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Recorded at Westview Christian Fellowship on May 17, 2020 - Caleb Ratzlaff discusses Acts 15 - the moment the church affirms uncircumcised Gentiles.
Inspired by the experience of LGTBQ Christians, Caleb finds parallels between Westview's journey to be an affirming church and the early church's struggle to affirm uncircumcised Gentile Christians.Spoiler: there's more biblical grounding for affirming LGBTQ Christians than there is supporting Paul's argument that circumcision wasn't always necessary. By Caleb Ratzlaff Changes in daily life disrupt comfortable routines. Jolts to our normal pace have a way of revealing things and people we take for granted. With this insight can come inspiration for new ways of living. It’s common to fast during Lent for exactly this reason: by subtracting from our daily routine we gain a new perspective. Lent opens our eyes to the beauty and suffering often hidden in plain sight. As preparation for Easter, this new perspective enables us to better understand the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection. 
We're experimenting recording messages as Westview. Below is a recording from Feb. 16, 2020 when Caleb Ratzlaff discussed Matthew 5:21-37.
TLDL: Using two commandments -- do not murder and do not commit adultery -- Jesus elaborates on what he means when he says that his life and works fulfill the law and the prophets. The end discussion has been edited for sound quality and length. Enjoy.  By Caleb Ratzlaff Post 1: Intro by Rosilee Sherwood
Post 2: Evil In David's Heart Post 3: David and the Anti-Christ Post 4: Noah's Ark Children’s stories about David and Goliath often portray the king as a man after God’s own heart. David, the story goes, is an innocent young man who shows courage in the face of long odds. We want David to be good, a desire that colours readings of his reign. The quality of David’s heart, however, is a matter of some debate. like all of our hearts, David’s is dynamic and often uncertain of itself. However, it would be a mistake, to model our lives off David and a disaster to organize our communities in the image of his Israel. Taken as a whole, David’s life is in direct opposition to the life of Christ. The stories shared in this report provide a picture of how we’ve seen God at work in our neighbourhood and church over the course of 2019. Click the link below to download the full report: 
 By Caleb Ratzlaff Samuel 16:6-13
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.”[a] 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” By Caleb Ratzlaff Mennonite churches have been relatively successful at doing good for the most vulnerable in our society. Important work often seen as for our neighbours might include: building housing, serving meals, and sponsoring refugees. During a neighbourhood glowride my approach to good works began to change from doing for, to working with the most vulnerable. Before talking about that small but important distinction, I need to tell you about glowrides.   By Rosilee Sherwood I’d like to introduce to you our theme for the next several weeks. We are going to be revisiting some of the bible stories that are often taught to children. When I was a kid I went to Sunday School each week and my Sunday School teacher had something called a flannelgraph. It was a board with a sheet of flannel over it that she’d have set up on an easel. Then all of the lovely bible characters would be cut out of felt and we’d be able to put them onto the board to show what was happening in the story. Our goal, over the next several Sundays is to take these stories off the flannelgraph, out of the picture book bible, and dig deeper to try and uncover the many layers of complexity and richness that are left out when we make these stories for children.
By Caleb Ratzlaff Prioritizing profit over the well-being of people seems like a bad idea, for businesses, for society at large, as well as for religious sects. Two stories contained in Acts chapter 19 remind us of this self-evident truth providing an economic lesson. Both concern religious sects that struggle against or outright oppose “the Way” as taught by Paul. My argument here is that each sect takes issue with Paul following his advice would mean that they could no longer enrich themselves at the expense of others.   By John Derksen
Jeremiah 1:4-10; 7:1-11, 15; 20:7-10, 14-18; 31:31-34 A bit like President Obama stood on the shoulders of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus stood on the shoulders of Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah. As Jesus did after him, Jeremiah lived in tough times. He criticized injustice and hypocrisy, suffered a lot for his message, and longed for God’s comforting presence. And in the end he offered hope. Background and Call My name is Jeremiah. I come from a little village near Jerusalem. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all priests. But I was shocked when, as a youth, God called me. God said, “I want you to announce my message to priests and politicians and kings.” I said, “I can’t; I’m only a boy!” God said, “Don’t worry; just speak what I command you. I will be with you; and if you get in trouble, I’ll deliver you. Your words will be my words, and they will concern the destruction and rebuilding of nations! (ch. 1) Dinner and Panel on Affordable Housing in Niagara is hosted by Westview and the youth at Bethany Mennonite Church. Join us for dinner and a panel to learn about affordable housing -- what it is, what are the challenges -- and to hear stories from folks struggling to find an affordable place to live in Niagara. After dinner we'll be hearing from folks most affected by the housing crisis and rising housing costs as well as learning about the housing support work done at Westview Centre4Women and Start Me Up Niagara. Jane Lavacca, WC4W's executive director will be joining the panel from the Centre; and Karrie Porter, acting executive director at SMUN and city councilor for St. Patrick's ward will be joining us from SMUN. Tickets are by donation at the door.  Westview - Greater 3 from jenfirelight on Vimeo. On the weekend of May 11th, the Niagara Churches of MCEC hosted a conference called “The End of Us and Them” at Westview Christian Fellowship and Vineland United Mennonite Church. The conference explored past and present stories of poverty in and around our Churches, Hugo and Doreen Neufeld shared about their experience at Welcome Inn in Hamilton, participants of Westview Centre4Women told their stories, and Carol Penner grappled with Biblical material on the topic. We learned about the overdose prevention site in downtown St. Catharines, and we heard from others in our Mennonite community engaged in issues associated with poverty.
These stories revealed both the unstoppable courage displayed by those living with effects of poverty and the bewildering complexity of the issue. It’s not as if there are some who happen to suffer under poverty and others who are unaffected; our lives grow together in such a way that if you’re not suffering, you might be culpable. We hope this weekend encourages churches in Niagara to continue wrestling with the oppressive forces of poverty present in our neighbourhoods. Jennifer Symonds, a participant at Westview Centre4Women, tells her own story of poverty, courage and even transformation: Jennifer’s Story: Part 1: How Ruth Saves Us From the Affordable Housing Crisis - By Caleb Ratzlaff Part 2: Mother Mary Revolutionary - By Rosilee Sherwood By Caleb Ratzlaff  Matthew 27: 57-61
“57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.” We recently finished a series at Westview on the women who appear in Matthew’s Genealogy of Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Through this series, I gained a better understanding of something oft-repeated in my childhood: that , “Christ died for our sins”. Below I argue that the courageous actions of outcasts reveals the sin and injustice upheld by insiders — the privileged and comfortable majority. Christ’s death reveals that salvation is a product of oppressed people’s resistance against injustice; such resistance calls the mainstream community to a better way of life. To understand how Matthew connects Christ’s salvific work to the resistance of the women in Christ’s life, we’ll start by reviewing some general observations about women in Matthew’s Gospel; before, second, sharing a few of the lessons we learned at Westview about Christ’s grandmothers; and then, third briefly visit the episode where Christ is anointed by an unnamed woman. Finally, I will conclude by thinking about how the women waiting outside Christ’s tomb reveal what it might mean to say, “we are saved by the work of the cross”.  Part 1: How Ruth Saves Us From the Affordable Housing Crisis - By Caleb Ratzlaff Part 2: Mother Mary Revolutionary - By Rosilee Sherwood Part 3: We are Saved by the Work of Christ’s Grandmothers - By Caleb Ratzlaff By Rosilee Sherwood “Mother Mary” is easily seen as a meek and mild, passive figure who is a symbol of purity and faith. Upon closer inspection, I believe “revolutionary” should be added to the list of titles that this iconic woman has earned. Jesus’ genealogy lists five women, including his mother, Mary. Like the four other women in Jesus’ family tree, Mary challenges her status as a worthless “outsider”, fighting to dismantle the system of injustice that deems her worthy only of death.
 In order to be eligible for Niagara Region Housing you also must have a birth certificate, have done your taxes and can produce a notice of assessment, have an address that mail can be sent to and responded to in 10 days, and complete a yearly eligibility assessment in order to stay active on the wait list - all this proves challenging for those living on the street. Part 1: How Ruth Saves Us From the Affordable Housing Crisis - By Caleb Ratzlaff Part 2: Mother Mary Revolutionary - By Rosilee Sherwood Part 3: We are Saved by the Work of Christ’s Grandmothers - By Caleb Ratzlaff By Caleb Ratzlaff Female protagonists from ostracized communities is a common motif in the biblical canon, but often overlooked by interpreters. The narrator of the Book of Ruth is keen to remind us that the protagonist, Ruth, is one such woman, continually stressing her identity as an outsider: “So Naomi returned together with Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, who came back with her from the country of Moab” (NRSV). The stress on Ruth’s identity as a Moabite is not accidental. Israelites generally didn’t have a lot of respect for these neighbours, in part due to the story of the Moabite founding father, Lot, who had incestrial relations with his daughters.
Despite all of this, the book of Ruth reminds us that, like Naomi, Boaz, and ultimately Israel, we too should seek redemption in the resilience of those who reside on the outskirts of our community. These outsiders offer us redemption, the opportunity for justice, and an insight into our own sin.  Picture (wood cutout): Fritz Eichenberg "Christ of the breadlines" (1953) Jesus Isn’t Talking to You. The real audience of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7. 7-11). By Caleb Ratzlaff 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7. 7-11).
Receiving whatever we ask for is scandalous in an age of consumerism. My son, like so many of us, never stops asking for things. If I gave in to all his requests, he’d quickly make himself sick with treats and would soon be able to recite by memory every episode of his favourite animated series. I’d be a truly irresponsible father. This portrait of an indulgent father probably shouldn’t be the first that comes to mind when we think about God. Perhaps, Christ’s Sermon on the Mount isn’t addressing me and my family — whose material needs are thankfully satisfied — perhaps he has someone less privileged in mind. This subtle shift significantly changes the meaning of the sermon. Suddenly Christ isn’t talking me and mine when he says “ask and you will receive.” We are so excited to present this video in celebration of Westview Centre4Women's 10th anniversary. Thanks Thomas Reimer for doing an amazing job. |
AboutThis blog has multiple contributors. The beliefs and opinions expressed by each are one-sided and partial. We hope that by confronting and expressing our one-sidedness through dialogue this blog is able to reflect the life of Westview as we gather together and live in the Queenston Neighbourhood and beyond. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Caleb at calebratzlaff@gmail.com. Podcast: westviewchurch.podbean.com
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Troubling Children's Stories: Evil in David's Heart Troubling Children's Stories: Intro Saved by the Work of Christ's Grandmothers: 3/3 Glowriding in the Kingdom of Heaven 2019 Annual Report MOTHER MARY REVOLUTIONARY Part 2/3 How Ruth Saves Us From the Affordable Housing Crisis and Other Sins - Part 1 of 3 Jesus Isn’t Talking to You WC4W 10th Anniversary Vid! Transforming Abuse through Mutual Submission The Power of Invisibility Repent and Burn: The Baptism of John the Baptiser Apocalyptic Literature: A Primer to The Book of Revelation Archives
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