Mayan Coke ritual
Here’s something you probably didn’t know about the connection between Coke and Mexico. Includes a clip from The Cola Conquest.
Jim
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Do we need to sacrifice?
Sacrifice. It’s a word that comes up again and again as we live our lives as Christians. Over the past month or so, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the concept of sacrifice, especially in the context of missions.
I’ve said before that I believe some of the biggest sacrifices are ahead for the Church in the next few years. Why? Because in this age the Gospel has been spread geographically all over the globe, modern technology has allowed us to do things in missions we would never have imagined a hundred years ago. And now we find ourselves taking the Gospel to the places and peoples who are left. It’s those places that are the hardest to get to, that are the most expensive, that are the most foreign and the most hostile – these are places missionaries will be going in the years ahead.
As I think about sacrifice, I’m thinking on two levels – myself and my family and the sacrifices we personally need to make, and the sacrifices the Church as a whole needs to make. The bottom line is that the world can be reached in our generation with the Gospel, but the world will not be reached without sacrifice. It will not be reached unless we sacrifice, just as the Gospel was not purchased without Jesus’ sacrifice.
What is sacrifice, really? Isn’t the Christian life supposed to be joyful? Over the holidays, we thought a lot about how blessed we are, and I heard many other missionaries saying the same thing about their lives. So should we only be missionaries when it’s “comfortable”? Is sacrifice the occasional spontaneous cheque written at the missions conference? Is sacrifice the mechanically planned and budgeted percentage that we give to missions, in the same way that we save for retirement and plan a mortgage? Is sacrifice “burning out rather than rusting out”? Martyrdom? Giving as “God has prospered us” (only giving when God gives us a little extra)?
It’s my belief that all of us who are believers must daily give all our lives to God, all our possessions, all our time. We are Gods, period. Missionary, or not. Pastor, or layperson. Male, or female. (Rom 6:18)
Something’s missing, though – there’s another side to the whole issue. As I read what other missionaries had to say about sacrifice and choices, they say two things that sound contradictory. First, yes, there is sacrifice. Sometimes it’s painful. Second, they are usually happy to be where they are and wouldn’t trade it for anything. What they’re talking about is a life of joyful sacrifice. That phrase sums it up for me.
Yes, if we are to follow the Lord this year as a family, we need to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices will be big and small and they won’t always make us feel good. In a bigger context, however, the life of sacrifice is much more joyful than the life of hoarding for ourselves. There’s an intrinsic joy in giving. There’s the peace and joy directly from God. There’s a joy in seeing how He uses your gifts to Him. That’s why so many Christians can talk of sorrow and hardship one moment and the blessings of God the next. Sacrifice is more than just giving when it’s convenient, reaching out when we feel like it, taking time when we want to. It can be painful. But it can also be wonderful. Even when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, His eyes were on the joy ahead. (Heb 12:2)
In this new year, let’s dive deeper into this adventure God has given us as a Church. Let’s give more, sacrifice more, share His Word more, see Him work more, rejoice more, trust Him more, keep our eyes on Him more. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in my life and in the Church you are building. It’s all about joyful sacrifice.
Remembering Clifford Winger
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He spent his life coaxing things to grow in the Canadian soil. In the 1920s and 30s he was on his parents’ 100 acre farm, along with his seven sisters. Then he started a new life when he married Ada Cober in 1938. Together they would go on to raise four children, one of whom tragically died at the young age of 16.
He continued to tame the earth and make sweet things appear – sweet corn, sweet apples and sweet milk. No other corn would taste the same once his family had enjoyed the sweet corn from the farm. Sometimes the soil and the weather would be difficult, but he worked hard and somehow brought things to life.
On into his 90s he continued to work garden plots, making beautiful things grow. He seemed to know just how to mix seed and soil and sunshine, and he remained interested in the farms and crops and techniques being used in the area. He was 95 when he passed away on 16 January 2006.
But it’s not just the sweet corn that the family remembers. They also remember the way he handled the seed of God’s Word and let God grow sweet things in his heart. The picture that remains in memory is a man sitting in his chair with a magnifying glass, straining to see what new truth God would bring to life. He knew that God was the greatest farmer of all, able to make things grow in the driest soul. God can work miracles in any heart transforming it to accept the seed, but it all had to start with the right seed. And he knew where to find it.
How fitting that the last passage the family saw him reading with his magnifying glass was Matthew chapter 13, the words of Jesus:
Behold, a sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Clifford Winger dedicated his life to getting that seed into people’s hands, teaching the Word, sharing the Word, living the Word. Grandpa, you’ve reminded us to allow God to remove the weeds, pull out the rocks and work the soil so that His seed in our hearts can grow into something sweet.
Maybe when we remember your fields of sweet corn we’ll remember to ask God to multiply His sweet Truth and Love in us. You have no idea how the seed you’ve planted will grow in the years ahead…but we know you’ll be there to see the harvest. Goodbye until then.
Display at the funeral home with Clifford Winger’s picture.
The magnifying glass was on Matthew 13.
Canadian close calls
Canada’s 39th general election takes place on 23 January, 2006. At times like this, stories circulate about the difference that a single vote can make, so I decided to make my contribution.
No less than 11 times in Canada’s history, someone has won by a single vote. In fact, on 3 other occasions the vote has ended in a tie. In Canada, the Returning Officer (a woman or man in charge of overseeing the election in a certain district) must cast the deciding vote if there’s a tie.
One of these ties happened in 1963, when Paul Martineau was elected in Pontiac-Témiscamingue, Quebec. When he was elected his party was defeated, and so he became a member of the opposition.
One of the biggest debates of the day was the flag debate. The government was looking for a new flag to represent the country. When the maple leaf design was chosen (which incidentally almost wasn’t even in the contest with the 2600 other designs), the government in power wanted to adopt the new flag and end the debate. At the time, however, the opposition party and some of the country was still adamantly opposed. Paul Martineau broke with his party to support the new flag. Not only did he vote for it, he also gave one of the most important speeches in favour of the new flag of Canada. Though in the end the vote was not close, who can say what difference was made by Martineau’s words of support? Martineau’s influence, an influence that almost never was, became part of our history.
Here’s a bit of what he had to say:
The new flag is the symbol of the future because it expresses unity, that unity to which so many of us have paid lip service during the course of this debate. I believe that in the maple leaf flag Canadians of whatever origin or background may find something in common. I believe this maple leaf flag will express for Canadians, in their own undemonstrative and taciturn way, the firm conviction that Canadians want to live together, work together, and build a worthwhile nation.
It’s always hard to say what a difference each vote makes, or what difference each action makes for that matter. A few words, a vote, and opinion. But sometimes you can make a difference when you least expect it.
Photo courtesy of druchoy
Readin’ kids
Hannah can read a little, Nathanael not at all, but what they were reading wasn’t in these books anyway…
Great-Grandpa Winger
In the morning of January 16th, Shari’s Grandfather Clifford Winger went to be with the Lord. He was 95 years old.
We asked for your prayers earlier as Clifford and his wife (Shari’s Grandmother) Ada went through transition and temporary separation as he moved to where he could get better care. We praise the Lord that she was able to move to the same building almost two weeks earlier, so they were at least able to see each other a bit before he passed away. We’re also thankful that Shari’s parents were able to get some time off and were actually already on their way to Ontario, so they’ve been able to be with the rest of the family in Ontario to help with the arrangements.
Of course we would appreciate your continued prayers for Shari’s Grandmother, her children (including Shari’s mother) and our families. Also, after a lot of prayer and discussion, Shari has decided to go to the funeral, which will be Saturday. She leaves on Friday and will come back on Sunday. So we would all appreciate your prayers during this time.
We’ll all miss Grandpa. He was an inspiration to me even in the short years I knew him. But we rejoice that He’s with His Saviour at last, and our separation is only temporary.