Observer Articles

I Am So Happy to be Alive

It has been over eight years since my life was saved. It has probably been saved many different times, but I do not realize it in the same way, as it happened on November 26, 2007. I had a heart attack at our home in Floradale. My wife did CPR, and the local Floradale fire company did the same, and used the defibrillator, twice. The paramedics did the work they had to do, and brought me to the hospital. Tests were taken to determine that it was a heart attack. It was. For a week, they stabilized me, and took more tests. A triple by-pass was executed, and I arrived home a week later, on December 10, 2007. There were many people who were part of my life being saved, but none of them say that they saved my life. They all say that they did what they were trained to do, and that is all. Something or someone, allowed me to recover, and live until this day. I am happy to be alive.

In the Bible, in the biography about Jesus attributed to John, there is a story of Lazarus. He was a friend of Jesus. He gets sick and dies. Jesus was away, but returns to the family home. He tells Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and he comes out alive, but stinking up the house. Later on in the story, some people are upset at this miracle, and want to kill both Lazarus and Jesus. Why can’t people just be happy about such a miracle.

I am happy to be alive. I do not jump up and down too often, yelling it into the streets that , “I died and am alive again”. This is not my nature, but I am glad all of those people, my wife, the firemen, the nurses, the surgeon, the pharmacists, did what they are trained for, and had a part in the miracle of saving my life.

I have been able to return to my work as pastor. My wife and I have been able to continue to travel. I was given a sabbatical by my church. Three of my children have graduated from university since my heart attack. My son and daughter-in-law have been married, and now I am an “Opa” to our grandson. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am thankful to be alive. I can walk everyday, and I can enjoy all the thing that I did before in my life.

There is a thought that comes into my mind/soul/body sometimes that quietly says to me, if I am listening well, “why me?” I wonder if Lazarus felt this, especially if some people were trying to kill him. No one is try to kill me. People in my life think that it is great that I have been given an opportunity to live a little longer. I am happy to be alive.

When that voice in my head talks to me, I think about what I have been called to do, since I have been saved. I think, sometimes, that I need to do something extraordinary in response to the extraordinary thing that was done for me. I do not think life works that way, but I think it sometimes. What do you think?

I believe that God saved me. I believe that God wants me to be faithful, and not do great things. God wants me to be happy that I am alive and well. God wants me to live out the salvation that he brought through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am happy that I am alive to do that. AMEN.
Fred Redekop

Now I Know in Part

I believe that the the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, are the word of God. I take it as a guide to my life
and faith. But, it does not tell the whole story. There are many stories of faith that can be found between the
lines, spaces and sentences of the words have been written down for us.
The creation story in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, is a great poetic piece about what happened at the
beginning of time. But, no one was there except God, so how did the writer receive what has been written down?
And the story does not talk of planets. It does not talk about all the science we have learned. It has two stories of
creation (look it up). There are no words about the gravitational waves that have been just discovered. I love the
lyrical nature of the words of Genesis as part of my faith journey, but I am left with the idea that I do not yet know
everything.
We are reading through the Bible this year here at Floradale. There is a lot of violence in the stories of Moses,
Noah, Jacob and Abraham. The violence is done by men (mostly men) and women. God does a lot of it as well.
There is one story in Numbers where this man picked up sticks on Sunday (the sabbath). He is caught, and God
orders the people of Israel to stone him to death, and then they actually do stone him to death. Where is the
redemption in such a story? I do not get any meaning out of the story. He was picking up sticks. Maybe there is
no meaning, but why would God be part of this kind of violence. I am sure that I do not know everything about
faith and life quite yet.
Then, there is Psalm 88. The book of Psalms is poetry with God speaking sometimes, and with the writer
speaking to God and the people, at other times. And even in the same Psalm. there is a conversation going on. It
is great poetry. I think that almost everyone emotion that we can go through in our lives, can be found in the 150
Psalms we have in the Bible. It has been a devotional guide to the Jewish and Christian people for thousands of
year. I really like them, but Psalm 88 is a complete downer. In this Psalm, God has left the building. What
happened in the life of the writer that he would write such a poem of lament? Oh, wait… I have been there. I
have have felt that low, but have come out of it slowly. But… what if I had not. I still do not know everything that
there is about life and faith.
Jesus lived here on the earth about 30 years or so. He did his ministry for about three years. There are four
books in the Bible that tell Jesus’ life story. They are called Gospels, because the writers want you to believe that
Jesus has come as the Saviour of the world. The writers tell some of the same stories, but there some different
ones. The one writer, John, says that the books could not contain all the stories if they would all be written down.
Wait… why cannot I have access to all the stories about Jesus of Nazareth (that was his hometown)? What is
missing in the sentences and spaces, and what and why were some things left out? I still know very little about
life and faith.
In First Corinthians 13:9, Paul (the early church leader) writes, “For now I know in part.”. That is my statement of
faith on Tuesday March 1, 2016. At least for now…
Fred Redekop

We Live in One of the Greatest Places in the World!

We live in one of the greatest places in the world. I know we have problems in our society, but we have so much to be thankful for everyday. If we have a problem we can phone 911, and the police, firefighters and the paramedics will show up. We have our sidewalks cleaned by someone. I know we pay for it on our taxes but it is great. I can walk the streets of Elmira and feel safe. There are always groceries in the store, and gas for my car when I need it. We do not have earthquakes, no bad hurricanes, few tornadoes and no terrorist attacks.

There are great farmers in the area who grow the food that we need. We have many great employers. There are also agencies that help those who need a hand up to flourish where we live. Some include Woolwich Community Services, Woolwich Counseling, Elmira Association for Community Living, but there are many others that improve this community everyday. What are the agencies, employers and farmers that you know that have helped you along. When you meet them this week, say thank you. We have a Regional Chair, Ken Seiling, who has a deep love for all the communities that make up are Region.

I am amazed at the many stories about young people in the community. Every week the Observer has at least one story about how young women and men are making positive changes here in this place, and around the world. I have confidence in these people. We moved into Elmira last summer, so I walk down Arthur Street often, and the high school students will say hi to me. What a great community that we live in. Smile at the next EDSS student that you meet.

So, why do you think that this area is so blessed? It is said that this community has a strong work ethic, and so in general, we might say that we have done it ourselves. The people who settled into this area of aboriginal land have worked very hard, and so we can pat ourselves on the back over the past two centuries. I do not believe that the answer is so easy, but the community has worked hard.

Or maybe God has blessed us, and has answered the prayers of the church people in the community. There has been a Christian church community in this area for over two hundred years, and so God has given us all the good things that we now enjoy. Great jobs, great services, great health care and everything else that we think is good, are all part of God’s blessings to us. I do not believe that this answer is so simple either. God, as I understand it, is mostly un-understandable, so the good things that I am able to enjoy, do not necessarily flow exactly from the things that I have prayed to God. The Bible says that life flows equally from the just to the unjust, at least in terms of faith. Jesus says the “winds of the Spirit blows wherever” (my translation).

And people who do not express faith through the church, or do not express faith at all, are able to experience the great things of this world. I say again, that we do go through grief, loss, pain and suffering here as well, but what do we do with all this goodness. Accept it, and try to share it with others everywhere, so they might have a better life. It is not about us; it is about the mystery of this life, and for me to seek the presence of God in it all. What is it for you?

Fred Redekop
February 23, 2016

40 Days Until Easter

Published Feb. 11, 2016

Why does the number 40 seem to be a favourite number of God? Or maybe it is the writers of the Bible that seem to remember the number 40 more than any other number? There is the Flood story with Noah, and it is in the story of Jonah as well. The people of Israel stayed in the wilderness for 40 years. Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days. In the New Testament, there is the story of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days, comforted by the Holy Spirit and tempted by the devil. Even the Church has taken over the number by celebrating 40 days after the birth of the baby in the manger, and has a season of 40 days right before the celebration of Easter.

Is there something special about the number that makes it more holy than maybe 20 or 65 or 1000? It seems to be mostly around when people are suffering or looking for new direction in their lives. Moses stays up on the mountain as he listens to God for all of those days, and then comes down the mountain to tell the people what God has said. I would think being alone for 40 days, and nights, with God would be a difficult challenge. Sometimes, you just need to talk to someone. Sometimes, you need that human interaction because divine talking is very intense.

So, beginning yesterday, is the Christian celebration or journey for 40 days till Easter, called Lent. The time is actually 46 days, but the Sundays are mini-celebrations of Easter, and they do not count. If you have given up something for Lent and for God, you can eat or do it on Sunday! What can we do with Lent, to help our body, our mind and our soul?

I do not believe we need to be tempted by the Devil or the darkness for the next 40 days. There is the story of Jesus in the wilderness. We do not need to go there. That is an example for Jesus, and his human/divine journey. If we happen to find ourselves in a very dark place, we need to seek help from God and others to get out of there. There are enough dark places in our world to keep us down, we do not have to think of confronting the spiritual dark places.

So, what would 40 days (let us believe that it is the most favourite number of God) of light mean for us as a society. Can we experience the light of God through prayer, and then extend it to each other and everyone? We are able to focus on the sinful stuff that exists in our world, but what would it mean for us all bring experiences of light, love and hope.

So, what can we do? Be a positive influence in our families during this time and beyond the forty days. Let us be a source of light and friendship in our schools, our job sites and our churches.

For me, I will try to laugh more. I am often thought to be a serious guy, so as a form of the light of Christ in a broken world, I am going to try, and try, to laugh more. I think it is good for mental health as well. Light up Christ, with a laugh and smile. I mean Jesus told all those parables, stories, with a sly look in his eye. Let us begin the 40 days of Light during Lent.

Fred Redekop
www.floramc.org

I Believe God Was, And Is, There and Here

Published Jan. 19, 2016

In the movie, The Sound of Music, Maria, the lead actor played by Julie Andrews sings a song called, “These are a few of my favourite things”. The first line reads as follows, “raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens/ bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens…. “. She sings this song to the children that she is in charge of at the home of Captain von Trapp. There is a thunderstorm and all the kids find their way to her bedroom, and she sings this song to comfort them as they hear the thunder.

I was wondering where you have seen God at work in your whole life story? What have been you most favourite things in your life, where you knew God was there? I have heard people talk about events that have happened even before they were born, where other people have said where God was working. Sometimes in our life, we pray, and we ask God to intervene, and act very quickly. It does not happen.

God is beyond the words that we use to describe God’s activity in the world. I understand and believe that God listens to all of our prayers. This could mean that God must listen to the prayers of seven billion people everyday. I cannot even listen to the prayers of ten people in the course of my everyday life. Listening to all of these words and thoughts is even beyond quantum physics or computing. So God is eternal, and beyond my earthly descriptions. So, how does God, the Divine One, show himself to everyday life here on earth? What might I see today, where I can experience the presence of God here in Elmira, or Floradale or Conestogo?

These are some of my favourite things, or some of the times, where I have experienced the presence of the God. On Sunday September January 17th, I returned to the pulpit at the Floradale Mennonite Church. I had developed an eye palsy problem brought on by my own stress. I believe God was there on Sunday, before, during and after my sermon. I believe God was in my eye as well, during the three months that I was off of work. I cannot precisely say that God was in this word or that word on this past Sunday, but I believe that the the Spirit of the living God was there, at least for me.

My sister, Charlotte and I held the hand of our dad as he breathed his last breath here on earth. The doves that came out of the tree during our wedding ceremony. My mom’s family arrived in Montreal in late summer 1926. And when Menno Simons picked up his Bible in around 1510, and read it with different eyes. I would say God was there in all of these things, even if I was not there.

Or God was in all that snow that fell this week. Was it the beauty of the snow falling or was it in the plows that cleared it away so we could all drive to work or home? In one of his first things that Jesus did when he lived here as a human was preach a sermon in his hometown. He quoted from a prophet from over 500 years before he was born, and it said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” Where was God this morning for you? or yesterday? Where are the favourite things of God that you might see and hear and taste today?

Fred Redekop