At Church on Sun, March 8th Part B

The Gospel of Mark 8:31-38 was read by the Deacon Horace Whyte. There was however one particular sentence that Jesus said to his followers that created the segway for Reverend Joseph Zorawick to begin his sermon. And I quote "If any want to become my followers, let then deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me."

In this instance Jesus is asking potential followers to give up everything and follow him. The question is; Could we do this if Jesus asked?

Ironically this was discussed this in my EfM course and I was really surprised by the fact that some people were really uncomfortable with this idea. I can't speak for any but myself but I can tell you that if Jesus was in front of me as Jesus my Lord and Saviour I wouldn't be giving up anything to follow him I'd be gaining everything by letting him lead me. That for me would be the greatest blessing that I can imagine. To follow Jesus? To be picked to follow Jesus? What's to think about?

At Church on Sun. Feb 22/09 Part C

Horace White who is the most amazing Deacon I know and the only Deacon I know and is totally approachable read the Gospel according to Mark 9:2-9. The theme here as far as I understand it is transfiguration. That's when God snatches you up to heaven, bing, bang, body and all.

Jesus takes Peter, James and John and leads them to a high mountain where "his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 9:3.

Then, low and behold Moses and Elijah appear and start talking with Jesus. This leads me to believe that this transfiguration is not like the death we experience, but somehow when one is transfigured one can come back to earth in human form. This makes me think that transfiguration is something special bestowed on one from God. And... it's really rare so I won't get my hopes up.

Moses and Elijah disappear and Jesus instructs Peter, James and John not to speak of this until he has risen from the dead.

At this point Jesus has already told his followers that his will die and be betrayed.

How do you feel about the transfiguration thing?

At Church on Sunday Feb 15/08 Part C

The second reading this week from the New Testament was The Gospel Mark 1:40-45, the earliest gospel. Mark likes to talk about healings, evil spirits, demonology and divorce. In the passage we read today he describes Jesus healing a leper. The thing that struck me about this passage was the faith that the leper had in Jesus. He says "If you choose, you can make me clean". He doesn't say if you want, or please make me clean. He gives that choice of whether or not he can be healed over to Jesus.

Then I got to thinking. I have stuff going on in my life that is a timing issue. I have to get payments in on time and I afraid that if I'm late I'll have problems. And I've been praying " please God let this happen on this day and on this time".

When I heard those words from the leper, "Jesus you choose". I thought for a moment. What am I asking? What am I doing? Why am I frantic? Why do I worry? Yes I believe like the leper that all can be erased in a moment and it's no big secret what I wanted. But, I was not factoring in the wisdom of God. There is nothing that God has ever done in my life that was not perfectly timed for lessons to be learned. This timing thing that was bothering me was just me living in my material world- selfishly.

So I changed my prayer and said. "God, whenever you're ready I trust your timing this is your choice and only my material desire. I'm sorry I bugged out". Immediately, I felt better I felt all that worry and anxiety lifted and I hope it lasts. I have tendency to vacillate.

However, in all fairness I have found in my brief experience with God that when it comes to the timing of the things in my life I can only see as far as my hand. It's God I must trust to see the bigger picture and guide me- that's the key for me, trust issues.

How do you pray when you ask something of God?

Church on Sunday Feb 25/09

As you may or may not know I attend the church of the Epiphany on 74th and York Av. This is the church where I was baptized and confirmed and where I have met the most incredible people around. What follows is my take on the Sunday service.
I'd like to start with hymn 539 "O Zion haste". I strongly recommend it due to the fact that the chorus or refrain is bomb.
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace, tiding of Jesus redemption and release."
It's the word publish that really gets me.. being a writer and all.

This Sunday we read from the old Testament, Jonah 3:15. And in OT form God speaks directly to Jonah- for the second time. Why can't God speak to me like that directly clearly unmistakable sadly I have no such luck. In the story, God is apparently ready to annihilate the city of Nineveh due to the populations sinning ways. However after Jonah tells them of their fate, they repent by fasting and wearing sack cloth and God changes his mind.

It's funny but the OT God that I've heard is such a harsh disciplinarian can apparently have a change of heart. This is good thing for me. Being a person of no faith for so many years. I take heart that God can find favour with me as I find favour with him. I'm not convinced it was the sack cloth that did it but instead the idea of sincere change.

Next, we heard a reading from the Gospel of Mark 1:14-20 which is read by Jennifer. In this part of the gospel Jesus finds two fisherman Andrew and Simon ( later known as Peter) and tells them to drop everything, abandon their family business of fishing, leave their wives and children and come and follow him. Without blinking an eye they do just that.

This theme of being able to change sets the tone for the sermon delivered by Andrew. He speaks of a calling. What would I do if Jesus called me? Could I drop everything? Would I even consider the option? What have I done? I've been resisting "a calling" all of my life but at the same time hoping I'd just get up one day and there it would be my calling the career made just especially for me all laid out on a silver platter. One day I'd live with no calling and a split second later I'd have a calling. Was there something wrong with me? Why couldn't I say I've had that experience.

I used to get jealous of my husband who is an artist , who was an artist since I met him and will be an artist till the day he dies. I'd ask myself how come some people know their calling and act on their calling and I can't seen to see the horizon through the trees?

Then Andrew said something quite interesting. He said once you get a calling you've got to train it, and accomplish it. And then I saw it was my error in understanding a "calling" that was the problem. A calling is not just something that hits you over the head, changes your life for the better and lets you exist in a perpetual state of happiness, In my case I indeed had a calling a calling to be a writer, and it was up to me to write, to learn to grow with that calling- to take an active role with my calling and make it part of me accepting it like a marriage the good and the bad.

We all have a calling and a calling I believe comes from God. How was I supposed to hear it without faith in my life. What was there to hear? It was not till I engaged in faith that I was able to listen to what was always there- always set before me.