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David Ewart
Vancouver, BC CANADA
Husband, father of two grown sons, United Church of Canada minister
Interests: brain-mind research, physics, cosmology, process theology, evolution, leadership
Recent Activity
Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Season of Easter
Posted Mar 10, 2021 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Season of Lent and Holy Week
Posted Jan 25, 2021 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Season of Epiphany
Posted Nov 17, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Seasons of Advent and Christmas
Posted Nov 9, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Lectio Divina
John has written so that our reading of his words might help us form a deeper bond with Jesus. This suggests that we need to ponder how to read John's words so that this might happen. There are many different ways to read: for distraction, information; entertainment; new ideas; new... Continue reading
Posted Oct 5, 2020 at Written So That You Might Believe
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Week 1, John 1 to 6
Hi Everyone, I am looking forward to being with you all for the first session of studying John together. I would love it if we could just read through the whole book during our time together – but that would take up all of our time! So instead I will... Continue reading
Posted Oct 5, 2020 at Written So That You Might Believe
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Returning Home
There have been several days of hot wind now. Green grass is beginning to show through, and the trees are fattening. We're only just into spring, and yet this is summer weather. Each season seems to contain within it a foretaste of the one to come. Blurring the boundaries of times and seasons. And there on top of the TV amid the flowers like a shrine is Trevor's picture. Grandson. Four years old, who died of leukemia last Friday. In the picture he seems plump and healthy, but the toque is probably meant to hide hair missing from the chemicals and radiation. This is a snapshot of child-life dying. Tomorrow is the second Sunday after Easter. The Gospel is John. Christ's appearance to the disciples and to Thomas. Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. --- You are the Lord of the living and of the dead. Are you also the Lord of this manner of dying? ("We prayed that he would go. He cried all the time. They gave him morphine every few hours to kill the pain. But he only screamed louder whenever he saw them coming. We prayed that he would go. The last day was the hardest. I'll never forget the last day.") You say that we are blessed to believe without seeing. That is not the problem. The... Continue reading
Posted Sep 27, 2020 at David Ewart
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When We Pray for Bread
6 Meditations for Communion When we pray for bread1 … we pray for what is concrete. Jesus did not invite us to pray for food. Food is abstract, general, removed. Bread is concrete, specific, particular. So do not be vague or obscure in our prayers. To pray for bread is to pray for what is real and substantial. Pray that we will be as real as bread is real. When we pray for bread … we pray for what is basic. Jesus did not invite us to pray for cake. Cake is superfluous, peripheral, unnecessary. Bread is fundamental, central; essential. So do not be elaborate or excessive in our prayers. To pray for bread is to pray for the heart of the matter. To pray for bread is to pray that we will be as nourishing of life as bread is. When we pray for bread … we pray for what is common. Jesus did not invite us to pray for caviar. Caviar is costly and privileged. Bread is affordable and available. So do not be arrogant or proud in our prayers. To pray for bread is to pray to share in the fate of common people. To pray for bread is to pray that we will be as ordinary as bread is. When we pray for bread … we pray for what is manufactured. Jesus did not invite us to pray for manna. Manna falls down heaven, whole and... Continue reading
Posted Sep 20, 2020 at David Ewart
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Welcome
Posted Sep 6, 2020 at Written So That You Might Believe
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Season of Pentecost, September to November
Posted Aug 4, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Welcome Subscribers
Posted May 26, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Season of Pentecost up to the End of August
Posted May 18, 2020 at Holy Textures
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New Email Service for Holy Textures
Hi Everyone, Turns out, that in my case at least, you are never too old to learn from mistakes - or if not "mistakes," then "learning from things not working out as anticipated." I am going to start re-using Feedblitz to email new posts from Holy Textures. This post will be the first. It may be that some of you will receive this post even though you have unsubscribed from Holy Textures. I apologize for this. Please use the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email to do so again. I pray that this email about such a small thing finds you safe and well in the midst of these difficult times. As the Public Health Officer where I live daily reminds us, "Stay safe. And be kind." David Ewart holytextures.com Continue reading
Posted May 17, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Commencement 2020
I’m not sure that being 75 entitles me to sobriquet of “wise elder,” but having been invited to offer Commencement thoughts to the graduating classes of 2020 here they are. The Class of 2020! What a great year to be graduating. You will be the class with 20-20 vision; 20-20 hindsight. But. And this is the most important thing I will say to you. You will never be the class of 20-20 nostalgia. You will never be the class to put on rosy coloured, false memories, of “Those were the days!” Nostalgia is the enemy of the better. It is the enemy of clarity. It is the enemy of wisdom. And right now, the planet desperately needs an entire cohort of wisdom, clarity, and discernment of the “better.” But. And this is the other most important thing I will say to you. You are the cohort who are embedding in your minds, hearts, flesh, and bones the blessings and banes of “novelty.” Novelty is the engine of creativity; of transformation; of healing and reconciliation. It is the never-before-this-new-possibility. It is the engine of evolution. It is why we are all here in this beautiful, wonderfully diverse world. Never wish that novelty would cease. Embrace it. But. And this is one more most important thing I will say to you. Recognize that novelty requires learning how to learn as you go. And that means novelty will always be messy. Will always... Continue reading
Posted May 7, 2020 at David Ewart
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Season of Easter
Posted Mar 22, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Season of Lent and Holy Week
Posted Feb 10, 2020 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Season of Epiphany
Posted Dec 30, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Proportional Representation: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Posted Oct 23, 2019 at David Ewart
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year A, Seasons of Advent and Christmas
Posted Oct 15, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year C, Season of Pentecost, Part 2: September 1 to November 28, 2019
Posted Aug 16, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year C, Season of Pentecost, Part 1: June 16 to September 8, 2019
Posted May 9, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Welcome to Holy Textures, Year C, Season of Easter
Posted Apr 15, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Reading John in Lent and Easter
I recently had a wonderful time auditing a two week intensive on John. It was great to be part of such an excellent class of fellow students and teacher. Here are my personal top take-aways: 1. When John refers to "the Jews" (as he does over and over again), ask yourself: Is John referring to the 8,000,000 people living throughout the Roman Empire who identified as belonging to the people of Israel? Or to put it another way: Is John wanting us to include as one of "the Jews" Lazarus - whom the text says Jesus loved; and Mary - who anointed him before his arrest? And when John actually includes "Jews" in the story, who are they? (Answer: about 90% of the time they are Judean elites who were collaborating with the Roman Empire as local rulers.) (The Greek text uses the word for Judean, i.e. people from the geographic region called Judah - which historically was in the process of becoming the generic word Romans used to refer to the entire people of Israel. English translators have continued this practice even though it is often debatable as to whether this is the correct meaning.) 2. The pascal lamb that is sacrificed on Passover is NOT a sin offering. Identifying Jesus as a sin offering is not Johannine. Jesus' death (at most) is an offering for protection, community formation, and escape from bondage. John is placing Jesus in the... Continue reading
Posted Mar 5, 2019 at Holy Textures
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Luke 9:28-36, (37-43)
Posted Feb 18, 2019 at Holy Textures
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United But NOT Uniform
Posted Feb 15, 2019 at David Ewart
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