New Opportunities

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:22-25

Christians talk about our calling to be "good stewards of God's creation," but often we don't carry that commitment into the details of political policies. In today's world, there are urgent matters that demand our active stewardship.

My friend Bush is a kind man with intense focus, only broken by the odd joke and corresponding side laugh. He is Indigenous, a survivor of residential schools, and has a history of homelessness. I first met Bush and his partner at a permanent supportive housing apartment where I was working night-shift. His intense focus made interactions awkward at times, only because I was an awkward young punk to begin with. He later joined a bible study I was hosting. This gave us lots to talk about as he was serious about his faith in God. 

I recently attended a lecture at Redeemer University College, Albert Mohler discussed ‘Living Conviction in an Age of Unbelief.’ And he gave us his airplane questions. You know, the questions that Christians like to ask their seatmates when conversations turn deep. I would think there’s no way of avoiding these questions when you’re the president of a seminary. Mohler’s questions are, “What are you living for?” and “How is it working for you?” The questions seem particularly relevant as I sit in an airport waiting for a delayed flight. 

I’ve just returned from my first trip to the Holy Land, and I’m now entering the season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany with a new outlook on the land where Jesus was born. The trip was a collaboration among the Reformed Church in America (RCA) Women’s Transformation and Leadership, RCA missionaries Sally and Josh Vis, and PhD candidate and RCA minister Dustyn Keepers. We climbed Mt. Arbel and walked the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.

1) The church in the Middle East has been persecuted for thousands of years. 

Right now, I am sitting in the Logos Center at the Saint Bishoy Monastery of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Wadi El-Natron, Egypt. Coptic and Egyptian Christians have suffered persecution for thousands of years. The Coptic (Egyptian) Church began with the martyrdom of Saint Mark in the streets of Alexandria in the first century. The persecution of Christians in the Middle East continues to persist to this day. 

On September 27th, hundreds of thousands of Canadians took to the streets to urge governments and corporate leaders to take action on climate change. In Montreal, where the protests were led by teenage climate activist Greta Thurnberg, over 500,000 protesters (many of whom were children and youth), took the day off from school or work to join the protest.

I’ve been procrastinating on writing this blog, hoping that some inspiration would hit me and I would punch out a message that would lift you up and fuel your desire to care for God’s world and its’ people. Usually it comes. 

A few years ago I joined some members of my church to think together about mass incarceration. One of the participants in our group was a returning citizen, a man who had served time and was trying to re-establish himself in the community. I asked him about the greatest challenge he faced when he got out of prison, fully expecting that he’d point to finding employment, housing, or another specific need – and indeed those were real challenges for him.

This is the first installment in the blog series "Seeing Beyond Immigration Rhetoric"

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News broke this week of an unplanned inspection of an El Paso detention center that incarcerates immigrants and the shocking disclosure of its abusive and inhumane conditions. It’s overwhelming.