Tracy's Blog

The wind is howling as I sit down to write this.  Today we are having a shift in the weather.  When I woke up it was a balmy 0 and it is going down to -17 tonight.  Storms raging.  Things changing.  This is similar to life.  Even though I don't know all the details of your life last week, I am pretty sure there have been some trials and shifts, some unexpected challenges and adjustments. Yet through it all.... Jesus is King. Today (Sunday, Nov 23) we celebrated Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ.  It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year.  Whereas next week we will find ourselves preparing for the journey to Bethlehem, today we stand before the judgement seat of Christ the King  (Matthew 25:31-46 ).  We acknowledge Him as the Shepherd and we are His sheep ( Ezekiel 34:11-12 ; Psalm 100 ).  We proclaim His supremacy over all: "15  For this reason, because I have heard of you...

Since I go to St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Winnipeg, I get to hear about St. Margaret of Scotland (wife of Malcolm III) every year around this time.  Today (Nov 16) is the feast day for St. Margaret and I have been intrigued by what I have learned about her piece by piece.... year by year. Today what stood out to me was the way that Margaret rubbed shoulders with (well, actually washed the feet of) the poor.  What do I mean?  Tradition tells us that it was her practice to have orphans and the poor come to the castle for a meal or to have their feet washed.  She did this in imitation of Jesus and in obedience to His Word.  The Gospel reading for today was Matthew 25:31-40 . When I imagine the situation, I am struck by the idea of a queen inviting in the poor and destitute to be fed by her and King Malcolm.  Did they sit down and eat together?  Probably not as "it is recorded that she never sat down to eat without f...

One of the fun things about having teenagers is that I am thinking more about my life as a teen.  Since November 10th marks the 30th anniversary of my first date with my first boyfriend, yesterday morning I decided to read my journal from that part of my life.  Well, once I started reading, I keep going so that I ended up covering most of Grade 10-12 before breakfast.  My reaction? Let's just say I wasn't impressed.  Was I ever boy-crazy.... and superficial! My head started spinning with questions .... why was I so needy?  what was I thinking in that situation? who was that person - is that really me?  I started down the road of judgement when I realized I had a choice: shame or celebration .  I chose the latter and my questioning and condemning turned to thanksgiving.  I thanked God for His grace in my life, His good gifts - including my amazing husband, His long-suffering with me, His protection, and His provision...

I went to a funeral this week.  It was a sad yet hopeful event.  The woman who died was a follower of Jesus and was described by many as someone who exhibited the fruit of the Spirit.  She died suddenly and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will miss her but they also are looking forward to a day when they will see her again in heaven.  Going to that funeral and then it being All Saints day today, I am thinking about those who have gone before us to be with the Lord as well as looking ahead to that day when we will be before God's throne all together. I thought I would share with you all one of the readings for All Saints Day: Revelation 7:9-17 "After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation b...