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Just this week Terrace Bay experienced an ice storm like never before.  The branches of our birch tree in our front yard slowly reached the ground as the rain froze to weigh it down.  If you peaked your head outside you could hear the crashing of trees and ice.  When the rain finally stopped, our tree was broken into three pieces and will probably have to be cut down when the snow and ice melt away.  And yet, the tree looks the most beautiful it has ever looked.  Each branch has a thick covering of ice that catches the sun light.  It is almost glowing in our front yard.  When the wind catches the branches it seems to makes music.  All three of my children commented on how amazing the tree looked.  We took a few pictures to remind us of the sadness and beauty the tree has shown us.

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Again, these words remind me of the Wittenburg Door

As we approach Good Friday and Easter, our congregation participates in the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis. It is amazing that as our country  is going through this crisis Eucharist seems to ground us in the essentials. Paul writes to the church in Corinth that when they break bread, they need to make sure that everyone is included. In her book “Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God”, Marva Dawn challenges and corrects our churches today when participating in communion. She writes concerning Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:

“For there to be a new creation, the old self must know its weakness and die to its own prejudices, tastes, class structures, and personal desires. How can we share this eschatological feast if we don’t participate in displaying God’s future, in which all will be equally fed and we all join together in universal praise? It seems to me that if we eat the body and blood of Christ in expensive churches without care for the hungry, the sacrament is no longer a foretaste of the feast to come, but a trivialized picnic to which not everyone is invited.” Marva J. Dawn, Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God (2001)

As we share the Lord’s Supper in the midst of crisis I pray that we remember that we are God’s new creation, that this meal is a symbol of the future when everything is made right and that everyone, yes everyone, is invited.

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Do you know what makes special occasions so special for me? The food. Special occasions is about eating really. Anniversary? Go for supper. Birthday? BBQ steak. Christmas? Turkey. Easter? Ham. Sporting events? Wings and Pizza. Special occasions means food. Food makes those events even more special. Do you have any family food traditions on special occasions?

The Hebrew people were the masters of eating on special occasions. They would remember the Passover, celebrate the harvest, remember the giving of Torah and celebrate living in tents in the wilderness by eating and drinking together.
Being together was the main point. Everyone, from every walk of life and every demographic were together eating and celebrating what God had done in their lives, in their past and in their community. God seemed to love and honour these celebrations – actually many times he required them.

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One of my favourite things to do as a Pastor is to baptize people. Living on Lake Superior makes baptism even that more of an amazing thing. It was a couple of years ago we hiked down to a hidden beach on the shores of the great lake and the waves had to be five feet high. I had to yell over the sound of the waves as I read scripture on the beach. I and the person being baptized then had to time running into the water with the rhythm of the bellows. As we dashed into the water, I would yell those sacred words “I now baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Even in the chaos of those moments, there is something special happening. There is this connection with all the saints of the past when we participate in Baptism. There is this acknowledgment that God is indeed at work in our lives and in our world in Baptism. There is an understanding that there is a huge history behind the practice of Baptism. And it is in Baptism that we look at our passage in Exodus today. Today we are going to connect, acknowledge and understand how the pillar of smoke and fire and baptism work together. So, let’s turn to our passage (Exodus 13:17-22) and wok our way to 1 Corinthians 10:1-2.

Exodus 13:17-22 (New International Version)

Crossing the Sea
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. [a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” [b]
20 After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

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