We had a week of bitter winter weather recently – even as some parts of central Canada basked in unseasonable warmth. I didn’t want to go outside. So I looked out through our double-glazed windows at the winter wonderland outside.
The most visible item was our bird feeder. Swarmed by various kinds of finches, sparrows, chickadees, and juncos.
We’ve had that feeder a long time. The congregation Joan and I belonged to in Toronto gave it to us when we moved west, in 1993. Since then, I’ve replaced its roof, replaced the clear plastic panels that contain the bird seed, replaced the mounting, and replaced the feeding tray the birds perch on.
Hardly anything remains of the original feeder.
But it’s still the same old feeder.
It reminds of an axe that had had three new handles and two new heads, but it was still the same good old axe.
As its owner said, “If it was good enough for Granddad, it’s good enough for me.”
Constant revision
Most people my age think we still speak the same language we did 60 or 70 years ago. We don’t. Webster’s first Collegiate Dictionary in 1828 defined some 70,000 words. By the 1960s, the Seventh edition had grown to 130,000 words. Today, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary lists 470,000 words. (The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary apparently includes 600,000 words.)
Each time Webster’s added words, critics denounced the new volume as too radical, even vulgar.
An old axe is always better than a new one.
The congregation I now belong to had some grumbling about music a few years ago. We weren’t singing the great old hymns any more, some members claimed. So we asked members to list the hymns they wanted to sing. Over half of the list turned out to have been published within the last 20 years.
But they still counted as good old hymns.
I’m told that a U.S. denomination did a similar survey. For a variety of reasons, the same hymn topped both the most-loved and most-loathed lists: “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Clinging to familiar thoughts
The “good old axe” syndrome carries over even into politics. Here in B.C., it’s hard to recognize traditional party lines anymore. The Conservative Party disintegrated. The Liberal Party (Conservatives by a different name) were reduced to a minority in the last provincial election, so they stole the NDP platform in a vain hope of retaining power. The NDP returned the favour by bringing in a Liberal budget that cut taxes, poured money into capital projects, and promised a $219 million surplus.
But I still hear people mumbling about the threat of “those damn socialists.”
If it was good enough for Grandad…
Church attendance has dropped dramatically in this part of the world. According to the Gallup organization, only 20 per cent of Canadians now attend weekly; 15 per cent in France, 10 per cent in Britain, 6 per cent in Holland. The decline seems to me to coincide with space travel confirming what Galileo stated 400 years earlier – there is no kingdom of heaven “up there.”
Yet almost everyone still rolls their eyes upwards when referring to God.
I wonder how long it will take before we’re willing to buy ourselves a new axe.
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Copyright © 2017 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.
To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca
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YOUR TURN
After a week when I got no mail, John Shaffer told me that the last week’s column on dogs and cats “should get massive responses…” He was right.
John went on, “My father thought animals should never be allowed inside our home. However, my wife's family enjoyed indoor pets. It wasn't our first disagreement, but we [had no pets] until someone brought me a wonderful German Shepard/husky mix. I fell in love with her, and she spent a wee bit of time inside. And she was pregnant. Soon I had more than one. Then we got a cat (she was also pregnant), but she also saved our lives when smoke filled our home one cold, winter night. (I made a mistake with the fireplace when it was -30 outside.) She climbed into the bed and made enough noise to wake me up before smoke got to our heads. Dumb animals? Not at all. She accepted us so much that she had her babies in our bed between our two sleeping bodies. No complaints from us, even though we had to clean the sheets.”
David Evans wrote, “Some 70 years ago, my grandmother passed on this bit of wisdom. ‘Dogs have masters, Cats have staff.’
“The years have proved her absolutely correct. When we had to get out of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998, we rented a house in Nairobi from a missionary couple who were home on furlough. One of the stipulations of the rental was that we would pet the dogs daily and (note the word choice here) ALLOW the cats to sit on our laps in the evening, if they wished.”
Isabel Gibson agreed with David’s grandmother: Having shared my home with both dogs and cats over the years, I agree with the summary I saw somewhere: Dogs have owners; cats have staff.
“With a cat I'm never sure that they're too stupid to learn the rules: I always suspect that they're too indifferent. I mean, whose house is it, anyway?”
I loved the name Jean Hamilton gave to one of her cats: “The best cat name we have had in the family is ‘Chairman Meow’ -- better than the ubiquitous ‘Magnificat’ which seems to run in clergy families. Of course in a dignified old age he was simply known as The Chairman.”
More currently, Jean wrote, “Our cat Flo is also in charge. I had eye surgery yesterday and she takes a dim view of my ability to put drops in my own eye, so she sits on my chest and supervises.”
Bob Rollwagen wondered whether cats or dogs got the better deal out of being domesticated: “Cats believe that they are ‘goddess like’ but then the dog gets to go out into the world and travel. Even on a leash, this beats being caged. However, many more of us are lured by their pet activity - hobby, sport, politic, relationship. Like our four legged pets, these things can take on life-like dedication within our human relationships and usually impact it in unexpected ways.
“It is good that your cat let you go on vacation.”
Ken Nicholls, from Norfolk in England: “Have you read the book 'Cat and Dog Theology' by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison? I once used this comparison between the two as the basis of a sermon, using the passage from Luke (18: 9-14) about the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple. It seems to me that very they closely represent cats and dogs. The Pharisee (a cat) seems to be telling God how lucky God is that he should be worshipping at all whereas the tax collector (a dog) is humble and obedient before his master and meekly confesses and bows low. It is all a question of where we place the centre of our worship -- ourselves and our response or God and his infinite grace.”
My experience with dogs and cats was not TomWatson’s. Tom wrote, “On our southern Ontario farm, all things were measured by their utility value. As such, the dog -- with the exception of one who matched Dave Barry's description as having the ‘intelligence of celery’ -- was in far higher order than any cat.
“The cat -- I should say cats because there were several -- were useful for only one thing: catching mice in the barn and surrounding yard. We had as many as 14 or 15 cats at a time. Some were raised from kittens, some strayed there, some strayed away in due course, some got distemper and died. None of them ever got named. And I don't remember a single one that ever came in the house.
“The dog, or sometimes, two dogs, always came in the house. They were civilized. They had names. They were useful with the cattle and as watchers of all things unusual, but beyond that they were an ever-ready companion.”
There were also letters on other topics. Laurna Tallman wrote, “Thank you for your inspired paraphrase of Psalm 22. I needed that reminder to set my priorities today.”
And Beth Richardson, who publishes an Alberta newspaper called The Chautauqua commented on my editing rules: “I really like your third point in your policy...that's the one I have the hardest time getting people to understand -- my newspaper, my rules :)”
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PSALM PARAPHRASES
Didn’t I just use Psalm 19 recently? Never mind – it’s a magnificent psalm that foreshadows the explosion of knowledge through science, and still sees it all as evidence of God. Here’s one of several paraphrases I have done.
1 The whole earth is God's textbook.
The skies shine with God's glory, and the land blossoms with abundance of life.
2 Our days are alive with learning,
and our nights are full of fanciful notions.
3 God does not need words to teach us;
curiosity and experience are not limited to any language or nation.
4 Humans separate themselves by their languages, but the delight of discovery is universal.
Wherever the sun shines -- on rocks and trees, on skies and seas -- the universal messages of life spring forth.
5 The light encircles the earth tirelessly;
like God, it persists even when we cannot see it.
6 Where there is light, there is life;
where there is life, there is God.
7 With sure skill, God has woven the web of life;
8 Predictable patterns become evident;
The laws of the universe unfold like a flower
before our thirsting minds;
we begin to understand.
9 Our intellects explore the intricate mesh of a planet pulsing with life.
We sense the underlying order of the universe;
It is so true, so right, that we stand in awe.
10 These insights are worth more than wealth and popularity--
more than chocolate kisses or honeyed words.
11 For by them we come to understand our place;
Within this framework we take our proper place in the order of things.
For paraphrases of most of the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalms from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.
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TECHNICAL STUFF
If you want to comment on something, send a message directly to me, jimt@quixotic.ca.
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PROMOTION STUFF
To use the links in this section, you’ll have to insert the necessary symbols.
Ralph Milton ’s latest project is called “Sing Hallelujah” -- the world’s first video hymnal. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at wwwDOTsinghallelujahDOTca
Ralph’s HymnSight webpage is still up, http://wwwDOThymnsightDOTca, with a vast gallery of photos you can use to enhance the appearance of the visual images you project for liturgical use (prayers, responses, hymn verses, etc.)
Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,” an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://wwwDOTchurchwebcanadaDOTca>
I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, wwwDOTtraditionaliconoclastDOTcom
Alva Wood’s satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town -- not particularly religious, but fun; alvawoodATgmailDOTcom to get onto her mailing list.
Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” -- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at tomwatsoATgmailDOTcom or twatsonATsentexDOTnet