Tracy's Blog

In our Children and Worship time at church during the last Sunday of Advent, we talked about the Wise Men and their journey to Bethlehem based on Matthew 2:1-12 . In our discussion time, I asked the children if they thought it was easy or hard for the Magi to find Jesus. Since I was expecting someone to say “Easy! They just had to follow the star, “ I was a little taken aback when a shy girl answered, “Hard.” I asked her why she thought it would have been hard for the Wise Men to find Jesus and she said nothing. Not wanting to conversation just to end like that, I thought I would say something. But what could I say? I was prepared to talk about how easy it was. Then it hit me..... Jerusalem... Herod. Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of Kind Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”   The star h...

We had our Advent Pageant at church today. Yesterday during the rehearsal I was overseeing some of the 4-8 year old children and we had quite a bit of time to wait while the youth and older children were working on their parts. While we sat in the back of the church, I talked with my 4-year old son and another boy about the season of Advent and how we are waiting both for Christmas and for Christ's return. This was the first time Timmy heard that Jesus was coming back. “Really?” he asked. Later at bedtime we talked again about Jesus' return. Timmy was really tired so his emotions were pretty raw. He started to cry... really hard. “But I don't want to miss Christmas!” he sobbed at the realization that Jesus' return would transform life as we know it. He felt afraid of the unknown. As Clint and I talked with Timmy and explained that being with Jesus is the best thing ever (even better than a room full of toys!), he started to laugh...and laugh...and laugh. At ...

I've been reading a One Year Bible throughout 2012 and yesterday I started into the book of Revelation.  In the past when I've been reading the Bible in a year and spent the days before Christmas reading about scrolls and seals or beasts and bowls or the return of Christ, I didn't think it suited the pre-Christmas season and wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. It didn't seem to suit the festive spirit around me.  But now I see things different. Why?  My view of the pre-Christmas season has changed.  I now know its name: Advent.  I'm more mindful of Advent as a season for preparation both for celebrating the Incarnation as well as Christ's return that it yet to come.  Our church in Winnipeg, St. Margaret's Anglican , has a Advent sermon series entitled " On the Four Last Things ".  The four sermon topics over the weeks of Advent are: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell.  Although it has been years since I've read R...

For Advent, I decided to write about my experiences through this season.  So let me tell you about today... When I woke up, I knew it was going to be a busy day.  With church in Winnipeg (45 minutes away from our home) and a Christmas Party in the afternoon in a town 45 minutes the other direction, I knew I didn't have much "wiggle-room" in my schedule.  So, when we left church 20 minutes later than I had hoped, the first red light I hit was a nuisance.  Then I hit another, and another, and another.  Seriously, I hit more red lights on McPhillips Street than I can ever remember.  After I hit number 4 or 5, I asked myself, "Is there an Advent lesson here?"  What was I doing as I attempted to hurry along the path set out for me that day?  Watching and waiting.  Watching for those red lights to turn green.  Waiting out those seconds that felt like minutes. Isn't that part of what we are to allow ourselves to acknowle...

For many months we have been reading and reflecting on the story of Joseph, his brothers, and his father, Jacob. Today we come to the end of that story. Jacob has died and after a 70 day period of mourning, Joseph and his brothers take his body to be buried in Canaan (see Genesis 49:29 – 50:14 ) With Jacob gone, the brothers worry that Joseph still holds a grudge against them for their cruel treatment of him many years before. What do they do with that anxiety? They send word to Joseph that Jacob said “ This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly . ” (50:17a) and then speak for themselves as well “ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father .” (50:17b) After all these years, it seems that the brothers are still feeling bad for what they have done to Joseph. Most likely, they are also feeling vulnerable, wondering if Joseph was only providing for them and ...

Hi everyone, It's Monday night and I'm not going to get this blog entry done tonight.... but it will come sometime later this week!  So, in the meantime, why don't you have a look at the passage for yourself. Genesis 49:29 - 50:26 .  We are going to focus on Genesis 50:15-21 . peace and grace in Christ, Tracy

I was rereading the section of Genesis that we looked at earlier this week and realized that Joseph's blessing is amazing.  I think that after all we have read about him and all we have seen him go through, it is appropriate to take note of his father's blessing upon him.  Thus we have an extra post this week! Genesis 49:22-26 22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient m...

To read the entire passage, click here . Okay, okay! I know that this is suppose to be a blog about Joseph and that this is the second last blog entry left in the Joseph series, but today I want to talk more about the brothers and their relationships with Jacob. Why? Because when I read the blessings that Jacob bestowed on his sons, I came across something that helped me understand why Jacob trusted Judah to take Benjamin to Egypt when he didn't trust Reuben.  Genesis 49:3-4 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. (Sounds good so far....) Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” Now, had I studied all of Genesis before I plunged into Chapter 37, this wouldn't have been a surprise to me that Reuben slept with one of Jacob's concubines. Genesis 35:22 “While Israel was living in that region...

What do you think of Joseph's actions in Genesis 47:13-26 ?  One of hand, I can see that he was an excellent administrator for Pharaoh but he did it at the expense of the people. By the end of the famine, Pharaoh owned all of Egypt and “ Joseph reduced the people to servitude ” (47:21). On the other hand, the people were grateful saying to Joseph, “ You have saved our lives .” (47:25) and the tax rate wasn't too high: 20% of their harvest. But what stands out to me is the contrast between the Egyptians and the Israelites. While the Egyptians had paid all their money, livestock, land, and eventually themselves for food, the Israelites settled in Goshen where “ they acquired property... and were fruitful and increased greatly in number ” (47:27). I don't think I've ever really comprehended this before – how the move to Egypt benefited all of Jacob's family but Joseph's work for Pharaoh had the Egyptians end up as slaves. I'm so used to thinking of the ...

To read the entire passage, click HERE Genesis 37:2 says “ This is the account of Jacob ” and then launches into the story of “ Joseph, a young man of seventeen .” Now, almost ten chapters later, we see how it is Jacob's story. Genesis 46:1 “ So Israel set out with all that was his ...” Jacob was born in Canaan but went to his uncle in Haran to find a wife (two, actually) and run away from his angry brother, Esau. Years later he came back to settle in Canaan. On that trip, Jacob wrestles with a man who tells him “ your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome .” (32:28) Now an old man, Jacob/Israel is moving to Egypt with his entire family. Several important things happen for Jacob in this passage. Jacob worships God. “ when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac ” (46:1) For all his faults, Jacob has a great strength: he is a worshipper of God. God spea...

“ I am Joseph! ” (vs 3). Weeping “ so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it ” (vs. 2), Joseph makes his identity known to his brothers. They are speechless because they are terrified. But Joseph reassures them, “ do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you .” (vs 5) He goes on to explain the continuation of the famine and a plan to bring the whole family to Egypt. To read the entirety of Joseph's speech, Pharoah's offer, and Jacob's response, see Genesis 45. For me, I'm caught up in the reunion. Twenty-two years after they sold their brother to get rid of him, he appears before them as the man able to save their family (vs. 7 ). Not only that, he approaches them with a gracious spirit and confidence in God's work through their act of hatred! The Bible doesn't give us access to Joseph's inner processing of the b...

I can almost imagine Genesis 44 as a reality television show. We, the viewers, know that Joseph has set his brothers up by putting the silver cup into Benjamin's sack and then sending his steward to catch up with them and take Benjamin to be a slave. Joseph, however, doesn't know how the brothers will respond. The brothers don't know that the man who is creating these challenging and distressing situations for them is their own brother, Joseph. There is much dramatic tension. I can imagine the scenes switching between the brother and Joseph. Everyone is wondering what is going to happen? Will history repeat itself and the brothers choose to leave Benjamin, the favorite son, in Egypt? No. Instead we see Joseph's dream fulfilled and his brothers bowing down before him. ( Gen. 37:6-7 ) Judah steps up and says something a little odd for the situation - “God has uncovered your servants guilt” - and offers all the brothers as Joseph's slaves (v.16). Jose...

I splash water on my face and look in the mirror. Does it look like I was crying? Not unless someone looks at me closely. I slip back into the family gathering and start busying myself with the task at hand leaving my grief and sorrow for later when I have time to process. This is not an uncommon experience...needing to step away from a situation to cry and then wash one's face before re-entry into the activity of life. Maybe you've had it. Joseph had it. “Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. After he has washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.” (Gen. 43:30-31) How did he get here – having all 11 of his brothers over to his place for lunch? Jacob (often called Israel in this chapter) finally lets Benjamin go to Egypt. To hear the whole story, read Genesis 43 .   I want to highlight two things: Jacob trusts Judah ...

To read the full chapter click here - Genesis 42 . Twenty-some years after being sold as a slave, Joseph sees his brothers again.  But this time, he is "governor of the land" and they are bowing down to him (vs. 6).  Joseph recognized them immediately but they didn't recognize him.  He speaks harshly to them and accuses them of being spies.  The men tell Joseph that they are not spies but brothers:  "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.  The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."   (vs. 13) I can only speculate what was going on inside of Joseph when he heard them speak of his non-existence.  His reaction is forceful.   "As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.  Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to ...

TWO FULL YEARS!!!! That's how long Joseph had to wait until the cupbearer remembered him in prison and the service Joseph had done him by interpreting his dream. And why did he suddenly think of him? Because Pharaoh had two dreams that disturbed him but none of Egypt's wise men or magicians could explain them. That's when the chief cupbearer admits his faulty memory – when Joseph is needed again to interpret dreams.   This sets in motion the most remarkable change of circumstances. Pharaoh sends for Joseph who, after a quick shave and change of clothes, finds himself being expected to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. Joseph's first response? “ I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires .” (41:16). So Pharaoh tells Joseph his dreams, Joseph tells Pharaoh what they mean AND suggests how to deal with the reality of the upcoming 7 years of abundant harvests to be followed by 7 years of famine. Next thing we know, Joseph is second only to Ph...

Joseph is in prison and there is an interesting twist..... two of Pharoah's servants- the chief cupbearer and baker - are thrown in there with him. Both men have dreams and Joseph is able to interpret them. But where does it get him? Nowhere yet. To read the full account see Genesis 40 . What caught my attention in this chapter was Joseph. Three things in particular: When Joseph saw that the men under his care woke up one morning looking dejected, he approached them and asked “ Why are your faces so sad today .” (Genesis 40:7) Joseph's compassion stands out. Even though he is in a place he doesn't want to be in, he is thinking about others. Not only did Joseph have dreams ( Chapter 37:5-9 ), he is also able to interpret dreams. He links the interpretations directly to God. In 40:8b, Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams .” God works through Joseph in a very tangible way. Confident in the interpretation God h...

What a roller-coaster! Joseph was in a pit in Chapter 37 and sold as a slave. He rises to becoming the overseer of Potiphar's household and then his life takes an extreme nose-dive as he is falsely convicted of sexual assault. This lands him in the king's prison where he ascends again to a position of responsibility – being in charge of the other prisoners. (see Genesis 39 )   How long did this whole process? We don't know. The text tells it in a very succinct manner. How does Joseph feel through all this? We don't know that either. The text doesn't tell us. It focuses on something else: the LORD's presence with Joseph and the success he experiences because of God's blessing. When I read through Genesis 39, I noticed that “ The LORD ” is mentioned 6 times by the narrator and “ God ” is spoken of once by Joseph ( 39:9 ). So I looked back at Chapter 37. Interestingly, there is no mention of God in Chapter 37. That's when Joseph is livi...

Hatred, murderous thoughts, lying, and jealousy: that's how the story of Joseph starts. Although Genesis 37:2 states “ This is the account of Jacob ”, it is told as the story of Joseph - Jacob's “Number 1 Son”. But Joseph is not the number one son technically. He is really number eleven biologically considering Jacob had children with Leah, her maidservant Zilpah, Rachel, and her maidservant Bilhah.  He is, however, number one in Jacob's heart as Joseph is the first born son of Jacob's beloved wife Rachel. Joseph is very special to Jacob. He demonstrates this by giving Joseph a special gift – a robe. (The famous “Coat of Many Colours” that you coloured in Sunday School.) But that is not the only way that Joseph stands out. It seems that God has also given him a gift – dreams. Dreams of bowing sheaves, stars, sun and moon. Sharing these dreams with his family has a big impact on his brothers as they “ hated him all the more ” (37:5) and “ were j...

Ever since I preached a Sunday evening series on Joseph at Sunnyside Wesleyan, I've wanted to spend time reflecting on this dramatic story.  I decided this past week that today I would start a blog series from Genesis on the life of Joseph.  So, I woke up today thinking, "Yikes!  I need to spend some time studying Genesis 37 ."  And then I didn't.  Instead, our family did a major reorganization of two bedrooms (it is Labour Day after all!) and I resigned myself to not meeting my goal. This got me thinking about Joseph.  His life didn't go as he would have planned or expected.  His story has so many twists and turns, challenges and opportunities, depths and heights.  It's very emotional and very interesting as God works in fascinating ways. I'm looking forward to these next 3 months and where reflecting on this story takes us.  I hope you'll join me for the journey and ask for your input and prayers along the way. in Christ, Tra...

Hi all! It's 9:12 pm and the sun has set 45 minutes ago; it hit me on Saturday that Christmas is 4 months away; I just finished baking a recipe (for the first time) that was given to me in 1994; and tomorrow morning I'm planning to start to get out of vacation mode and wake up earlier.  What's on my mind?  The end of summer, old friends, sweets, and the opportunity for change that new seasons of life bring. How about you..... what's on your mind these days?  How was your summer?  What are you looking forward to this fall?  (I would love to hear your responses.) And where is God in all this?  He is with us. I hope that in these last days of summer you will find time to   "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10a).  No matter what is on your mind or whatever your summer has been like, God is with you... and will be there for you in the days ahead.  As Psalm 46: 11 says,   "The LORD Almigh...

Our 4 year old son, Timmy, has slowly been learning to do things for himself. The other day he proudly told me that he had used soap when he washed his hands. I hugged him and said, “Good for you. I love you.” Then I looked at him and said, “Timmy, do you know that we love you not only when you do good things but even if you did bad things?” Timmy looked at me in disbelief. “How can that be?” he asked. Right then I realized that my son, didn't understand the concept of unconditional love even though we are raising him an atmosphere of it (or we believe we are). I went on to explain that Mommy and Daddy and Noah and Abby and, most importantly, God all love him all the time no matter what he does. He looked at me and remained quiet. I couldn't quite read his expression so I asked, “How does that make you feel?” “Happy” he replied with a smile. The experience with Timmy has me thinking about how hard it is for us to accept unconditional love. We automatically...

Hi Everyone, I think of you every Monday - whether I post a blog or not - and wanted to let you know that I'm on vacation right now and am not sure when I will get back to regular posts.  We've been having a great summer.  We just visited the Black Hills of South Dakota and now have visitors staying with us.   While we were in South Dakota, we went to Wind Cave National Park .  When we got there, we hurried to the ticket booth to purchase our tickets for a cave tour.  In line, I heard a park ranger say that the temperature in the caves was 52 degrees.  What was that in celsius?  I soon found out: 11 degrees.  "Oh no!" I thought as I realized that we didn't have sweatshirts or hoodies to wear on our tour.  The weather outside had been hot day after day and we hadn't even thought about needing jackets.  Well, that wasn't quite true - I did have a fleeting thought about it when we were hurrying to get into the car but it seemed like...

I had a memory the other day of Grade 5 or 6 that got me thinking about God's redemptive work in us.  My friends and I had been reading Judy Blume books and in one of them (maybe it was "Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing"?), the characters wrote lists of things they liked and disliked about their friends.  So, my group of friends decided to try this.  What do I remember of this experience?  Surprisingly, not the list of things others wrote about me but rather the comment that someone made, "You wrote lots of negative things for each of us but only one positive thing."  It was true!  I found it easy to list specific negative things about my friends but when it came to the positives I wrote something generic like, "You are nice."  It seems that my critical skills were sharper than my affirming or encouraging skills. Fast forward to today.... and here is where I want to give thanks to God for His redemption in my life.  When I think of the ways t...

Two years ago today, our family packed ourselves, our dog, and a few of our belongings into our blue Suzuki Esteem and left Ottawa for Manitoba. When we took possession of our new house later that week, we were aware that the well water had been contaminated with bacteria in the past. So, we got it tested. It came out having both coliforms and e-coli. We had the well "shocked" and tested the water again. This time the water only showed coliforms. Needless to say, we didn`t use it for drinking or washing vegetables. Beside our bathroom sinks were bottles of water to brush our teeth with. Other than the water that passed through my lips accidentally in the shower, I refused to ingest this water unless it was boiled first. A year passed. In the summer of 2011, we got out water tested again. This time the result surprised me. It had nothing – no menacing micro-organisms – in it. . Could it be true? I couldn`t believe it! Even though I would tell other people, “Ou...

One day, Timmy's room was a disaster. There were clothes and toys scattered all over the floor. I said, “It's a mess,” indicating that we needed to spend some time cleaning it up. His response was interesting. He said “It's a maze”. His focus was on the challenge ahead – how to get to his bed through the maze – and not the mess. He had a very different perspective than me on the same situation. I started to wonder: is that how life is sometimes? Can our perspective make that much of a difference? I think so. Life can be a mess. Many things go wrong, situations are not what we hope them to be, and we have difficult challenges before us. We are overwhelmed by the mess and don't know what to do. But what if we alter our perspective? What if we were able to view the “mess” as a “maze”? And what if we switch our focus from the mess onto how to get through the maze with God's direction and help? So, here are some verses that have been very significa...

Yesterday in church I was struck by the "comfortable words" that are part of Holy Eucharist (1962) in the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada (pages 238-239).  As the deacon said "Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him", my ears perked up.  And as I listened, I was struck with why these are comfortable words... because we have great needs that God meets - to have a place of rest, to know we are loved, and to be forgiven for our sins. It is when we acknowledge our need that we can then receive the amazing gifts of God. So, hear these words and may they be your comfort. Hear what Jesus says: "Come to me all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you."  Matthew 11:28 "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 Hear also what Saint Paul says: ...

Yes, I did remember that it was Pentecost this week. I had been preparing for it by reflecting on the work of the Holy Spirit as our Advocate/Counselor/Helper/Comforter ( John 15:26 ) throughout the week. I hope you were able to celebrate the Church's birthday with others. I enjoyed singing “Happy Birthday to the Church” with the children (age 4 and under) in St. Margaret's nursery. That was fun! My reflection for today is brief. It comes from Acts 2:1-4 “ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Two points: “ ...tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them .” The Holy Spirit comes upon indi...

It was my teenage son, Noah, who made me aware of the fact that I had completely missing Ascension Day last Thursday (May 17). He came out of his youth group on Friday evening and told me about the passage they had studied – Acts 1:1-11. “Yikes!” I thought, “I missed celebrating the Ascension!” Now is this really a big deal? On a personal note, it showed me that all the calendars I've been using this year are completely secular. They have no religious holidays on them. So, I need to depend on my church community to track with religious events. This is normally fine except that 1) I had been in the nursery at St. Margaret's for the whole service the week before and hadn't read the bulletin and 2) we decided to go to St. Clement's church in Selkirk on Sunday which had already had a special service for Ascension on Thursday and instead was having a Rogation Sunday (a day to ask for God's mercy and blessing on the seeds that were soon to be planted). Less...

“Ouch!” Pain seared through my left knee as I knelt down and I thought to myself, “How am I suppose to get to my goal of getting in better physical shape this spring with all my aches and pains?” I immediately felt discouraged, wondering if my hopes were being dashed. But then another thought hit me, a much more significant one. I started to think about the importance of not tying my ultimate life goals to things that are temporal and unreliable (like knee joints). Although getting in better shape is a good goal and being a good steward of my physical body is a godly goal, it can't be what I am founding my life on. The achievement of it is too precarious. There are so many things that can impede it. “So,” I asked myself, “where should my focus be?” Here is what I've come up with: I believe that there is a direction for our lives that is an unstoppable road. Call it what you will – the spiritual journey of sanctification, walking with God, the path to eternal life...