Perspectives by Rev. Feras Chamas

November 12, 2014 Editor Opinion

 

"Too far! You can still take a picture with him"

Distance is something we need. Life can be busy & demanding: family, work, social and financial demands and many other responsibilities can make us feel surrounded and leave us a very small space to move and breath. 

Distance in this sense can mean the possibility of being away from everything and everyone burdening us and doing what we like to do for some time even if that means not doing anything at all. 

Having enough distance in this sense on a regular basis is a very healthy sign for us and for the people around us. 

But on the other side, distance is a cold word; it can mean the barriers or the unwillingness of people to interact with each other on a deep and real level. The more this meaning makes its way into our close and nurturing social circles (family, friends & colleague) the more lonely, dry and even miserable we will be.

Some people believe this meaning to be the milestone of the time and age we live in.

I think of the word “distance” and its meanings every time I read Isaiah (55: 8-9). 

It says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

Now, we are all able to handle “different” to a limit; some people can flex and stretch more than others, but a heaven-earth distance is too much for anybody to accommodate! 

The distance between us and God (creation and creator) must fall under the darker shadow of what “distance” means. We shouldn’t then be surprised to see many people avoiding faith or religion; why bother anyway!

In the course of our life, we are introduced to two kinds of “distance”. 

The first can be called a “conflict distance”: it’s when two parties are too far from each other to join hands or the barricades between them are too high and solid to climb or to break through. This kind of distance closes the doors between the two sides of the story and everyone would turn & walk away. 

The second is “discovery distance”: it’s when we realize that two parties are so different from each other, but still the space between them is a welcoming and inviting one. When a climber looks at the snow-covered mountain from a distance he/she realizes how far and different the two masses are (climber and mountain). But that distance is something to discover and explore. Every step toward the mountain and its top is a learning and changing experience. Somebody’s story will be very very different before and after such a climb. 

The same thing is true for the lakes, oceans, universe and all the grand things in life. From the very beginning creation revolted against the distance between us and God. Adam and Eve’s symbolic story was the first episode of that rebellion. 

God does not enjoy us staying on the foot of his mountain, but surly wants us to climb. A person flown to the top of the mountain is a very different person than who climbed all his/her way up.

Trying, failing, exploring, learning, crying, wanting to give up and finally laughing and enjoying the view from the top are always part of the journey. It’s the journey of building an authentic relationship. Only those who work up a sweat to climb know the songs of the journey. 

Shortly after starting to take “selfies” we discovered our need for more distance. Our arms are long enough to show us and a couple of friends within the same frame, but that was not enough. We quickly learned that our eyes and minds need more space and scenery to look at & reflect on to understand what we see. 

This is why commercial companies were so kind to come up with “selfie’s sticks”. Now, if we were to take a selfie with God can you imagine how long the selfie stick needs to be for us to understand what we see?   

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” is to be seen as invitation to climb and struggle with God to reach all the way up to the top and enjoy the company. 

 

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Perspectives by Rev. Duncan Perry

August 8, 2012 Editor Opinion

 

Jesus Loves Me (And You)

Often, when I visit the Hartford Retirement Home here in town to worship with them, we sing an old familiar hymn. It’s entitled Jesus Loves Me.

I am always amazed at the exuberance and passion that flows from the people there as they sing. Often I will just stop singing to listen to them.

Jesus Loves Me! Any of us can sing it and know that we are included.

But love, especially the love that God pours out on us, needs to be responded to and indeed we do respond. We either embrace that love or we reject that love.

One day someone asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” and Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and the second is like, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

God’s love to us is amazing and powerful. It binds up all our emotional, mental and spiritual wounds. When we feel weak and unlovable, God’s love reminds us that we are valuable, so valuable indeed, that He gave His life on Calvary’s cross to rescue us from sin and Satan’s control in our lives.

Love such as that changes us, or at least it should.

That brings us to what Jesus referred to as the second greatest commandment, “to love one’s neighbor as yourself”. 

Now, we may try to find a loop hole in this, just as the person who was asking the question of Jesus.

His question was, “Who’s my neighbor?”

In response, Jesus told the story of a man who had become the victim of thieves. In the story Jesus told, He said a Priest and a  , (in today’s lingo that would be a Pastor and a church leader), passed by the one who was hurt because they were too busy or too self important, but the most unlikely of people stopped to help the guy, and indeed, not only gave of his time but also of his resources.

You see, friends, the point is this, you really can’t say you love God and not love people, even people with all their quirks, even people who are not like us or who think like us.

God’s love in us should cause us to love as He loves. It is after all His love in us that makes it possible and He really does love every one.

So let’s sing, all together now,

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

In His love we shall be strong.

Rev. Duncan Perry,

Morrisburg

Pentecostal Tabernacle

[…]

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Opinion

Perspectives – A Time for Responsibility

September 28, 2011 Editor Opinion

The time for responsibility to our province is upon us once again. We are in the throes of a political campaign to help us decide who will be the next governing party in our province. I am awed by the lack of political campaign signs along the roadways and on lawns.

Does this mean that the people who are running for office don’t have the funds to mount a huge campaign with lots of signs and fliers in the mail? Does it mean that the party who has been governing most recently is complacent about this being a “shoe in?” Does it mean that there is a malaise about the whole idea of going to the polls to elect those who will be making decisions for us?

I have, over the years, thought that being “apolitical” was the way to be when one was a Christian.

What I have discovered, to my delight and to my chagrin, is that we should be very political. We should be standing up for what we believe and ensuring that those who want to be elected know precisely what we think is necessary for us to live in a province where everyone counts.
When you look at the gospel stories, Jesus was anything but “apolitical.” He wasn’t shy about telling the powers that be what needed to be done in order for there to be justice for all.

More often than not, Jesus was challenging the political leaders of his time. More often than not, too many of us cannot be bothered to exercise our right to choose.

I ask each of you, please, take the time to find out what the candidates stand for. Find out if there is someone who represents what you believe. Attend all-candidates meetings if you can.

But most important of all be sure that you have a voice on October 6th. Vote for the candidate of your choice.

Whew, now that I have that out of my system, I want to share with you that October 17th marks 10 years that the Dundas County Food Bank has had a branch in Morrisburg.

It’s difficult to know how to observe this anniversary.

If there has to be no food bank in Dundas County, let it be as a result of people having enough resources to buy food rather than there not being enough resources for us to continue to serve those people who need our assistance.

I ask you to support you local food bank in whatever way you can – through food donations, through financial donations or through donations of your time as a volunteer.

Jesus said  “when you feed the hungry, you feed me.”  Our responsibility carries on as we love one another, as Jesus loves us.

Cheers,
Rev. Sue McCullough
Anglican Parish of Morrisburg, Iroquois & Riverside Heights

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