Rethinking the boy next door

The scripture this morning was taken from Luke 4: 14-30 with Jesus reading in the synagogue at Nazareth.

Rev. Dimock began her sermon talking about the two Calvins in her life:  John Calvin and Calvin, the precocious six-year old in the daily comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.  It is interesting that young Calvin was named for the 16th century theologian.

"The world isn't fair, Calvin." 
"I know Dad, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favour?”

Jesus reads in the synagogue and sees that others do not grasp the full weight of his message.  He then tells them “No prophet is accepted in his own town”.  Jesus will not heal himself just to prove to them that he is the Messiah.  When the message of Jesus went from just "preaching" to scolding, the crowd got ugly and decided to throw him from a cliff.  

Perhaps we are like this when the message is strong and directed at us - we get angry
It is difficult to criticize a community to which we being - this is what happened to Jesus in the synagogue.  It was hard for the crowd to accept that God’s favour would go beyond their people.  To them the Lord’s favour shouldn’t look like this!  It is hard to speak the truth in our own community even when we need to hear it.

Life is not that simple and I am sure we all respond like Calvin sometimes.  Why isn’t life fair in our favour?

God’s message is simple as His grace is for other people as well.

What can we do to make sure we do not miss an important message in church?  Are we sometimes like the people of Nazareth, open to the words but closed to the message?

Jeanie H.
 

I Saw the Sign

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign.

Our lesson today was John 2 1-11. In it Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding.

The changing of water to wine is Jesus’ first public act in John, the inaugural “sign” of God’s presence in the world through him.

The amount of wine that Jesus produces may seem like an exaggeration to us, but this exaggerated amount is precisely why John introduces Jesus’ public acts with this story. God’s presence now fills the world “up to the brim.” As Jesus’ first public act, the changing of water to wine symbolizes the “fullness we have all received” (1:16) through Jesus’ presence in the world.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (verse 11)

Karen took the theme further as she talked about the great witness and involvement people have when they attend a wedding.

They are not merely witnessing the vow to each other but the vow to God to believe in each another and to Him. When we witness that vow we reaffirm our faith in God and the strength he gives to us by virtue of his love. This reaffirmation provides us with encouragement and responsibility to maintain our support for our spouse but also to the couple now vested in God.

 Signs through which he revealed his glory.

The premise of a sign from God has been used and misused on many an occasion in print, movies and songs. However it is often used very subtly. We oft think of these songs a from a place that does not respect God unless they come from a gospel singer

We spend our lives looking for these signs but often miss them as we look for some giant mind blowing event rather than the simple signs of his presence.

And the sign said, "Everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray"
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all
I didn't have a penny to pay
So, I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me, I'm alive and doin' fine

The changing of the water to wine seems like a small act to help a wedding run smoothly, where and why should such a miracle occur? The miracle was not the changing of the water but reaffirmation of Jesus’ love for us and the power that flows through him so we may know the power and love of God.

Look not for the parting of the Red Sea but look for the little miracles every day, that show The love of Jesus and God for us as seen through the simple acts of kindness and caring. For the signs need not be in neon to be meaningful. Faith flows where we least expect it but most often is needed.

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign
No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong
But where do you belong

 Noral R.

Sunday, January 10

"You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased."

Karen started the service today with these words spoken by a voice from heaven at Jesus' baptism. And so they also apply to us - we are God's beloved children, with whom she is well pleased.

I found much comfort in worship today. Karen spoke of how we are often "on the edge", like those waiting to enter the promised land after 40 years in the wilderness, like those waiting to enter the Jordan River with John the Baptist. The path in front of us is hopeful and exciting, but also a little bit scary.

We often face this in life, I think. In the midst of some big decision we had to make, my husband and I developed a word for this feeling - terricitement. Half terrified, half excited. When changing jobs, or moving to a new city, or even just travelling to a new place... there is excitement, but there is also a lot of nervousness.

So it is comforting to know that, as with baptism, Jesus has gone before. He accompanies us as we move forward. We are God's beloved children, with whom she is well pleased. We are not alone. And so we can move forward with the Spirit in faith, hope and excitement, leaving the fear behind.

May it be so as we move toward whatever 2016 has to offer!

Laura S.

Christmas Eve

Grace to you and Peace friends in Christ Jesus. Behold the Christ Child, the Holy One of God, who was laid in a manger, who from humble beginnings was God with us, God who moved into the neighbourhood and came to grow up and inaugurate the Kingdom of God.

Through the Advent Season we have been preparing for tonight, Christmas Eve and lighting the Christ Candle. For the last four weeks we have been waiting, preparing our hearts and minds, and beholding the Scriptures that lead up to the Nativity Story.

I’ve been meditating a lot about Angels this Advent, and about that quintessential Angel greeting “Be not afraid.” I think through time, through art, and in culture we have a certain model for what an angel should look like- a similar figure likely graces the highest bough of your Christmas Tree, a beautiful, winged, glowing figure who delivers good news from God- a being from heaven, a member of the heavenly host, a messenger from God.

I’ve been meditating a lot about the Greek word from where our word “Angel” is derived which when translated it means messenger. I have spent much of this advent reflecting on those moments in my life where I have encountered an Angel of God who told me not to be afraid. Often, these angels did not present themselves with fanfare, they were not beautiful citizens of the heavenly host (though some of them were quite good looking), simply they were people, friends and strangers who, whether they realised it or not brought good news from God. This Christmas be mindful of those who may be angels in your world, heed their words, and remember just as God made flesh in Jesus came in humble beginnings so too God’s Messengers in our lives are found in places we do not expect.

This Christmas look to those places that seem so humble or so forsaken in your world, incline yourself to God, and you might be surprised at what blessings could be found there.

Merry Christmas.
Peace of Christ,

A.H.F.

Sunday Dec 20

I don't think I had the words to express it before this Sunday, but it turns out I've been feeling a bit "Zechariah" this advent. Enjoying the carols and readings and the twinkly lights, but not really feeling part of the celebrating. Karen described how John the Baptist's father was mute during the 9 months before his birth; how that feels when you can't converse with those around you - you're watching what's taking place, but not participating. Seeing, but not interacting.

For a number of known and unknown reasons this season, I just haven't felt the feelings you're supposed to feel during Advent. But church today was so reassuring. Christmas doesn't need me to feel a certain way. Just like Zechariah was called on to be a witness instead of a participant, sometimes that's just what we're called to be, too.

By the tender mercy of our God,
   the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Zechariah's song leads us out of ourselves and into God's presence in the world. I'm thankful for the characters we've been getting to know this Advent: Elizabeth and Mary and Zechariah. They were witnesses to God's presence and responded with love and excitement for God's plan. And that's all we're called to do, too.

Maureen R.

Sunday December 13

There is so much improbable about the success of A Charlie Brown Christmas. There's a decidedly dated feel to the animation, the subdued nature of the characters and the music. There's no flash. There's spectacle. And, oh, that music. That little jazz ditty has become a permanent fixture of Christmas and pop culture. It's the sort of thing you'd never hear in a children's cartoon today.

Perhaps the most improbably aspect of all is that the denouement of the entire story is Linus reciting the bible (followed a bit later by the singing of Hark the Herald Angels Sing). When everyone else is talking about Frosty or Rudolph, Santa or Will Ferrell in an elf costume, Peanuts is talking about Jesus.

The similarity to The Chronicles of Narnia is unmistakable. Part of the pop culture canon, though seemingly not overtly religious, is still telling the story of Christ. It's an important reminder during a season where people will claim the existence of a fantastical war on Christmas because the local sales clerk says, "Happy Holidays," or Starbucks doesn't put snowflakes on their red (red!) cups. (Never mind they sell two coffees called "Christmas Blend").

The secular and sacred can live together. (Actually, that seems to really jibe with the idea of God becoming flesh.) We can enjoy the trappings of a popular Christmas, stripped of its religious underpinnings, while at the same time experiencing the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of the season.

It may be true that more and more people who celebrate Christmas aren't celebrating the birth of Christ, and we can lament that. We can lament it while at the same time revelling in the fact that the joy of Christmas seeps beyond the church walls and beyond those of us who identify as Christian. And, hopefully, that joy will help keep the church relevant to people who would otherwise completely remove themselves from a life of a faith.

There's a song I tend to listen to around Christmas time. It's called Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance! , and it's a great song that weds the sacred and the secular. It's a song about Christmas, Santa, presents, family, community, joy and the birth of Christ. It has a rather perfect line:

Chestnuts and fire, holly and hay
Jesus and Mary, what a great day

Further, underneath a refrain about Santa bringing presents, Away in a Manger is sung as a counter-melody, and it works absolutely perfectly. Too often, people of faith try to divorce themselves of the physical world, the non-religious parts, the profane...but in reality, bringing all unexpected parts of our existence together can lead to a wonderful little tune.

Jon M.

Sunday, December 6

Today is the second Sunday of Advent and it was also the celebration of the Lord's Table when we join together as one community in Holy Communion.  It is always a very special time for me to be a participant in this Sacrament.

This second Sunday of Advent centred on the theme"Nothing is impossible with God" taken from our New Testament reading from Luke 1: 26-38 when Mary is told that she will have a child and His name will be Jesus--something that would normally be impossible.

When the candle of Peace was lit at the beginning of the service, I was struck with the thought of how hard it is to believe that we can have peace in this world, when our news is replete with  so  many heinous acts of atrocity and fanaticism happening so regularly all around the world.

Yet,  as Christians we hold on to the hope and put our faith in God's word.

Rev Dimock masterfully crafted her sermon around that time of the announcement to Mary   by the Angel Gabriel and how God would make possible, what was impossible.  A similar eventhad become reality forElizabeth and for Sarah and Abraham in ancient times and now it was Mary's time. 

And yes, I too had flashbacks of many times when the future looked bleak and impossible and then ------ there was always a way out, always  light at the end of the tunnel.  God was there, as He is in every situation, and with God nothing is impossible. 

So as we were nurturedat the Lord's Table and became part of what had been deemed impossible, I felt a surge of renewed faith in God, in the future and in a hope for PEACE.

God is in charge and He is the Alpha and Omega.

It was good to be in the house of the Lord.

Beulah P.