God in all things

We sometimes walk right by Christ and do not notice Him. Then there are the people from today’s Gospel story who keep a vigilant watch for Him and suddenly their waiting is over. They are guided by the Holy Spirit to find the Christ on the day He is presented in the temple. Instantly all those years of promise, of never leaving the temple, of longing are fulfilled. Christ has arrived. What must that have been like to finally realize that the dream of seeing their Saviour face to face was coming true?

In this moment was there a refiner’s fire that purified them and moved them to praise and prophecy? When they recognized the King of Glory as the Psalmist sings were they lifted up? The long awaited One came as one of us and was recognized. Daily we are asked to watch, to recognize Christ in those among us. Is Jesus disguised in the beggar on the street corner in this frigid cold winter? Is that Him in the prison chapel? Is it Christ feeling tired and overwhelmed with the colicky baby? Was that hug from the Son of God? Did the Stranger who paid it forward seem familiar? That kindly looking teenager speaking with the senior citizen in the personal care home had this air about her. Do we see with eyes that help us to recognize that Christ walks among us even now?  Can we be dismissed in peace because we know on a level that we cannot explain that we have seen the Salvation upon which we wait?

This child recognized by its expectant elders asks us to keep watch, to look for the Messiah in unusual places. Where have you spotted Christ lately? What did it move you to do?

Peace,

Suzanne

I was thinking about the well-known Scripture passage I read earlier this week that encourages people to not hide their lights under bushels but to let it shine. What if we all did that? What if each one of us let our light shine so brightly that we beat back the darkness? If we were kind and loving? If we embraced our gifts instead of hiding them? If the world could benefit from what we could give?

That is a lot to contemplate. What if this moment, a few of us made a commitment to let our light shine and make the world sparkle for just an hour today? If we did not let our fears restrict us? If we freed ourselves of what others thought and only listened to the voice of God saying: YOU CAN DO THIS! Wouldn’t that be the start to something magnificent?

Shine, people, shine. Listen to the One who brightens up our lives and calls you to shine.

Peace,

Suzanne

When I was in South Africa, I was seeking Truth about what had happened there. Tonight I went to an art show entitled, Off the Beaten Path: Violence Women and Art. The exhibit has artists from South Africa in it and one of the pieces mentioned the statistic that one in three South African women are abused. South Africa is the rape capital of the world was another write up.

The truth hurts sometimes when Truth cannot be exposed. Truth is layered an multi-faceted. The truth of why such violence occurs is what really needs the light shone on it in order to end the violence and how we heal the women who suffer from it. I live in one of two provinces that have similar statistics to South Africa. Manitoba has high domestic violence rates. The territories are even more brutal for women, having 13 times the national average in Nunavut.

The show is worth seeing. I cannot sugarcoat the sickening feeling that grows in the pit of the stomach as you walk through the rooms. One or two pieces inspire hope. I cling to that. Women around the world are changing their reality. I pray that men will also break the patterns that lead to the abuse.

Peace,

Suzanne

This afternoon prior to recess, one of the little boys came up to me and asked permission to go into the forest. I looked at him for a moment, puzzled because there was no forest near by. I smiled down at him and responded, “I don’t think you have time to go into the forest over recess.” He came back with, “And it is too dangerous, right?” I nodded and he continued, “Because of the bears, right?”

I decided to go with it: “Yes, and the foxes and lions.” “And the wolves,” he quickly added.

“Right, so don’t go into the forest,” I recommended.

“OK, I promise to come right back.”

For my part, I promised to be right where I had been sitting when we were having the conversation when he returned. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him dart in after recess. Shedding his clothes, he scooted up to me, literally threw himself into my lap before I could even blink and announced, “I promised I would come back!” I smiled back at him and nodded, “And I promised I would be right here.” He gave me a hug and bounded off to the assembly that was about to happen. I sit there for a minute and wonder how I got to be so blessed.

Then my thoughts stray to what lurks in my forest. We all have those dark places that require courage and bravery…and other people to reassure us when life gets scary. Do you have a go-to person when the creatures that lurk in your forest frighten you?

Peace,

Suzanne

This winter has been brutal but today I took a friend out for a belated birthday lunch and we felt renewed as the world slowly spun by and we caught up on our lives. The hospital was where we started, the Forks and river trail flitted by, the new Canadian Human Rights Museum held our attention, the Golden Boy gleamed in the sun, and before we knew it, an hour had passed and we had consumed a tasty first course. We lingered another hour for dessert and coffee, neither of us anxious to head back into the cold. We escaped routine for part of the day and it was a much needed break for both of us, I suspect.

Where do you take your imaginary vacations?

Peace,

Suzanne

This photo was taken in Stellenbosch, a former stronghold of apartheid beliefs, especially in the academic world. I have been thinking about slavery lately, especially after seeing 12 Years a Slave and reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Both give their audiences a gruesome glimpse into the world of slaves in the United States in the 1800s. One of the places we visited in Cape Town was the Slave Lodge, now a museum that shows people the beginning of the journey of the slave.

I remember one quote from a slave that I read there: They transported my body. But I wasn’t there. My memory has vomited these days when the screaming and moaning mingled with the roar of the sea. Memory and history can be vomited. Both the movie and book that I mention give plenty of reasons why memory should be spewed out of a person. The images created in the movie and in my mind as I turned the pages of the historical novel haunt me. I return to the question I asked myself on my South African trip–how can humans do this to another human being?

The truth is we still do it–we still traffic human beings–mostly women and children, primarily in the sex trade–and we still do horrific acts of violence to other people. Last night at church we discovered that the latest homicide victim in the city is the nephew of a parishioner. While all the details are still unfolding, it appears that this talented musician was unknown to his attacker. He was beaten so badly that he did not survive but died later in hospital.

To look at this boy in the photo, he appears somewhat carefree. If he grew up at a certain time in South Africa though, he may not have survived his teens. He may have been brutalized by the violence in the townships or by the police. He may have been shot during a demonstration. Of course, the opposite is true–he may have gone on to live a joy-filled life, celebrating Mandela’s release from prison, and seeing changes that heartened him.

South Africa is murmuring to me these days in terms of slavery in this part of the world. Even this afternoon, a student pulled off the library shelf two books–one about a free slave who made it to Salt Spring Island from California. I am unsure if all of this has a meaning or not and so for now, I just hold it gently, waiting to see if it will awaken anything I need to pay attention to.

Peace,

Suzanne

Jesus left Nazareth and went to live by Capernaum by the sea we find out in today’s gospel. There it is that he calls his Apostles, the 12 men who will journey with him, some of whom are fishermen who leave their nets to follow him. He promises them much more than catching fish; they will coax people into their nets now. They left immediately to follow him and did not turn back. What did that odd phrase mean to them: “I will make you fishers of men”? Whatever it was, they did not hesitate for a second. When was the last time you did something that required no thinking, no second-guessing, no need for assurance by anyone else?

The psalmist says that he will wait for the Lord with courage, because God is his light and salvation. The first reading announces that those who walked in darkness have seen a great light.When the light shines, perhaps that is what suddenly makes everything that you need crystal clear to make a decision to leave everything. It is not that you can see the path ahead completely, but there is a compelling reason that draws you to an absolute yes and allows you the freedom to know that ultimately this is the path you take. You hang your “gone fishin'” sign on the door, and, not without some trepidation, you walk away and follow that Light, knowing that everything you wanted is right there in this moment with your yes.

Peace,

Suzanne

Today was the Feast of the conversion of St. Paul, who saw a bright light, fell to the ground, and was blind until another man was sent to heal him. We all have our roads to Damascus where we become disoriented and need someone to lead us back to the right way. We may not have known we were so far astray. We may not have understood how bad our behaviour was or how much damage we had done, but we all have those moments when the Light gets through and knocks us off our feet. Suddenly everything makes sense and the remorse can be overwhelming. The transformation that can occur when we let the Light in is amazing, as painful and frightening as it is.

Do you have a moment of realizing that what you were doing was not building the Kingdom of God but rather tearing it down?

Peace,

Suzanne

Winter can make people want to cocoon, to stay put, and to curl up under the comforter for days. Those who venture out though might find beauty in the coldness, colours brightening the world, and sights normally unseen. Individual snowflakes decorated my car the other day. The other day I saw this phenomena–an ice halo, I think it is called.

What prevents you from seeing God in all things?

Peace,

Suzanne

This winter has been brutal on many fronts but especially with driving. This morning’s drive looked like this. Visibility was maybe a kilometer in places. The road conditions were good so I just took it slow and arrived safely. Have you ever let God take the wheel as the old song goes? Have you surrendered to the Driver and felt scared at times because you could not see far enough ahead of you to know the outcome? Or were you able to settle into your passenger seat and relax, trusting you would arrive at the destination that was chosen specifically for you?

Peace,

Suzanne