I am the first to admit that I am not a fan of Canadian television. Somehow we create amazing actors, singers, comedians, writers, directors, producers and they appear fantastic when they end up south of the border in a US production. I don’t know what happens but when they appear in a made-in-Canada production they usually end up sucking in a major way. Even the camera work and cinematography somehow devolves to look like something filmed by a high school student on a handy-cam.

 

But once in a while there are execptions and based on the first episode of The Border that may be one. I watched The Border tonight and it really looked and felt like a quality production. Usually I can tell a Canadian production within the first 5-10 seconds of the show…not this time. Even the shots of Toronto and Parliament Hill did not appear cheesy. The trailers for the next episode look even better. If you saw it let me know what you thought.

 

I have been busy working on my sermon for this Sunday (The Tapestry of Faith & Works) and decided to take a break (procrastinate). I was reading through an anthology of English poetry I have and encountered George Herbert ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert ). You cannot go through three years of seminary and live a reasonably discussion-oriented pastoral life and not at some point (or many) hear about Herbert’s influence on people’s faith walk or at the very least have him recommended inumerable times.

 

When vast numbers of recommendations spill into my life pointing me in a particular direction I have a ridiculous flaw I work very hard at overcoming – I tend to immediately head in the other direction. To counter this I created an unwritten rule which simply states that when something/someone is recommended to me three times by three different, unconnected people I will pursue it. I don’t know why three and why not two or four. This rule has served me well and sometimes seems to have been used by God to direct me (maybe it’s a bit of a lamb’s skin).

 

For some reason George Herbert has escaped my rule and up until last week I was able to avoid reading anything by him…so much the worse for me it appears. To say his poetry is very good is an understatement. Herbert was an Anglican priest who wrote in the early 1600’s. His writing is unpretentious and powerful (for a more complex and equally brilliant contemporary see John Donne – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_donne ). Somehow he captures a great deal of the ecstacy and agony of faith without being over-the-top in his language. I suppose he reminds me a bit of the Gospel of John which has, in my opinion, the simplest , yet most poetic and profound writing in scripture. Take for example the following poem which brings to mind the Lord’s Supper:

 

—————————-

 

Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey’d Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.

"A guest," I answer’d, "worthy to be here";
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"

"Truth, Lord, but I have marr’d them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.

 

I will be reading more of George Herbert and I would encourage you to do the same.