Lynne Gardiner

Expectation vs Reality

Come, Thou long expected Jesus Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee.  (Charles Wesley)   There have been these memes on Facebook recently that I have found really amusing; the ‘Expectation vs Reality’.  One of my favourites was the “expectation” picture of a Christmas party with white furniture and silver Christmas Tree decorations and a whole family of well dressed and well groomed people smiling happily as they drank red wine and noshed on a charcuterie board, vs the “reality” of the same family with one kid … Read more

Good Fruit

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the … Read more

Waiting for the bread to rise.

God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread – and waits while the dough rises.  (Matthew 13: 33) “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 I’m really late getting this blog written this week.  I normally write my blog on Thursday afternoons so after Prayer and Share, but clearly that didn’t happen.  It didn’t happen for a whole lot of reasons that I won’t go into.  … Read more

New Things

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5.  I’m taking singing lessons again. Now before you all get impressed with me and my motivation to better my musical expression, the real hard truth of this new venture in my life was because I have been struggling with having my voice ‘heard’ in many different circumstances, and a very wise person (thank you, Jane) recommended that I start ‘reclaiming’ my own voice.  She, of course meant it in … Read more

Pizza with Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.   5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed … Read more

Finding Faith on Earth

Then Jesus[a] told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not … Read more

Millstones and Faith

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for sin are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Be on your guard! If a brother or sister sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day and turns back to you seven times and says, … Read more

Following Jesus on your Birthday.

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:  (Ecclesiastes 3: 1)   I don’t think Jesus had much use for greedy Pharisees.  (Rev. Myra Garvin)   The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.  (Walter Brueggemann)   He has told you, O mortal, what is good,     and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness     and to walk humbly with your God?(Micah 6:8)   Today is … Read more

The messiness of our lives

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;     he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted     and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars     and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power;     his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147: 1-5)   Monday morning, while I was working at the church, the news alerts started coming in about the violence and murder rained down by two individuals in the communities of James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan.   I could feel my heart catch in my throat.  … Read more

A faithful workhorse

The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer. In the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Supper. (Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1895.) I believe there is no line between the secular and sacred because God is forever made manifest right in our ordinary lives—there isn’t one room where God dwells and another room where … Read more