Hopewit

The “O” in “Now” Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future, And time future contained in time past. If all time is eternally present All time is unredeemable. (From T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton) Were there no dog doing odd gyrations in the street in front of the post office, Sol would spend less time on the balcony and the unbelievable coincidence would not happen. The purpose behind the canine’s pirouetting is of no particular interest to Sol; it's the spectacle that rivets him. Over the tips of the spruce trees backgrounding the post office, sun dogs form tall pillars as if framing the red brick of that ancient structure—with the date of its nativity, 1902, above the shiny aluminum-and-glass doors. So anachronistic, it seems to Sol, and so not in keeping with the stateliness of the Victorian flounces and curlicues, the arched windows.  Sol lights a second cigarette; the dog—a nervous rat terrier—stops his dance long enough to

The Oxen By Thomas Hardy Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock. “ Now they are all on their knees,” An elder said as we sat in a flock By the embers in hearthside ease. We pictured the meek mild creatures where They dwelt in their strawy pen, Nor did it occur to one of us there To doubt they were kneeling then. So fair a fancy few would weave In these years! Yet, I feel, If someone said on Christmas Eve, “ Come; see the oxen kneel, “ In the lonely barton by yonder coomb Our childhood used to know,” I should go with him in the gloom, Hoping it might be so. Many of us brushed up against the pastoral tales of Thomas Hardy in high school and college, I think: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Far From the Madding Crowd, Jude the Obscure. Hardy grew up Anglican and although he retained a lifelong affection for the church and some of his best friends were ministers, he would probably be best described as an “

A phone call yesterday asked me to donate to the Legion for the production of tribute books honouring veterans, the books to be placed in school libraries and other places. My donation would also support Leadership Training Camps, she said. I declined and told the woman on the phone that I'm a pacifist and not keen on supporting camps that promote military thinking and habits. She said something about defending freedom, etc. and then hung up on me as one does when one feels offended. I thought I was being at my civil best. I've read the guidelines for participants in these Leadership Training Camps. In effect, they're boot camps for kids: uniforms must be worn at all times, neatness and cleanliness of quarters will be enforced, punctuality mandatory, alcohol strictly forbidden, etc. Put in its best light, it's self-discipline training. Another point of view would characterize it as obedience training. Military “leadership” is not the same

Shekinah Christmas 2, 2008 Shekinah Christmas 3, 2008 I preached an advent sermon this past Sunday and chose for the text, Psalm 37:1-9. I've paraphrased (very liberally) that psalm with a few comments. I chose it because it seemed to me to contain the essence of living the advent: the patient, hopeful, expectant waiting for joy, peace and justice to become our everyday. "Don't fret because of those who do evil, and don't be envious of people who do wrong because like the rest of us, they'll wither away. And while you're waiting for and expecting a better world, here are some pointers to brighten the days you've been given. Keep trusting in God and keep doing what you've learned to be best; loving God and your neighbour to the length and breadth of your ability, Make the best home you can in the place you find yourself, and when there's peace, take the opportunity to build an amazing life for your family, yo

Peace on 9th Street, 2014 “Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt.” “Colourful demonstrations and weekend marches are vital but alone are not powerful enough to stop wars. Wars will be stopped only when soldiers refuse to fight, when workers refuse to load weapons onto ships and aircraft, when people boycott the economic outposts of Empire that are strung across the globe.” “We [the religious authority] gave you strict orders not to teach in this [Jesus’] name," he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” -Acts 5:28 & 29 Anabaptism’s history is laced with stories of civil disobedience. Even when certain torture and death would be the consequence, early Anabaptists refused to recant, refused to bow to civil/church authority’s demanding that their children be bapti

The news this weekend was partly about the firing of Don Cherry and the termination of “Coach’s Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada . Then on Sunday here in Saskatchewan, it was primarily about the Western Final of the Canadian Football League , and in the evening, the sad rationalizations of the Roughriders’ loss to the Bombers. That’s a lot of sports for one weekend and for Rider fans and “Coach’s Corner” aficionados, not a happy one, apparently. Although I’m far from being an expert on professional sports, on how games are played and how the fact of hockey, basketball, football, baseball, curling fit into our culture in Canada, I’m apparently entitled to an opinion (at least if supporters of Cherry are right). I have questions of all those who are boldly arguing the meaning of Cherry’s firing or the Riders’ failure to defeat the Bombers . One: What is the basis of fan loyalty to professional sports teams and personalities? It seems logical to me that peop

     Peace Sunday is a day near Remembrance Day when we are meant to join with others in contemplating the meaning of peace , thereby adding weight and commitment to what we’ve long recognized via the beatitudes to be our vocation under Christ . . . i.e. to be peace makers .  It’s hardly necessary to reiterate on this day that “war is bad, peace is good.” That’s already a given. Some would invoke the word evil to describe human war-mongering, but that would be making the age-old mistake of attributing the motivation-to- kill to an outside personality (most commonly known as the (d)evil). Both war and peace are birthed, nurtured and die in the arena of human consciousness. Peace Sunday as observed in the Christian Church has potential to do more than remind us that the human species has the capacity for enormous atrocity. It should be able to do more than urge us to be more tolerant, more patient, more attentive to each others’ needs, thereby giving everyday, down-t

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die . . .  “ Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.” ― H.L. Mencken “ Our freedoms are vanishing. If you do not get active to take a stand now against all that is wrong while we still can, then maybe one of your children may elect to do so in the future, when it will be far riskier — and much, much harder.” ― Suzy Kassem The experience of what’s called an election is still fresh in our minds. Simplified, it’s a population’s opportunity to choose the candidates that will represent them in the nation’s governance body for the next four years. But it can’t really be that purely defined, can it? Candidates are not just our representatives, they owe allegiance to parties that engage in a variety of tactics making the entire process resemble a sports tournament more than a thoughtful, communal process for choosing the best managers of those affairs we citizens hold i