Passport to Easter

EASTER IS HERE - LET'S CELEBRATE

2006-04-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

What does EASTER mean to you?

As we conclude our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage, here are some of my answers to the question above.

In providing my answers to this question, I hope some of my thoughts will resonate with you in answering the question, ‘what EASTER means to you’.

EASTER is the reason why we attend worship and sing words like
‘Death’s mightiest powers have done their worst,
And Jesus hath his foes disperse;
Let shouts of praise and joy outburst, Alleluia.

EASTER is the reason why we GIVE (not forced) of our time, our resources and our talents to our Parish and Church. St. Paul wrote ‘God wants us to be cheerful givers (give with a smile on your face and in your soul),

EASTER is the reason why we feel God’s forgiveness flowing over us, like a refreshing rain in springtime.

EASTER is the reason why we can be hopeful and optimistic about our future regardless of what people, society or circumstances may send our way.

EASTER is the reason why we can face today, tomorrow, the next day and forever. ‘I am with you always’, said the Risen Christ.

EASTER is also a time to renew our faith in God and our commitment to the Christian way of life. Take a few seconds to get connected with God

Easter is the reason why we did PASSPORT TO EASTER, and hopefully it will continue next year.

WALKING WITH THE LORD

2006-04-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today 15 people walked in the rain. It took about 50 minutes to walk several kilometres.

Along the road they stopped first at a busy street corner to pray for their city and country.

At the second stop, they prayed at the intersection of a major highway to pray for the safety of those travelling by water, air and land.

At the centre of the neighbourhood, they prayed for their own neighbours, and all who inhabited all the dwellings in all of their local communities.

As they returned to the Church, they realized that one prayer had been answered. At the beginning of the walk, they ask God to keep them safe … God answered their prayers.

In addition, they were reminded that their walk parellelled another walk taken for them many centuries ago. Jesus walked from the city of holy to the hill of crucifixation. He walked for each of us, because we could not walk for ourselves. Jesus carried our sins … a burden too heavy for mortals, only God could carry the burden of sin.

We are saved by the cross.

Our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey is coming to an end .. but our PASSPORT TO NEW LIFE is just beginning.

LIFE IS COMPLEX

2006-04-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

My newspaper told the story of two young boys.

The first boy phoned the emergency service to report that his mother had collapsed. She needed medical attention. It is reported that he was told that he should not be playing on the phone, and he could get into trouble. His mother died.

The other boy, aged 7, discovered smoke in their house, grabbed a phone, pushed his brother and their baby sitter out of the house and phoned 911. Nobody was hurt.

The response of other people often determines our future.

If the first operator had sent emergency personnel would the mother had been saved?. Nobody knows.

If the second operator had not believed the young kid on the telephone, and did not send the fire trucks, who knows what would have been the results.

Life is a vast complex interchange station, connecting people and allowing communications to flow to inform and elicit responses.

A journey, like the PASSPORT TO EASTER is very similar. We have walked together as pilgrims during Lent. We have listened to each other. We have tried to read between the lines of what we are trying to say, and we are trying to respond to each other to be sympathetic and support.

It is similar to Jesus, walking to the city of Jerusalem and to the hill of Calvary.

POWER - A NEW DIMENSION

2006-04-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

In Jesus’ trial, it was as if two different languages were being spoken. The word “king” meant one thing to Pilate—and to the Jews. It meant something quite different to Jesus. His realm is a spiritual one. Thus there was little purpose in His answering his accusers.

Pilate, the Jewish leaders, and even Judas, in all likelihood, understood “power” in temporal terms. Each thought they had it and could exercise it to gain victory and control. Perhaps Judas had some understanding of spiritual power and God’s ability to act, but thought he could control that power, forcing God’s hand by his betrayal. Consequently, when he realized that God was not going to exercise temporal power and that Jesus was really going to die, Judas was devastated. Still, rather than throwing himself on God’s mercy, he kept “power” in his own hands and took his life.

Jesus’ resurrection puts “power” in a whole new dimension. But 2000 years later, we still find it tempting to wield “power” ourselves. May this celebration of Easter reveal to us more clearly God’s amazing “power”!

JESUS' WORDS .... OUR WORDS

2006-04-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

The scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is very poignant. Which one
of us, trying with the grace of God to carry out God's will, has not cried
out to God in Jesus' own words '...if it is possible, let this cup pass from
me; yet not what I want but what you want.'

It can be a consolation for us, when we face unwanted challenges in our own
lives, to know that Jesus himself struggled to conform his will to the will
of God, and that it was not easy for him to do this. In this way we know
that 'he bore our griefs and sorrows' too within his earthly life, and that
he, therefore, really does understand how difficult it can be for us to act
according to what God wants us to do in this life.

ACTIONS COUNT

2006-04-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Concerning Matthew 26: 6-13, the footnote in my New Revised Standard Version of the Bible says: "The woman's act won higher praise from Jesus than any other mentioned in the New Testament". I sensed this as I read Jesus' words about her: Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her. She may be an unnamed woman, but it is her action that counts in Jesus' eyes. As we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, let us remember the power of action--actions often do speak louder than words.

POURING OUT THE OIL OF COMPASSION

2006-04-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Jesus had been at pains to convince His supporters that observance of temple rituals was not what mattered to God. In fact, He predicted the destruction of the temple and spoke of His risen self as being the centre of worship. In addition, He foresaw the endless political struggles in the world, the violence and the destruction. He prophesied about false prophets and opposition to the Christian way. We of the 21st century certainly know the truth of His words!

The end of all this and the coming of God’s reign was very much in people’s minds in Jesus’ day. It is a subject that continues to fascinate many. But, as the psalmist tells us, “a thousand years in God’s sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Ps.90:4) and we are foolish to try to guess at the timing of Jesus’ second coming. Jesus assures us there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind when that day comes. We must live each day like the woman who anointed Jesus, pouring out the oil of compassion. Jesus assures His disciples that, inasmuch as they do it for the least of His brothers or sisters, they have done it unto Him. And, as we pour out compassion, more is given to us. (Matt.25:29)

WHAT WE SEE IS NOT WHAT WE GET.

2006-04-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

Jesus accuses the Pharisees of attending meticulously to appearances, of enjoying their positions of privilege responsibility and respect. In so doing, they were oblivious to the struggles of the less fortunate and the outcasts. In fact, they would cause the less fortunate to despair even more, making the kingdom of God to appear unattainable.

We do want to give God our best but, somehow, dressing our best becomes a substitute for dealing with what is on the inside. Consequently, even the Christian church has often been seen as a refuge for the respectable and those who have “made it”.

I remember one Sunday when we were tourists in New Orleans. It was our one day to see the city and, I confess, we did not go to church. Around noon, we were on a bus when two young men boarded, both dressed in carefully pressed white shirts and immaculate white shirts. Each was clutching a Bible in his right hand. They stood on the bus, neither looking at or speaking to anyone else. They were earnestly engaged in conversation with each other.

Later, as we walked along a tree-lined street, a middle-aged woman emerged from a Church, arms overflowing with packages of left-over cookies, cartons of milk, etc. Her curly, greying hair was wisping around her face. When she saw us, she laughed and called a cheery “Hello!”

I thought to myself, There is a parable in there somewhere!

WHOSE WIFE WILL SHE BE?

2006-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Sadducees are trying to trap Jesus. They tell the story of a woman who is widowed several times. After each husband dies, she marries another. They ask, "on the day when the dead shall rise to life, whose wife shall she be? All of them had married her." (Matthew 22:28)

Four years ago, I was widowed. Within a year, I fell in love with someone, and this past year we were married. Like many widowed spouses, there was a certain amount of guilt I felt with falling in love again. Was I being disloyal to my first spouse? And again the question, when I get to heaven, who will I love? Who's spouse will I be?

What a relief to hear Jesus's answer to this question! "For when the dead shall rise to life, they will be like the angels in heaven and will not marry." (22:30)

We will be like angels! Can you imagine it? In the world-to-come, we will not be constrained by the conventions of our earthly world. The power of God is greater than anything we can know or understand. The rules will be rewritten for all of us.

The band Mercy Me had a hit song with "I Can Only Imagine". The singer ponders the question of what heaven will be like. He can't decide "Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of you be still ... Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?". He is overwhelmed by all the possibilities of heaven. He doesn't know any definite facts about it. He can only imagine...

As we continue our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, let us imagine the wonder and glory of God. Let's imagine the great and wonderful place God is preparing for us in heaven!

THE EYES OF JESUS

2006-04-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

In our reading today from the Gospel of Matthew, the Pharisees want to ask Jesus a question. They say they know he will tell them the truth because "you pay no attention to anyone's status" (22:16).

What a statement to make! How awesome to think that God pays no attention to anyone's status!

Bay Street, in downtown Toronto, is a fascinating place. When you walk in this area, you are surrounded by some of the richest companies in Canada. The other day, I walked past a woman on her way to, what appeared to be, a very important meeting. She had a fine leather briefcase and was talking on the latest style of cell phone. Her suit was expensive, and her highlights had been done in a salon.

On the corner of King and Bay, there is a girl who may be about twenty years old. It's hard to tell her age, as years of drugs and street life have eroded the beauty from her face. She wears the same clothes for months at a time, and often talks to herself. The first time I saw her, she was holding open the door of the subway station and asking for handouts. That was seven years ago. Last week, I saw her again. She was sitting on a street corner begging for change.

In our society, the woman from Bay Street is the status we value - rich, successful, productive. The girl on the corner is the status we all fear - poor, unhealthy, rejected.

But what a blessing to know that Jesus can see beyond our circumstances, beyond our earthly status, and see us all as equal: children of God, made in God's image. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were able to follow that example? Imagine the changes we could make in this world if we truly paid no attention to anyone's "status"?

As we continue our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, let's challenge ourselves to see with the eyes of Jesus.

PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS

2006-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

"There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 'I don't want to,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. 'Yes, sir', he answered, but he did not go.' (Matthew 21:28-30)

A few weeks ago, in our weekly PASSPORT TO EASTER discussion group, a very interesting exercise was proposed: When you read a parable, turn it on yourself.

So, I ask you, in this parable, which Son (or Daughter) are you?

Perhaps you have said, 'Yes, God, I will follow you always'. But you don't quite make it to church any more. Your Bible is sitting in a drawer under the phone book. Giving money to church and charity is a nice idea, but you really want to get that Playstation first.

Or perhaps you have said, 'No thanks, God. I don't want to walk your path." Yet you are drawn to the Sunday services at your local church. You are reading the Gospel of Matthew, and can't wait to move on to Mark. You recognize the face of Jesus in all you meet, and want to 'love your neighbour as yourself'.

As we move through our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, ask yourself, which Son or Daughter am I?

DISCIPLES MISSED THE POINT

2006-04-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

When the crowds cry "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "This is the prophet", they use the right words, but they still miss the point. They have the theology straight, but they will still end up rejecting Jesus and calling for his death. They seem to have forgotten these words of Jesus: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (7:21)

LITTLE PRAYER GOES A LONG WAY

2006-04-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today started without any scheduled work related appointments.

Then it started.

The first call was from a woman who advised me of her mother’s death. I had visited her on Wednesday when we talked and prayed that she would be restored to wholeness. Sometimes our wholeness happens at death.

Then a work colleague phoned to say that his brother was rushed to hospital with serious implications.

Thirdly, we read in the obituaries that the father of a friend had died. As I talked to the son by telephone, I was looking at a painting done by the father and given to me several years ago. The painting shows a landscape with multicoloured trees, rolling hills, bright skies and peaceful blue water. The words of the 23rd Psalm came to mind as words of encouragement and solace.

I placed on three on our prayer list so that we can pray for those who need our prayers during the trying times of life.

As we go through our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, let us pray for those we encounter along the way. Then say a prayer for yourself, as often we neglect to pray for ‘ME’.

A PRIVATE TIME

2006-03-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

‘Jesus was going up to Jerusalem (from Nazareth), he took the twelve aside and spoke to them privately, as they walked along’ (Matthew 20:17).

What a marvellous scene this is! The leader setting aside special times to speak words of encouragement as they encourage hostility, to consult them on a strategy for the next day or to answer their questions; as it were, a private family moment in the midst of a very public agenda.

I could see Jesus doing this regularly on a daily basis, taking his 12 chosen ones aside, and saying things to them which were never meant for the ears of the general public. Maybe this is where the gospel writers received much of their ‘inside information and intimate details’ about Jesus which they eventually would transcribe to inform future readers and followers.

It is interesting that this is our reading for tomorrow (a few verses beyond Friday’s selection), just two days after Canadian James Loney spoke briefly to the media. He was held captive in Iraq for 118 days. As we watched the total presentation from James and his family, my emotions were moved immensely, even to the point of moist eyes. He spoke mostly about his re-entry to everyday society and about ‘goodness’ being alive and well in our world, despite everything people are enduring around the globe.

But it was Dan Hunt who made the greatest impact. He said that when James disappeared, he had to disappear as well. They feared James might be harmed, if his captors knew that he was gay. So by remaining private, they hoped to increase the chances that he would be released alive. He spoke about writing letters and reading poems, and finding life ‘painful because not being seen is very hard’.

Jesus spent time in private with His disciples and Dan Hunt spent time in private. Both were for different reasons. I am still reflecting in my own mind about the similarities and differences of both. As we travel in private with God along the PASSPORT TO EASTER pathway, you may want to contemplate what this means and send us your comments.

DEPARTURES and ARRIVALS

2006-03-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

FlightArrivals.com is an amazing website.

It enables me to follow the journey of family members (or others) as they travel the airways of the world.

In fact, after I punch in the airline and flight number, I am told ‘where they started’ and ‘where they are going’. In addition, I am given the length of the flight time, when the plane will arrive and the conditions the passengers will face when they disembark. As if this is not enough, I am given the type of plane in which they are travelling, the altitude,and the precise time at both the departure location and the arrival destination.

Today, Matthew (chapters 19-28) acts like Flight Arrivals.com. Jesus begins the journey from Galilee, where His ministry has been one of teaching, healing and preaching, and He begins a journey which will end in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

We know where Jesus started --- His birth in Bethlehem (Christmas).

We know what Jesus will face when He arrives at Jerusalem (opposition, hatred, etc.)

We know where Jesus is going – His death (Good Friday) and Resurrection (Easter).

We know the time it will take for Jesus to go from death to life (three days).

We know the vehicle in which He is travelling (the totality of humanity).

We know why Jesus is taking this journey (to save us from sin and give us eternal life).

On our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, the next 13 daily readings in our PASSPORT TO EASTER BOOK will reveal it all .. and in the last four verses in chapter 28, Jesus has another surprise for each of us.

MY ........ WHAT????

2006-03-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

‘The mother of Zebedee’s children’ (Matthew20:20-28) is a Biblical phrase that has fascinated me since I first read it many decades ago. This morning at our early worship service, it was read again, and I brought my fascination with this saying to the attention of the other worshippers.

It appears that Matthew wanted to portray Zebedee’s wife as a no-name product in the tradition of Old testament times. Maybe his obsession with showing that Jesus was in the tradition of the ancient ways clouded his presentation of the story. After all, Lot’s wife is nameless, as well as other women of Biblical times.

I hate to think that people looked upon another human being as ‘my property’ or ‘my possession’. Yet, even today,one hears people described in a similar manner.

A choir director refers to the singers as ‘my choir’.

A priest talks about ‘my parish’.

A counsellor mentions going to visit ‘my ladies’.

What is the perception here? Is it just terms of endearment? Is it a warm and fuzzy way to identify relationships? Or is it a conscious or unconscious effort to lord it over another human being?

Each case may be different and deserves individual dissecting and analyzing. On the PASSPORT TO EASTER road, it may be an occasion to examine the motives behind the language we use to describe other people.

THE CHILD IN ALL OF US

2006-03-28T05:58:00.000-08:00

‘Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God’, said Jesus to his listeners.

As I heard this read today (Matthew 18:1-14), my arms were resting on my daily newspaper. It reminded me of what children are like in our world on March 28, 2006.

A 12 year old is attacked and seriously injured from knife wounds as she ventures from an all ages nightclub at 2:30 am.

A seven year old is seriously wounded by bullets from a drive by shooting.

Our Church reports that one in six Canadian children lives in poverty.

I do not think this is what Jesus meant when He said that to enter into the ultimate relationship with God we must become like little children.

He probably meant something like this.

A two year old boy and a four year old girl come to our weekly seven o’clock Wednesday morning Holy Communion during Lent. Their father generally carries them into the Chapel. They participate, in their own manner, in the worship. They share the peace, probably laugh when we laugh and pray when we pray. Then they share totally in the breakfast served after the service. We all enjoy their presence. They bring more than their physical presence. They bring an aura, a dimension, and mostly light up our hearts as well as the physical room in which we eat and talk.

I think that is closer to what Jesus meant, when He said, You must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God’.

That means having faith and trust in God, like a child has faith and trusts in a loving parent.

As we journey through our PASSPORT TO EASTER, let this image of God as a loving parent bring out our faith and trust in God in a whole new way.

MOUNTAINS and VALLEYS

2006-03-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

‘You need to know where you are going, so that when you get there you know that you have arrived’.

I do not remember who said this or similar words, but the sentiment is similar to today’s
reading from Matthew (chapter 17). He reported on the incident of Jesus meeting with Moses and Elijah on a ‘mountain’. From that vantage point, Jesus could ‘see’ where He was going and would know when He arrived.

He was to be the new ‘lawgiver’, the new Moses. His law was to be based on ‘love’, and so He provided the ‘Two Great Commandments’, basically love God with all your being, and love your neighbours (everyone) as you love yourself. Moses delivered the ‘Ten Commandments’ which had a more negative – thou shalt NOT – tone. Jesus’ commandments started from a positive perspective.

Jesus was also the new ‘prophet’ replacing the prophetic pathway as symbolized in Elijah. Jesus’ prophecies spoke of the true nature of God as love, and predicted what God was doing through Jesus Christ. From the mountain top, Jesus saw another mountain as ‘resurrection mountain’. But to get there, He would have to journey through the valley of suffering and death.

One could say, as our PASSPORT TO EASTER book (page 24) so eloquently phrases it, ‘we need to treasure the “mountaintop” moments to see us through the valleys’.

TODAY, I HEARD SOUNDS OF YESTERDAY

2006-03-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Two memories from my childhood were triggered during the past 24 hours.

Sitting at my office desk, I can witness the building of a humungous house, which resembles a medium sized hotel. Yesterday the workers were on the roof nailing the flooring into place. They were approximately 300 metres from where I was observing. I watched as a worker picked up a four by eight feet sheet of plywood, and dropped it on the roof. A split second later I heard the sound as the plywood hit the wooden beams. It took that long for the sound to travel to my ears.

Years ago a teacher explained the principle to our school class. He told us to watch for examples. I remember watching adults practicing target shooting from about 400 metres away from where I was standing. I saw the smoke and then a split second later hear the bang.

By having this memory recalled yesterday, it reminded me that we need to hear the Gospel news repeated to be remembered and applied to our lives.

The second is in the reading today (Matthew 16:5-12), where Jesus speaks about ‘yeast’ as a powerful transforming agent. As a child I watched adults painfully mix and bake bread. Occasionally, they forgot the yeast and the batch was useless. Today, our bread maker does it all automatically. Yet, people have to add the ingredients, especially the yeast. Only when added, will yeast have its desired effect. The same is true of the Gospel: it must be added to our lives and the life of society if it is to transform the masses and the individual into God’s global village.

PASSPORT TO EASTER may be your way of adding yeast to the mix. Try it today.

ENOUGH AND MORE

2006-03-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

GOOD NEWS –‘COMMENTS’ CAN BE POSTED, SO SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS AND REACTIONS.
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Having lunch with a friend. My salad arrived first. I am rather hungry, so I inquire if I could start (he was not having a salad). He said, ‘we can ask grace later’. My response, ’Let’s do it now’. There, surrounded by other patrons, who probably had no idea what I was doing, and maybe did not care, I thanked God for the food, for our time together and prayed for the needs of other people.

Our actions in that restaurant were very similar to what Jesus did in the feeding of the
4, 000 men ‘not counting the women and children’ (Matthew 15:32-38).

Jesus took the seven loaves of bread and the few small fish, ‘gave THANKS to God, BROKE them, GAVE them to the disciples’, who in turn DISTRIBUTED them to the people.

This is very sacramental, and foreshadowed what we do every time we celebrate the Holy Communion in memory of what Jesus did for us on the cross and through the resurrection.

It is also a model for charities who assist the hungry, the homeless and others who need assistance. We should take what we have (not lament what we do not have), thank God for what we have, break what we have and then share it around. Sometimes in our charity work, we neglect one of Jesus’ essential steps , which maybe why sometimes we are not as successful as we would like to be.

At the end of the sharing, we are told, ‘they all ate and had enough’.

At Easter, when we complete our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage, I hope that we too will feel the same way.

IN AND OUT ......

2006-03-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION – a friend said she tried to send a ‘comment’ to our blog, but it was refused access. We are trying to correct the situation. Meanwhile send your comments to stjohnsyorkmills@bellnet.ca

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“NORTH COUNTRY” is the movie that tells the gripping story of women who fought to work in a mine but were harassed by their male co-workers and company managers. They had crude jokes played on them, malicious gossip spread about them and were treated in the most inhumane manner imaginable. Rent the movie for the full effect of their struggle.

An editorial in the Toronto Star newspaper today speaks about a similar situation in a Canadian city. Apparently, four women firefighters have left their jobs ‘amid allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace’. The examples quoted, although not proven in court, are very similar to the treatment endured by the women in “NORTH COUNTRY”.

As my wife read the Matthew selection (15:1-20), the words seemed very similar to the two situations illustrated above.

Jesus said that a person was not defiled by the food eaten, but by what comes out of the individual’s mouth. He went on to say the words we speak express our ‘heart’ or our philosophy of life or our actions towards other people. Then He gives some examples.

‘For from one’s heart comes
the evil ideas which lead a person to kill, commit adultery and do other immoral things;
to rob, lie and slander others’.

When Jesus said this His disciples told Him that the Pharisees ‘had their feelings hurt by what He said’. It seems whenever somebody attempts to correct an imbalance of justice or tries to put reality into perspective, somebody in authority gets their feelings hurt. Yet sometimes the only way to make things better is to go through the struggle.

PASSPORT TO EASTER may help us examine ourselves for ‘evil ides’ and to go to the ‘heart’ of what we say, think or do.

SOIL - COMES IN ALL VARIETY

2006-03-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

‘If you think of Jesus’ teachings as so many seeds, we can see that some of His teachings find better soil in us than others’.

This is quoted from our PASSPORT TO EASTER daily readings book, which you can access at our Church’s website www.stjohnsyorkmills.com .

The quote intrigued me from several perspectives.

Firstly, I never thought about Jesus’ teachings as being ‘many seeds’. I also envisaged the Gospel as a totality within itself. Yet each totality is comprised of many pieces, as a digital photograph is made up of tiny pixels. Alone they are coloured squares, but combining the pixels creates a fantastic mountain, sea or dazzling sunset. Perhaps that means we have to see the whole Gospel together in order to appreciate its greatest impact.

Secondly, ‘better soil in us than others’. Each receiver of the Jesus seed reacts differently. Maybe that is why some people are extremely compassionate towards another person’s hurt and calamity, whereas another person spends endless energy being the peacemaker in a family. The seeds are all sown equally, but the individual soil causes the seed to blossom accordingly.

Thirdly, ‘soil in us’. Each person is comprised of different types of soil, which causes certain seeds (say hope, forgiveness) to flourish more than another within the same person’s life. So, at one time in my life I can react positively and be very hopeful about the future of an institution or country or the world, but as the years drag on my soil may become stagnant or lacking in nutrients and my attitude of hope may give way to a more sinister outlook on the future.

As we journey though our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage, may it be a time for us to do some ‘soil’ searching and analysis.

SIGNS FOR THE TIMES.

2006-03-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

‘Signs, signs everywhere a sign sign’ crooned the folk singer as he related the messages and expected practices of people who erect signs.

For example, he claimed that an employer advertised a job and added that ‘long haired, freaky people’ need not apply. So the young man tucked his waist length hair under his cap and was interviewed for the job. The employer looked at him and said, ‘you are hired because you look decent.’ Then the young man took off his cap and his hair covered him down to his waist. As he walked away he laughed at the look on the employer’s face.

Humans often look at the exterior of a person, God looks into the heart.

Jesus places signs throughout the Gospel for our edification and direction.

One which stared me in the face as I heard it read today is……’Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, or every city or household (or person) divided against itself will not stand’.

The various media are filled with examples of ‘kingdoms divided against themselves’ and cities that cannot survive because of internal strife and stress.

The same can be said of religious communities, social institutions, business partnerships, etc.

Likewise each of us, within the context of our human bodies, can be ruined because we are divided.

Unity of purpose and unity of spirit are needed to avoid the results of
‘being divided’. For us it is focusing on God and bringing our whole being into unity with God’s love. And that love gets expressed in our daily action, as we live out our lives in society.

The PASSPORT TO EASTER provides a golden opportunity to take this sign and bring the sign to life as we continue our journey.

TIME - TOO BUSY TO TELL

2006-03-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

She was wheeled into Church for the first time in more than a year. She had been in a devastating automobile accident. At the end of the worship service, as she waited for her drive home, people came forward to welcome her back and to wish her well.

I watched from a distance. Most people passed on pleasantries, but one comment perked my attention, and I still recall what the person said. She told the woman in the wheelchair, ‘I was planning to come and visit you, but I have been so very busy and did not have time’.

I thought “ what is she saying to that person?”. Was she saying indirectly, ‘In the past 8,736 hours, I could not find ONE to pay you a visit’, or, ‘you are not important enough to me for me to make the effort to contact you – either by phone, card, e-mail or visit’, or, ‘I am afraid to be around people who are ill because it reminds me of my own mortality’.

In the chapter (11) of Matthew’s gospel for today, Jesus addresses similar situations. He said, ‘come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’.

We live in a ‘weary and burdened’ world. Evidence of this can be detected in observing the behaviour of drivers on our highroads, watching the relations within and among countries as reported by the international media, or by watching the faces of people on public transportation or in the shopping mall.

The ‘rest’ Jesus promises is epitomized by learning from Jesus what we should do, being gentle towards ourselves and others and having a humble heart or philosophy of life (Matt. 11:28-29). Jesus goes on to say that people who follow His way will find rest to their souls. And by my extension that means rest for your emotions, intellect and physical body.

In our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, may we learn from Jesus to be gentle and humble so that we can rest in God. One last thought – a writer once penned the saying, ‘my soul is restless, until it is rested in God’.

ANSWER THE CALL ..PLEASE

2006-03-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

A friend tells the story about an acquaintance who received a phone call from a government official, who said, ‘if you were called by the Prime Minister to become Lieutenant Governor of your Province would you accept?’. If the person responded negatively, then no phone call would come from the PM. If the person said yes, then that person would receive a call. I do not know if this is factual, but I understand that it is done so as not to put someone in the awkward position as having to say ‘no’ to the Queen.

I wonder if Jesus followed the same practice when He called His disciples. Did someone approach the tax collector and ask if he, Matthew, would leave his lucrative lifestyle to wander around the countryside telling people about God’s love and compassion to people. Or, was Simon the Zealot (with all the connotations of that title) quietly asked to give up the fighting and rebellions to teach and practice a life of peace and peacemaking.

I think maybe God knows what our answer is going to be, even before God seeks us out.

God calls us to professions, tasks, jobs, ministries, etc, because we have the skills and resources to do what God wants completed.

The Christian Church, with its roots on a cross and in an empty grave, is a living example of God calling the right people to get the job done.

But we have to be sensitive to God’s call.

As we travel along the PASSPORT TO EASTER trail, let us take time to listen to God’s call to us this Lent.

OBSTACLES HELP US FIND NEW WAYS.

2006-03-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Squirrels inhabit our backyard. They are creatures of habit.

Each morning, the same squirrel runs the same path along the top of our patio rail. This has been going on for months. No variation. No straying from the beaten track.

Until Monday.

Sunday evening, I moved a flower pot from the window sill to the patio rail.

Sitting at breakfast, I watched the squirrel scamper merrily along the patio rail, only to stop short in front of this huge, new obstacle. If squirrels reason in their minds, the wheels in this one’s head were spinning profusely. After a few seconds the squirrel turned and went back the way he came.

I waited and watched. After several minutes, he returned, stopped, surveyed this new challenging obstacle in his path and suddenly, climbed down the railing and passed by the flower box.

He had discovered a solution to a new problem.

The healings of Jesus were similar. In chapter nine of Matthew’s gospel, he shares several stories of people who were healed by Jesus. For example, a woman believed that if she could touch Jesus’cloak, she would be healed. She did and she was. A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus on a mat. Jesus said, ‘your sins are forgiven,’ not ‘you are healed’. The paralytic believed and his faith made him well.

In these and other incidents, people facing obstacles to healing found new solutions to their health problems through faith, belief and action.

On our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, we will encounter obstacles but through faith, belief and action we will find ways around that obstacle so that we can continue our pilgrimage.

OLD CANNOT CONTAIN THE NEW

2006-03-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite songs of the roaring 1970’s was sung by Barry Maguire, who was a folk singer with a deep, gravelly, haunting voice. I believe his only hit was an apocalyptic ballad called ‘The Eve of Destruction’. Basically, he identified events happening around the globe and concluded that tomorrow would be the end of the world. I wonder what he would call his song today.

I was reminded of ‘The Eve of Destruction’ prophecy when I read from Matthew’s gospel today. Jesus said that old wineskins could not withstand the pressure of new wine. In the same manner, old practices and traditions cannot hold the new realities of living today. Let me cite an example.

At lunch recently a guest wondered aloud about the explosion of communicative technology, and asked how people managed before the wireless phone.

The answer is somewhat simple. They adapted to the circumstances of their day, and operated within the confines of the technology available to them. When that changed they adopted a new way of doing things. They put new wine (wireless) into new wineskins (cell phone).

The same applies to us.

As we journey through our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage, let us seek out the new wines of our lives (love, peace, gentleness, peace loving, change of practice, etc), and develop new wineskins in which to preserve our ‘newness of life’.

SPECIAL

2006-03-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday is a special day on our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey.

A day to worship God in a special way.

A day to rest.

A day to relax.

A day to take stock of where we have been.

A day to set our sights on where we are going.

A day to get ready to resume the journey tomorrow.

Enjoy the day.

CALMING THE ROUGH WATERS OF LIFE

2006-03-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

The photos capture a ship transporting people and supplies to the massive oil rig off the coast of Newfoundland. We are told that the photographer took the photos standing on the deck of the rig.

Each picture shows the savagery of the North Atlantic. The roaring winds and four story high waves pounded the small vessel and tossed it around like a toothpick. The crew must have been terrified inside its steel hull as they were flung to and fro like leaves on a windy autumn day.

This scene reminds me of the occasion when Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Lake of Galilee and their small boat got caught in a sudden wind storm. The disciples found Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. They complained because Jesus was not concerned about their safety. When Jesus calmed the storm, they were terrified and wondered what kind of person Jesus was to have the winds and the waves obey Him.

The parallel scenes cause me to wonder.

I wondered if any aboard the supply ship prayed for their safe return to port.

I wondered if they, like the disciples on the sea of Galilee, found God asleep in the back of their ship.

I wondered if the crew in the North Atlantic, like the disciples, complained to God because they thought God should be looking after them.

And I wondered if, when the ship came to calm waters, they thanked God for their safe return.

Life can sometimes be like the North Atlantic. The storms of life sweep in and almost swamp us and we scream to God for help and guidance. Sometimes it may seem that God is asleep. Sometimes we need to complain to God. Then when God helps us through the rough waters of living, we need to thank God and admire the power of God working in our lives.
The PASSPORT TO EASTER is a pilgrimage taking us through the 40 days of Lent. Let’s look for God’s presence in all that we encounter and experience

PLEASURE IS ALL MINE ...NOT

2006-03-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

Occasionally a word from the past pops up in modern conversation.

It happened this morning on our own nationally paid for radio station.

The interviewee used the word ‘hedonistic’ to describe the ‘philosophy’ of her ‘swingers club’.

I was intrigued that the doctrine of ‘hedonism’ should once again surface in describing the main foundation upon which a growing number of people in our society base their life’s practices or behaviour.

The Concise Oxford dictionary of current English defines ‘hedonism’ as the ‘belief in pleasure as the highest good and humankind’s proper aim’.

The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church states that ‘hedonism’ is ‘the ethical doctrine which maintains that the proper end of all moral action is pleasure’.

The Sermon on the Mount, as delivered by Jesus and recorded in Matthew’s Gospel (Chapters 5-7), countradicts hedonism as a philosophy or doctrine of life.

God wants us to enjoy pleasure and have a happy life, but not to place ‘pleasure’ as our highest good or our only aim in life or the sole reason why we do what we do.
God wants us to enjoy giving to the needy (Matt. 6:2-4), loving our enemies (Matt. 5:43-45), building treasures on earth that will follow us beyond our deaths (Matt. 6:19-22), and placing God first in the actions of our every day living (Matt. 7:21).
On the PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, take time to examine and, if necessary change, your doctrine or philosophy of life.
Send us your reaction by leaving a message on ‘comment’ below.

PLEASURE IS ALL MINE ......NOT

2006-03-10T08:59:00.001-08:00

PLEASURE IS ALL MINE ......NOT

2006-03-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

RICHES CAN MAKE YOU POOR

2006-03-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

In this section of the Gospel, Matthew (6:16-34) takes riches and points out, through the words of Jesus, how we can be richer by being poorer. Sounds like a riddle, but it isn’t. It is really asking us, ‘what is most important in your life?.

Worldly riches can gain for us many benefits and perks, but they last only as long as we live on this earth. Better, said Jesus, even though you may have tons of money in this life, to put it to use in helping the less fortunate. This may be the reason why celebrities give huge donations to eradicate disease and feed the hungry around the globe.

Serving 2 masters or mistresses is impossible, claimed Jesus. In other words, who or what are the priorities of our lives? Mary Kay of the cosmetic dynasty wrote that her priorities were ‘God, family and business’. This may be a message for the professional executive who purports to work 14-15 hours per day 24/7.

Jesus said, ‘do not worry about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothing for your body’. God will provide. I wonder how the child lying in the desert, dehydrated and starving and infested with insects, would react to that assertion of Jesus. I watch the homeless bundled over a grate in a large city, and wonder about his/her need for clothing. It seems to me that God requires God’s sons and daughters, individually and as corporate citizens, to share ‘all that God made’ because God has provided enough for all, and more left over. Mainly, in our world society we have a distribution, not a supply, problem.

For yourself – consider these scenarios as you journey through the PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage.

Jesus said that your ‘eyes let in the light or your body is full of darkness’ – ????
Worrying about tomorrow – as a global village or an individual soul - ????????

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NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS ENDING

2006-03-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

We tend to judge people by their appearance.

He came to a teenage weekend camp dressed for a fashion extravaganza. His clothing matched impecability, his hair combed and greased into place so that every strand highlighted the others, his white shoes touched only the cleanest spots of the campground and his very presence gave the impression of a person who spent hours (if not days) preparing for any public appearance.

The leaders concluded that, in an emergency, he would be useless.

They were wrong.

Around midnight, in the midst of a party, filled with laughter, food and dancing, somebody smelled smoke.

We quickly discovered that the old foundation beams were smouldering, where the fire from the fireplace had ‘burned’ its way downward to the wooden foundation beams.

We started a bucket brigade to extinguish the ‘fire’. To get to it, we had to go through an earth filled basement and snake our way into the crawl space, which was quickly becoming a pool of mud. It was not a pleasant place to be.

But who was at the head of the line, next to the smouldering beams, throwing water on the charred wood and ignoring the fact that his bright white clothing was changing to a muddy brown?

You guessed it!

In our reading today (Matthew 6:1-18), Jesus reminds us that we should look beyond the physical appearance and discover the real essence of the individual. For example, the person smiling may be fasting, the secluded person may be praying and the ‘Scrooge’ character may be making the biggest financial contribution to a needy person or cause.

On our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey, we are reminded of past experiences to share with our travelling pilgrims.

STRIVING FOR PERFECTION

2006-03-07T20:50:00.000-08:00

Watching the speed skaters and skiers at the Olympics reminded me of the human desire to strive for excellence. Often the competitors, who trained ‘religiously’ for years, won or lost by a minuscule of a second. Those who were in the 15th or 26th place were considered ‘failures’. Such is the modern Olympics.

In the Matthew reading today, Jesus calls His followers, not to excellence, but to perfection, which is an even higher standard of achievement. We have to be perfect, because God is perfect, and we want to be like God, don’t we?

Jesus takes us from the ordinary standards of living to extraordinary levels.

Any person can love, says Jesus, but to love one’s enemies is heading to perfection.

In the past, the acceptable standard of behaviour was ‘an eye for any eye, and a tooth for a tooth’, but not any more. Jesus wants you to turn the other cheek and be slapped or if you are sued for your shirt, freely give your coat as well.

On and on Jesus set new and higher standards for anger, divorce, adultery and revenge. It is not enough to be like everyone else, the Christian has to go the second kilometre to reach perfection.

This PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage leads to perfection through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

HAPPY IS THE WINNER

2006-03-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

We cheered when “ Tsotsi” won the best foreign movie at the 2006 Oscar awards. We are friends of a friend who represents a major player in the production of the movie. We were HAPPY.

The GOOD NEWS Bible uses the word HAPPY for the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. Other Bibles used the word BLESSED to introduce Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Mount’. For example, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart’ or ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’.

But not the GOOD NEWS Bible. It takes us beyond being BLESSED to the state of HAPPINESS. It boldly declares ‘Happy are the pure in heart’ or ‘Happy are the peacemakers’.

In other words we should be happy that our hearts are pure, even though it may mean that we are exempt from experiencing certain ‘pleasures of life’. We should be happy to be peacemakers, even though in breaking up a fight or argument, we may get bruised or worse. We should be happy at being persecuted for our faith in God, even though we may lose business contracts, professional perks or friendly associations.

Being HAPPY seems to have its downside.

Bur being HAPPY also has its upside.

According to Jesus, we will be called ‘daughters and sons of God’, we will inherit the earth and we will enter the kingdom of God.

In the end, it would appear, those who are HAPPY will be winners.

Maybe the PASSPORT TO EASTER help us be more HAPPY in our everyday life.

ORDINARY FOLK -EXTRAORDINARY JOB

2006-03-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Jesus picked His team from among those available... some would say a motley crew, made up of fisher folk, a tax collector, a rabble rouser and several others who would not make the 100 most successful entrepreneurs named in FORTUNE or any other business or professional magazine.

You can imagine the shuffling and the questioning about roles and responsibilities when they held their first 'cabinet' meeting.

Their mandate was simple. They only had to 'preach the good news of the kingdom' and 'heal every disease and sickness among the people'.

Rather than providing a series of training manuals or conducting psychological profile sessions, Jesus had them follow Him around the small communities surrounding the Lake of Galilee and to 'model' what He was doing. Jesus taught by example.

In the 12th century, St. Francis, each day, would take a small group of his followers to various towns to teach the Gospel. Returning late in the day, one of the brothers asked Francis, 'how come we did not preach to the people in town today? All we did was walk around and do things, we never preached a sermon all day'. Francis' reply was simple. He said, 'we spent the whole day preaching by doing what our Lord would do. People learn the Gospel from what we do'.

Even in our modern world, filled with so many communicative devices that it boggles the mind, the best way to teach is by example. We, as Christians and followers of Jesus/God, merely need to mirror what Jesus Christ taught and practiced, and then let the message be reflected to the people with whom we come into contact every day.

As we journey through Matthew's Gospel in our PASSPORT TO EASTER, let the Gospel fill you like your favourite dessert, and then share that dessert with another diner journeying along the road of the pilgrim.

2006-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

St. John's York Mills, 17 Don Ridge Dr, Toronto, Canada

REMEMBERING ONE'S BAPTISM

2006-03-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

Since most of us were baptized as infants, we have no personal memory of our own baptism. We rely on parents, friends or families to relate the details of the day. They remember if we cried during the service or what garment was worn or what gifts were given. Through them we relive the event in blazing colour.

I do not know if Matthew attended the Baptism of Jesus, but the account occurs in the other Gospels as well.

John the Baptizer refused, at first, to baptize Jesus, then he agreed. Maybe one reason was the precondition to Baptism John insisted people follow before receiving the sacrament of entry into the Christian Faith. John required that people REPENT .. that is, that they be sorry for their sins. When Jesus stood before John, John knew that Jesus was God and SINLESS, so his quandry was --'how can you require a sinless person to repent?'.

Jesus was baptized, even though it was not necessry.

Coming up from the water after his baptism and after the dove descended on Him to show that God's spirit was blessing Jesus, a remarkable happening occured .. God spoke. God said, 'this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased'.

I hope that through our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage this Lent, each of us will hear God say to us, 'this is my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.

PEOPLE IN FLIGHT

2006-03-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

We lined the patio of the college where we were staying. We stood silently, lost in our own thoughts, in different time zones of history, and virtually reliving our imaginations.

The place was Nazareth.

My mind raced back to see Jesus, Joseph and Mary living their quiet life in the small community of less than 200 people, their memories filled with the days when they had to disappear into Egypt to save the life of their infant son, and the long, lonely days and nights waiting for the political changes to be right and they could return home. The day arrived, and instead of going to their true home, they journeyed to Nazareth to build a new life.

Today, our world is alive with people on the move for a better life. Sometimes it is for food in a drought laden land,sometimes for peace from a violence riddled land, sometimes for a better life from a restricting land. Whatever the reason, they go .. slowly, weary, struggling, hoping.

Our PASSPORT TO EASTER pilgrimage speaks of a similar journey. We read, we reflect on the questions and we resolve what we are going to do. We hear God calling us . We hear God as the small still voice hardly audible above the noises of the 21st century.

But we hear it. It draws us home. It touches our souls and minds and reverberates throughout our physical beings.

Our pilgrimage is new to us, but, as we travel, we sense the presence of unseen others, we feel a burning within as our footprints cover their tracks, and we know we are all companions on the same journey .. leading to God .. to a cross .. to an empty tomb.

FIRST DISCUSSION GROUPS

2006-03-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

We planned to hold our first discussion groups next week, but on Ash Wednesday people inquired about having them on the day after Ash Wednesday, and they were quickly arranged. It shows that people were anxious to begin their PASSPORT TO EASTER journey.

Nineteen individuals came to the two groups yesterday. Most of the discussion evolved around the lineage of Jesus. Matthew begins with Abraham and traces the lineage down through the centuries to Jesus. We were advised that some of the names may not be found in the Old Testament as we know it, but they were people of history.

Five women are mentioned in Matthew's lineage outline. All have interesting and varied and questionable life stories. The same can be said of the men mentioned there. It shows that God works through all kinds of people.

We also discussed the journey of the Magi and their following of a star, which led them to the Christ Child. Questions arose about why they did what they did, how their experience changed them and what they were like on the way home. We also expressed the significance of the Magi losing sight of the star for a period of time. God guides us with the light, but sometimes in our lives the light is 'hidden' from us, because we have lost our connection with the light. It was once said, 'when you do not feel close to God, ask yourself, "who moved?". God never moves away, but we do.

One last thought for today. The star led the Magi from the east to the west - Bethlehem. Paul brought the light of the Gospel to the western Mediterranean. From there it was carried to Europe and North America, and in the 18th century came to a spot in Toronto, Canada, now known as St. John's York Mills Parish. The journey continues.

PASSPORT TO EASTER may help us see and follow the light of God more fully in our own spiritual journey. Follow the light as contained in Matthew's Gospel.

You can still be part of the journey by logging on to www.stjohnsyorkmills.com .

We look forward to your comments

Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2006

2006-03-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

We, at St. John's York Mills Anglican Church, Toronto, Canada, are excited that our PASSPORT TO EASTER journey has started.

We did a short run during Holy Week in 2005. It was very successful, but we wanted to do more.
Prior to the summer of 2005, we decided that we would like to extend PASSPORT TO EASTER for the whole of Lent 2006. We had selected Matthew's Gospel as our gospel to study. This would complete our study of the Gospels, having studied the other three during the previous years.

One of our parishioners spent her summer at the cottage writing a commentary on the selected daily readings. In addition she posed questions to be considered and food for thought.
We prepared and published her writings into a book - PASSPORT TO EASTER. So far nearly 100 books have been bought and distributed.

Then we decided that we would have weekly sessions for people to gather and share their experiences on the journey.

The Sunday before Lent, at our 3 morning services, we commissioned the 'pilgrims' who had registered for the pilgrimage to Easter.

We wanted to develop a blog, and a young parishioner completed that project so that we can share in today's communication technology.

We have made the book - PASSPORT TO EASTER - available on our website www.stjohnsyorkmills.com
You may want to join us on this journey through our website or our blog.
We pray that God will bless us all as we journey through this spiritual pilgrimage through Lent to Easter.