Theological ponderings from William Loewen

Category: Uncategorized

  • Commitments

    Commitments

    I don’t try listen in when other people are talking privately. Especially not the other day, when I had gone to a local coffee shop to find a quiet place to work. Just the right number of people and all of their sounds drown each other out. Their presence becomes a kind of accountability too.…

  • Set aside for suffering

    Set aside for suffering

    I was supposed to have submitted this post this past Sunday, the 15th, but my schedule didn’t allow for that. The content is the same as it would have been, but since it’s not the 15th anymore, the numerical connection isn’t as strong. If that’s important for you, just bookmark this page, and read it…

  • Forgiveness

    Forgiveness

    One of the events on the calendar at the recent Truth and Reconciliation gathering I attended in Edmonton was an inter-faith panel.  Representatives from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and First Nations spiritual communities were present.  Each panelist spoke about how their faith teachings lead them to deplore the abuse that so often happened at these…

  • Playmobil Advent – Day Thirteen

    Playmobil Advent – Day Thirteen

    Today’s baby Jesus is from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. The smallest package was the most exciting.  The central piece of the scene arrived today.  With baby Jesus in the scene, we now have a natural center. Day 13 – Isaiah 9: 2-7 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great…

  • Playmobil Advent – Day Seven

    Playmobil Advent – Day Seven

    In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…

  • Playmobil Advent – Day Four

    Playmobil Advent – Day Four

    In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…

  • Playmobil Advent – Day Two

    Playmobil Advent – Day Two

    In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…

  • Remembrance, Interrupted

    Remembrance, Interrupted

    In hindsight, we probably should have been more prepared for it.  Between the four of us pastors, we had probably over sixty years of public speaking experience.  My more charismatic colleague has had more sermons interrupted than he cares to count  by a prophetic voice.  Our local veteran and our newly arrived veteran can also…

  • In the news again

    Mennonites are in the news again in Canada.  Maybe in a good way, maybe in a bad way, and maybe both.  The Canadian Mennonite, a periodical published by Mennonite Church Canada has been asked/warned by an agency of the government to refrain from partisan political activity.  It referred to certain editorials and articles that covered…

  • I Walk the Line

    First thing this morning I went for a walk. I had a letter that needed to be mailed and the nearest post office is at our nearby grocery store.  Since my letter needed an authorizing stamp, there needed to be an actual staff person there to receive it and that staff person wouldn’t arrive until…