God comes to us because God is willing to enter into the gloomy and difficult places of our lives to bless us with hope and renewal, newness and freedom. That is what Mary bore witness to, and that is what we are called to bear witness to in our time - a time when so much is happening that casts a shadow of gloom over so many.

You don’t have to be influential or be among the rich and powerful to be used by God. God is eager to use you, even in what may seem like small ways, to point people to the path of hope and peace.

The kingdom of God is not built on the dominance of power, but on the laws of love and humility. Not on greed and exploitation but on compassion and generosity. It does not sanction discrimination and segregation; but promotes healing and reconciliation. It does not bow to cultural norms and political demands; but transforms and elevates them.

To provoke means to stir up, to arouse or call forth feelings, desires, or activity. It means to incite or stimulate a person to action, to induce or bring about something. To cause someone to do something that they may not otherwise have done.

Nothing expresses love more deeply than tears. To be moved to tears conveys the depth of one’s feeling in a way that nothing else can. When one’s life is deeply touched, either by joy or by sadness, it often results in tears. In the words of American author Washington Irving– “There is a sacredness in tears... They speak more eloquently that ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”

"Love is lots of things, but one main one is a commitment to pay attention." And I would add it’s a commitment to be engaged – to be engaged in what is right and good. It's easy to see how that plays out with human beings.

Won’t it be nice if we can stop worrying and just be happy?

The pressures of modern life, and the worries those pressures bring, have had a devastating effect on many of us. Many suffer from illnesses brought on by the anxiety and worry which characterize so much of our society. And thousands go into eternity every year because they, quite literally, worried themselves into an early grave. Worrying is indeed a serious problem.

Significantly, I am recording this service on the day Canada observes its first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. This day honours the lost children of residential schools, their families, and communities. It’s a stark reminder of the misery and pain that we cause when we don’t value the lives of others.

You may not like this, but being number one in God's kingdom is not about being better that everyone else or outperforming another; it's about reaching out to those who need you most.

Greatness in the eyes of Jesus is found in the willingness to reach out to those we would be inclined to overlook.

We see that then, as it is now, attitudes and beliefs about Jesus ranged widely. Many Christians and Communities of Faith have deep assumptions that their language and ideas of God are universal, and that there’s is the only right way to see and understand God, without realizing that their language and ideas of God bear the weight and stamp of culture and history and is coloured by personal experiences and expectations.

As we go through our own stories, our own pain, our own moments of desperation, let us hear that word of grace and compassion that comes to us from God, and having heard, let us turn to God who accepts us with love. There is a place at God’s table for us – all of us, in whatever situation we find ourselves. And let us come knowing that we will not be turned away, whoever we are.

What our society needs to hear are not only those voices that seek always to sing in harmony with all else, but more of the voices like John the Baptist, crying out in the wilderness, even if the note they sounds is a discordant note. For truth will never be in harmony with falsehood, and right will never be in accord with wrong.

The fact is that the truth sometimes hurt, and those who dare to uphold it often pay a high price for so doing.

What do we do about that brother that is broken - overwhelmed by the burden he carries? How do we show that we care? What do we do for that sister who struggles to put food on the table? Does her struggle move us to act?

Do we see ourselves in that family who cannot pay their rent? What would be our response?

Let’s face it; there are families for whom the only bond that they share is a biological bond. Otherwise, they may just as well be strangers or passing acquaintances. But Jesus is drawing us into relationships of friendship.

A relationship of friendship does not diminish what we share as family; rather it deepens that relationship. It extends the relationship beyond a mere biological connection. Unlike kinship, friendship is a choice.

Spring is here, and as we step outside to tend to our plants, one of the tools we reach for is our pruning shears. We go out with our pruning shears not because our intention is to destroy the plants, but to enable them to bloom more abundantly and look more beautiful.

When we reach out and embrace those who are hurting or fearful or doubtful, when we show patience and understanding, and encouragement, as we walk alongside others in their pain and uncertainty, we help them to see things in a new way, and keep on the path of renewal.

When we think of Thomas, we often label him as doubting Thomas. But think for a moment, what reason would Thomas have had for doubting his colleagues?

Why would Jesus chose an untrained donkey, one that has not been broken-in, for such an important and significance occasion, rather than one that was trained and much more likely to cooperate, as would be expected? Is there something that his choice is meant to convey?

Let us make lent different this year. Rather than only committing to giving up something for a few weeks, let us commit to doing somethings that will bring about real change, not only for ourselves, but for others as well, especially those who can’t bring about those changes themselves. And if it means that we have to let our anger show, then so be it – there’s a time to be angry.

Cross-bearing is not a penalty that is imposed upon us, or something unavoidable that we must face. Cross bearing is an act of love that we freely choose. It is a task that we undertake, and a price that we pay, out of love.

For Jesus it meant going to a cross to die because He loved us. For us it means reaching out with love to others, even when that love is not returned.

The voice of God is that voice that calls us to look beyond ourselves to the needs of others. It is that voice that calls us unto love and service, to show care and compassion; that prompts us to reach out to others with kindness, to be a comforting presence, to stand alongside our fellow men and women.

For black people, the struggle for justice and equality has been generational, and while progress has been made, the struggle continues. It has been and continues to be exhausting, but we don’t have the luxury of giving up.

It takes courage to speak the truth, and even greater courage to speak truth to power.

…he is saying: This is us. This is us - you and me in relationship. This is us; facing life’s pains together, and embracing life’s possibilities together.

And while New Year’s Day reminds us to reset out routines and refocus our lives, let us not forget that the miracles of new seasons and new healings and new beginnings are possible 365 days a year.