The Voice of the Wolf

 I had the privilege of preaching the sermon in the parish yesterday.  It is based on the Gospel passage John 10:11–18 which is the Jesus the Good Shepherd.  The sermon follows the Gospel passage below:

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

¹² The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep,

sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

¹³ The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

¹⁶ I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.

So there will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me,

because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me,

but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.

I have received this command from my Father.”

 

The Voice of the Wolf

Have you heard the voice of the Good Shepherd?  If you have, what did the voice sound like?  Is it a deep bass voice; or a high tenor; or perhaps it is a bel canto soprano or rich contralto?  Was it a loud voice like the boom of thunder or perhaps the still small voice that whispers in the breeze?  Any of those might surprize you if you heard them.  If you have heard them, it would be very interesting to hear what the voice said to you. 

Perhaps the voice of the Good Shepherd was not, like a human voice at all.  I believe that the voice of the Good Shepherd can speak to us in many different forms.  After all it would be trying to put God in a nice neat box if we were to declare that we would only accept the voice of God if it came in a particular form or even in a particular language. After all God did not speak to Abraham or David or Joseph – either the Joseph in the OT or the Joseph who was the step father of the Good Shepherd – in the King's English or any other form of English. 

I believe – and I believe this with every fiber of my being – the being that is created in the image of God - that the Good Shepherd and every aspect of the Holy Trinity speaks to us in more ways than we can ask or imagine.  Of course, God speaks to us in scripture as we hear every time we meet to worship and the word of God is proclaimed.  But God also speaks to us in the beauty of nature and in the awe-full power of nature unleashed.  God speaks to us in prayer – when we pray it needs to be a two-way conversation and not just us speaking to God.  We need to listen to what God says – and of course that may be in silence as well as in the many different ways God responds.

One of the ways that I know God speaks to each of us is through dreams.  I hold that dreams are what is called God’s Forgotten Language.  Our culture no longer understands what the dreams are saying to us and how to understand that message.  We need to learn the language of dreams to help us become the people that God created us to be.

Let’s try something different – let’s look at today’s Gospel reading as if it were a dream and explore it how we might explore a dream.  First, let’s look at the images in the story/dream.  There are quite a few – there is of course the Good Shepherd and there is the Father.  There is also the hired hand, the sheep that belong to the shepherd as well as the sheep that do not belong to this fold, and let’s not forget the wolf.  So, there are a number of images we can work with in this dream.

Next, what we can do is to take each of these images and explore the associations we have with them.  We don’t have time to explore all the images, but let’s take one and see what is revealed.  First, we need to approach the images with the idea that all the images in the dream are actually aspects of ourselves.  This is a rather different way of looking at the dream or especially a passage of scripture.   This may be a radical idea for you but give it a try.  Each part of the dream represents an aspect of you whether you are aware of it or not.  That idea may be comfortable for some of the images – such as the Good Shepherd – but it may be rather uncomfortable for others such as the hired hand who runs away from the wolf. 

Now let’s take one of the images and explore it - let’s unpack it.  We can do this with all the images but we will only choose one to give you an idea how it works.  It is especially effective when we do this with one that we are not that comfortable with.  So, let’s unpack the image of the wolf.  What can we say about a wolf – it is dangerous, it runs in packs, it is ravenous, it is heartless - killing its prey without mercy.  There are quite a few negative images.  It has received a lot of bad press over the years.  However, there are also positive characteristics we can attribute to it.  Wolves are also maternal and care for their young being very protective.  A pack of wolves seems to be well run – an orderly society.   There are more but you get the idea – there can be both positive and negative parts of this image. 

Let’s walk around the image even more to get a more complete understanding of it.  I want to call on a traditional aboriginal teaching to help us further unpack the wolf within us – remember that each of the images is part of us. 

A wise elder is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

We have been created with all these aspects of ourselves whether it is the wolf, the sheep, the shepherd, the hired man or yes, the Good Shepherd with positive and negative aspects – well perhaps not the Good Shepherd.  If we are to recognize all that we are, we need to acknowledge those aspects of ourselves.  Once we have done that, we can recognize that God calls us to be more than what we believe we are now.  It is up to us to feed those aspects that God calls us to be - what God created us to be.  What parts will we feed - which path will we choose.  It is up to us.

Amen 

 

Who is My Neighbour

Lorna and I received our COVID vaccine shots on Saturday.  We received the the PFIZER vaccine  but I would have been fine with any of the three vaccines approved currently.  I was very impressed with the process itself which was professionally accomplished - the clinic was well organized without any confusion or delays and staffed with a wonderful complement of medical professionals and volunteers.

It was the first of two shots and I felt that I am on my way to being well protected against the potential ravages of COVID infection- at least as it currently is manifesting.  As impressive as this was, I have serious reservations about how the Pandemic is being handled in my home province of Ontario and more broadly, and more seriously, in the world.

Looking at home in Ontario, I have to question why the focus for the most part is on age.  Admittedly, the effects of COVID infection have been most serious on the elderly and especially those in Long Term Care facilities.  However, this has ignored the impact on many of the most vulnerable i.e., those who are working in essential services such as workers in large facilities like meat packing plants and warehouses and those who have to take public transit to and from work.  I heard about a family member of an acquaintance who works with autistic children. This is, of necessity, one-on-one work where the teacher is face to face - literally – with the student who could not be required to wear a mask because of his condition.  The family member is not currently scheduled to receive the first shot until some time in May.  Lorna and I and many more in our situation could quite easily delay receiving the vaccine and be relatively safe maintaining our current regimen of limited contact and social distancing and always wearing masks when in contact with others. 

Aside from the issue of who is eligible to receive the vaccine, there is the intransigence of the Ford Government against providing sick leave benefits to workers which means many of the essential workers in lower paying jobs cannot afford to say home when they have symptoms of possible COVID infection.  This is a “no-brainer” and I am tempted to say in an unchristian moment that it should therefore be ready made for the Ford Government. 

That aside, the on-going pandemic has brought into focus the issue of who is my neighbour in this time of COVID.  I’m sure you are familiar with the parable of Jesus – the Good Samaritan.  In that story the lowly Samaritan was the neighbour to the Jew who was mugged while travelling.  The Samaritan was the last person his Jewish audience would have thought of as a neighbour.   Who are the Samaritans when it comes to the availability of vaccines?  It is fairly easy to see that essential worker are our neighbours because they literally are just that - the people who live in our neighbourhood.  However, what about the people in third world countries?  Those countries ae not going to have enough vaccines or the infrastructure to reach heard immunity in the foreseeable future, if at all.  If we follow Jesus Christ, we have the imperative to treat them as our neighbours.  Even if you don’t, there is a very good reason for the Western World to address this situation for purely selfish reasons. 

I have been hearing all of my adult life that the world is getting smaller and smaller.  Here is a situation where that truth is brought home in spades.  If the COID pandemic is allowed to flourish unchecked it will inevitably be a breeding ground for variants to the COVID strains some of which may be immune to not only the current vaccines, but ones that may be beyond the capability of science to address.  If such a variant or variants develop the current pandemic could be seen as the good times – if anyone is left to look back.  Whether we like it or not the world is now our neighbour. 

It is understandable that Western countries are addressing the needs of their citizens.  However, if we do not treat those on the other side of the world as our neighbours, we will be in serious trouble whether we follow Jesus Christ are our Lord and Saviour or not.  For those who are Christians I will close with a quote from Brian McLaren, a Christian writer:

Christian mission begins with friendship—not utilitarian friendship, the religious version of network marketing—but genuine friendship, friendship that translates love for neighbors in general into knowing, appreciating, liking, and enjoying this or that neighbor in particular. 

Blessings on you journey and please remember to social distance and wear a mask. 

This is My Father’s World

The Sunday edition of the Toronto Star a week ago had an article about the anniversary of the boxing match between Mohammed Ali – the Heavyweight Champion of the World - and Canadian Heavy Weight Champ, George Chuvalo.  It was a match which certainly caught my imagination as a teenager.  Ali was a charismatic figure who stood tall against the establishment – both the boxing world and American patriotism by first changing his “slave name” of Cassius Clay and also converting to the Muslim faith and refusing the draft to fight in Vietnam. 

I am sure that Chuvalo unwittingly and unwillingly assumed the position of the latest “white hope” for those who would not and could not accept a black boxer as the World Champion.  The powers that be in the United States boxing world would not sanction a defense of his championship by Ali and took his crown away because of his stand against the war.  The result was a match in Canada against a seemingly badly miss-matched Chuvalo who was considered a plodder whose claim to fame was that he had never been knocked off his feet.  Having a World Championship match in Canada against a Canadian naturally created a great deal of excitement in Canada that went well beyond the usual Canadian boxing crowd.

Chuvalo surprized the boxing world by going the distance with the formidable, undefeated Ali and put on a respectable showing.  Ali is quoted in the story as saying, “Chuvalo was the toughest man I ever fought.”  Chuvalo was a mainstay in Canadian boxing following the fight being the Canadian heavyweight champion for many years and was the pride of Canadian boxing.  I recall that he did have a bit of an acting career and I enjoyed seeing him in small parts in TV shows and movies - usually as the heavy which he was physically if not temperamentally well suited for.

Now beyond this walk down memory lane, the story engaged me because of a connection with Dr. Daniel Hill who was the first Chair of the nascent Ontario Human Rights Commission.  Dr. Hill was very savvy in promoting the ground-breaking Ontario Human Rights Code and the work of the Commission.  Looking back, the connection between the fight and human rights was a natural and obvious one.  However, Dr. Hill made sure it was clear to everyone.  The launch of the fight was accomplished at the offices of the Ministry of Labour on Bay St. in Toronto with the signing of contracts and formal approval of the athletic commission physician.  This also happened to be the same floor as the office of the Human Rights Commission.  Dr. Hill ensured that the Human Rights Code was in evidence at the press conference.   

This is, of course, a wonderful chapter in the history of the Human Rights in Ontario.  However, my personal interest goes beyond that.  The article noted that, “What we also know Dr. Hill was a huge proponent of storefront access to justice.  People should be able to walk in the door and have their human rights addressed.”  My connection to this is that my father, Milton Little, was the first coordinator of the Services for Working People office which was established by Dr. Hill.  This was a true storefront operation which was located on College St. in Toronto in what was then the working-class part of the city.  Coincidentally or synchronistically, I had been thinking about my father’s time with the Human Rights Commission just a few days before the article appeared. 

My father joined the Human Rights Commission later in life after a career as a United Church minister serving in many different congregations, as well as being the Principal of the United Church Prairie Christian Training Center in Saskatchewan, and later as a teacher in adult education.  He tended to move to different positions frequently, never staying in a position for more than five years in my memory.  This meant that we moved frequently when I was growing up.  His last career move was with the Human Rights Commission.  He retired from that job having been in it for about ten years – his longest in any position.  I never spoke to him about his propensity for changing positions and locations but after being in parish ministry I can make a guess at why he might have had the desire to seek new challenges that he found more compatible with his personality and gifts. 

As a follow up, my wife Lorna found a picture on the internet from the archives of the Toronto Star which shows my father interviewing a Portuguese man – through an interpreter - at the store front office (see below).    That is a wonderful picture of him and he seems to be truly enjoying himself in this work which would have been a job which combined his belief in the dignity of people and the desire to help others.  It is therefore understandable why he remained with the Commission for the longest time in his long career.   It is a true blessing to find oneself in ‘the place just right’ and you are then truly ‘in the valley of love and delight’ as the Shaker song The Gift to be Simple says. 

May you be blessed to find that place on your journey. 

  

Help for a new Canadian: A Portuguese immigrant, with back to camera, is interviewed by Milton Little, co-ordinator of the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Services for Working People, and his Portuguese interpreter, Emilia Lopes. The agency is designed to put people at ease.  Griffin, Doug Picture, 1970, English

A Maundy Thursday Fool

 

Last Thursday was the Beginning of Easter – Maundy Thursday.  I had the joy of presiding at the Maundy Thursday worship service at St. James Anglican Church in Parkhill.  We are back in the Pandemic Shut Down – I am not sure what the colour is – you could say I am pandemic colour blind – I just know we are back to not having in-person worship and need to limit gatherings to our immediate family and above all keep wearing our masks and social distance when we need to go out for essentials – not the faux essentials but actual ones – o yes and wash those hand thoroughly and often.  We are gathering together on social media – Facebook in this case.  I have not been preaching very often recently so I thought I would share with you my sermon for the Maundy Thursday worship service.

Today we are celebrating Maundy Thursday in which our Saviour Jesus Christ put service ahead of being served by washing the feet of his disciples.  However, today is a double occasion – we are also marking a very important secular occasion – April Fools Day.  This is a very important day for many reasons but not the least because it is my birthday. 

As a result, I have a special place in my heart for fools.  There is a long tradition of fools having a special place in our world.  Sometimes this is a place of honour as in the fool in medieval times who was in the court of the king and whose job it was to remind the king that he should not get above himself – reminding the king that he is only human and is going to die – reminiscent of Ash Wednesday – you are dust and to dust you shall return.

However, fools have not had very good press historically or in our culture today.  Perhaps you are old enough to remember that forgettable TV show from the 1980’s – The A Team.  The unforgettable character Mr. T had the catch phrase “pity the fool” – not very complementary.  Then there is the saying there is no fool like an old fool – and as I am 72 years old today that is applicable to me on both counts.  Another note of interest is that being 72, I was born on April 1, 1949.  A Canadian Heritage moment associated with that date is that this was the day that Newfoundland was originally going to join Confederation and become the 10^th province.  However, the premier of the day – the redoubtable Joey Smallwood – no fool he - decided he didn’t want Newfoundland to become a perpetual April Fools joke so he moved the day to March 31^st.  Canada would certainly not be the same if NFLD and Labrador had not become part of our Confederation. 

Being an April Fool all my life - in a good way of course – I have been assured by St. Paul that this is a good thing.  He makes a bold statement in 1 Corinthians, "We are fools for Christ's sake.”  Indeed, my blog is named after this passage – it is called Another Fool for Christ.  So, if we believe Paul, I am in good company - we Christians are all fools – fools for Christ.

Now you might be asking what this has to do with Maundy Thursday - the reason we have gathered today -albeit by social media.  Jesus is modelling for us exactly what it means to be a fool in St. Paul’s sense.  In Jesus’s act of washing the disciples’ feet he was making a fool of himself.  This after all was doing something which in some circles would have been unthinkable.  Washing the feet of a guest was the job of a slave or servant.  Peter showed how outrageous this act was. 

He blurts out in his usual way of saying what he is feeling, “You will never wash my feet.”  Jesus’s response says it all, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 

That is the reality for us.  If we are to follow Jesus we will be viewed as fools in the eyes of the world.  St. Paul sums this reality for us:

We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.

This is not an attractive picture, to be what no one in their right minds would choose to be and do.  But then again to be fools for Christ has rewards that are beyond the imagination of this world.  We are called to serve and not be served.  We are called to love and not hate; we are called to love one another and Jesus loves us.  I will close with yesterday’s word of the day from Br. James Koester of the Society of St. John the Evangelist an Anglican monastic community in the United States:  The word is Way

The way we are invited to walk is not an easy one. It involves towel, basin, and water. It requires us to bend, to stoop, and to kneel. It involves cross and nails, thorns and spear. It requires us to die.

It involves tomb, and grave clothes. It requires us to lay everything aside, even our own lives. But for those who follow, it is life, and peace, and joy.

As Jesus said to the lawyer who asks, "who is my neighbour."  In response, Jesus shares with him the parable of the Good Samaritan and asks him which person was a neighbour to the man who was robbed and beaten.  The lawyer answered “the Samaritan”, Jesus says to him and to you and to me – “go and do likewise”.  Let us do just that - let us go and do likewise.  Blessings on your journey of service.