Perspectives by Rev. Norine Gullons

In many ways, communities are like families, but bigger. In most families, that feeling of belonging comes from sharing the same traditions, spending time together, from consciously participating in new experiences and everyday moments, and […]

 

For the Love of Hockey

Tuesday night is a highlight of my week. It’s the night that a bunch of us guys get together at the arena to play some pretty decent hockey – the good old fashioned kind, not part of any league, not played with refs, just two teams going at it. Why?

Why do these guys go to out late in the evening (likely waking up groggy the next morning) to play Canada’s favourite sport week after week? (And there are 10s of 1000s doing the same thing all across this great land of ours.) 

Why? Dreams of glory are long past. If you play too intensely some guy might mutter that there are no scouts in the house. Neither are there any fans in the stands. And of course nobody gets paid a plug nickel.

In fact, after we lose, some guy might say, “No big deal. We’re all getting paid the same.” So why do these guys go out? Sure, it’s to get out and spend time with the guys. And it’s to get a bit of a workout. Some of us older guys (there’s a few of those, no offense) may be trying to offset aging, as if that’ll ever happen.

So why do guys all through the week and in arenas everywhere keep playing? 

I’d venture to say that for the most part it’s for the love of the game. Pure and simple.

When you think about it, that’s why we do lots of things. Out of love. Why do we crawl out of bed and head off to work everyday? Maybe it’s because we love our jobs. And likely needing the money has a lot to do with it. 

But I suggest that for many of us, it’s out of love for our families. Right? Why do we make meals and do laundry for our families? Why do we run ourselves ragged driving our kids here and there? I figure it’s because of love, love, love.

Love for someone or something is a great motivator. Because of love, we buy flowers. Because of love, we help out a buddy. Because of love, we work for the Food Bank. 

When you love, you don’t need a pat on the back for what you do. You don’t need people to notice.

If you get this it’s easy to “get” God. Everything he’s ever done, he did out of love. Think about it. 

Why did he make such a gorgeous world? Out of love for us. Why did he send his son into this world? Out of love for us. Why did his son Jesus suffer and die for the sins of this world. Out of love for us. People really do amazing and even surprising things motivated by love.

Of course the same is true of those who have personally discovered the love God has for them. Overwhelmed by God’s love, they love God in return. That love motivates them to do things for God, things like serving others, caring for the poor, or fighting for justice. They even do things like going to church or living clean lives.

Love. It makes the world go round. It’s why we do much of what we do. Whether it’s staying up late for a game of hockey or waking up early to head off to work. 

The preacher inside me would say, may all that love we see around us (and all it motivates us to do), help us see that love still higher and deeper than all our love put together, God’s. Just as we are, with all our failures, he loves us and offers us forgiveness in his son. In his love he waits for us to respond. To admit our need and receive his love.

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 Travelling the Lenten Journey

I wonder how many of you have seen the film Les Miserables? I’ve seen it twice-once with family and once with a close friend. I’d be only too happy to see it again and will undoubtedly purchase it when it comes out on DVD. 

Les Miserables is about a man who is sent to prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving child. Many themes arise from this one story, and I for one was crying as the movie unfolded.

The characters sing all of their lines, and they do such a good job that I felt that I could see into their very souls.

Les Miserables is about power perhaps gone wrong–oppression, pain, and what some people have to do to stay alive. It is, however, also about light triumphing over darkness, forgiveness, redemption and hope.

In this Lenten season, we can remember that every individual faces both good and bad times in their livers. We rejoice at occasions which call for celebration, but we sin against God and against one another. We sometimes cause pain to others but forgive people when they hurt us.

We are imperfect men, women and children. Yet God continues to love us and calls us to be the best that we can be. As His faithful followers we are to place God at the centre of our days–we are to reach out to our neighbours with compassion and mercy. We can seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our Lord.

As we travel along our Lenten journey this year, let us take moments for prayer, for discernment, for seeking the peace which passeth all understanding.

May we walk in the paths which Jesus has put before us–let us remember that Jesus will ever be our guide, our inspiration, our example, our teacher, our friend.

Jesus challenges us to build a better world, but He promises to love and cherish us, this day and in all years yet to come.

Rev. Janet Evans, 

Iroquois United Church

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