Excerpts From: The Messenger |
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"Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:12-14)
Three days before reaching the New World, the crew begged him to turn back, fearing if they went farther they couldn't catch enough wind to return to Spain before running out of food and water. But Christopher Columbus had one word for his faltering sailors: Adelante! Adelante! - Onward! Onward!
The Christian life is a life of discovery. On this journey there are twists and turns, and many short stops, thus the Christian life can become stale, stagnant, and even discouraging. And at times it feels as if we're like guests in an immense palace who have keys to every room, but venture no farther than the entrance hall.
But how do we rediscover the great adventure of Christian living? How do we find the lost path to spiritual renewal? There are no easy 1,2,3 answers. On the other hand, I believe the answer to the question lies in cultivating a sense of wonder that is imbedded in the Character of God. Knowing the character of God is the first step, because out of that knowledge comes the attributes that strengthen the Christian life.
For example: When was the last time you noticed the rose blooming by the fence? The spangled sky on a clear and moonless night? When was the last time you stood amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene? When was the last time you stopped and gave thanks for the littlest things in life? There's more to Christianity than you and I have thus far experienced, more to the character of God than we've learned, and more to the Bible than we've discovered so far.
Adelante! Adelante! Adelante! "I press on, I press on " said the apostle Paul to the persecuted Christians in Phillippi. "Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14). In one of Jesus’ teachings about discipleship: He extended calls to people to come and follow him, but some came up with excuses. Jesus concluded that “No one who puts his / her hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
Besides cultivating a sense of wonder, cultivate your spiritual curiosity, and stay fresh. Look for new discoveries every day, and enjoy God’s goodness, grace, and mercies which are new every morning. Ask God to show you new things in His Word. Like the Psalmist who prayed, "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your Law" (Psalm 119:18). There are more insights in familiar passages still waiting to be uncovered? Just Adelante! Adelante!
The Bible is simple, deep, and unchanging. But our understanding of its message and its application to our lives is a process of daily discovery that rivals any exploration in history. In my journey as a Bible student I have learned to have a “wide-eye” (an eagle-eye so to say) in the midst of the wonders of God. The truth that has stuck to me over the years is that: “When we make God shallow, we become shallow, when we make God cheap, we become cheap.”
When we struggle with faith issues, or have trouble with a loved one, a bad report from the doctor, or a crisis at work - God usually enlarges our hearts, our spirits and we learn new dimensions of God’s faithfulness to us and new lessons about our walk of faith. In such situations, when there is nothing left but God; that is when we find out God is all that we need.
God is infinite. His wisdom is limitless (God’s character), and we don't grow up in Christ in a day. His ways are deep and wonderful, and it takes years of prayerful experience to search them out. Every day we should be making more discoveries and discovering new mercies. Lent is once again upon us, this is an opportunity to reflect on the character of God, to learn and press on to the higher goal of servitude in Christ Jesus.
We must keep all the good memories, but we can’t live in the past. The character of God intends for us to be rivers, fresh and flowing, ever growing, never stagnant. Fresh and clean rivers where the weary and thirsty soul would stoop down and have a drink. God wants us to press on, to keep the wonder, and to think of our life in Christ as a Great Adventure. So as we journey through Lent, I say to you all Adelante! Adelante! Adelante!
God’s peace be with you all.
Yours faithfully,
Pastor Samuel K King-Kabu.
Pastor@st-ansgars-montreal.ca
I awoke in the town of Grand Mère to a grey, overcast morning, with rain pouring down in torrents. Little changed by the time my hosts had served breakfast, so there was nothing to do but hunker down in my rain gear and head on out into the downpour. Grand Mère and Shawinigan are pretty much the same town, perched high on the lip of the St. Lawrence Valley, where the valley of the St. Maurice River first opens out onto the plain. The grand river drops though two massive dams, one at Grand Mère and the other at Shawinigan, but I could not see much through the rainstorm. I continued west through the city streets along the wide boulevard that was Route 153. It was hard to avoid the splashes and the spray from the passing motorists. Along the way, I crossed over the very rail line, which had brought me up to Lac St. Jean so many days before.
Downtown Shawinigan, with its tall observation tower looming in the grey haze, was perched high on a hill. Just as I was about to climb up this hill, my route took a sharp turn to the right and dropped almost straight down into this narrow, steep, hidden valley. When I came out of the canyon, I was at the basin of the river, below the high dam. The rain had stopped and I was able to park my bike and hike up to the top of a small hill for a grand view: The now massive St. Maurice River heading south out of the basin.
Route 153 wound around the edge of the basin and then there was a steep, steep hill to get back up to the level of the surrounding countryside. I rode over the Hwy 55 freeway and up yet another steep hill into the small, picturesque town of St. Boniface. Though the rain had stopped, it was still an early, overcast morning as the now quiet route 153 began to drop ever lower into the valley. I was all alone on the road as I passed rang upon rang of farms. Occasionally I would see a distant tractor working the fields.
I came out at the town of Yamachiche, where I caught the much busier Route 132, the old two-laned road along the river. I was now on familiar ground, for I had biked along Route 132 the Summer before. I had a quick lunch, and fixed another flat, at the A&W stop in Yamachiche, by the autoroute. Then I headed west, alongside the railroad tracks and through Louiseville, Meskinongé, and St. Barthelemy, until I reached Berthierville in late afternoon.
The B&B in Berthierville was housed in a massive Victorian mansion. My hosts awaited me on the verandah and offered me a beer as we sat and chatted about my ride. I rode off later, to find supper at the Cage aux Sports near the autoroute. Berthierville is a town of two souls. The old town, by the river, is quiet and quaint. Just a few blocks inland along Avenue Gilles-Villeneuve one comes to an almost permanent motorcyle rallye. I have yet to visit that town when I have not seen serious Harleys and leather jackets everywhere. Back at the riverfront though, where I stopped later in a quiet park near sunset, a local resident I spoke to had no knowledge of any motorcycles.
The next morning, I continued west along Route 132. This stretch, where the road runs right along the river's edge, is most picturesque. I had been granted a nice, cool but sunny day for the last day of my trip. I stopped at the riverfront park in each of the towns I passed: Lanoraie, Lavaltrie and St. Sulpice. From in front of the church in St. Sulpice, I could already make out the oil tanks of industrial Montreal far off in the distance. I thought I was near home when I crossed into Repentigny; it was here that the countryside vanished and the road became an urban boulevard. It seemed like Repentigny would never end! I was more than an hour crossing that town.
I have crossed the bridge at Bout de l'Ile many times, so I was now in very familiar country. I decided, though, to come in via Sherbrooke Street, a route I had never taken by bike. Previously I would either come in via Notre Dame or Gouin. It was a new discovery, especially passing alongside the massive quarry in Montreal East. I had never noticed, at automobile speeds, the huge cemetery north of Sherbrooke Street just west of Hwy 25. I passed by the Olympic Park, then over the CP Rail canyon, and then was passing through downtown.
Sheryl phoned me when I was about even with LaFontaine Park. She inquired how long I would be and was surprised when I told her yet another hour. As I rode up Beaconsfield nearly an hour later, she had organized an impromptu welcoming party with all the neighbours. I was quite touched! It had been a very successful ten-day ride. The Lord had helped me overcome some real challenges and I was quite content.
It would be just a few weeks, though, and I would be riding out once again.
(The story will be continued in subsequent editions of the Messenger. Accounts of earlier bike rides can be found at http://rogerkenner.ca/Bike/Bike.html)
Roger Kenner
Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner
& Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2006/03/24
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal