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What if my neighbour could be president?

October 28, 2020 0 Comments

What if my neighbour could be president?

I think I would like to vote for my neighbour.

Jesus commended being a neighbour. In fact Jesus seems to think more of being a neighbour than being a president, especially if one’s vision of greatness is lording it over other people.

I think my neighbour might be a good president, especially since she doesn’t want to be president. But, she acts like a president all the time; well if by that you mean she acts like a neighbour. She’s always organizing people to meet the needs of the day and when they can’t be organized or won’t be organized, she still finds a way to get it done. She’s quite the strategist too, thinking about the future, making adjustments so humans flourish. I would vote for her.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God and that the second (commandment) was like it: to love your neighbour as yourself. When asked about loving the neighbour, Jesus promoted being the neighbour who loves. Seems like we should be voting for neighbours.

One of the things I’ve noticed about great neighbours, is that they tend to love those closest to them even when they are far from home. Love starts at home, maybe leading does too.

I think my neighbour could be a good president. I’d vote for him because he’s pretty keyed up about making our community a place where you would never want to sacrifice your children in order to live here, or even survive here. He doesn’t have a lot of catchy sayings, but he does seem to tell the truth… thoughtfully. In fact, he’s always thinking about how to make this a place where the next generation could thrive.

I have another neighbour who could be president. Maybe I should vote for him. I could write him in. He has a good fence, but he’s always leaning over it to say hello. He would be appalled to condone death by drone. Over the years he’s built unlikely friendships by serving behind the scenes over and over and over. I’d vote for him in a heartbeat.

What’s wrong with voting for a neighbour? What if the most powerful elected official in the country was going to be your neighbour? That would make you pause wouldn’t it?

And then there’s my neighbour who cares about air, soil, and water — and by doing so she really cares for people. She would make an excellent president. She’s so glad for people to work and she knows the priceless value of habitats. Why can’t we have presidents who know the power of “and.” You and me. Me and you. You and me and the stuff of earth.

What if choosing leaders as if they were going to be my neighbour might actually help me vote?

I think I’d like to vote for my neighbour. What about you?

#voteforyourneighbour

Note: No neighbours have paid for this endorsement, nor have any candidates for the office of president reached out to me. Most of my neighbours are Canadian, so they can’t be president. But, I sure have enjoyed thinking about my neighbours being the president if I voted for them!

Leadership, Society

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Prayer of the People, 23 October 2020

October 26, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

You speak the words that awaken us to you. You speak the words that convince us of your love. Your words are always true! You have spoken through your Son, revealing your purposes, so we are delighted with Him, the crucified Word existing with you before the Creation of the World. Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Oh that we would not let your words just fall to the ground neglected by us. Instead, let them fall deep into our hearts. We believe You are always sowing the good seed of your word into our lives, even the messy parts. And that’s where we pray you would cause the abundance of your everlasting life to emerge. We open our minds, hearts, and souls to you that you might orchestrate a new creation in us together as your people.

Even as we are full of your Word, may we also be full of your Spirit. Grant new songs to us and may the musician play and the singers sing, with sincerity and power. May thanksgiving and hope prevail over meagerness and despair. May new songs emerge from the revelation of your Word prevailing in our lives as a testimony of your character.

We long for your character to be evident in our leaders and our homes. We lift up to you the elections in British Columbia and in the United States. We join our voices with the cries of people in Nigeria, Xinjiang, Thailand, Chicago, Toronto, and Nova Scotia who yearn for righteousness and justice over oppression and violence. 

May the joy of the Lord be our strength. Strengthen us with your Word, and with the fellowship of your Spirit among us so that we may pray together with faith. We now join ourselves again to the the words of Jesus, who directs us into our concerns and your care.

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.)


Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

This prayer is part of the Origin Church Weekend Broadcast on 23 October 2020.

Prayer

Prayer of the People, 16 October 2020

October 19, 2020 0 Comments

Prayer of the People, 16 October 2020

Heavenly Father,

Your Word and Your Spirit is establishing a conviction in our hearts that we are known and loved by you. Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and raised from the dead stands for us as the testament of your kindness towards us and the promise of life with you now. Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We pray for a life not just mindful of but totally awash with the grace of your presence among us. Enliven us to you O Lord. Even in the midst of our troubles we ask you to fortify us as sojourners in this world by reminding us daily of our citizenship in your kingdom. Your kingdom has no borders and no earthly rulers. We confess, Jesus Christ is Lord.

On this globe crossed with borders, Lord, we see the ambition to dominate others taking hold. We remind ourselves that our battle is not against flesh and blood so grant us wisdom to know right from wrong and the courage to intervene for the weak. Lord we know we are weak and that demonic impulse to kill, steal, and destroy could take root in us through greed and through bitterness. 

We lift up those facing pressure because they seek to live a godly life through Christ Jesus;  Encourage them Lord. We lift up our teachers of the Gospel and your Word who so want to honour you with their lives and their words; Encourage them Lord. We lift up the members of our fellowship who are wavering in their faith because of temptation or became of disappointment; Encourage them Lord.

We lift up to you the students of Thailand, Hong Kong, and Uganda who yearn for freedom. Root them in your truth, and show them how to lead and love well.

Heavenly Father, may our lives with you be one of a long and joyful obedience. We need you so we pray as Jesus teaches us:

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.)


Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

Church, Prayer

Recovering, by Aaron White

October 9, 2020 0 Comments

During the pandemic many of us had high hopes of being more productive. However, my list of things completed seems short. This week I finished and started a movie and I finished reading a great book.

My wife and I and our youngest watched the movie, My Octopus Teacher. This beautiful film gives us an inside look on a broken man rediscovering himself by getting outside of himself in nature. In an extraordinary moment of connection there is one prayer in the whole film. “God, I hope she is ok.” He prayed for the octopus! I believe it was also a prayer for himself; he needed to know recovery was possible.

Many of us have been praying through the pandemic, “God I hope we are ok.” In staff meeting a few weeks ago, we explored the observation, “When we get to the other side of the pandemic we may discover that more of us have addictions to something.” The merger between pain and loss, soothing and using, body and soul, exclusion and embrace makes any discussion of addiction seem complicated and at times bewildering.

Aaron’s White’s book Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community is a timely call to pastors and church members to meet Jesus honestly. We need honesty about ourselves; we need honesty about brokenness and our ragged hallelujahs. The book is filled with painful realities but always with hope. That’s how the beatitudes work. Jesus’s vision of life in His Kingdom holds together the realities of our brokenness and draws us into His promise of life and wholeness.

Aaron’s book is less a “how-to” and more of an invitation for movement toward each other with Jesus. I will let him summarize, “We are moving either in the direction of addiction and alienation or in the direction of connection with God and community. Relationship is heaven’s answer to the dislocation of addiction, both now and forever.”

I hope you will get a copy and read it with friends.

Relationships

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Prayer of the People, 2 October 2020

October 5, 2020 0 Comments

Heavenly Father,

We rejoice in the knowledge of you. We are known by you and we approach you as our Father for Your Son, Jesus Christ, has opened the way for us. Your Spirit confirms that we are your children; He has poured out your love into our hearts! Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We delight in your church. Thank you for the people you have called from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of your Son. We come from many places and we all have a story of being intercepted by your truth and your grace. You saved us from our sin, from despair, from deceit, and from the powers arrayed against the true knowledge of You.

Thank you for the person who showed us Jesus. In all of our original stories, somebody posted up right inside the gates of hell and announced the Good News of your Kingdom to us. They loved us and shared their true life with us. We thank you for these saints. Allegiance to Jesus as Lord became to us the most reasonable act of faith!

Your Church, Lord, is under pressure in many places so we intercede for them this morning. Grant your church Jesus’ courage and the wisdom of forgiveness so they can love under duress in China, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Mexico and Pakistan.

Awaken your church in Canada Lord. Awaken us so that we may watch with you and remember that our sins have been forgiven. Purify us through obedience to you so that we have a sincere love for each other. Help us love each other deeply from the heart in both word and in deed. Help us spur one another on to love and good deeds and not give up meeting together — even online during this pandemic. 

Disrupt our self-self-centred stupor. Awaken us to our neighbours. Help us to see others with a glimpse of your glory so we may love as you love and fulfill the mandate of your Kingdom. Give us new motivations! You teach us to pray: “May Your Kingdom come,” so we pray as you taught your disciples:

(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.)


Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

This prayer was part of the Origin Weekend Broadcast on 2 October 2020.

Prayer, Relationships