42 - North Shore News — Friday, November 24, 2000 SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING Craig Luccack Contributing Writer I recently made a decision to follow what I believe to be my calling to become an ordained priest in the Anglican Church. As you could imagine, once i had made my decision to pursue this vocation, I was very excit- rk wi in us al his letters, “We love because God first loved us.” Loving the people around you unconditionally and treating everyone as your neighbour can be the hardest thing in the world to do, but when what it truly means to be a Christian. we do, and we allow God's love and grace to work within us all, we might start to understand _ Craig Luceock, Youth Pastor, St Francis-in-the-Woods Anglican Church, West Vanconver. ed to tell 1 my friends and family. The reaction of my friends and family was both somewhat sur- prising and very flattering in that they were very excited for me, and extremely supportive (I was also a little taken aback to find out that many of them were not surprised). Some of the people that were the most supportive of my decision were people who were non-Christian, and have very little use for Christianity. It was also amazing to me the types of question people — both Christian and non-Christian- asked me. Can you drink anymore? Do you have to take out your earrings? Can you dye your hair, or grow it long? What happens if you swear? Do you have to get rid of your Mod Rage Against the Machine CDs? Can you get married? (For the record, in the Anglican Church, Priests are allowed to get married.) It is amazing to me how many ople see living a Christian life as a Set of rules. Even if we look to Jesus, we don’t see a lot of discussion on the “do’s and don’ts.” In fact, when we take a closer look, we see a person who broke many of the rules and conventions that were held to be. very important in first-century Palestine. In particular, he ate with people who were considered to be “sinners” and unclean, ate and celebrated when others thought he should be fasting, and harvested food on the Sabbath — a day that was viewed as a day of rest — when his disciples _ where hungry and needed to eat. He upset everyone who was in power, whether it was the Pastor Darryl Penner Contributing Writer We are living in a new age,! Or so I’ve heard. The Age of Aquarius ended with the re- alignment of our planets on May 5, 2000, and a new age began. I wonder if anybody noticed much of a difference? That Friday I was in my car listening to an astronomer on a radio sta- tion. He declared that nothing astronomical or metaphysical had really changed with this insignificant alignment of planets, and I igy and Roman occupiers, or the chief priests of the Jewish temples. On one occasion while at the house —_— thought to myself, “How do you know? of some very influential priests, he insulted them relentlessly, and in one ~ fight rebellion, he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and merchants that were located in the Temple. : | “What he did do is love everyone unconditionally _ especially those who were considered to be the unlovable. He healed illnesses like ni © person before or since, and he performed miractes en peuple asked him what the greatest command- ly two (neither of which was listed in the famous “10 commandments”): :* that nobody could co mprehend or explain. | “ment was, he named o “>=, “Love your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love : yourself.” (My father once presented j it to me another way: “Love God and do what you want, but remember which comes 5: first.”) : Of course now everyone’s saying “Well that’s pretty easy, what’s the big deal.” The problem is “ that i it is a huge deal. Personally, I’d rather just be given a rulebook on how to be a Christian — do this; don’t do that. The Chestian life is really hard, and Jesus was also very clear about that. -.. Sometimes you’re made fun of and ridiculed, and get beaten up. Some people lose their life for | : their faith, Jesus himself suffered the most brutal, painful, and humiliating death in order that.h in, and show the world the Good News of God's redeeming love which conquers. could rise a even death, jometimes in our zealousness, ' we, the Church, “make the same mistakes today as the Chief . Priests did 2,000 years ago. We start bringing in rules and regulations, but in the process we for- incipte of oF living a Christian fife: love. As is Foln, the apostle, reminds us in one of the greatest Something certainly changed last time!” Maybe our astronomer friend hasn’t noticed the enormous changes that have occurred in - our collective attitude toward sex, drugs, family life or morality in the last 40 years. In some . ways these changes have been almost as devas- tating as the floods and earthquakes we were |. supposed to get on May 5. Is family life really © better now than it was then? Are people happier. now that the only guideline that applies to sex- “uality is, “Follow w your heart?” I wonder how many present or former drug addicts would say, - “Thank God for the Age off Aquarius! My life ‘has beeri so:enriched by all the substances it. alight i mie to abuse!” Maybe we should go. - down to Hastings Street and take'a poll. And yet so many people miss the 760s, the” Age of Aquarius. I still meet kids who say, “I: wish I had lived back chen. It sounds so excit: ; ing.” ” I remember the sense of mystery and. articular display of out- ur neighbour 2s ~ ens your life. Drink the S, ‘draughts of him.”. Then this new age will be ' Let this be the Age of Jesus optimism that song, “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius,” engendered in my young heart when I first heard it at Disneyland. And- to tell the truth — I would welcome a New : Age in a flash, provided it were really a new age, and not just a retread of the old one. So what would I like to see in a New Age, if we are going to have one anyway? I would not . like to see a return to the 50s. I don’t see that as 2 golden age. I would not like to return to; the Victorian Age or the Middle Ages or the Roman Empire. I would like to see us press...) |. ahead toward the destiny God has for us, to try _ to live the way He intended us to.. ~ I believe that there is a real possibility that = the world can “sing in perfect harmony.”.We .-: can “make love, not war. ” But we can’t do it- even in the microcosms of our individual lives ‘and families —- by throwing God out of the pi ture, Age that dawned on Friday, May 5. Let this be .- the “Age of Jesus” here on the North Shore and throughout the world. Let us pursue the mystery in those wonderful words of Ephesians - 5:18 “Don’t drink toe much wine. That cheap- pirit of God, huge. really new and really worth living in... .'- ; ‘x Darryl. Penner, Pastor, North: ‘Shore ; Vineyard.’ He an be contacted by e-mail oF Web site 2 sib tit snustbe- “3 more. mre.ang/>.. : : meer aentaehaheneatiah din iteenaianntanasthiatetdemneemembienaanen aarehitoas oath eebehaneremamientn seca denoting etn an ee eet, vanes Ariel one peep etme ertine crete emu niga mam tafe ene en agen tae fiero Coll church office for details 00 Bost 28¢d Sireut, Morth Vascsuvor : (Unit wd enc hon 7 “3No - religious. tush Careful attention to |. ~~ ees HILLSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH « ‘kids'-dCome eatly for a-seat Fun & free : >No ties-no grouches dice cream for kids - 1 | 10:00am Nursery & Tot Care [7:00pm Youth Group | Aas an ‘nv Full Goupel Chores GO E. 28th St, 1, North Vancouver, 8.C. Ph, 880-0307 Pastoral I Seath Owen Scott, Glen Ryland, Marce! Kurtz, Melonie Sard. Valley Church ts mada up of ordinary people ot “howe veo have ten touched ty the person OF Jem | LYNN VALLEY UNITED CHURCH £3201 Mountain’ Highway ° . : 10:30 AMS | a WORSHIP SERVICE Minister Rey. 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