63.06_Dec_2024_Jan_2025 by Mennonite Brethren Publications

Mennonite Brethren Herald Digest is digitally published bimonthly by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, primarily for the use of its members, to build a Canadian MB community of faith. We seek to 1) share the life and story of the church by nurturing relationships among members and engaging in dialogue and reflection; 2) teach and equip for ministry by reflecting MB theology, values, and heritage, and by sharing the good news; 3) enable communication by serving conference ministries and informing our members about the church and the world. However, the opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the church as a whole.

Let's begin 2025 by praying first and praying always together as a family!

The National Ministry Team invites you to participate in a week of prayer with our national family on January 5-11, 2025. We will be holding online prayer meetings each weekday, led by members of our National Ministry Team.

From the editor

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1:4-5 (NIV)

Today I woke up to the inevitable here in the Prairies: the first real snowfall of the year. And it’s not the fluffy kind, but the type of storm where snow and wind team up, ferociously attacking exposed cheeks and ears.

My knee-jerk reaction to the cold is to cuddle up under a blanket, evading contact with the outside world. I dread going outside, leaving my comfort zone (and blanket) behind. And if I’m truly honest, my pursuit of comfort goes beyond avoiding the cold — I find myself worshipping at comfort’s feet more often than I care to admit. I try to avoid pain (and even mere discomfort) as much as possible.

How difficult it is to face suffering head on. To enter the darkness, to face the realities of this broken world and the broken people in it — myself included. It’s much easier to isolate, to bury my head in my phone, to avoid the dark places.

And yet, during the season of Advent, this is what we celebrate: the King of kings entered our dark world. As Mike Engbers writes on pages 24-25, we must acknowledge that “grief is a central part of the Christmas story.”

God himself came to shine his supernatural light on the blackness of sin, providing hope and freedom for all of humanity. In her Advent series “Light Piercing the Darkness” starting on page 14, Connie Maier focuses on the theme of light: “His light takes away all our fears. His light provides freedom from all the secrets and lies that bind us. His light is the source of our hope.”

Jesus brings the light of hope to all the dark places. And as Christ’s disciples, we are called to do the same. As Nathan Archer writes in “The Accessible Mission of God” on pages 22-23, praying for and being present with our neighbours in the painful, joyful, and mundane moments of life is how others will experience the transformative power of the gospel.

This Advent, I’m praying that I will experience the light of Jesus in a renewed way. I am also praying that the Holy Spirit will give me courage and boldness as I leave my comfort behind and shine his light in the dark places. Will you join me in this prayer?

Be blessed,

Leanne

LEANNE JANZEN Interim Editor

Thrive Discipleship School Closes

LEANNE JANZEN

This past July, Thrive Discipleship Program’s board made the difficult decision to cease operations. The one-year gap program started in 2017 on the Bethany College campus, after the Bible school closed its doors in 2015. Over the course of seven years, there were 69 students who participated in Thrive.

In September, all remaining land and property was sold.

Thrive offered a one-year gap program for students interested in deepening their faith through Bible study, non-accredited course work, and serving practically in local settings such as churches or community-based nonprofits such as MCC or food banks.

“It’s an end of an era,” says former Thrive President Curtis Zoerb. “But it also means that we can figure out how to go forward. Whether it’s dissolving the organization or transferring it to someone else.”

Thrive’s board is currently asking other Bible schools or historical societies to carry on Bethany and Thrive’s legacy — in essence, to manage alumni transcripts, as well as take on financial and educational history associated with Thrive Discipleship School and Bethany College. Zoerb says he is confident that all transcripts will continue to be actively managed.

There is a real possibility of dissolving the organization of Bethany College, which could take up to a year.

“No matter what the future holds, these past seven years impacted the lives of 69 students. The seven extra years were worth it,” says Zoerb.

He goes on to describe how he has seen God work in the lives of students during his time as Thrive president:

“They understand that God loves them for who they are. They’re confident in their place as a child of God, which is huge in our world,” says Zoerb. “They’re secure in their faith, secure in their identity, and understand their gifts and how they can serve the church.”

Please continue to pray for wisdom for Zoerb and the board members of Thrive/ Bethany College, as they discern the next steps for moving forward. “No decision since I’ve been there, and I assume before, has been made on a whim. Every decision was made through prayer, tears, and great debate and discussion, trying to find the right course of action. Closing, or potentially closing, was not an easy decision to make — but it was a united decision. I do believe we’re following the right path forward, even though no one wanted it to come to this,” says Zoerb.

The MB Herald Podcast is all about telling stories that build up our MB church family. We invite guests on the show to highlight various ministries and initiatives, as well as talk about some of the pressing issues we face in our churches and communities.

NEW EPISODES COME OUT EVERY TWO WEEKS.

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Please note: the MB Herald Podcast will take a break for the next few months. Watch for Season 5, airing in Spring 2025!

WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

Patrick Abdelnour

Accounting Assistant, CCMBC Legacy

Please join CCMBC Legacy in welcoming Patrick Abdelnour as Accounting Assistant. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration and over 17 years of experience in the restaurant and retail industries, Patrick’s skills in accounting, financial management, and operational leadership significantly add to the team at Legacy. Beyond his professional achievements, Patrick has volunteered in youth ministry for the past 15 years. He also loves to assist newcomers get settled in Canada, including teaching English classes. Patrick also regularly engages in outreach efforts with nonbelievers. He enjoys solving puzzles, building with Lego, and staying active through various sports.

Carina Gallardo

Records and Archives Technician, Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies

Welcome, Carina, to the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies! Carina graduated from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg with an Advanced Bachelor of Arts. She has pursued work in the field of Library and Information Science through practicum placements and technical support roles. She is excited to bring her skills and knowledge to the CMBS Archives, resourcing the Mennonite Brethren churches — helping people find archival materials such as photos, meeting minutes, periodicals, congregational records, reports, statistics, study papers, etc. As a certified Unified English Braille transcriber, she enjoys the challenge of transcribing books into braille. At home, she has about 50 plants that she lovingly cares for.

In youcasemissed it

Vancouver’s Menno Court Celebrates 50 Years

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Parts Nine and Ten of “A Journey Into the Genesis Creation Account”

Read Pierre Gilbert’s final two installments on the creation narrative. In part nine, he shares of the value and dignity God gives to each human being; in part ten, Gilbert writes of the freedom God has given us in him.

Bizuayehu Abera of Ethiopia

Follows in the Footsteps of Joseph in the Bible

MCC partner Bizuayehu Abera, Mennonite pastor and staff for Meserete Kristos Church Development Commission, tells about his life and mission during the war in Tigray Region, Ethiopia.

I Have Been Wronged

A re-publishing on an editorial written in 1961 on the timeless truth about forgiveness.

Q&R corner

Q&R corner provides responses to questions that readers may have about CCMBC and its work collaborating with provincial MB conferences in areas of spiritual health and theology, leadership development, mission, and organizational health in order to achieve the overall mission: “To cultivate a community and culture of healthy disciple-making churches and ministries, faithfully joining Jesus in his mission.” If you would like to contribute a question, please send it to questions@mbchurches.ca

Please note that we will not be using your name in the MB Herald Digest in order to respect those who prefer anonymity. There may not be space to respond to every question—and sometimes we might not really have the ability or authority to respond to some questions (for example, those that relate more directly to one of our provincial MB conferences or to a local church leadership). We apologize in advance if we are unable to publish a response to your specific question.

Within my circle of family and friends, there seem to be an increasing number of young adults who have been raised in very intentional Christian families and church families but yet have walked away from the faith. Many even attended Christian schools but yet they are now living with their partners and others are marrying non-believers. I find myself heartbroken since we have been praying for these children as they were growing up. What do you think is the cause of this spiritual drift and is there anything we as parents and churches can do to stem the tide?

Thanks, H., for this very important and complex question. It is often in the Christmas season as Christian parents gather their families to celebrate the birth of Jesus, that these realities become most evident and painful. We can find ourselves in awkward spaces as we discover those who are “deconstructing” (or in many cases “destroying” and “abandoning”) their faith and “dechurching” (For a “Canadian” perspective related to those walking this path, see Blessed are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada [New Leaf Network, 2024]. See also Davis and Graham, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? [Zondervan, 2023]).

I share your heartbreak as I see individuals who seemingly have experienced salvation in Jesus, been filled with the Spirit, tasted the Kingdom, and become part of God’s family—but yet are now pursuing lives profoundly in conflict with the gospel and the biblical truth that was given to them. Each individual has his or her own reasons for their walking away but the most

common seem to involve pain—the pain of disappointment with God or with those claiming his name; the pain of hypocrisy; or the pain of unfulfilled hopes and expectations. Church conflicts and the profound failures of church leaders also play a big part. Other common reasons involve the abandoning of a simplistic or even escapist faith that has little effect on the larger world and little to say to the culture. But there are also those who find the gospel and the challenging life of discipleship so in conflict with our present culture that they are uninterested in walking a path that puts them in constant tension with their peer groups in school, work, and community.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s 2011 Hemorrhaging Faith study sought to compile the answers that young adults gave for why they moved away from the church. The 2018 follow-up study entitled Renegotiating Faith recommended a number of positive steps in response to what is happ ening. These studies are helpful in response to your exact question.

Is there anything we can do to stem the tide? I certainly think there are things we can do and others that we should not do, but for Christian parents whose children have walked away, I want them to live each day with hope and joy rather than add shame and guilt to the burden of pain they are already carrying. While Proverbs 22:6 has been taken by some to be an iron-clad promise that good Christian parenting will result in faithful Christian children, biblical proverbs are more like general truths than iron-clad promises (cf. Prov 10:3). Even Jesus who was like a parent to the disciples, had Judas walk away. While we can influence our children in all sorts of ways, we cannot “control” them especially as they move into adulthood—and attempts to do that will most likely be counterproductive.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

In my opinion, Christian parents (and their church families who are there to support these parents) need to begin with an absolutely clear understanding of what is our God-given task. Our job is not firstly to raise happy children—although we do hope that our children will live in joy and peace. Our job is also not firstly to raise economically, academically, or athletically successful children—although we do hope that our children will live up to their potentials and be able to provide the necessities for themselves and any future family. From the moment we welcome a child into our family, Christian parents and their church families need to prioritize the end goal for why God has placed that child into our family. Being a parent is fundamentally about being a faithful steward of that child on behalf of God. Our parenting responsibility is to align our desires for that child with God’s desires for that child, and then live out God’s desires for that child in everything we do. If we think of it this way, our goal as Christian parents is, by the grace of God, to see our children join God’s big Kingdom story by bowing in repentance and worship and to grow into healthy, biblically wise, and active disciples of King Jesus participating in God’s family and God’s mission. This is the only path to real life, meaning, purpose, and resilience in suffering.

Once we clearly understand our roles as stewards embracing God’s ultimate goal for our children, we need to reflect on how this outcome is most likely to occur. Here are a few key things we as Christian parents can do:

˚ We can begin with daily prayers of gratitude for our children, prayers of intercession for us as parents, prayers of confession in our failures, and prayers of blessing over each child. From this posture of dependence, we also pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit in our own

hearts because this is what we most need as parents no matter what age our children are at. We need the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). We can start each day in a posture of prayer that allows us to hold our children with open hands up to God, the giver of life, and to love them gently and faithfully in the midst of the many trials and challenges of parenting. These prayers can focus us on our task of disciple-making our children, help us recognize our dependence on God, and provide avenues for confession and forgiveness so that we can keep walking in hope and faith on the dark days knowing that the story is not over.

˚ We can embrace our own disciple-making journey seeking first to make King Jesus and God’s Kingdom story the centre of our own lives and the centre of our family’s life (Matt 6:33). Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) is often credited with some version of the following saying: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” To adapt this to the church and to Christian parents, we need to provide a context inside and outside our home where our children can see and be captivated again and again by King Jesus and God’s Kingdom story. It is only this vision and this story that can make sense of the sacrificial and profoundly counter-cultural nature of Christian discipleship—and the Bible’s challenging teachings about wealth, sexuality, love for enemies, dying to self, and seeking first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. It is only this vision and this story that can transform our hearts, make sense of our suffering, draw us to baptism and church membership, and, with the presence of the Holy Spirit, empower us to walk the difficult path of discipleship through whatever number of years God gives us life on earth. Our children will choose a story to centre their lives on and we together with our church families can continue to hold up the vision that points to real life, meaning, purpose, and resilience in suffering. While we will always fail to fully live the vision and will need ongoing confession and forgiveness, this is part of the gospel. The Kingdom story begins with bowing down in repentance before the cross of Christ—and giving ourselves to King Jesus. Our children must also see us doing this before they will follow suit. This decision to make King Jesus and the Kingdom story the centre of our lives and the centre of our family’s life is the

“This decision to make King Jesus the centre of our lives and the centre of our family’s life is the most significant decision we can ever make as parents.

”most significant decision we can ever make as parents. It will necessarily transform our calendars, our conversations, our priorities, and our finances. It must lead us away from the fruitless seeking of happiness, comfort, economic success, unlimited freedom, and the elimination of suffering and pain, and toward King Jesus and God’s Kingdom story. We are called to live out the Kingdom story so our children can begin to understand and visualize the gospel life available in Jesus. If we make King Jesus and God’s Kingdom a footnote in our lives, it is very likely that our children will question why they should embrace something not that important to us. If we as parents and churches refuse to embrace and live out the seeking first of King Jesus and God’s Kingdom story, we will very likely see the epidemic of deconstruction and dechurching only increase.

˚ We can help shape what our children love by maximizing their exposure to and involvement in healthy communities and contexts where God is celebrated and where God’s Kingdom story is embraced. As James K.A. Smith notes, “We learn to love…not primarily by acquiring information about what we should love but rather through practices that form the habits of how we love…. Our desires are caught more than they are taught” (You Are What You Love [Brazos, 2016], 21-22). We as parents need our own loves shaped in the direction of King Jesus and the Kingdom. John Mark Comer has described a roadmap for this kind of transformation in his book Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did (Waterbrook 2024). The main thing we learn is that discipleship is about much more than reading books or listening to lectures/sermons (as important and close to my heart as these things are). Real discipleship is about habits of worship, sabbath, fasting, prayer, service, generosity, community, etc. that God uses to transform us toward the character of

King Jesus and towards God’s Kingdom mission in the world.

From this posture of our own Spirit transformation, we want to help shape our children’s loves both inside and outside of our home—both within our family and outside of that community. Our priority is not firstly about “protecting” our children from negative influences—although that is part of our stewardship role—but about having their hearts drawn to God’s beauty, Kingdom, and mission. As we make decisions about church participation and membership; career choices and promotions; public, Christian, or home schooling; summer camp involvement; sports and recreation priorities, and so on—with each decision we must ask the key question, “Will this decision shape our child’s loves toward King Jesus and the Kingdom or away from it?” Human beings and their hearts are deeply shaped by the communities that they walk in. What communities are shaping the hearts of our children?

˚ Finally, we can try, by God’s grace, to minimize the presence of faith-destroying experiences that particularly impact children and young adults. These include marital unfaithfulness, neglect, and/or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse in our home—as well as scandals and hypocrisy in the church. It is reported that some 27% of people who have left the church identify a church scandal or crisis as the key reason. (One can only think of the profound failures in the lives of high-profile Christian leaders like Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, and Bruxy Cavey and how these failures have disillusioned so many.) This should produce an extraordinary desire for our churches to choose leaders based first on character before charisma and giftedness; to embrace accountability structures that put integrity first rather than “ministry success”; to create conflict resolution mechanisms that fit the gospel; and to make the fruit of the

“If we have a gospel that is centred on the kingdom of the human self, we have no gospel at all — and we have no real king except the one we see in the mirror.

”Spirit the standard for the way our churches function. We cannot entirely insulate our children from faith-destroying experiences, but we can do what we can to minimize the likelihood of these happening in our homes and churches.

WHAT NOT TO DO?

˚ Let’s listen well but not abandon the gospel and our biblical convictions. We do need to listen and repent of personal failures, church hypocrisy, and misplaced priorities that have been faith-destroying. We should listen for how we have failed to live the gospel and reflect King Jesus in the world. But some are suggesting that we listen in order to eliminate the pressure points, specifically the theological or ethical convictions that many find distasteful in today’s world. The implication is that the church is “out of fashion” and if it listened better to the deconstructing and dechurching crowd, it could reform itself in ways that would keep people in the church. Some recommend that the church function more like a business regularly doing “consumer satisfaction surveys” so the church can stay current, innovate, adapt, and revise its product so that it better fits the likes and dislikes of its “customers.”

I certainly want to be part of the listening, but a listening that leads to abandoning “unpopular” historic and biblically-based theological and ethical convictions will ultimately do nothing to stem the tide but only increase it. If Christian disciples and our church communities become simply reflections of our culture’s deepest values (viz., personal happiness, personal autonomy, the elimination of suffering), we will certainly have no future at all, since we will have abandoned our mission, our Holy Spirit power, and our centredness on the radical message of Jesus. If our gospel is only to make the world a better place or is a gospel centred on the kingdom of the human self, we have no

gospel at all—and we have no real king except the one we see in the mirror.

˚ Let’s avoid shaming, guilting, coercing, or preaching at those who have walked away James and Claire Penner, after a career working with young adults, wrote me the following: “Whenever people feel pressure, they ‘press’ back. The more they are corralled, manipulated, or feel you have an agenda, the more they push back. Coerced commitment leads to temporary compliance, not conviction.” While we continue to reach out and when appropriate, to invite, the best advertisement for the gospel is to live the Kingdom story both in gospel speech and gospel action, embracing the good works that God has created us in Christ Jesus to do (Eph 2:10).

Thanks again, H., for your question that has made me think more about my own priorities as a parent and a grandparent. Blessings and Shalom in Jesus!

KEN ESAU is National Faith and Life Director for the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

WEEK OF PRAYER JANUARY 5-11, 2025

The National Ministry Team invites you to participate in a week of prayer with our national family on January 5-11, 2025. The theme of the week is Pray First. Pray Always. We will be holding online prayer meetings each day, led by a member of our National Ministry Team. We will be leaning into the topics of unity and mission: as we unify ourselves as God’s people, we can do a better job on mission, representing the vision and values of Jesus our leader.

Join us as we begin 2025 by praying first and praying always together as a family!

MONDAY

Pray First

Trevor Seath (ONMB), Cam Stuart (CCMBC)

TUESDAY

Unity

Richard Lougheed (AEFMQ), Bruce Enns (Multiply)

WEDNESDAY

Mission

Phil Gunther (SKMB), Mark Wessner (MB Seminary)

THURSDAY

Mission

Paul Loewen (ABMB), Jason Dyck (MBCM)

TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WEEK OF PRAYER, SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER ALL PRAYER WEEK EVENT LINKS AND DAILY DEVOTIONALS WILL BE SENT TO YOUR INBOX.

FRIDAY

Pray Always

Reg Toews (BCMB), Ken Esau (NFLT)

2024 MONTHLY PRAYER FOCUS

Scripture Prayer

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” (Joshua 1:8)

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.” (Psalm 119:97-99)

REFLECTIONS:

Our December 2024 Contending in Prayer Guide is focused on Scripture prayer where we verbally speak out Scripture as a prayer. We could also call this meditation prayer but unfortunately the English word “meditation” has two very different meanings. A common meaning of the English word “meditate” involves the emptying or clearing of one’s mind in order to experience some higher level of insight or spiritual awareness. The biblical meaning of “meditate” has almost the exact opposite meaning since it involves repeatedly speaking, muttering, or reflecting on something. It is all about filling our minds with something and so focusing on it that it can convict, shape, and transform us.

Scripture prayer (or meditation prayer in the biblical sense of that word) is where we speak out the words of Scripture slowly and intentionally to God as a prayer. In this kind of prayer, we speak out Scripture back to God and in the repetition, we let these words wash over our hearts and minds — shaping our loves and our thoughts. We must assume that this is why God told Joshua to “keep the Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night…” (Josh 1:8). Speaking Scripture out loud with it being on our lips is what meditate means here. The Psalmist is so in love with God’s law that he will “meditate on it all day long” (119:97). This meditation leads to a level of “insight” or “understanding” above that of all his teachers.

Scripture prayer can help us in a number of ways. First, when we repeat scriptural truths that we most need to hear, this can help us “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). When our minds become full of words and thoughts that “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10), often the best strategy is to intentionally replace them with Scripture. As someone has said, the best way to get rid of bad or destructive thoughts is not to fight them but to starve them. I often need to pray the following over and over again to shape both my thinking and my heart: “Thank you God that you ‘gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control’” (2 Tim 1:7 ESV); “God you have called me to ‘Love the Lord [my] God with all [my] heart and will all [my] soul and with all [my] mind.’” (Matt 22:37); or “God help me to ‘seek first [your] kingdom and [your] righteousness’” (Matt 6:33). The filling of our hearts and minds with something better is the first benefit of Scripture prayer.

Second, Scripture prayer can turn our internal focus away from ourselves and our modern contexts and help us identify with the people of God throughout all history. In Scripture prayer, we are voicing the words of believers who faced profound opposition and danger beyond what is normal for almost all of us in our context, and we speak out their gratitude, their adoration, their confession, their grief, their anger, and their intercession for others. In our Scripture prayers as a congregation or alone, we are joining in with a great multitude throughout the centuries who have prayed these Scripture prayers. We can gain courage that we are not alone. We can gain perspective about our own struggles. We can find words to speak out things inside us that we have been unwilling or unable to express.

Third, Scripture prayer shapes us ever more so that we grow into having the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) — feeling, thinking, and acting in ways consistent with Jesus. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the book of Psalms “the prayer book of Jesus Christ” and suggested that when we pray the psalms, we “are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ, [and our] prayer reaches the ears of God” (Life Together, 45-46). This may be why Paul told the Ephesians that rather than being drunk with wine, they should “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit” (Eph 5:18-19). It is clear that Jesus prayed Scripture as he called out from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psa 22:1 cited in Matt 27:46) and declared “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Psa 31:5 cited in Luke 23:46). But it is also noteworthy that Jesus did not quote the imprecatory psalms at that moment calling for God to bring vengeance upon his enemies (cf. Psa 137:9).

SO, HOW DO WE PRAY SCRIPTURE?

1. We can begin by asking God to lead us to a section of Scripture that we most need to pray today, and then speaking out that section of Scripture slowly and deliberately to God as the audience. Another option is simply to pray out a Psalm sequentially each day (in whole or in part). We may want to memorize a key part of that Scriptural text that God’s Spirit is drawing us toward and then allowing that process of memorization be a prayer as we repeat the text over and over again. Speaking out Scripture as a prayer is not “vain repetition” with the hope that somehow these prayers will force God’s hand to answer our prayers. Instead, Scripture prayer is God’s truth presented before the throne of King Jesus, and in praying Scripture over and over again we are expressing our willingness to let this truth wash over us.

2. We move to reflection on how this section of Scripture reveals and points us to Jesus, helping us to think, feel, and love more like Jesus. While all Scripture is not a prediction of Jesus, all Scripture is telling a “unified story that points to Jesus” (see The Bible Project for more on that). We may want to imagine Jesus as a child, youth, or young adult praying the same Scripture that we have been praying.

3. Finally, we pray that the Holy Spirit would use this Scripture to speak to our minds, hearts, and souls today to transform us into the image of Jesus (2 Cor 3:18).

CONSIDER:

˚ What is the difference between simply reading and studying Scripture and “meditating” on Scripture?

˚ What Scriptural texts do you need to “meditate on” — speaking them out deliberately and repeatedly? (If you do not have any, pray to God to lead you to some, ask others to help you, and/ or begin with Psalm 1.)

SCRIPTURE PRAYER: PRAYING ALONG WITH SCRIPTURE

We pray today the very words of Scripture along with myriads of those who have come before us — and in unison with those across the world today who share the same Scriptures.

PRAY THESE WORDS OUT LOUD, SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY AT LEAST TWO OR THREE TIMES:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23)

God, use these wonderful words of promise, comfort, and hope from Psalm 23 to transform my mind, heart, and soul ever more into the image of Jesus. May these words become deeply embedded in me so that the Holy Spirit can bring them to my consciousness over and over again.

God, for others today who are lacking what they need or walking through the darkest valley or facing harm in the presence of their enemies, may your goodness and love intervene in their situation. May I embody that goodness and love to all those I meet today.

In the loving name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God the Father, Amen.

OR REPEAT THE FOLLOWING AS A SCRIPTURE

PRAYER FOR CHRISTMAS:

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

(Isaiah 9:1-9)

God, we welcome the birth of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace! We thank you that the risen Jesus is on the throne actively bringing your justice and righteousness to our world. May we worship this King and celebrate Christmas with acts of hospitality, generosity, and love to honour our King!

Most of all, may your Kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven. Amen!

(Ken Esau, National Faith & Life Director)

From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.

John 1:16 NLT

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Advent is a time to pause and reflect on the miracle that is the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We focus our attention on Jesus as the true light who pierced the darkness of our world and shone the glory of God into our hearts.

The readings accompany each Sunday of Advent and Christmas Day and contain Scripture for meditation (Light), a short reflection (Linger), and a prayer (Liturgy).

ADVENT 1

Light piercing the darkness: bringing hope

LIGHT

Sit with these words of Scripture, reading slowly, with pauses to reflect and meditate.

Isaiah 8:22, 9:1a, 2 (NET) When one looks out over the land, he sees distress and darkness, gloom and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land…. The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious… The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness.

John 3:19 (NET) …the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.

Luke 1:35 (NET) The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God.”

LINGER

We know what it is like to try to walk in darkness. Darkness blankets the path and hides the way forward. It is easy to trip and fall. Darkness blinds so that we cannot perceive any potential danger ahead. Darkness, especially prolonged darkness, can feel all-encompassing, like morning will never come again. Darkness, like a child’s nightmare, can contain the deepest source of our fears. Darkness engulfs, hiding and holding any secret we want it to.

This is the state of humanity. We are people who walk in darkness. We are accustomed to walking around blindly, stumbling along, bumping into objects and hurting ourselves. We even prefer darkness at times, because it can conceal the things we do that we would never want others to see.

It is to this kind of a dark world that God’s prophet spoke, promising the appearance of a light,

a bright light, a light that would shine with such intensity it would dispel all darkness. This light would make visible all the dark corners of our world, of our hearts. The light that the prophet Isaiah foretold is Jesus. For Mary, she was told that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. She would be so enveloped in the brilliant haze of God’s radiance, that she would receive the gift of carrying the Holy One of God. In darkness, hope is offered.

This Advent we need to prepare to receive anew the light of Jesus. The inclination of our heart is to prefer darkness over the light. Maybe it is because we fear what will be revealed. Maybe because we are used to the dark. Maybe because distress, gloom and anxiety are all we know. But there is hope. Jesus came to pierce through all darkness, revealing, exposing and shining into every dark corner. His light illuminates the path in front of us. His light exposes places of danger and leads us to safety. His light feels like a beautiful sunrise, warming everything as it spreads and grows. His light takes away all our fears. His light provides freedom from all the secrets and lies that bind us. His light is the source of our hope.

LITURGY

Heavenly Father, as this season of Advent begins, I pray for a renewed vision of the light of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only true hope for a dark world. I praise you for the gift of the light of Jesus, promised so long ago to the prophets, promised to Mary, promised for me to receive again today by your Spirit. Lord, I confess the ways I have clung to the darkness, rather than embracing the light. Expose in me what needs to be revealed. Grant a new vision of this bright light, this light that dawns in Jesus Christ so that I might be filled with the hope that only he brings.

Advent 2

Light Piercing the Darkness: Bringing Peace

LIGHT

Sit with these words of Scripture, reading slowly, with pauses to reflect and meditate.

Genesis 1:2-3 (NET) Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!

Genesis 1:14-15 (NET) God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so.

Numbers 24:17b (NET) A star will march forth out of Jacob, and a sceptre will rise out of Israel.

Matthew 2:1-2 (NET) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

LINGER

Days one and four of the creation account recount God creating light. Day one was the beginning of light as separate from the darkness. Day four’s light was then contained and given boundaries, restricted to objects like the sun, the moon and the stars. God made light. It was his very first creative impulse at the beginning of the universe. Darkness and chaos would not reign in the world God designed. Light and order was the plan for his creation.

Yet the people God created gravitated back toward the darkness and chaos, choosing rebellion and sin rather than the light of God’s good ways. God promised to restore and redeem the brokenness of

humanity. He revealed his plan by using creation language again, promising to have a star rise out of Jacob. This star would be the Messiah.

This second week of Advent, we see the faith of the wise men from the east, who came searching for the one to whom the rising star pointed. They knew a king was born. They searched for him, journeying far and wide seeking the one worthy of honour, fame, and praise. The star that pointed the way to Jesus invited them to come and bow before a humble child, born in obscurity. Jesus’ kingly nature was recognized not by his own people, but by outsiders, who read the sign in the sky and came to him.

Little did the wise men know the kind of king they would find. King Jesus! The one whose life, death and resurrection would prove his kingly power over sin, death, and Satan himself. This star in the sky pointed these wise men to the only King whose light would shine life and peace on the world he created.

LITURGY

Creator God, who made light to shine out of nothing, you are the only source of all that is good and visible. Thank you for your power to set up the heavenly objects in all their grandeur and beauty. They are signs to deeper truths of who you are — the peace you bring to chaos, the light you bring to darkness, the forgiveness you bring to sin, the healing you bring to the brokenness of our world. May I, like those wise men, seek the star that came from the line of Jacob, King Jesus. May I follow him joyfully, the only true King worth following. May I know the true peace that King Jesus offers as I humble myself in worship.

Advent 3

Light Piercing the Darkness: Bringing Joy

LIGHT

Sit with these words of Scripture, reading slowly, with pauses to reflect and meditate.

Luke 2:9 (NET) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.

Luke 2:32 (NLT) [Simeon’s prophecy] ”He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Isaiah 60:1 (NLT) Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you.

Psalm 36:9 (NET) For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

LINGER

Bright light is blinding. If not prepared, its sheer brilliance can take us by surprise and even hurt our eyes. Think of a summer’s afternoon and going to the movie theatre. When the film ends, you head out through the exit doors and are suddenly blinded by the brightness of the sun. You squint, you close your eyes, you put on sunglasses — anything to help your eyes adjust to the sheer radiance of daylight.

The glory of the Lord that shines can be imagined in a similar way. God’s glory shone when the angels announced to the shepherds the good news of Jesus’ birth. Light like this can be blinding, even disorienting. The shepherds’ immediate reaction to this kind of light, the glory of God, was that they were struck with terror. They were so blinded by the presence and radiance of God that they fell in fear. They needed reassurance that what the angels revealed to them was actually something good, something to celebrate and be joyful over.

Contrast this with Simeon. He prophesied over the newborn baby Jesus, “he is the glory of your people Israel”. His immediate reaction was to draw near, to hold Jesus close and be filled with praise. The glory of God revealed in Jesus was something he was drawn to because he had been anticipating this encounter his entire life. Jesus is the emanation of the honour, the splendour, the brightness of God the Father.

God’s glory in all its blinding purity can evoke both of these reactions. Jesus does that to people. Either people recoil in fear and terror at that kind of light, or they draw near and are filled with joy to finally meet the one whom God revealed as the true light that brings life. May we know this fountain of life, Jesus, for ourselves, so that his radiance is what shines outward to others, that they too may experience the deep joy of knowing the Christ child.

LITURGY

God of glory, I open myself to the manifestation of your glory, your radiance, your splendour and your majesty. You are pure beyond what I can bear in my broken and fallen self. Your light revealed in Jesus Christ shines on me and I am filled with joy. Thank you that I can approach him knowing that I don’t need to be terrified. Your light is the very fountain of life I need to exist, both for today and into eternity. Your glory is a light that brings joy to my heart this Advent season. I praise you for Jesus!

Advent 4

Light Piercing the Darkness: Bringing Love

LIGHT

Sit with these words of Scripture, reading slowly, with pauses to reflect and meditate.

Luke 2:10-11 (NIV) But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

adding dozens and dozens of pegs, a picture would begin to emerge illuminated from behind by the light bulb inside. The arrangement of the coloured transparent pegs made a beautiful glowing picture.

Revelation 22:16 (NET) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!”

2 Peter 1:19 (NLT) Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place — until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

James 1:17 (NET) All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.

1 John 4:9 (NIV) This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

LINGER

As a child, one of my favourite toys was called a “Lite Brite”. This toy was a box that housed a light bulb. The front of the box was a screen with hundreds of small holes that allowed light to poke through. Over that screen, I would place a black piece of paper that had an outline of a picture. With a lot of time and patience, I would methodically puncture each little hole with a coloured transparent peg. As I continued

In my child’s brain, looking up at the night sky, I saw the sky with all of its stars and imagined that God had a big Lite Brite in the sky. I believed the stars were mere pinpricks in the dark fabric of the night sky and that the light of God shone through from behind.

Entering this fourth week of Advent, we focus on Jesus, who is called the bright Morning Star by the prophets and by Jesus himself in Revelation. His appearance is likened to the brightest star we perceive in the sky before the light of dawn breaks over the horizon. The Morning Star shines on our hearts to reveal the generous love of the Father. He cuts through the dark fabric of our hearts with a brilliant pinpoint that points to the deep love of the Father. Jesus pierces the darkness with his love. Jesus is the Morning Star we celebrate today!

LITURGY

Father of Lights, I praise you as the unchanging one, the giver of every good gift. I give you thanks for the Bright Morning Star that is Jesus. He pierces through time and history to enter our world demonstrating your amazing, self-giving love. Jesus reveals your heart and displays your love in a way that I can see, understand and experience. You loved me first in my unloveable, broken, and sinful state. I respond with all the love my heart can muster. Jesus, Morning Star for all eternity, I praise and worship you!

Advent 5

Christmas Day: Light Piercing Darkness: Bringing Life

LIGHT

Sit with these words of Scripture, reading slowly, with pauses to reflect and meditate.

Matthew 2: 9b-11 (NET) The star they [the wise men] saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT) For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory — the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

LINGER

Any emanating source of light attracts the human eye. Strings of lights on the Christmas tree draw our eyes. Flickering flames in the fireplace are mesmerising. Advent candles in our Christmas Eve services become a focal point for our worship. Our brains are wired to look toward a source of light.

The wise men followed the star until it led them to its source. Its source was Jesus. Finding the baby made them joyfully shout. They bowed in reverence and worship when they found him.

It is Christmas Day. We celebrate the true and only source of light, Jesus Christ. The Christ child, emanating the glory of the Father, draws us to look, invites us to come near, to worship. Will we, like the wise men, shout for joy in his presence? Will seeing him make us want to bow down in humility,

in order to make him king of our heart? Will being near Jesus inspire worship in us today?

Jesus is the light that shines on all creation. He is a light that pierces the darkness. He is a light that reveals, exposes, and shines into every broken corner of our world, of our hearts. He is the very source of light, drawing us all toward the Father of lights. He is the light that fills us, spreading warmth and joy. He is the light that reflects the glory of God. Jesus is the light, given to us in love.

LITURGY

Creator God, who formed light out of darkness, you shone the light of Christ into my heart. Your grace and truth have been made known to me through Jesus, who humbly came as a baby. I praise you that in the face of Jesus, I see your glory on display. You welcome an outsider like me, to come and see the Christ child. In seeing him, I am filled with joy and bow in humble submission and reverent awe.

Jesus, pierce the darkness of despair with your hope, I pray. Jesus, pierce the darkness of fear with peace, I pray. Jesus, pierce the darkness of terror with joy in your presence, I pray. Jesus, pierce the darkness of sin with your love, I pray. Jesus, pierce the darkness of this world with your light, I pray. Amen.

CONNIE MAIER

enjoys exploring creative ways to communicate the Gospel, loves to champion the next generation for the Kingdom, and finds joy in facilitating prayer in community. She serves as the pastor of Outreach and Implementation at Glencairn Church in Kitchener, Ontario.

BOOK REVIEW

REVIEWED JACQUELINE BLOCK

Jesus Centered

BY STEVE A. BROWN

I was captured by the title of Steve A. Brown’s new book Jesus Centered, but I must admit I had some reservations. I often wonder if Evangelicals and/or Anabaptists, in their desire to be “Jesus centered,” struggle to hold on to a trinitarian view of God. I was curious how the author would hold that tension. And whenever I see a book described as “immensely practical,” I am skeptical it will be used by readers to develop yet another

“to do” list. However, I was pleasantly surprised; Brown focuses his stories and strategies on ways to be more like Jesus, rather than simply listing Christlike activities to do. You will have to read more than this review for the book’s content to be constructive in your life. Yet, before you do, ask yourself — why are you seeking to be more focused on Jesus? As Brown writes in his introduction, we live in a culture that constantly entices us to do everything for personal gain. Even though Jesus lived in quite the opposite way, western Christianity can be tempted to use faith as a way for people to reach their own best potential. To that concern, I applaud the author for clarifying early on that “Being Jesus-centered means being called to live radically and faithfully with God for God’s purposes” (11). Jesus Centered left me with the premise that focusing on Jesus empowers people to obey the first commandment — to have no other gods before us. I noted Brown’s gentle but firm approach in bringing our attention to a few “other gods” or idols of our culture: comfort, safety, security, fear, frantic busyness, and keeping the status quo. While remaining invitational, Brown makes numerous poignant

conclusions against such western ways of putting our own needs as primary, including this one: “Wielding privilege, protecting position, and leveraging power to advance yourself at the cost of others is not the way of the kingdom of heaven” (63). In contrast, Brown refers several times to the humility of Jesus as described in Philippians 2:5-8 and connects Jesus’ humble mindset with his capacity to serve others. Likewise, I value Brown’s emphasis that Jesus’ intimate relationship within the Trinity is what allows him to have a clear sense of his identity: God’s beloved son. The second part of the book begins with focusing on our minds. And yes, the author reminds us that we need a full trinitarian vision of God. We cannot be Jesus-centered if we do not long to know our heavenly Father and seek to be one with the Spirit. When Brown brings our attention to the biblical mandate to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV), it struck me that this verse also encourages us to “demolish arguments…raised against the knowledge of God.”

One particular story in the book encourages readers to reject distortions of God that come through our own father figures. I am curious

what the author would suggest when one’s experience in a church community seems to skew truth about God as well.

Reflecting on Brown’s chapters on “Living and Leading More Like Jesus,” my own faith journey is put under a microscope, as are the faith journeys of those who I choose to follow as leaders. Do I reflect the way, truth, and life of Jesus in how I serve and develop others? Do I face my own fears with courage? Am I finding rhythms of intentional ministry alongside times of rest and renewal? How do I lean into community and pursue holiness? Do I expect that I can follow Jesus without great personal cost?

That’s quite the list of questions, stressing the need to learn and embody good biblical principles like those offered in this book. It also makes this quote significant: “We need God’s help and God’s strength. This means abiding in Christ and relying…on the unfathomable power of the Holy Spirit in us" (90). It’s a great statement, yet I am still left with some questions on how we are to integrate abiding in Christ with relying on the Holy Spirit.

The book also looks at the values of a Jesus-centered ministry, calling Christ-followers to focus on seeking “God’s kingdom purposes and priorities.” Jesus served people whom the world, and even at times his disciples, deemed as unimportant. And I have seen churches that struggle to put this principle into practice. Perhaps this is why the author highlights the need to make sure everyone in a Jesus-centered community has a role: “there is no tiered system where a few special people are part of God’s mission and everybody else gets to watch and cheer from a distance” (132).

HOW DO I LEAN INTO COMMUNITY AND PURSUE HOLINESS? DO I EXPECT THAT I CAN FOLLOW JESUS WITHOUT GREAT PERSONAL COST?

Here are a few additional questions to consider from the last section of the book: how do we seek to be hospitable to all people? Do we rejoice when the lost are found or return home? Are we pointing people to God’s love or scornfully condemning the world? While I understand Brown’s concern about millennials believing it’s wrong to share their faith with someone of a different faith background, I wonder if older generations have asked themselves what might this say about the faith that was modelled to those younger generations? Maybe we have some more work to do, as Brown points out, to build bridges, to be good neighbours, and to truly know the personal difference Jesus makes in our lives. By ending each chapter with reflective questions and a prayer, Brown offers a meditative experience for his readers. The book itself ends with a need to be devoted to prayer, and practical suggestions on how to get there, which is more essential than likely most of us make it. In the end, I agree, the book is “immensely practical,”— yet I would suggest being Jesus-centered is not a calling just for individuals or leaders but for the entire church as well, to the glory of God.

Hear our conversation with Steve Brown on the MB Herald Podcast. As new president of Columbia Bible College, he shares his heart for seeking God’s kingdom purposes and priorities, as well as developing the next generation of leaders.

>> Listen on Spotify

>> Listen on Apple

JACQUELINE BLOCK

is a Saskatchewan regional representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. She has previously worked for Bethany College in Hepburn, SK, and has served with MCC in Chiapas, Mexico.

Jacqueline currently is on the Leaders Collective Planning Team of the SKMB and is a Spiritual Director. She attends West Portal Church in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Rick.

THE FRUIT OF THOSE WHO COULDN’T CARE LESS

How often do you think the earliest Christians spoke of the Great Commission? Hint: It’s less than you think. Way less.

A friend recently recommended The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire by Alan Kreider. Book recommendations come and go, so I nearly tossed this to the wayside. My friend didn’t budge. In his words: “It’s blowing my mind.”

Consider my interest piqued.

Kreider stresses how strangely non-urgent the early church was in terms of mission. On the few occasions they did turn to Matthew 28:18-20, they did not seek a missional strategy. They did not attempt to stir up motivation or “rally the troops.” Instead, the early Christians used this text to establish Trinitarian doctrine. By today’s standards, the juicy possibility of raising up missional disciples seemed totally irrelevant. And yet, as has been well-documented, in a few hundred years those claiming the name of Jesus exploded from 120 followers in a single room to a multi-million-person movement.

Hang on. I cannot count how many sermons I’ve heard on the Great Commission. In fact, I’m not even sure how many sermons I’ve preached on the Great Commission. I could wax eloquent about the importance of a missional DNA. And yet I’m still terrible at it. I feel ashamed for it.

I feel stuck regarding it. Here’s the question I can’t get off my mind: How did a bunch of people who seem to have cared less than us transform the world? What’s their secret? Is the most effective missional era of church history the fruit of those who couldn’t care less?

Perhaps you also struggle with the mission of God. If so, keep reading. Despite appearances, the early church had a framework of mission that was accessible to the average Christian. It revolved around prayer and proximity.

PRAYER, AUTHORITY, AND THE “INVISIBLE POWER”

A few years ago, after years of missional impotence, I began praying up and down my townhome complex, asking for the Spirit of God to be poured out upon my neighbours. Doors burst open all

around. One moment I was thrust into a conversation about the challenge of Christianity’s exclusivity while carrying boxes up a neighbour’s staircase, the next I was processing the suffering allowed by a wholly good God while drinking iced tea on a friend’s patio.

An innocent text asking for toilet paper (desperate times call for desperate measures) led to me joining a neighbour’s birthday party just minutes later. I was swept up into the lives of those around me.

Prayer was the only explanation. How can I be so sure? Because this stopped happening when I stopped praying.

And then I prayed again. And doors opened. And I stopped praying. And they shut. Prayer — doors open. No prayer — doors shut.

Though I had never seen such a direct connection between prayer and fruit, I got lazy. I stopped interceding. I coasted on the fumes of previous warfare.

I should have better heeded Jesus’ words as he sent out his followers to go and make disciples. His first point is poignant: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The authority of the risen Messiah was the unquestionable starting point of all mission.

The early church seems to have grasped this without strategically pulling from the Great Commission. A man named Origen, a spiritual giant in those days, stressed that it was not some sneaky evangelistic strategy that drew outsiders to Jesus. As he said one Sunday morning to a group of prospective Christians: “You catechumens — who gathered you into the church? What goad compelled you to leave your houses and come together in this assembly? We did not go to you from house to house. The Almighty Father put this zeal into your hearts by his invisible power.”1

Origen could not be clearer: the gospel was not advancing because of some special human technique. It was purely because of God’s “invisible power.” Something about the authority and grandeur of God unleashed the gospel on earth. Could it be possible that our fruitless and exhausting missional efforts are largely the result of bypassing this “invisible power”? That the authority of Jesus is not simply the intellectual anchor of mission, but the practical necessity?

As a product of 21st century western Christianity, I have benefitted from workshops on sharing my faith. Still, nothing makes the mission of God more accessible than the Spirit of God opening doors.

PROXIMITY VS. PRIVACY

One of the most striking features of the earliest Christians was that they were, in retrospect, almost hell-bent (heaven-bent?) on making it challenging to follow Jesus. By the mid-second century, worship services were blockaded by

1 Origen, Homilies on Luke 7.7, trans. J. T. Lienhard, FC 94 (1996), 31. Quoted in Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, (Grand Rapids, Baker, 2016), 81.

deacons preventing access to the uninitiated. Baptism was locked behind an often multi-year process of catechism.

To a western world indelibly marked by “seeker sensitive” models of church, this is patently insane. How would people hear of Jesus?

Scholars suggest the spread of Christianity happened largely through casual contact. In workplaces and homes, at festivals and funerals, people witnessed the light of the kingdom oozing out of Jesus’ followers. It was not about attending an evangelistic service. It was about proximity.

This raises an issue. If proximity enables the spread of the gospel, how can the gospel spread in a culture almost defined by non-proximity?

As friendly as Canadians are, we love our privacy more than almost anything. Our architecture reflects this: front yards have been replaced by backyards, front patios with back patios. We travel in metal boxes at 100 km an hour that forgo any interpersonal communication besides a few frustrated honks and gestures. We wave past our neighbours as we park in garages connected directly to our homes. Screens hold our ever-waking attention while headphones hoist up walls of indifference to others. It’s tempting to imagine that proximity is little more than a nostalgic memory. It doesn’t need to be.

One of my closest friends is also my neighbour. He washes his truck obsessively. I’m convinced he’s in his driveway twice a week to keep it clean. I always tease him for it.

At least, I did tease him. Then I realized that our friendship is the result of him washing his truck twice a week. It’s meant that I, for years, have had an excuse to strike up a conversation with him. This friendship — now marked by

conversations about life, identity, pain, hope, and faith — was born out of casual contact. Simple proximity was the seedbed for mission. (An important note: regardless of their eventual commitment to Jesus or not, my neighbours are my friends.)

There was no strategy. What was necessary was not another evangelistic tool, it was repentance over my own relational complacency. I had made a small commitment to walk home from work in such a way that I might rub shoulders with my neighbours. That was it. The now-lost missional secret of the early church was a life defined more by proximity than privacy.

For all their apparent negligence of the Great Commission, the early church seems to have lived what they did not write. The same Jesus who established his authority as the foundation of mission was also the one who gave not an imperative to go and make disciples, but who more literally gave an invitation to make disciples as they were going. The mission of God was to ooze out of the disciples as they lived in proximity with their neighbours.

Prayer and proximity. This was the missional framework of the early church.

It was powerful and accessible then.

It can be the same today.

NATHAN ARCHER is the pastor of prayer and groups at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford, BC.

inish this thought:

is to Christmas as stuffing is to turkey. “Jesus” is the Sunday School answer, but other words come to mind: family, gifts, gingerbread, and yes, even Santa.

But what about grief? Would this be an appropriate “fill in the blank” here?

I would argue yes. For many, Christmas is a season when grief resurfaces or it is experienced in a new way. Our brokenness seems magnified during the holidays — the shattered fragments of our lives are often juxtaposed against scenes of comfort and joy.

Many are grieving the death of a loved one, a relationship breakdown, financial struggles, or being sinned against. But no one wants to ruin the season of “Merry and Bright” for loved ones and colleagues; therefore grief and suffering is often experienced in isolation.

The church has not always been sensitive to the grief of those in its communities. Yet grief is a central part of the Christmas story.

Think of Joseph’s grief over his betrothed becoming pregnant — as grief is always involved when relationships break down and trust is broken.

Think also of Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. In Matthew 3:16-18 (NIV), we read about the ruthless mass murder of infant boys, causing Jesus’ family to become refugees:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

How powerful these words of grief are! They give us permission to cry and mourn and lament.

Finally, Christmas is a season born out of grief. At Christmas we often hear messages of God’s great love for us, of how wonderful his gift of Jesus is to us. We celebrate family and God’s grace. It’s rare to hear a Christmas message lamenting our sinfulness and brokenness — yet at the root of Christmas is God’s grief over our sin and brokenness. In Genesis 6:6 we read about God’s grief over humanity’s sin:

“So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” (NLT)

God’s love for us is so deep that his heart was broken by humanity’s sin. At Christmas, we often reflect on the incredible gift of salvation that is embodied through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But when we only think of the gift and not the reason behind the gift, when we leave out God’s grief over the sinfulness of humanity, we miss out on understanding the incredible depth of God’s love

for us. We also overlook the fullness of the effect of sin on our relationship with God. At times, we overly humanize God because of our relationship with Jesus, the second person of the triune Godhead. Do we fully understand that grief exists because of our actions against the Divine Creator?

We enter Christmas in celebration, but that celebration flows out of God’s grief; he was moved to act through grace and love to restore our relationship with him.

So how do churches engage with grief at Christmas? I hope we can remember the stories of suffering present in the Christmas story and engage with them. I pray we make space in our church family to acknowledge the grief of those who are hurting, to grieve alongside those who are suffering. Perhaps it means holding a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service to recognize the pain so many are experiencing during this season. Sometimes, a sermon is in order, or a class or a study. Though we do not need to constantly dwell on the grief present in the biblical narrative, I do believe we need to acknowledge it.

We need to ask ourselves: do we recognize Jesus’ refugee status and the grief Mary and Joseph must have experienced as they fled to Egypt? Do we grieve the evil of Herod’s murderous rampage, which was a direct response to God entering into the world? Do we see the Father’s broken heart over our sin?

The goal is not to remove the grief people have in a season of celebration, but to see it transformed into a process of good grief — where people can come as they are, before the Christ Child, who came to save us and restore the brokenness of the world. In our world, people put on their best outfits, cook wonderful meals, and try to give the ideal gift so we can experience the perfect Christmas. Yet that is not the Christmas of scripture. We do not need to be something we are not.

Rather we should come as ourselves — grief and all — and recognize that the Christ child is a gift for all of us living in this broken world. Jesus came to bring comfort, love, and hope. Jesus came to bring healing. To truly celebrate Christmas and what it means requires coming before God in worship for his love shown to us in Jesus. It means laying before God all that we are — including our hurts, our sorrows, and our grief. The gift of Christmas is that God sent Jesus, not in spite of those hurts, but because of them.

MIKE ENGBERS

is the Lead Pastor at Parliament Community Church in Regina, SK.

“THE GOAL IS NOT TO REMOVE THE GRIEF PEOPLE HAVE IN A SEASON OF CELEBRATION, BUT TO SEE IT TRANSFORMED INTO A PROCESS OF GOOD GRIEF — WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME AS THEY ARE, BEFORE THE CHRIST CHILD, WHO CAME TO SAVE US AND RESTORE THE BROKENNESS OF THE WORLD.”

Finish lines

HILDA J. BORN

Hilda Born died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, April 7, at the age of 93, while living at the Trillium/Bevan Village in Abbotsford, B.C. She was predeceased by her husband Jake just last year. (They were married for nearly 70 years.) Her prayers during the past months were answered – she is now with Jesus and Jake. Hilda is survived by her 5 children: David (Loraine), Teresa, John (Ellie), J. Bryan (Teresa), and Matthew (Debbie), as well as her 14 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Mary Wiens and Lore (John) Reemeyer.

She was born and grew up on a farm near the village of Blumenort, southern Saskatchewan. In her late teens, she joined her parents in Matsqui Prairie to help them clean up after the 1948 Fraser River flood. Hilda trained to be a teacher (she received her certification in 1950), and although her family and dairy farm responsibilities pulled her out of the classroom after just a few years, she remained an educator throughout her life. 1952–53, Hilda enrolled at MB Bible Institute (now Columbia Bible College), and she eventually completed her BA degree at age 63. She loved to read, learn, and travel, and with typing help from husband Jake, she wrote 8 books and had hundreds of articles published on a variety of subjects: faith, family, farming, gardening, and travel.

Having experienced scarcity while growing up in the Great Depression, the destruction of the 1948 flood, and then severe rheumatoid arthritis (all before the age of 30), she pledged to the Lord that if he would give her strength, she would try to assist the weak, needy, and those ignored by others. Hilda and Jake were active members of the MB church, and they served diligently wherever they attended (Matsqui, County Line, East Aldergrove, Central Heights, and finally, Clearbrook MB). Hilda’s unique gifts and personality will not be soon forgotten. Her life was characterized by dogged perseverance, hard work, a keen sense of justice, a generous spirit, and a deep commitment to Christ and the church.

Birth: July 24, 1930

Birthplace: Blumenort, Sask.

Death: April 7, 2024 Parents: John & Maria Klassen

Married: Jake Born, May 28, 1953 Family: Jake; children David, Teresa, John, Bryan, Matthew; grandchildren; great-grandchildren

Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C.

Baptism: Arnold Creek, Matsqui MB, B.C., Sept. 18,

PAMELA BEVERLY ANN UNRUH

Pam was the daughter of Dr. Henry and Esther (Kroeker) Unruh and the granddaughter of A.H. Unruh, founder of Winkler Bible Institute. Pam was born in Rossland and spent her early years there and in Kamloops, B.C. After high school, Pam spent one year at Caribou College (now Thompson Rivers University), Kamloops, B.C., and a year at Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C. Pam attended 2 years at Tabor College, Kan., earning her bachelor of social work. She received her master’s degree in gerontology from Wichita State. Pam worked in her chosen field of social work and loved her children. She taught her daughter Holly, who lives with Down Syndrome/Trisomy 21, to be as independent as possible. Pam fiercely advocated for Holly’s well-being and safety, winning a lawsuit against perpetrators of abuse towards her daughter. She was courageous throughout this experience, yet heartbroken in the aftermath of unforeseen events beyond her control. In Kansas, Pam resided in Hillsboro, McPherson, and Wichita – and then finally moved to a care home in Arvada, Col., in 2017. Pam leaves her daughter Holly Ann Reimer, son Andrew Reimer, and grandchildren Finley, Everett, Max, and Margot. She is also survived by her sister Alexandra; nieces and nephews Jaslyn, Kelly, Dale Jr., Kristin, and Darrin; great-nieces and great-nephews Karli, Nicholas, Dale James, Henry, MacKinley, Logan, and Dawson; and great-great-nephew Maverick Jackson. Pam was predeceased by her father (1988) and mother (2011), and siblings Richard, Dale and David. Several years ago, Pam beat cancer, though the last few years she struggled with dementia. Pam died due to the complications from a fractured leg and hip after a fall from a wheelchair. Her son Andrew was by her side. Through all these trials, Pam remained sweet, kind, and authentic. She loved Jesus.

Birth: October 2, 1952 Birthplace: Rossland, B.C.

Death: July 13, 2024 Parents: Dr. Henry & Esther (Kroeker) Unruh Family: children Holly Ann Reimer, Andrew Reimer; grandchildren Finley, Everett, Max, Margot; sister Alexandra; nieces & nephews

CALVIN JOHN BUEHLER

The family of Calvin John Buehler would like to announce his Freedom Day. He died Mon., Sept. 23, 2024. He leaves to mourn Tillie, his beloved wife of 71 years. His legacy is his children: Bevin/Alvina, Ruth, Dan/Edee; his grandchildren: April/Jason, Crystal, Jenni, Ryan/Jill, David/Jessica, Kevin/Olivia; and his 12 great-grandchildren, who will always love and respect him. Calvin was born Jan. 25, 1928, to John and Catherine Buehler in Mennon, Sask. Being a teacher’s kid meant that he moved a lot. The family settled in Abbotsford, B.C., in 1941. Calvin became a Christian in 1944, and was baptized into the Mennonite Brethren church. He attended Mennonite Brethren Bible College and Prairie Bible Institute in preparation for his calling to the pastorate. He spent several summers working with the West Coast Children’s Mission in various parts of British Columbia. In 1954 he was ordained as a minister of the B.C. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Calvin pastored churches in County Line, Vanderhoof, Aldergrove, and North Delta, B.C., and Tofield, Alta. He practised what he preached and made an impact that continues to be acknowledged in unexpected ways. Retirement took Calvin and Tillie to Kelowna, B.C. There he spent hours in his workshop creating with wood – furniture, toys, boxes, lamps, jewellery – all dated and signed CB. He could also be found under the hood of a car, playing checkers with a grandchild, or on an adventure in the bush. Times with family gathered around him gave Calvin particular joy. Whenever we parted, we knew it was with nothing left unsaid, a quick “love you” and “call when you get home.” We know you’re home, Dad. It’s time for Amen. Donations may be made in Calvin’s memory to Missionary Aviation Fellowship.

Birth: January 25, 1928 Birthplace: Mennon, Sask. Death: September 23, 2024 Parents: John & Catherine Buehler Married: Mathilde (Tillie) Irene Born, Mar. 13, 1953 Family: Tillie; children Bevin (Alvina), Ruth, Dan (Edee); grandchildren April (Jason), Crystal, Jenni, Ryan (Jill), David (Jessica), Kevin (Olivia); 12 greatgrandchildren Church: Willow Park, Kelowna, B.C.

ESTHER (BERGMANN) UNRAU

Esther grew up in a Christian home with 2 brothers. She started playing pump organ at 4. She’d play church with her dolls. Whatever she could sing, she could play. At 7, she began piano lessons. Her mom encouraged her to play rather than do chores. As a teen, she became church pianist. Esther moved to Winnipeg and worked in a church mission office. She continued playing piano for Bible camps and music festivals, playing accordion while teaching Sunday school, and singing in trios. At Winkler Bible Institute, she played concert piano. Esther met Albert at Gimli Bible Camp, beginning a long-distance relationship while Esther studied child evangelism in California. They married in 1954 and moved to Minnesota to serve 2 churches as pianist and pastor. Pearl was born in Hallock, Minn., and Dale in Grand Forks, N.D. Desiring to be missionaries, Esther and Al attended Trinity College, Chicago, for orientation in the Evangelical Free Church. They sailed 23 days to Manilla, Philippines. Their first church was in Argao, then Cebu City. Esther taught accordion, conducted choirs, and led Sunday school and Bible studies. Crystal was born in Cebu City and Dwight on furlough in Abbotsford, B.C. After 2 terms in the Philippines, Esther and Al served the Port Coquitlam Evangelical Free Church and United Churches in Mission, Mackenzie, and Tumbler Ridge, B.C. Esther was a music therapist at the Mission Extended Care Unit. Esther and Al moved to the cottage in Lake Errock, B.C. In 1992, they were called back to the Philippines. Esther created a music theory course for aspiring music teachers attending Evangelical Theological College of the Philippines and taught 21 piano students. Shortly after their move to Menno Terrace East, Abbotsford, B.C., Al died. After retiring from 38 years of music instruction, Esther continued playing for the Valley Singers, singing in the Pentones, and accompanying at Highland Community Church, Abbotsford. In 2020, she would open her suite door at 10:30 am to play, so the other residents could hear music during lockdown. At 80, Esther played on CDs for Ed Krauter and for the Pentones. At 81, she recorded her own CD, Ivory Touch. Never discouraged by ailments, Esther delighted in learning to paint left-handed. Her pillars were faith, family, and music.

Birth: November 28, 1926 Birthplace: Morden, Man.

Death: March 12, 2024 Parents: Cornelius & Lydia Bergmann Married: Albert (Al) Unrau, 1954 [d. 2009] Family: children Pearl, Dale, Crystal, Dwight; grandchildren; great-grandchildren Church: Highland, Abbotsford, B.C.

CORNELIUS BRAUN

Tears of mixed emotions, joy, pain, gratitude, and relief accompanied Dad to his new eternal home where his mind, hearing, sight, back, and huge heart have been fully restored. By now he will have been greeted by Mom, Irene (Buller); his parents, Franz Braun and Aganetha (Andres); his sister, Mary (Peter) Andres; and his brother, William “Bill” (Elma Penner) Braun. Those of us left to attempt to fill his shoes and carry on his legacy of faith, kindness, gentleness, humour, and love are his brothers, Henry (Katy Enns) Braun and Frank (Elvena Reimer) Braun; and his children, Glenda (Michael) Holmes, Elton (Elma Barkman) Braun, Roy (Eva Friesen) Braun and Fern (Stephen) Klassen. He will also be greatly missed by six grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren.

Dad was born on the family farm in Herbert, Saskatchewan. Although his grandmother was a self-taught midwife, Dr. Funk was called out for this auspicious occasion. It took six years for Grandma to pray her first born into existence and she promptly dedicated his life to God. While he adored both his parents, it was his mother that doted on him. He was a timid boy full of his mom’s fears at first, including her fear of God – he was literally scared into Christianity at an early age (11) because he didn’t want to go to hell. But as he grew up, he became much more like his father, calm and trusting, and at 17, at Bible School, he rededicated his life to Christ, was baptized, and became a member of the church. His mother’s dedication of his life to God weighed heavily on him at first, but when he realized God was calling him to ministry and teaching, he gave up the farm life and followed God’s leading.

Dad’s education consisted of Grades 1 – 8 in a one-room school in the Schoenthall School District. His high school and Bible school years got intersected and split up by the war when, as a registered conscientious objector, Dad was allowed to remain working on the farm. Following both graduations, Dad went on to Winnipeg Bible College, graduating as valedictorian and with a Bachelor of Theology degree. Dad met Mom, Irene, before college and married her in 1951 after they had both made it through their secondary education. They settled in Herbert. While Dad taught Bible school for several years, Mom served as an RN in Herbert Hospital. It was during this time that Glenda was born. Shortly after her birth, the three of them moved to Kitchener, Ontario, to continue Dad’s studies. While there, Elton was born. A few years later, Dad was called to Hepburn, Saskatchewan, where he taught at the Bethany Bible Institute and Mom served as campus nurse. During this time, Roy was born, and later Fern. Thus, Hepburn became our childhood home for the next 20 years. When Dad resigned from teaching at BBI, they moved from Hepburn to pastor a church in Port Rowan, Ontario,

where they lived and thrived for the next 11 years. As semiretirement was nearing, and since most of the children then lived in Alberta, Mom and Dad relocated to Grassy Lake, Alberta, where they were near their grandkids and served in the Grassy Lake Church. From there they moved to Coaldale, Alberta, where they happily organized and worked with the “55 Plus” group for many years. When Dad turned 90, they decided they needed some assisted living arrangements and were invited to move to Winfield, British Columbia, to live with Mike and Glenda. They spent nearly five wonderful years on the Okanagan lakeside. Dad’s need for a neck operation and Mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis prompted another relocation to Calgary, Alberta, where they could receive the health care they needed. They moved into the Prince of Peace Manor in the Rockyview area. It was here Dad was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and as long as Mom was still with us, Dad kept on ticking. When she passed away in February of 2023, Dad’s main earthly reason for living went with her. But he rallied when he found out Elton was eligible for a double lung transplant, and he stayed the course until he prayed us through this one last crisis.

Dad loved a good joke, a good book, a new car, horses and a great fishing spot. He loved his family and all the in-laws, outlaws, friends, and pets.

Dad’s kindness was his most beautiful and precious characteristic. Although he often wondered at the reason for his longevity, all who knew him and all whose lives he touched were inspired by his gentle spirit, his amazing memory, his inner strength, his never wavering faith, and his infinite capacity for love. The prayers of this righteous man were legendary, and the answers were miraculous! He was our example here on earth and he was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

Birth: June 13, 1922 Birthplace: Herbert, Sask.

Death: September 14, 2024 Parents: Franz & Aganetha (Andres) Braun Married: Irene Buller

Family: children Glenda (Michael) Holmes, Elton (Elma Barkman), Roy (Eva Friesen), Fern (Stephen) Klassen; 6 grandchildren; 5 step-grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; 3 step-great-grandchildren

Church: Coaldale (Alta.) MB Church

JOHN E. TOEWS

John E. Toews died peacefully Sept. 29, 2024, in Newton, Mass. John met Arlene Classen as a student at Tabor College and they married Aug. 8, 1958. John and Arlene’s life together was one of many moves for John’s career and of the joys and sorrows of raising a family.

Research and reading, along with watching professional basketball, remained passions throughout his life. He revelled in his grandchildren’s varied interests. With a BA from Tabor College, an MA from Wichita State University – both in history – John attended MB Bible College for theological studies and achieved a PhD in New Testament studies from Northwestern University-Garrett Theological Seminary. John was an avid scholar with an interest in biblical studies (particularly the writings of Paul), history, theology, and church leadership. He was an editor of Power of the Lamb (1986) and Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Women in Ministry in the Church (1992). He co-authored with Dalton Reimer the Fresno Pacific Idea, a distinctive vision of Christian higher education. In retirement, he wrote Romans: Believers Church Bible Commentary (2004) and The Story of Original Sin (2013). Devoted to theological education, John was an effective administrator, quickly taking on leadership tasks. John served numerous Mennonite institutions: as teacher at Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary, academic dean at Conrad Grebel, teacher at Tabor College, professor and then dean at MB Biblical Seminary, and finally as president of Conrad Grebel University College (1996-2002). Under John’s leadership, Grebel’s budget was balanced, the donor base grew significantly, and the student residence expanded.

During his presidency, donations to the college’s annual fund grew by almost 500 percent, and new endowments were established to fund programs and provide financial aid for students. Later program developments, including the creation of a graduate program in peace and conflict studies (PACS) and expansion of the PACS undergraduate program, a Peace Centre, and the expanded Master of Theological Studies program, were envisioned in a strategic plan that John developed. Toward the end of his presidency, the college embarked on an ambitious expansion that included a glass atrium, linking residence and academic buildings, which the board named in his honour. Named professor emeritus of religious studies, in retirement John continued his scholarship with the company of Arlene in Fresno, Cal., and later, in Newton, Mass. Throughout his life John proclaimed, “Jesus holds all things together. Jesus is Lord.” and “The church is centre.” Memorial donations can be made to Grebel’s “Anniversary Legacy Scholarship Fund” at https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/ donors-and-friends. For a U.S. charitable receipt, note the gift is for “Conrad Grebel University College – in memory of John Toews” and mail to Friends of University of Waterloo Foundation, 3815 N. Dickerson Street, Arlington, Virginia 22207-2968 U.S.A.

Birth: July 20, 1937 Birthplace: Hepburn, Sask.

Death: September 29, 2024 Parents: JB & Nettie Unruh

Toews Married: Arlene Classen, Aug. 8, 1958 [d. July 17, 2019) Family: children Delora (Tim), Dawn, Mark; grandchildren Taylor, Zachary, Tessa; brother James (Susan)

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A moment in time

George Wiebe (CMBC) conducting the MBBC/CMBC joint Oratorio Choir at the Winnipeg Civic Auditorium, performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with soloists David Falk, Viola Falk, Ingrid Sawatzky, and Victor Martens.

Courtesy of the Mennonite Archival Information Database

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA 1965

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