Hopewit

As Jesus made his long journey down to Jerusalem , anticipating there the final clash of worlds, I wonder if he brooded nostalgically over the pungent smell of sandalwood, the heft of a hammer in his hand, the vision of his father bent over a block of sycamore planing it to a smooth, aromatic finish. Did he long to feel again the warmth of his mother's hand on his forehead, her quiet movements around the house as she prepared the evening meal? As he lay awake at night, did he long for the countryside of his youth, the hills and valleys around Nazareth where he spent long summer days of discovery with friends, the beach days skipping stones on the sparkling surface of the Sea of Galilee? For what was Jesus nostalgic, what did he long to retrieve when he cried out in agony in Gethsemane, “ Abba , Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.” It comes as no surprise that age longs for youth, that the river imagines brilliant, sparkling mounta...

Peace, safety, serenity It gets complicated. Or does it? The voices are many and loud urging Canada to take in more refugees from Syria, and to do it quickly. Meanwhile, other voices are cautioning that this mass migration is a perfect opportunity, for instance, for ISIS to infiltrate Western countries for the purpose of terrorizing us. How can we both take in many refugees quickly and ensure that they're truly refugees and not hiding in the migration population with sinister purposes in mind? There's an old saying that no good deed ever goes unpunished. As an MCC volunteer in Europe, I facilitated the relocation of a refugee family from Hungary to Canada under the sponsorship of a Mennonite congregation. Despite the best efforts of the congregation to welcome and settle the family, it was very soon clear that the church and MCC were being used; the family disappeared shortly after arrival and turned up in a Hungarian expat community in Toronto.  All involved ...