The thought struck me – maybe more than a thought – that God must appreciate times such as these. You see, busyness keeps us from being with Him. We all know that God longs to spend time with us – but . . . there is so much to do.

I came across a quote from whom I’m not sure – but I really like it:. It’s a prayer – maybe it could be your prayer too.

“LORD SLOW ME DOWN ENOUGH TO BE GOOD COMPANY FOR YOU”

As our conversation continued I told him a rather startling article I had read – where the author claimed that people who were over the age of 40 years, were really immigrants in this world. The world the over 40’s are living in is not the world that they were born into. This is a different world.

Our time together made me aware again that the church of today not only must be aware of the different cultures we are part of; but must be gracious enough to embrace the people who are part of a different culture – a different way of experiencing the world.

I remember being in McDonalds with a group of young people and was not only enjoying my burger and shake, but also quizzing them as to the kind of programs that they as young people would appreciate most in their church. (You see the culture I was born into said you have to have programs.)

They startled me with their response. “We don’t want programs. We would like to do more of the very thing we are doing right now. We like being with you and learning to relate to you. Don’t be our program leader – be our friend. 

I wanted you to know that as I listened to Lee speaking eloquently about “fellowship” in the New Testament church he quoted a report from the Vancouver Foundation. In a survey in which they tried to find out the primary needs of people living in Vancouver, they were surprised and startled to learn that the number one need that people were feeling was the overwhelming sense of isolation. As I listened I found myself saying “Yes . . Yes!”.

Lee expressed it so well. Surely the mission of the church in the 21st century in our very affluent society is to address the suffocating sense of loneliness that so many people are experiencing. I am convinced that this is the very thing that Jesus would do. He longed to see people in community – he longed to see people discovering a new sense of the presence of God while they were experiencing togetherness.

Can you imagine a church that sees it’s mission as caring for it’s community in such a way that the many people who feel cut off from everyone else, begin to feel they are part of an accepting, welcoming community. Can you imagine a church whose facilities were open seven days a week, encouraging people to come in and build new friendships, to experience something of the  warmth and grace of Christian friendship. Can you imagine a church that loved its community so much that it sought to form small groups of friends who learned about each other, who felt safe in sharing their lives with each other, and who made a commitment to pray for each other. Wow!  I would want to be part of a church like that.

When you know you are loved by others – you cannot help love others. . . . . I encourage you to listen to Lee’s sermon on “fellowship” again. You will be blessed.

It set me thinking – I don’t ask questions with such frequency. Why?

It seems to me that as we grow the need to ask questions diminishes and the hunger to know the reason ‘why’ slips into the background. That to me is a pity.

Warren Berger has written a book  “A More Beautiful Question”. On the inside flap of the cover, are printed these insightful words . . . . .”Berger’s surprising findings reveal that even though children start out asking hundreds of questions a day, questioning “falls off the cliff” as kids enter school.  In an education and business culture devised to reward rote answers over challenging inquiry, questioning isn’t encouraged–and is, in fact, sometimes barely tolerated”.

It seems to me that we could be going backwards as we age and mature. We are told in the Bible that Jesus is the one who makes all things new. Maybe I need to ask him to make me more as a little child and restore to me that insatiable hunger to know “why”.

Blessings on you as maybe you also re-discover the excitement of having a giant sense of curiosity and re-enter the world of discovery.

Lord we pray for grandmothers who are raising their daughter’s children. And for daughters who are now mothers to their mothers. We remember too the women who didn’t become mothers, either by fate, or complications or by choice, and yet they still carry a passion for the welfare of children and families.

Lord we pray for single mothers, and mothers who are holding together blended families on a shoestring and a prayer. We pray for women who are having a tough time with motherhood. From our childhood days, we remember the mothers of our friends, who stepped in and filled a need when our own mom couldn’t. We give thanks for their hugs and kisses, for making our favourite food, for encouragement, understanding and patience.

Lord we ask you to heal the hurts that Mother’s day brings. Perhaps for a mother who has died; perhaps of a family divorce of a mother who has left us, or was been so busy she didn’t have time for us. Or perhaps an overly critical mother, who didn’t always help us in the ways we needed.

Lord, through all of this, we praise you and thank you for the women who have nurtured and loved us. Lord we lift up to you in a moment of silence the names of all the women who have been an important force of love in our lives. And we offer to you any hurts that may need healing.

In Christ’s name, AMEN.

David! I told you not to play in the house with that sling shot. Go practice on your harp.

Noah! No, you can’t keep those two animals. I told you, don’t bring home any more strays!

Cain! Get off your brother and stop fighting! You’re going to kill him some day!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! I told you never to play with fire!

As he answered questions that were posed to him, he clearly and forcefully stated his Biblical vision of the church as a “new humanity”. It is my personal conviction that Bruce Milne’s voice needs to be heard in a world where people continue to subscribe to that pressure to only associate with people ‘like them’. The church should once again return to the clear direction of the Bible and seek to demonstrate the richness there is in being “one family in Christ.”

The highlight for me was when Bruce Milne read the paragraphs at the conclusion of “Dynamic Diversity” – I have a dream – a dream of a congregation where people of all colors and from every ethnic identity find welcome, warmth, dignity and a sense of belonging. . . .”

It may not always be easy, but we will continue to work at being “ONE” family in Christ.

It makes an interesting study to look at those who were with our Lord in his last days.

There were the disciples whom Jesus needed to be with him. However, they were so tired they couldn’t even stay awake. There are times when we are asked to simply be with someone else – but because of fatigue we are unable to. And so with the disciples we are unable to be of help.

Then there was Peter – Mr. fix-it Peter. His way of helping Jesus was to go immediately into action. So he cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. He bulldozed his way in to help. There are times when others need us and so we bulldoze our way in with answers and instant solutions. It doesn’t work.

There were the other disciples – who seemed to feel that the best way to help their Lord was to keep out of His way. We don’t know where they went. They simply disappeared. They weren’t much help at all. Sometimes we too feel that the best way we can help is to do the same. Most times it doesn’t work.

However, there was a small group of people who appear in the gospels who did not say very much nor did that do very much – yet in my understanding of Scripture they were of great support to our Lord.

It is that little group of women. There were simply there. That was all they could do and Jesus knew they were there. And when we do go to such scenes and wonder if we have helped in any way, we hear the quiet words “You were there when I needed you.”

It’s called incarnation.