Resurrection Monday

Today is LCol Thompson's Funeral.   This is a time of celebration of his life.   But a lot of people view his death as the end.   How sad to think others view death as  that of when  a person dies, that is the end.   Death is a new beginning.   Death is not the end.   Through the scriptures we read and know that God has given us hope and love in the Resurrection.  Hallelujah!

Remember to make time today for sitting (or standing) in God's presence!
Monday retreat.....

Pray: As the new day dawns may we be led to the places where we can see the needs that You have for others in the world. Amen.

Read  St. Matthew 25: 14 – 30

This is another parable about the end of times.   Jesus begins by saying that the return of the Messiah will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted three servants with differing amounts of money (talents). A “talent” was worth more than a thousand dollars.    The man gave his servants a lot of money.  He entrusted his servants with all of his property.     Wow!  The master must have really trusted and respected his servants to give them all of his property.  

After a long time,  the Master returns and asks the servants what they have done with his money.  The Master compliments these two servants and calls them “good and faithful servants”.   While the first two servants have doubled their Master’s money,  the third servant decided to bury the money and keep it safe.  The Master is angry with the third servant and states that he should have at least put the money in a bank where it could have earned interest.   Life is not good for the third servant.

Banking at the time of Jesus was suspect.   If the third servant had put the Master’s money into the bank,  the Master might actually have ended up with less money through nefarious bankers.

So what is the point of this parable?   We have to remember why Jesus told this parable in the first place.  This parable is not about money but about how we use what God has given us before the Son of God returns.   Do we keep our “talents” and gifts to ourselves?  Or do we go out into the world asking God to use us each day to bring about His Kingdom here on earth?  According to this parable,  nothing gets done for the Kingdom of God without taking some risk.  And taking risk is scary,  but with God by our side,  all things are possible Oh Good and Faithful Servant.

Pray; You have given us much Lord, riches to use, gifts with which to serve others, wisdom and sanctified imaginations with which to provide solutions to the challenges of living in this world. Help us to make effective use of these your gifts not for our own glory but for Yours, and for the building up of Your kingdom. Amen.

D-Day Commemoration

Today is the commemoration of the landing of troops on Juno Beach,  Normandy France ...
 6 June 1944.     It was great knowing that 21 youth (Sea Cadets of 60 Swiftsure) now know what D-Day is all about and will never ever forget what our Veterans did for them.   

And a huge thank you to Husband Mine who washed dishes and table cloths galore yesterday.  A huge thank you to the Museum Volunteers for having the stamina to do the D-Day tea,  museum yesterday, then driving to Virden to celebrate with joy and saddness the XII MB Dragoons 2528 Virden Army Cadets.   A couple of weeks ago one of the Virden Cadets died in a bike accident.  Many prayers for his family and the Cadet Corps.   The Annual Ceremonia Review was amazing!  They are one fine Corps!

Today is also the beginning of the Brandon Summer Fair.  Our Museum is involved with a display table.  Hurrah for sensible sandals!  :)
Remember today in the midst of the hustle and bustle to take time to just be in God's presence....

Wednesday Retreat.....
Prayer:  Great God,  we already know you have given us eternal life.  Kindle in our hearts the ight of Your love so that we can share Your love with others ths day.  this we ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Read  St. Matthew 19: 16 - 30

One day a man stops Jesus and asks him, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"  Or as the King James translates "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"
May have eernal life... is another way of asking how one can inherit eternal life.  Eternal life can not be inherited.  Eternal life was given to us upon Jesus' death.

Jesus asks the man who he wants to know what is good.  God is good.  If the man wants to enter into the life of God, just do what God tells him.  Keep the commandments.  the man persists, "What in particular?"  Jesus provides the man with a partial list of the Commandments.  The man replies that he has done all these things so what is left to do?   Jesus responds and says, "Then give all you have to the poor and follow me".  The man was not expecting Jesus to say this, so he walks away taking his riches with him.

Jesus says to the disciples that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
There is no mention here of how rich the man acutally was, only that he was a rich man.  Perhaps he had three more sheep than everyone else in his village.  We don't know.  But one thing we do know is that it was his riches that become a stumbling block between he and God.

What about our Church finances.  Are these Church finances becoming a stumbling block to sharing the Good News of God within our community?  Are we keeping our Church monies for a rainy day for the Church building and not sharing them with missions?  Does Jesus tell us again through this story of the rich man to give away all our Church's Finances to the poor and follow Jesus?

Prayer:  You give to us blessings,  honour, and power forever to do the work of Your Church.  Give us joy to carry out York work in this world so that when life gets touch and others get distressed we may shine forth Your light and Your love.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.