Matthew 13:24-43
Imagine with me today that you and your family have gone to Ottawa for a vacation. It’s a rainy day so you’re not going to do outdoor activities. But everyone decides they want to go shopping. (So if you don’t like shopping, imagine that you actually do just for the purposes of this exercise) You have two choices of where you can go.
You could go to the Rideau Center in downtown Ottawa. This multi-level shopping complex combines the best of French and English culture. Some stores contain the latest fashions from Paris. Others cater to the multiple ethnic groups that live in and around the downtown area. You can look out of the center at the famous Chateau Laurier hotel and the Rideau Canal. The American Embassy is just across the corner. The outdoor market and multiple patio restaurants surround the mall. You may see a politician or two doing their shopping or an ambassador from another country. Some of Ottawa’s wealthiest citizens live just down the road in Rockcliffe and might stop in at the center for lunch. It buzzes with crowds of people from all over the world. Going to Rideau Center is much more than going shopping. It is an experience where you might rub shoulders with the movers and shakers in our nation’s capital.
You could go to the Rideau Center in downtown Ottawa. This multi-level shopping complex combines the best of French and English culture. Some stores contain the latest fashions from Paris. Others cater to the multiple ethnic groups that live in and around the downtown area. You can look out of the center at the famous Chateau Laurier hotel and the Rideau Canal. The American Embassy is just across the corner. The outdoor market and multiple patio restaurants surround the mall. You may see a politician or two doing their shopping or an ambassador from another country. Some of Ottawa’s wealthiest citizens live just down the road in Rockcliffe and might stop in at the center for lunch. It buzzes with crowds of people from all over the world. Going to Rideau Center is much more than going shopping. It is an experience where you might rub shoulders with the movers and shakers in our nation’s capital.
Or you could go to the local suburban mall near your motel. It’s a one story flat mall with older architecture. It has some stores but quite a few unleased spaces. The shoppers are from the local community. No tourists regularly go here. If you look out of the mall you can see a parking lot and some houses. No one from Rockcliffe makes the trip out nor do the movers and shakers. The mall is so quiet that you would lower your voice when talking to a family member because everyone could hear what you say. Going to this mall is more an exercise in perseverance as you try to find a store containing items you need. If you go to this mall, you go to shop. There won’t be any unusual experiences or superstars walking around. Which place would you most likely select for a day of shopping?
