As many of you know I have our church library in our living room which is pretty handy when I’m sermon prepping. Last week while prepping for the message on Advent Peace, I found myself thumbing through “Beyond Homelessness” – a book about “reconciling Christian faith in a culture of displacement.”
Something’s up. Do you feel it? It’s possible it’s just the Christmas jitters but I think if we’re honest, it’s more just ol’ fashion tension. It’s felt in conversations with family members and friends we haven’t chatted with in a bit. Maybe it’s present at the office or job site. Maybe in school. There’s… something unsaid that is being said very loudly between us in the various spaces and contexts we find ourselves in each day. I could probably point my finger to a few sources, but let’s just be real and concede that whatever this something is, it is almost certainly tied to the political situation south of the border and its leaking through our own border. Regardless of political “side” you find yourself on–if any at all–the tension continues to result in a drifting apart from one another, which royally sucks because in this season of togetherness we’re entering, it’s the connecting and moving toward one other in authentic ways that really makes the holidays such a meaningful and special time.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last while, you’re aware there was a relatively important election south of the border, in fact. Like me, you’ve perhaps had a political convo or two with friends or family that may have revealed a perspective that left you confused and bewildered. Like, “How on earth do they see reality like that?” There are a number of reasons for this utter disbelief, but maybe at the top of that list is the collective media each of us consume on a daily basis. Because don’t kid yourself, the goal of the media will always be to make bucks even at the expense of truth. The more division they sow, the more dollars they make. Whether it’s social media or a favourite news source, our media now weeds out anything that might cause us to stop viewing or consuming, giving us only what we want to hear and thus making it exceptionally challenging to attend to any unbiased take on what the other side might say.
This week I wanted to just share the story he tells of this girl and the waterfall. I could tell the story but instead I’ll just paste the video here and you can watch.
This past week I went down a rabbit hole of sorts. I was reading a chapter on mimetic desire and rivalry (don’t ask) which was developed by philosopher and all around towering intellect, René Girard. So naturally I started reading about him which led me to a student of mimetic theory, Andre Rabe, who runs a ministry called “Always Loved” which then led me to his YouTube Channel, in which I watched a video entitled Icons of Beauty in which he tells a simple story about a girl and a waterfall and this story has sat with me all week. (I know I’m not alone when I say this is what Interneting looks like in 2024 for many of us. Sigh.)
This week I wanted to just share the story he tells of this girl and the waterfall. I could tell the story but instead I’ll just paste the video here and you can watch.
It almost seems a tad cliché to say this but the CHURCH is the people–not a building–and this past Sunday, we demonstrated this unequivocally. How did we do this, you may ask? Because even though we were physically located in a very different space than where we were used to meeting on Sunday mornings, there was no mistaking the fact that the vibe felt in this space was still genuinely Grassroots!Perhaps this is the first time you’re hearing of this or perhaps you’ve got a few more questions. Here are a few questions that you might have:
This past Sunday I spoke on how the Good News of Jesus helps heal our wounded images of God. There was a lot to be said about this topic and the problem with Sunday sermon preaching is that I don’t always get (read: never) enough time to fully expound on thoughts and themes to my satisfaction. And I get enough flack as is with how long I preach 😉 This is why this little corner of the newsletter is handy!
Perhaps this is the first time you’re hearing of this or perhaps you’ve got a few more questions. Here are a few questions that you might have:
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