Mennonites constituted about 10 percent of the area’s population.

Welding a Mennonite reality

Unfinished, food bank-inspired bookends on Ed Olfert’s workbench. (Photo by Ed Olfert)

In January I was tasked with providing a meditation on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday at a local church. As I peck out this column, that day has not yet arrived and I’m spending my time welding up a sermon.

I’m not an historian, nor a learned interpreter of our faith heritage, so I am grounded in nothing . . . but reality.

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