"O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of Yahweh."
- Isaiah 2.5
"The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world...to all who receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
- John 1.9, 12
In the Psalms and Isaiah light is a symbol of God’s presence and salvation. Psalm 27.1 says, “Yahweh is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” And Isaiah 60.1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples. But Yahweh will arise upon you and his glory will appear over you.”
Indeed, the glory of Yahweh has risen upon us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The coming of God’s saving light is realized in the Word made flesh, the only begotten Son of God. Jesus is God’s Light, shining into the thick darkness of this world, a world tainted by sin.
But in its darkened state, “the world” has not received God’s Light. In Scripture, “the world” usually refers to humanity in rebellion against God. Humanity is prone to reject God’s truth and replace it with a lie.
It’s said Christmas is a season of love, joy, and peace. And that’s true. But there’s a flip side to that coin, a darker side. The celebration of Jesus’ coming is not a pleasant reminder that the world is a nice old place. No, Christmas is a reminder that the world is a shockingly bad place, full of darkness and deception, and in need of God’s light.
As N.T. Wright says, "The world is where wickedness flourishes unchecked, where children are murdered, where civilized countries make a lot of money by selling weapons to uncivilized ones so they can blow each other apart. Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don’t light a candle in a room that’s already full of sunlight. You light a candle in a room that’s so murky that the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are. 'The light shines in the darkness,' says St. John, 'and the darkness has not overcome it.'" (For All God’s Worth, 2).
If we want to do justice to the Christmas story as we seek to apply it today, we must put a face to the “darkness” St. John speaks of. In John’s Gospel the people who remain in “darkness” are those who rejected the truth that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, the Savior of the world, and the Son of God. And so today, those who remain in darkness, separated from God’s saving grace, are those who reject Jesus as the Messiah, the unique Son of God, and the Lord of the cosmos.
Eric Kunze, the former main man in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Jesus Christ Superstar, was quoted in the Toronto Star a few years back as saying, “Whether or not you believe he [Jesus] was the Messiah doesn’t matter. He was a man who has touched millions of people for thousands of years.” In the same article, Rick Miller, who plays the title role in his production Bigger Than Jesus, says, “Knowing what we know now, how could you possibly believe that the story of Jesus is factually true? You can believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, but how can you believe that Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God, descended to earth?”
I’m sure we’ve all heard it said, “Jesus was just a good man who preached a good message about love and peace. He was nothing more than that.” But according to John’s Christmas poem, Jesus was not just a good man. He is the very Word, Light, and Son of God, come in the flesh to save fallen humanity and redeem the whole creation. Yes, Jesus came with a message of love and peace. There’s no doubting that. But his life, message, and mission involved so much more.
In the words of Blaise Pascal: “Jesus is the center of all, the object of all, whoever does not know him, knows nothing aright, either of the world or of himself.”
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…In him was life, and the life was the light of people…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world...to all who receive him, who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
Those who dwell in darkness may reject the truth and beauty of these words. But that doesn’t change the reality of who Jesus is, or what he came to accomplish. We don’t live in a nice world that is getting nicer. Thick darkness covers us. We’re sinful and wretched and must be reborn of God. And there’s only one hope for that rebirth: Jesus, the Word of God and Light of the world! Jesus has come to dwell among us and bring us the salvation we need. And to all who receive Jesus in faith, God gives them the right to be called his children. That’s the message of Christmas.
December 9, 2010
December 1, 2010
A Word of Hope During Advent
A word from Scripture...
"Isaiah says, 'The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.' May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the poser of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
- Romans 15.12-13
And a word from Emily Dickinson...
Hope Is the Thing With Feathers
Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
"Isaiah says, 'The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.' May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the poser of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
- Romans 15.12-13
And a word from Emily Dickinson...
Hope Is the Thing With Feathers
Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
November 27, 2010
1st Sunday of Advent
This Sunday (Nov 28) is the first Sunday of Advent. The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Western (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches) Christian year. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.
From the Latin adventus, Advent means “coming” or “arrival."
Throughout history this season has been observed as a fast, with its purpose focused on preparation for the coming Christ. During Advent, Christians all over the world prepare themselves to receive the newborn in a lowly manger, to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
In this time, Christians also look forward to Jesus’ coming again and the establishment of God’s new creation.
Throughout Advent, Christians humbly confess their sin, seek God’s forgiveness, and joyfully look to Christ’s indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit. We wait and hope for Christ’s light to break through the darkness of our world. We wait and hope for the revelation of Christ with us, Christ among us.
But we are also called to do much more than simply wait and hope. God calls us to action. Throughout the season of Advent (and beyond), we are called to be Christ's light for salvation to the nations. We are led by God’s Spirit to enact God’s peace and justice in the world, as we put on the armor of light and seek to love. Who knows where this will lead us, or what trials will be encountered on the way. Anything can happen. But our call is remains the same: follow Christ, no matter what the cost.
As we embark on the Advent journey once again this year, consider these words from Romans 13:
Owe no one anything, except to love one another…Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day…clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
From the Latin adventus, Advent means “coming” or “arrival."
Throughout history this season has been observed as a fast, with its purpose focused on preparation for the coming Christ. During Advent, Christians all over the world prepare themselves to receive the newborn in a lowly manger, to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
In this time, Christians also look forward to Jesus’ coming again and the establishment of God’s new creation.
Throughout Advent, Christians humbly confess their sin, seek God’s forgiveness, and joyfully look to Christ’s indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit. We wait and hope for Christ’s light to break through the darkness of our world. We wait and hope for the revelation of Christ with us, Christ among us.
But we are also called to do much more than simply wait and hope. God calls us to action. Throughout the season of Advent (and beyond), we are called to be Christ's light for salvation to the nations. We are led by God’s Spirit to enact God’s peace and justice in the world, as we put on the armor of light and seek to love. Who knows where this will lead us, or what trials will be encountered on the way. Anything can happen. But our call is remains the same: follow Christ, no matter what the cost.
As we embark on the Advent journey once again this year, consider these words from Romans 13:
Owe no one anything, except to love one another…Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day…clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
November 12, 2010
A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships;
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people;
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war;
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world;
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done:
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships;
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people;
so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war;
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world;
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done:
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen
October 14, 2010
August 27, 2010
Where is the Church at Today?
To answer this question, we have to start at the beginning. 2000 years ago Jesus’ followers (people of “the Way”) made up a diverse, dynamic, persecuted, mission-oriented movement. These people of “the Way” were wounded healers, commissioned by God’s Spirit to bring new life wherever they went. Having received the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, they became Christ’s “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1.8). The entire book of Acts tells the story of the early churches quest to established small, localized Spirit-filled communities across the Roman Empire.
But it didn’t take long for the winds of change to sweep over the church. In about 300 years Jesus’ missionary church traveled from the dusty plains of Palestine to the royal quarts of the Roman Emperor, Constantine.
In a surprising twist of fate, almost in the blink of an eye, the church went from a dynamic, persecuted, mission-oriented movement to the state sponsored religion of the Roman Empire. Small, subversive enclaves gave way to state sponsored Cathedrals, elaborate liturgies, dense theologies, and massive, informal gatherings. Is this where it was meant to go? I guess on this side of heaven we’ll never truly know. But I have my doubts.
By the eleventh century the Church essentially controlled Western culture. And by the Middle Ages, the connection of church-and-state forged into an institutional interdependence between the pope and the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. This Church-state partnership changed forever the social behaviors and religious practices of Europe. Many individuals and social structures were influenced and/or directed by the cultural force of Christendom. Members of society were assumed to be Christian via birth, baptism, confirmation, and participation in the Eucharist. And in some circles, the king or queen actually became the head of the church. This was the era of Christendom in Western civilization.
The cultural force of Christendom carried on through the Protestant Reformation and up to the period of the Enlightenment, at which point the winds of change started to blow again; this time, in a very different direction.
For the last 250 years the cultural force of Christendom has been in serious decline. The Church institution has lost much of its influence to shape society and cultural. And now, we live in what some people call a post-Christendom culture.
Yet, interestingly, much of the Western Church still envisions itself and its mission in terms of Christendom. In many respects, our institutions continue to act as though little has changed in 500 years. We still perceive ourselves as central to society and the surrounding culture. And we continue to follow an attractional, extractional model of Church that developed hundred’s of years ago. Assuming that people will flock to our sacred spaces, we still follow a “come-to-us” approach to outreach. And buildings remain central to our notion and experience of church.
Now please understand me, I’m not trying to put forward a simplistic anti-structure, anti-tradition, or anti-building sentiment. That would be far too easy. What I’m saying is that the Christendom model of Church is, in many respects, out of touch with where people are at today. For example, how can the Christendom model ever speak to the following people…
I was at a local coffee shop recently and there was a guy and girl who looked to be about 30, chatting it up right across from me. They were speaking loudly and it appeared they didn’t care if people could hear them. So, I decided to listen along while working on my computer!
As the guy reflected on his weekend he said “I was up with 8 of my buddies until 6:30 am on Saturday night [actually Sunday morning!], pouring drinks and watching the sun come up. It was awesome! But Sunday was pretty much a write off. I woke up at about 4 or 5 pm, and then a bunch of us went to a local pub to watch the team Canada hockey game” (this was during the 2010 Olympics).” He then joyfully commented, “The guys who own the pub are our age, which is really cool. They have pretty good food and they throw us some free beer’s all the time.” The guy’s phone then rings with a ring tone declaring: “Man on the run!”…he answers…“Hi, mom, how’s it going?” I could hardly contain my laughter!
The only “religion” language in their conversation was “I’m not a religious coffee drinker.” And quite apart from religion proper, they seemed to be very fond of the “late Saturday night” partying culture they’re immersed in. At the same time, they voiced their concern for issues related to social justice and they expressed their distain for our culture of gossip. Along with this I sensed in them a deep longing for community and solidarity.
So the question is: “How can the attractional, Christendom model of Church interact with such people? The problem is, it can’t when its main posture is to hope that people will “come to their senses” and “come to Church.” That’s not happening. I know it wasn’t happening for me during the first 18 years of my life; at least not until God met me in my social and work situation through a friend of mine. I didn’t know what the Church was and I didn’t care, at least not until one of God’s people met me in my world. And that gives me hope. But that hope is only realized when we live up to our God-given responsibility to connect with people where they’re at and to develop relationships of trust, in which the gospel can be heard.
If, however, we think most young people or young adults are going to walk off the street and into our Church buildings, we’re deceiving ourselves. We need new ways, new modes, new methods of being church in this post-Christendom culture. Figuring out how to get people to worship on Sunday is not the goal.
God is calling us to meet people in their space, to earn trust, to live holy lives, and to show people the new life that’s found in Jesus Christ. You might say God is calling us “to introduce Christianity into Christendom” (Soren Kierkegaard).
But it didn’t take long for the winds of change to sweep over the church. In about 300 years Jesus’ missionary church traveled from the dusty plains of Palestine to the royal quarts of the Roman Emperor, Constantine.
In a surprising twist of fate, almost in the blink of an eye, the church went from a dynamic, persecuted, mission-oriented movement to the state sponsored religion of the Roman Empire. Small, subversive enclaves gave way to state sponsored Cathedrals, elaborate liturgies, dense theologies, and massive, informal gatherings. Is this where it was meant to go? I guess on this side of heaven we’ll never truly know. But I have my doubts.
By the eleventh century the Church essentially controlled Western culture. And by the Middle Ages, the connection of church-and-state forged into an institutional interdependence between the pope and the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. This Church-state partnership changed forever the social behaviors and religious practices of Europe. Many individuals and social structures were influenced and/or directed by the cultural force of Christendom. Members of society were assumed to be Christian via birth, baptism, confirmation, and participation in the Eucharist. And in some circles, the king or queen actually became the head of the church. This was the era of Christendom in Western civilization.
The cultural force of Christendom carried on through the Protestant Reformation and up to the period of the Enlightenment, at which point the winds of change started to blow again; this time, in a very different direction.
For the last 250 years the cultural force of Christendom has been in serious decline. The Church institution has lost much of its influence to shape society and cultural. And now, we live in what some people call a post-Christendom culture.
Yet, interestingly, much of the Western Church still envisions itself and its mission in terms of Christendom. In many respects, our institutions continue to act as though little has changed in 500 years. We still perceive ourselves as central to society and the surrounding culture. And we continue to follow an attractional, extractional model of Church that developed hundred’s of years ago. Assuming that people will flock to our sacred spaces, we still follow a “come-to-us” approach to outreach. And buildings remain central to our notion and experience of church.
Now please understand me, I’m not trying to put forward a simplistic anti-structure, anti-tradition, or anti-building sentiment. That would be far too easy. What I’m saying is that the Christendom model of Church is, in many respects, out of touch with where people are at today. For example, how can the Christendom model ever speak to the following people…
I was at a local coffee shop recently and there was a guy and girl who looked to be about 30, chatting it up right across from me. They were speaking loudly and it appeared they didn’t care if people could hear them. So, I decided to listen along while working on my computer!
As the guy reflected on his weekend he said “I was up with 8 of my buddies until 6:30 am on Saturday night [actually Sunday morning!], pouring drinks and watching the sun come up. It was awesome! But Sunday was pretty much a write off. I woke up at about 4 or 5 pm, and then a bunch of us went to a local pub to watch the team Canada hockey game” (this was during the 2010 Olympics).” He then joyfully commented, “The guys who own the pub are our age, which is really cool. They have pretty good food and they throw us some free beer’s all the time.” The guy’s phone then rings with a ring tone declaring: “Man on the run!”…he answers…“Hi, mom, how’s it going?” I could hardly contain my laughter!
The only “religion” language in their conversation was “I’m not a religious coffee drinker.” And quite apart from religion proper, they seemed to be very fond of the “late Saturday night” partying culture they’re immersed in. At the same time, they voiced their concern for issues related to social justice and they expressed their distain for our culture of gossip. Along with this I sensed in them a deep longing for community and solidarity.
So the question is: “How can the attractional, Christendom model of Church interact with such people? The problem is, it can’t when its main posture is to hope that people will “come to their senses” and “come to Church.” That’s not happening. I know it wasn’t happening for me during the first 18 years of my life; at least not until God met me in my social and work situation through a friend of mine. I didn’t know what the Church was and I didn’t care, at least not until one of God’s people met me in my world. And that gives me hope. But that hope is only realized when we live up to our God-given responsibility to connect with people where they’re at and to develop relationships of trust, in which the gospel can be heard.
If, however, we think most young people or young adults are going to walk off the street and into our Church buildings, we’re deceiving ourselves. We need new ways, new modes, new methods of being church in this post-Christendom culture. Figuring out how to get people to worship on Sunday is not the goal.
God is calling us to meet people in their space, to earn trust, to live holy lives, and to show people the new life that’s found in Jesus Christ. You might say God is calling us “to introduce Christianity into Christendom” (Soren Kierkegaard).
July 4, 2010
ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10, the Toronto G20, and the Protests in Toronto on June 26-27, 2010
Please, only read this post if you're willing to read it in its entirety. And I encourage you to read and/or watch the links throughout this paper (about 45 minutes). If you do not, it will be more challenging to understand my arguments and conclusions.
I am a person of peace and I am a follower of the Prince of Peace. I do not support violent acts or acts of vandalism. So let it be heard loud and clear that this reflection is NOT written in support of any violent acts committed on the streets of Toronto on June 26, 2010. People who burn police cars and vandalize people’s businesses should be stopped, arrested, and lawfully prosecuted. You heard that, right? OK. I also support appropriate and just policing. But I will not stand for the abuse of power and police brutality, for this stands in direct opposition to the Creator’s good intention for his creation.
That said, in this paper I will be reflecting on and critiquing three things: 1) the unpublished and unannounced passing of ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act for the Toronto G20; 2) the abuse of power and police brutality on the streets of Toronto on June 26-27, 2010; and 3) the detached, judgmental, and sometimes antagonistic perspective of some Canadians about what happened on the streets of Toronto on June 26-27, 2010.
I’ve read some people’s comments in the newspaper and on the Internet stating that anyone who went near Toronto’s downtown core on the weekend is an “idiot” or just plain “stupid.” They were looking for trouble and they found it, people seem to think. Some people are also saying that police/law enforcement officers were unquestionably in the right with all of their actions and uses of force, and that most of the protesters were in the wrong and deserved to get arrested. “Stay home and take a pill” is the kind of sentiment that some Canadians publicly communicated to concerned citizens and faithful protesters. This is also the tone of misinformed facebook comments/judgments I’ve read and radio talk shows I’ve heard. Such people ought to rethink the judgments they make (from a safe distance!) about other people and events that they themselves have no firsthand knowledge of.
I myself was not present in downtown Toronto last weekend, as I live in Halifax. But if I were in Toronto last week, I would have been marching in a lawful, peaceful protest. I do, however know a good friend, someone who is like family to me, who was a peaceful protester in downtown Toronto on Saturday. I trust my friend’s testimony completely. This person was mistreated and dehumanized by police and she was unlawfully thrown in jail for no reason. The personal story/testimony of my friend is the main reason why I am speaking publicly about the events that took place in Toronto on June 26-27, 2010. Through this paper, I stand in solidarity with my friend and with many other innocent people who were dehumanized and unlawfully arrested.
“The Ontario Public Works Protection Act”
The Ontario Public Works Protection Act was established in 1939 to protect courthouses, police stations, and public utilities, and to prevent the assassination of public figures. This Protection Act allows “guards” (ie. police officers/peace officers) the authority to define what “public property” is. A “public work includes any provincial and any municipal public building, and any other building, place or work designated a public work by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.” Basically, a public work can be any amount of space and it can’t be opposed in court. Under this Act, all “guards” are “in charge of the protecting of the public work.”
Powers of guard or peace officer:
A guard or peace officer,
(a) may require any person entering or attempting to enter any public work or any approach thereto to furnish his or her name and address, to identify himself or herself and to state the purpose for which he or she desires to enter the public work, in writing or otherwise;
(b) may search, without warrant, any person entering or attempting to enter a public work or a vehicle in the charge or under the control of any such person or which has recently been or is suspected of having been in the charge or under the control of any such person or in which any such person is a passenger; and
(c) may refuse permission to any person to enter a public work and use such force as is necessary to prevent any such person from so entering.
Arrest:
A guard or peace officer may arrest, without warrant, any person who neglects or refuses to comply with a request or direction of a guard or peace officer, or who is found upon or attempting to enter a public work without lawful authority.
Why am I saying all of this, you may ask?
Reason: A few weeks before the Toronto G20, the Toronto Chief of Police asked the Ontario Cabinet to pass ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10, which was made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act for the Toronto G20.
This unpublished and unannounced regulation was quietly passed on June 2. This unprecedented regulation (that empowered police to arrest anyone near the G20 “security zone” who refuses to identify themselves or agree to a police search) kicked in on June 18 and expired on June 28. In a June 25, 2010 column in the Toronto Star, Jennifer Yang notes: “While the new regulation appeared without notice on the province’s e-Laws online database last week, it won’t be officially published in The Ontario Gazette until July 3 — one week after the regulation expires.”
The Ontario Cabinet did NOT publicly disclose its intent to pass ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10, which should have been published for public comment before it passed. This was a very undemocratic decision on the part of the Ontario Cabinet.
PLEASE watch this IMPORTANT interview with Paul Cavalluzzo, which details some implications of passing ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Act: Jay interviews Cavalluzzo
In an interview with The Real News, Toronto Mayor David Miller says, “the one thing that should have been handled differently is that these regulations, like any normal regulation, should have been published for public comment. People can make all the comments they are making now, ahead of time. That’s the way regulations are supposed to be done in this country. That’s what democracy is all about. They should be posted, people can comment on them and their appropriateness for or against…The Ontario Cabinet chose to do this, and I think what should be challenged there is the fact the Ontario Cabinet should have made sure it was done publicly. The Premier should have done that and they should have made sure that, as it has to do with most regulations, that people have the opportunity to comment before it gets passed. That’s the flaw.”
What the mayor says here is true, to a certain extent. The regulation being "published for public comment" is not the one and only thing that should have been "handled differently." There is so much more to this situation.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is saying that it was “unconstitutional” for the police to use this legislation to broaden their powers to search and demand identification from any citizen far beyond the allotted “five meters” of the G20 security fence.
More specifically, one could argue that the legislation and regulation in question violate sections 7-10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and are not defensible as reasonable limits on those rights per section 1 of the Charter. A lawyer friend recently said to me, "I can't help but wonder whether the authorities were indifferent to that possibility, calculating cynically that the violation could be declared by a court only well after the protests had been suppressed. The possibility that this is the case is deeply disturbing."
ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 was used to “guard” the G20 and it was applied to the “security fence.” But law enforcement could extend the “security fence” WITHOUT ANYONE HAVING APPROPRIATE NOTIFICATION AHEAD OF TIME. If anyone resisted identifying themselves, or agreeing to a police search, police could use excessive force with them! No questions asked! So, for thousands of uninformed citizen on the streets of Toronto, this excessive use of police force was impossible to understand. The result of which was an unnecessary escalation of conflict and violence, which, in turn, unnecessarily put the general public at risk.
Paul Jay, of The Real News, says this legislation essentially established “martial law in the area around the G20, suspending probable cause, and giving rights of search and seizure to all law enforcement officers.” Police (who were dressed in riot gear) gave uninformed people a few seconds to get out of free speech zones, and when people did not move, the police deemed their assembly to be illegal, and police moved in on people with a severe amount of force. Again, my good friend has given me eyewitness testimony of this police activity.
Two obvious problems are on the table at this point: 1) Why was ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 passed by the Ontario Cabinet, and how did this happen without it being published for public comment, or without anyone raising the question of it violating sections 7-10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? 2) Because of the first problem, the people who gathered for lawful protest during the Toronto G20 did not know what was going on BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT PROPERLY INFORMED. And they were therefore unnecessarily put in danger’s way when police began to forcefully remove them from designated areas of protest. The result is that police indiscriminately arrested upwards of 900 people!
All Canadians must be informed of drastic alterations to the law and unprecedented authority being granted to law enforcement BEFORE our normal laws are suspended and new laws are put in place by the authorities. But Canadian citizens were NOT informed and we were NOT allowed to comment on or debate the validity of ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act.
All of this left many peaceful protesters in a very vulnerable situation in downtown Toronto on the weekend of June 26-27, 2010. The people who were LAWFULLY AND PEACEFULLY protesting in Queen’s Park (and elsewhere) had no idea that the police could, at any moment, aggressively box them in and arrest them for not moving or for refusing to identify themselves. Thousands of people were confused and disoriented because of this, and they were needlessly put in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation.
This entire scenario is nothing less than a cruel, manipulative violation and subversion of the civil liberties of Canadian citizens. It resulted in NO freedom of speech and NO right to assemble for many people. (I will further substantiate this claim in the next section of this paper.) Even for many journalists, the message from law enforcement was: You can stay in this area, but if you do, you will be arrested! Do we not realize the implications of such a message from so-called law enforcement? At a public event such as this one, we need journalists to be on sight and reporting the news.
The Events of June 26, 2010
On Saturday, June 26, a good friend of mine walked in lawful and peaceful protests, chanting peace slogans along the way. But when she ended up in the Queen and Spadina area, she witnessed a very disturbing chain of events. She saw angry people burning a police car and vandalizing storefronts. My friend told me that over 100 police officers dressed in riot gear stood by and did nothing to prevent this from happening, nor did they do anything to prevent the situation from escalating. From my friend’s perspective, the police stood by and allowed around 100 people to perform disturbing acts of vandalism on Queen Street.
It is reported that these vandals were then allowed to walk away and damage more public property on their way back to Queen’s Park, without police presence or interference. At Queen’s Park, the vandals then freely removed their black clothing and reintegrate into the masses of peaceful protesters.
Please watch this video by photojournalist Joe Wenkoff that documents this chain of events: Joe Wenkoff
This was a very curious, suspicious, and disturbing “non-action” on the part of police, who, it seems, could have done a lot to keep the pubic safe and to prevent major damage being done in the city. It is hard to believe the police could do nothing when people torched police cars and smashed windows on three of Toronto’s busiest streets (Queen, Younge, and Bay). I guess 1 billion dollars of federal spending for security at the G8 and G20 was not enough to prevent this from happening!
When my friend was back at Queen’s Park in the designated protest area later in the afternoon on Saturday, she experienced something she will never forget. She witnessed outright police brutality, when police began to march through Queen’s Park. Police kicked innocent and unarmed people in the face, pepper sprayed people, beat men and women on the shins and hands with police batons, and pushed 50-60 year old women. While people were gathered in a designated protest zone, they were completely taken off guard by this brutal show of police force.
Police also strategically boxed in many peaceful protesters with little or no warning and gave them no instructions as to how they could avoid getting hemmed in. According to my friend, the police totally ignored her when she asked what to do, or how to escape the blockade.
Police also jumped and arrested individuals as the police line moved through Queens Park. To be fair, some of the people who were jumped and arrested were probably vandals who reintegrated into the larger crowds. But the question still remains: Why didn’t the police move in and make these arrests when the vandals were dressed in black and were committing crimes in plain sight?
My friend is NOT an idiot because she was in downtown Toronto to witness these events. She is a concerned, responsible Canadian citizen and a peace-loving Christian. She was simply exercising her democratic right to free speech on Saturday, while she marched in lawful protests and while she spent time in designated protest areas.
YET, she and about 30 other people who were walking down a sidewalk late in the afternoon on Saturday, were chased down by police on bikes, then cornered by police on foot, and unlawfully arrested. These people did not provoke the police, yet they were falsely accused, humiliated, openly searched, and unnecessarily arrested by police. My friend did nothing to provoke the authorities. Nor did she deserve to be arrested.
The only justification given by the police officer in charge was that these people looked to him “like they had not worked a day in their lives.” Therefore, they “deserved to spend a night in jail.” This so-called “Toronto G20 Detention Centre” was made up of dozens of small cages, like the ones we store animals in. See: G20 Detention Centre
My friend was stuffed like a sardine (along with 25-30 other people, which was over the 10-20 person limit) into a “cage.” People could hardly move. In her cage, my friend remained in handcuffs and was not allowed to be uncuffed so she could use the door-less bathroom. In fact, women had to help wipe each other’s behinds while on the toilet because they were handcuffed.
Furthermore, my friend was unlawfully DENIED HER RIGHT TO COUNCIL. She was unlawfully denied her right to speak to a lawyer and her right to make a phone call. Even hardened criminals are not denied those rights in Canada. To top it off, all the people in her “cage” were DENIED ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER FOR 6 HOURS, water they were begging for.
When my friend was released on Sunday, it took police 5 minutes to complete her paper work and she was not charged because THERE WAS NO CHARGE AGAINST HER! She was simply perceived by police as a dirty protester. The authorities shut her up. And the authorities' aggressive and undemocratic message to her (and to thousands of others) was simple: Get the hell out of Toronto because you are not welcome here!
Most everything I have just shared about my friend’s story has DEHUMANIZATION AND INJUSTICE written all over it. This makes me sick to my stomach, and at this point, it makes me feel ashamed to be Canadian!
So, for those Canadians who are writing ignorant or destructive comments on the Internet, who are talking smack over the airwaves, and who are blindly supporting gross abuses of authority and police brutality, my message for you is simple:
Wake up! Don’t be numb and apathetic. Open your eyes to see injustice and clean out your ears so you can hear about injustice when it’s right in front of you. Seek the truth honestly and follow the right path no matter where it leads you.
It deeply concerns me when Canadian citizens are willing to condemn thousands of peaceful protesters, who gather outside the G20 to exercise their democratic right to speak in peaceful protest about a variety of issues. When people (including women and journalists) are BEAT UP, MISTREATED, AND ARRESTED BY POLICE, how can people uncritically defend those same police officers and the officials in charge of them?
But if you still think there was no abuse of authority, or police brutality in Toronto on June 26-27, please, I’m begging you, converse with people who were in Toronto and experienced it for themselves! Please, take time to do that!
If that is impossible, you can watch lots of video and eyewitness accounts that will reveal what you need to know. For example:
Steve Paikin, veteran Canadian journalist, talks about peaceful protesting on Saturday, a police attack against peaceful protest, and describes the arrest and beating of a Guardian newspaper journalist: Steve Paikin
Journalist, Jesse Freeston is interviewed on CTV: Freeston
Scott Harris, Council of Canadians, on Canada AM: Harris
Cassandra J., witness and subject of police action: Cassandra
Geoffrey B., witness and subject of police action: Geoffrey
Adam B., witness and subject of police action: Adam
Clarence B., witness and subject of police action: Clarence
Public Inquiry on the Toronto G20
For a commentary on growing demands for a public inquiry on the Toronto G20, go to: The Council for Canadians
I invite any rebuttals, comments, or corrections to what I have written in this paper. I hope and pray the conversation will move forward in a ruthlessly honest, yet loving and compassionate manner.
In hope for a more just Canada,
Brad Close
I am a person of peace and I am a follower of the Prince of Peace. I do not support violent acts or acts of vandalism. So let it be heard loud and clear that this reflection is NOT written in support of any violent acts committed on the streets of Toronto on June 26, 2010. People who burn police cars and vandalize people’s businesses should be stopped, arrested, and lawfully prosecuted. You heard that, right? OK. I also support appropriate and just policing. But I will not stand for the abuse of power and police brutality, for this stands in direct opposition to the Creator’s good intention for his creation.
That said, in this paper I will be reflecting on and critiquing three things: 1) the unpublished and unannounced passing of ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act for the Toronto G20; 2) the abuse of power and police brutality on the streets of Toronto on June 26-27, 2010; and 3) the detached, judgmental, and sometimes antagonistic perspective of some Canadians about what happened on the streets of Toronto on June 26-27, 2010.
I’ve read some people’s comments in the newspaper and on the Internet stating that anyone who went near Toronto’s downtown core on the weekend is an “idiot” or just plain “stupid.” They were looking for trouble and they found it, people seem to think. Some people are also saying that police/law enforcement officers were unquestionably in the right with all of their actions and uses of force, and that most of the protesters were in the wrong and deserved to get arrested. “Stay home and take a pill” is the kind of sentiment that some Canadians publicly communicated to concerned citizens and faithful protesters. This is also the tone of misinformed facebook comments/judgments I’ve read and radio talk shows I’ve heard. Such people ought to rethink the judgments they make (from a safe distance!) about other people and events that they themselves have no firsthand knowledge of.
I myself was not present in downtown Toronto last weekend, as I live in Halifax. But if I were in Toronto last week, I would have been marching in a lawful, peaceful protest. I do, however know a good friend, someone who is like family to me, who was a peaceful protester in downtown Toronto on Saturday. I trust my friend’s testimony completely. This person was mistreated and dehumanized by police and she was unlawfully thrown in jail for no reason. The personal story/testimony of my friend is the main reason why I am speaking publicly about the events that took place in Toronto on June 26-27, 2010. Through this paper, I stand in solidarity with my friend and with many other innocent people who were dehumanized and unlawfully arrested.
“The Ontario Public Works Protection Act”
The Ontario Public Works Protection Act was established in 1939 to protect courthouses, police stations, and public utilities, and to prevent the assassination of public figures. This Protection Act allows “guards” (ie. police officers/peace officers) the authority to define what “public property” is. A “public work includes any provincial and any municipal public building, and any other building, place or work designated a public work by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.” Basically, a public work can be any amount of space and it can’t be opposed in court. Under this Act, all “guards” are “in charge of the protecting of the public work.”
Powers of guard or peace officer:
A guard or peace officer,
(a) may require any person entering or attempting to enter any public work or any approach thereto to furnish his or her name and address, to identify himself or herself and to state the purpose for which he or she desires to enter the public work, in writing or otherwise;
(b) may search, without warrant, any person entering or attempting to enter a public work or a vehicle in the charge or under the control of any such person or which has recently been or is suspected of having been in the charge or under the control of any such person or in which any such person is a passenger; and
(c) may refuse permission to any person to enter a public work and use such force as is necessary to prevent any such person from so entering.
Arrest:
A guard or peace officer may arrest, without warrant, any person who neglects or refuses to comply with a request or direction of a guard or peace officer, or who is found upon or attempting to enter a public work without lawful authority.
Why am I saying all of this, you may ask?
Reason: A few weeks before the Toronto G20, the Toronto Chief of Police asked the Ontario Cabinet to pass ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10, which was made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act for the Toronto G20.
This unpublished and unannounced regulation was quietly passed on June 2. This unprecedented regulation (that empowered police to arrest anyone near the G20 “security zone” who refuses to identify themselves or agree to a police search) kicked in on June 18 and expired on June 28. In a June 25, 2010 column in the Toronto Star, Jennifer Yang notes: “While the new regulation appeared without notice on the province’s e-Laws online database last week, it won’t be officially published in The Ontario Gazette until July 3 — one week after the regulation expires.”
The Ontario Cabinet did NOT publicly disclose its intent to pass ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10, which should have been published for public comment before it passed. This was a very undemocratic decision on the part of the Ontario Cabinet.
PLEASE watch this IMPORTANT interview with Paul Cavalluzzo, which details some implications of passing ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Act: Jay interviews Cavalluzzo
In an interview with The Real News, Toronto Mayor David Miller says, “the one thing that should have been handled differently is that these regulations, like any normal regulation, should have been published for public comment. People can make all the comments they are making now, ahead of time. That’s the way regulations are supposed to be done in this country. That’s what democracy is all about. They should be posted, people can comment on them and their appropriateness for or against…The Ontario Cabinet chose to do this, and I think what should be challenged there is the fact the Ontario Cabinet should have made sure it was done publicly. The Premier should have done that and they should have made sure that, as it has to do with most regulations, that people have the opportunity to comment before it gets passed. That’s the flaw.”
What the mayor says here is true, to a certain extent. The regulation being "published for public comment" is not the one and only thing that should have been "handled differently." There is so much more to this situation.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is saying that it was “unconstitutional” for the police to use this legislation to broaden their powers to search and demand identification from any citizen far beyond the allotted “five meters” of the G20 security fence.
More specifically, one could argue that the legislation and regulation in question violate sections 7-10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and are not defensible as reasonable limits on those rights per section 1 of the Charter. A lawyer friend recently said to me, "I can't help but wonder whether the authorities were indifferent to that possibility, calculating cynically that the violation could be declared by a court only well after the protests had been suppressed. The possibility that this is the case is deeply disturbing."
ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 was used to “guard” the G20 and it was applied to the “security fence.” But law enforcement could extend the “security fence” WITHOUT ANYONE HAVING APPROPRIATE NOTIFICATION AHEAD OF TIME. If anyone resisted identifying themselves, or agreeing to a police search, police could use excessive force with them! No questions asked! So, for thousands of uninformed citizen on the streets of Toronto, this excessive use of police force was impossible to understand. The result of which was an unnecessary escalation of conflict and violence, which, in turn, unnecessarily put the general public at risk.
Paul Jay, of The Real News, says this legislation essentially established “martial law in the area around the G20, suspending probable cause, and giving rights of search and seizure to all law enforcement officers.” Police (who were dressed in riot gear) gave uninformed people a few seconds to get out of free speech zones, and when people did not move, the police deemed their assembly to be illegal, and police moved in on people with a severe amount of force. Again, my good friend has given me eyewitness testimony of this police activity.
Two obvious problems are on the table at this point: 1) Why was ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 passed by the Ontario Cabinet, and how did this happen without it being published for public comment, or without anyone raising the question of it violating sections 7-10 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? 2) Because of the first problem, the people who gathered for lawful protest during the Toronto G20 did not know what was going on BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT PROPERLY INFORMED. And they were therefore unnecessarily put in danger’s way when police began to forcefully remove them from designated areas of protest. The result is that police indiscriminately arrested upwards of 900 people!
All Canadians must be informed of drastic alterations to the law and unprecedented authority being granted to law enforcement BEFORE our normal laws are suspended and new laws are put in place by the authorities. But Canadian citizens were NOT informed and we were NOT allowed to comment on or debate the validity of ONTARIO REGULATION 233/10 made under The Ontario Public Works Protection Act.
All of this left many peaceful protesters in a very vulnerable situation in downtown Toronto on the weekend of June 26-27, 2010. The people who were LAWFULLY AND PEACEFULLY protesting in Queen’s Park (and elsewhere) had no idea that the police could, at any moment, aggressively box them in and arrest them for not moving or for refusing to identify themselves. Thousands of people were confused and disoriented because of this, and they were needlessly put in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation.
This entire scenario is nothing less than a cruel, manipulative violation and subversion of the civil liberties of Canadian citizens. It resulted in NO freedom of speech and NO right to assemble for many people. (I will further substantiate this claim in the next section of this paper.) Even for many journalists, the message from law enforcement was: You can stay in this area, but if you do, you will be arrested! Do we not realize the implications of such a message from so-called law enforcement? At a public event such as this one, we need journalists to be on sight and reporting the news.
The Events of June 26, 2010
On Saturday, June 26, a good friend of mine walked in lawful and peaceful protests, chanting peace slogans along the way. But when she ended up in the Queen and Spadina area, she witnessed a very disturbing chain of events. She saw angry people burning a police car and vandalizing storefronts. My friend told me that over 100 police officers dressed in riot gear stood by and did nothing to prevent this from happening, nor did they do anything to prevent the situation from escalating. From my friend’s perspective, the police stood by and allowed around 100 people to perform disturbing acts of vandalism on Queen Street.
It is reported that these vandals were then allowed to walk away and damage more public property on their way back to Queen’s Park, without police presence or interference. At Queen’s Park, the vandals then freely removed their black clothing and reintegrate into the masses of peaceful protesters.
Please watch this video by photojournalist Joe Wenkoff that documents this chain of events: Joe Wenkoff
This was a very curious, suspicious, and disturbing “non-action” on the part of police, who, it seems, could have done a lot to keep the pubic safe and to prevent major damage being done in the city. It is hard to believe the police could do nothing when people torched police cars and smashed windows on three of Toronto’s busiest streets (Queen, Younge, and Bay). I guess 1 billion dollars of federal spending for security at the G8 and G20 was not enough to prevent this from happening!
When my friend was back at Queen’s Park in the designated protest area later in the afternoon on Saturday, she experienced something she will never forget. She witnessed outright police brutality, when police began to march through Queen’s Park. Police kicked innocent and unarmed people in the face, pepper sprayed people, beat men and women on the shins and hands with police batons, and pushed 50-60 year old women. While people were gathered in a designated protest zone, they were completely taken off guard by this brutal show of police force.
Police also strategically boxed in many peaceful protesters with little or no warning and gave them no instructions as to how they could avoid getting hemmed in. According to my friend, the police totally ignored her when she asked what to do, or how to escape the blockade.
Police also jumped and arrested individuals as the police line moved through Queens Park. To be fair, some of the people who were jumped and arrested were probably vandals who reintegrated into the larger crowds. But the question still remains: Why didn’t the police move in and make these arrests when the vandals were dressed in black and were committing crimes in plain sight?
My friend is NOT an idiot because she was in downtown Toronto to witness these events. She is a concerned, responsible Canadian citizen and a peace-loving Christian. She was simply exercising her democratic right to free speech on Saturday, while she marched in lawful protests and while she spent time in designated protest areas.
YET, she and about 30 other people who were walking down a sidewalk late in the afternoon on Saturday, were chased down by police on bikes, then cornered by police on foot, and unlawfully arrested. These people did not provoke the police, yet they were falsely accused, humiliated, openly searched, and unnecessarily arrested by police. My friend did nothing to provoke the authorities. Nor did she deserve to be arrested.
The only justification given by the police officer in charge was that these people looked to him “like they had not worked a day in their lives.” Therefore, they “deserved to spend a night in jail.” This so-called “Toronto G20 Detention Centre” was made up of dozens of small cages, like the ones we store animals in. See: G20 Detention Centre
My friend was stuffed like a sardine (along with 25-30 other people, which was over the 10-20 person limit) into a “cage.” People could hardly move. In her cage, my friend remained in handcuffs and was not allowed to be uncuffed so she could use the door-less bathroom. In fact, women had to help wipe each other’s behinds while on the toilet because they were handcuffed.
Furthermore, my friend was unlawfully DENIED HER RIGHT TO COUNCIL. She was unlawfully denied her right to speak to a lawyer and her right to make a phone call. Even hardened criminals are not denied those rights in Canada. To top it off, all the people in her “cage” were DENIED ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER FOR 6 HOURS, water they were begging for.
When my friend was released on Sunday, it took police 5 minutes to complete her paper work and she was not charged because THERE WAS NO CHARGE AGAINST HER! She was simply perceived by police as a dirty protester. The authorities shut her up. And the authorities' aggressive and undemocratic message to her (and to thousands of others) was simple: Get the hell out of Toronto because you are not welcome here!
Most everything I have just shared about my friend’s story has DEHUMANIZATION AND INJUSTICE written all over it. This makes me sick to my stomach, and at this point, it makes me feel ashamed to be Canadian!
So, for those Canadians who are writing ignorant or destructive comments on the Internet, who are talking smack over the airwaves, and who are blindly supporting gross abuses of authority and police brutality, my message for you is simple:
Wake up! Don’t be numb and apathetic. Open your eyes to see injustice and clean out your ears so you can hear about injustice when it’s right in front of you. Seek the truth honestly and follow the right path no matter where it leads you.
It deeply concerns me when Canadian citizens are willing to condemn thousands of peaceful protesters, who gather outside the G20 to exercise their democratic right to speak in peaceful protest about a variety of issues. When people (including women and journalists) are BEAT UP, MISTREATED, AND ARRESTED BY POLICE, how can people uncritically defend those same police officers and the officials in charge of them?
But if you still think there was no abuse of authority, or police brutality in Toronto on June 26-27, please, I’m begging you, converse with people who were in Toronto and experienced it for themselves! Please, take time to do that!
If that is impossible, you can watch lots of video and eyewitness accounts that will reveal what you need to know. For example:
Steve Paikin, veteran Canadian journalist, talks about peaceful protesting on Saturday, a police attack against peaceful protest, and describes the arrest and beating of a Guardian newspaper journalist: Steve Paikin
Journalist, Jesse Freeston is interviewed on CTV: Freeston
Scott Harris, Council of Canadians, on Canada AM: Harris
Cassandra J., witness and subject of police action: Cassandra
Geoffrey B., witness and subject of police action: Geoffrey
Adam B., witness and subject of police action: Adam
Clarence B., witness and subject of police action: Clarence
Public Inquiry on the Toronto G20
For a commentary on growing demands for a public inquiry on the Toronto G20, go to: The Council for Canadians
I invite any rebuttals, comments, or corrections to what I have written in this paper. I hope and pray the conversation will move forward in a ruthlessly honest, yet loving and compassionate manner.
In hope for a more just Canada,
Brad Close
June 17, 2010
Love Through the Lens of Scripture
God is love and love is from God (1 John 4.7-8). God’s love is expressed in his actions, which reveal his desire and commitment to relate with us, accept us, save us from our sin, and restore us to health. In the Old Testament, God’s steadfast love is centered on his relation with the people of Israel, beginning with the call of Abraham. God chose Abraham and promised to bless his descendants, Israel. God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, established an everlasting covenant with them, and gave them the Promised Land. But God’s love and care has always extended to all peoples and all creation. God’s primary and ultimate aim in choosing Abraham and Israel was to work through them to bless the entire creation. Through Israel, God would teach all peoples his plan for loving and peaceful human relations. And although Israel proved to be unfaithful to God (read the Prophets!), God has remained faithful because of his steadfast love. We see this fully and finally in Israel’s Messiah and Lord, Jesus of Nazareth.
“In this the love of God was made known among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him” (1 John 4.9). God’s love for humans is enacted through the person of Jesus, the Son of God, and is made effective through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, God showed his extravagant love by gathering his rebellious people. Jesus embodied the love of God by healing those who were sick and “unclean,” by accepting the unaccepted, by entering into fellowship with “sinners.” In Jesus’ teachings he presents God as one who bestows his love, mercy, and forgiveness as acts of undeserved grace. And most chiefly, God’s love is manifest in Jesus’ sacrificial death: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4.10).
In the Christian worldview, love is defined in God’s terms. Humans do not set the standards. We are called to know God and embody his love in the world, to walk in the strength of God’s Spirit, and align our will and actions with God’s good purposes. May God give us grace as we travel this road together!
“In this the love of God was made known among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him” (1 John 4.9). God’s love for humans is enacted through the person of Jesus, the Son of God, and is made effective through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, God showed his extravagant love by gathering his rebellious people. Jesus embodied the love of God by healing those who were sick and “unclean,” by accepting the unaccepted, by entering into fellowship with “sinners.” In Jesus’ teachings he presents God as one who bestows his love, mercy, and forgiveness as acts of undeserved grace. And most chiefly, God’s love is manifest in Jesus’ sacrificial death: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4.10).
In the Christian worldview, love is defined in God’s terms. Humans do not set the standards. We are called to know God and embody his love in the world, to walk in the strength of God’s Spirit, and align our will and actions with God’s good purposes. May God give us grace as we travel this road together!
April 7, 2010
Miracles
Seeing that we are in the Christian season of Easter, which has its focus on Jesus' resurrection from the dead, I thought I would offer some reflections on the topic of "miracles."
The commonly held belief is that miracles happen when things that would not seem to be possible become so (ie. Jesus of Nazareth raising from the dead three days after being crucified by the Romans).
However, for us to even call something a "miracle" is a tad misguided because we never have the security or comfort to know that anything is certain. For us to say that anything is certain about our role in the universe is a fallacy. And so, to say we know what is and is not a miracle is a fallacy. We are always at the mercy of our limited perspective and understanding on reality. How can anyone know exclusively what is or is not miraculous? We can't. We don't have it in us as finite beings to know what is or is not miraculous.
Moreover, we would be wise to consider the words of Saint Augustine, who said that all of life is a miracle. Everything is a miracle. Pride stars when we fall prey to the lie that says our flesh, blood, and breath are ours and are not a gift from the Creator. From this perspective, it makes no sense for us to say that "x" is a miracle and "y" is not.
No one can ever understand all the mysteries and complexities of life, which means that we all work on a level of faith. Even the most brilliant minds work from founding presuppositions and must concede faith in what is not know to them.
To embrace and to take comfort in responsible faith is to receive all of life as a miracle and is the next step in our ongoing quest to rightly seek further understanding.
Might this line of thought open the door for all of us to believe that the mighty deeds of Jesus (and even Jesus' resurrection from the dead) were actually true and real? Indeed, we might we even consider believing that "miraculous healing" still happens today?
The Creator God can at any moment work to accomplish what we regard to be a miracle. And dare I say that God can even work through our will and faith to accomplish a miraculous occurrence. He is, of course, free to do that.
The commonly held belief is that miracles happen when things that would not seem to be possible become so (ie. Jesus of Nazareth raising from the dead three days after being crucified by the Romans).
However, for us to even call something a "miracle" is a tad misguided because we never have the security or comfort to know that anything is certain. For us to say that anything is certain about our role in the universe is a fallacy. And so, to say we know what is and is not a miracle is a fallacy. We are always at the mercy of our limited perspective and understanding on reality. How can anyone know exclusively what is or is not miraculous? We can't. We don't have it in us as finite beings to know what is or is not miraculous.
Moreover, we would be wise to consider the words of Saint Augustine, who said that all of life is a miracle. Everything is a miracle. Pride stars when we fall prey to the lie that says our flesh, blood, and breath are ours and are not a gift from the Creator. From this perspective, it makes no sense for us to say that "x" is a miracle and "y" is not.
No one can ever understand all the mysteries and complexities of life, which means that we all work on a level of faith. Even the most brilliant minds work from founding presuppositions and must concede faith in what is not know to them.
To embrace and to take comfort in responsible faith is to receive all of life as a miracle and is the next step in our ongoing quest to rightly seek further understanding.
Might this line of thought open the door for all of us to believe that the mighty deeds of Jesus (and even Jesus' resurrection from the dead) were actually true and real? Indeed, we might we even consider believing that "miraculous healing" still happens today?
The Creator God can at any moment work to accomplish what we regard to be a miracle. And dare I say that God can even work through our will and faith to accomplish a miraculous occurrence. He is, of course, free to do that.
April 6, 2010
Suffering Love
A good little Easter season reflection that I just had to post...
Suffering Love
By: Dr. Willis Van Groningen, Chaplain Trinity College Chicago
“Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53: 4,6
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” I John 3:16
There are formative moments in a person’s life that forever change us. One of mine occurred on the edge of a swamp.
It was early fall and our little student retreat was getting ready to wind up and return to campus. We’d had a great weekend together. The lake was beautiful, the night air chilly, and the campfire stories ranged from revelry to revelation. Now it was late Sunday morning. The final event before we turned for home was going to be an outdoor worship service.
We hiked back into the woods, climbed up and over a rise, and there, laid out before us, was a sheltered inlet. The entire floor of this little inlet was a swamp. But rising from each side of the swamp were the most glorious trees you could ever imagine. The colours were radiant. Bright reds, vivid yellow, offset by patches of dark green. The scene took our breath away. Without a word, we just sat down, mesmerized by the glory of God on display before us.
It took a while, but finally one of the students remarked: Swamps are the greatest. All kinds of junk flows into them, but by the time the water leaves on the other side, it’s pure as crystal. All the muck and rotting detritus of upstream collects here, only to be transformed into the richest of soil, and clean clear water.
God’s love is like a swamp. God’s love absorbs all our sorrows and grief, takes to itself all our iniquity and sin, and transforms it all into life and life more abundant. Love suffers. And when our suffering love is freely offered in service to others, we participate in God’s great work of redeeming and transforming the world.
Prayer: God of wonder and grace, we thank you for taking up our sin and suffering so that we might be redeemed and transformed. May our lives exemplify that same suffering love you lavished on us, so that we might help others find life and life more abundant with you. Amen.
Suffering Love
By: Dr. Willis Van Groningen, Chaplain Trinity College Chicago
“Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53: 4,6
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” I John 3:16
There are formative moments in a person’s life that forever change us. One of mine occurred on the edge of a swamp.
It was early fall and our little student retreat was getting ready to wind up and return to campus. We’d had a great weekend together. The lake was beautiful, the night air chilly, and the campfire stories ranged from revelry to revelation. Now it was late Sunday morning. The final event before we turned for home was going to be an outdoor worship service.
We hiked back into the woods, climbed up and over a rise, and there, laid out before us, was a sheltered inlet. The entire floor of this little inlet was a swamp. But rising from each side of the swamp were the most glorious trees you could ever imagine. The colours were radiant. Bright reds, vivid yellow, offset by patches of dark green. The scene took our breath away. Without a word, we just sat down, mesmerized by the glory of God on display before us.
It took a while, but finally one of the students remarked: Swamps are the greatest. All kinds of junk flows into them, but by the time the water leaves on the other side, it’s pure as crystal. All the muck and rotting detritus of upstream collects here, only to be transformed into the richest of soil, and clean clear water.
God’s love is like a swamp. God’s love absorbs all our sorrows and grief, takes to itself all our iniquity and sin, and transforms it all into life and life more abundant. Love suffers. And when our suffering love is freely offered in service to others, we participate in God’s great work of redeeming and transforming the world.
Prayer: God of wonder and grace, we thank you for taking up our sin and suffering so that we might be redeemed and transformed. May our lives exemplify that same suffering love you lavished on us, so that we might help others find life and life more abundant with you. Amen.
March 30, 2010
Prayer on Christ's Passion
Christ our teacher,
for us you were obedient, even to death.
Teach us to obey God's will in all things.
Christ our life,
by dying on the cross
you destroyed the power of sin and death.
Enable us to die with you and to rise with you in glory.
Christ our strength,
you were despised,
and humiliated as a condemned criminal.
Teach us the humility by which you saved the world.
Christ our salvation,
you gave your life out of love for us.
Help us to love one another.
Christ our Savior,
on the cross you embraced all time
with your outstretched arms.
Gather all the scattered children of God into your realm.
Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of the world's sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Amen.
for us you were obedient, even to death.
Teach us to obey God's will in all things.
Christ our life,
by dying on the cross
you destroyed the power of sin and death.
Enable us to die with you and to rise with you in glory.
Christ our strength,
you were despised,
and humiliated as a condemned criminal.
Teach us the humility by which you saved the world.
Christ our salvation,
you gave your life out of love for us.
Help us to love one another.
Christ our Savior,
on the cross you embraced all time
with your outstretched arms.
Gather all the scattered children of God into your realm.
Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of the world's sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Amen.
March 25, 2010
The Cross
Matthew 16.24:
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life…Jesus told his disciples: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Lent, Easter, the Passion of Christ, all of this is centered on the cross. It is Jesus’ cross that is at the heart of the message of the gospel and of the entire Christian faith. If we take away the cross, we are left with nothing. If we take away the cross, we attempt (in vain) to prevent Christ from being Christ. The suffering of the Messiah is the scandal of Israel, the church, and the entire world. And we cannot afford to avoid this scandal. We must face it head on.
The following is a powerful quote from the book The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
“Just as Christ is Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion. Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and therefore submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the cross…The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every person must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of the world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of our encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death – we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls us, he bids us come and die.”
God bless us as we reflect on the meaning, the importance, and the transformative nature of the cross of Christ and what it means for us to share in the fellowship of Jesus' suffering!
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life…Jesus told his disciples: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
Lent, Easter, the Passion of Christ, all of this is centered on the cross. It is Jesus’ cross that is at the heart of the message of the gospel and of the entire Christian faith. If we take away the cross, we are left with nothing. If we take away the cross, we attempt (in vain) to prevent Christ from being Christ. The suffering of the Messiah is the scandal of Israel, the church, and the entire world. And we cannot afford to avoid this scandal. We must face it head on.
The following is a powerful quote from the book The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
“Just as Christ is Christ only in virtue of his suffering and rejection, so the disciple is a disciple only in so far as he shares his Lord’s suffering and rejection and crucifixion. Discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and therefore submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the cross…The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every person must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of the world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of our encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death – we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls us, he bids us come and die.”
God bless us as we reflect on the meaning, the importance, and the transformative nature of the cross of Christ and what it means for us to share in the fellowship of Jesus' suffering!
March 23, 2010
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