grace

The feast of grace

Babette, portrayed by Stéphane Audran, prepares the titular meal in the 1987 film, ‘Babette’s Feast.’

Recently, I found myself hungering for grace. With the world still entrenched in this pandemic, we witness the complexities around public safety, the angry words, the strained relationships, the exhaustion, and the challenges to everyone’s mental well-being. Is there any good news?

We’re all in debt⁠—and it’s not a bad thing

"We all carry more profound debts than car loans and credit cards." (Image by Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay)

One of the terms I heard repeatedly at Gathering 2019 from June 29 to July 1 in Abbotsford, B.C. was “institutional church.”

As in, “The institutional church would do things that way, but I’m different.”

Or, “The institutional church is dying, but thankfully my friends and I have our own thing going.”

Or, “Don’t blame me, I’m only on the fringe of the institutional church.”

Encountering hospitality in rural India

I caught this fish with my own hands! (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

I snapped one quick pic before they pulled me into the dance! Some of the men are drumming and singing, ladies are dancing in a line on the right, kids are here, there and everywhere! (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

When your feet are dirty, having them washed by others is a humbling experience. (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

The pitcher and basin my hosts used for washing the feet of guests. (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

A mud, manure and water mixture is used to make and maintain homes. (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

Carrying water on my head. (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

Winnowing rice. (Photo by Sara Wyngaarden)

For the past year, Sara Wyngaarden of Elmira, Ont., has been in India, participating in the Serving and Learning Together program (SALT) of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). This reflection originally appeared on her blog.

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