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.

Sunday November 29

When Karen, in her sermon today, talked about the ability to delay gratification and wait as a mark of maturity, this really resonated with me. As I have grown a bit older, I have come to like the season of advent more and more.

The hymn we sang today,  "oh come oh come Immanuel" is one of my favourites. I like the fact that "advent" and "adventure" have the same root: as I have grown older and passed more milestones, I have begun to understand how much value there is in embracing the journey. I also liked the use of pregnancy as a metaphor for waiting because that is the kind of waiting I like to think of: it is an active kind of waiting- it is preparing: it is transformative. We can be the change, perhaps, because we are waiting for the change, like John the Baptist.
One closing thought: the handbells and flute were lovely today.

Rebecca B.

White Gift Sunday

This year, St. Andrew’s will support Queen Mary Public School on White Gift Sunday, December 13.  Principal Cindy Beauchamp writes, "Our small school desperately needs new books. Many of the books on our shelves are terribly out of date. Our school demographic is such that we are unable to raise funds for the library on our own." (See below for suggested books to purchase and donate.)

We have also accepted the invitation to support the school with a Queen Mary Mitten Tree!  We are invited to support the school with the collection of warm mittens for children ages 4 to 12.

 

White Gift Book List:

Picture Books:
The Book with No Pictures - B.J. Novak
Awesome Is Everywhere - Neil Pasricha
Mix it Up - Herve Tullet
Press Here - Herve Tullet
The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
Red Leaf Yellow leaf - Lois Ehlert
The Leaf Man - Lois Ehlert
Snowballs - Lois Ehlert
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly -  Lucille Colandro

Chapter Books:
Dork Diaries #10 (Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet) - Rachel Renee Russell
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10 (Old School) - Jeff Kinney
 

Graphic Novels:
Babysitters Club (Graphic Novel series) - Ann M. Martin
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Graphic Novel series) - Rick Riordan
Anything with Superheroes

General Topics:
Puppy and Kitten books
How to Draw books: Star Wars, Anime, Superheroes
Character Encyclopedias & Visual Dictionaries: Star Wars, Superheroes
World Record books
Space
Pokemon
Superheroes
Sports
Dinosaurs

Christ the King Sunday, Nov 22

Christ the King: Ruler of the church and His people.

As a believer of Christ we should know and understand that we are not in control of our life Christ the redeemer is. When we understand this principle we will have PEACE in all our undertakings.

Two point from the book of Daniel:

1)      Daniel 3 – 14 : 30

King Nebuchnezzar thought he is in control and has power over all people living in his kingdom; he set up a huge golden image in Babylon and required everyone to bow down before it and worship it. Anybody who refused to do so would be thrown into a fiery furnace, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abdnego understand that they are not in control of their life that God is, so they refuse to bow down or frightened by their situation. They told the king Nebuchnezzar “we believe God is going to deliver us, but even if He does not we are not conforming to your image of what you think we ought to be. We are going to do what God is telling us to do. You can do what you want to with your furnace. But whatever happens to us, we will have PEACE”.

2)      Daniel 6 – 13 : 28

This chapter tell us that Daniel believed in the importance of prayer and that prayer is the way to communicate with God that he in control of his life. The King Darius had issued a royal decree saying that for thirty days, anyone asking a petition of any god or man other than the King Darius would be cast into a den of lions. Daniel continued to pray three time a day, he knew that God’s protection could render men’s threats totally null and void and at the end PEACE will reign. King Darius wrote “I make a decree that in all my royal dominion men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, enduring and steadfast forever, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed and His dominion shall be even to the end. He is a savior and deliverer and He works signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth – He who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

So, with all the ups and downs in the world we should put our trust in God, surrender our life to God who is the King of our life and behave like Daniel and the three Hebrew that we are not in control Christ the King is and He will bring PEACE back to the world.

Peace in your world.
Ade A.

Covenant Sunday

Artwork created by Heather Mallet for St. Andrew’s Church Ottawa’s 175th Anniversary.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only
love can do that." Martin Luther King Jr.

On this Covenant Sunday we reflected on the generous response of the people of Paris to
assist those who were stranded and in shock over the horrific events of last Friday night. In
the face of attack it is easy to focus on the offence but when we see acts of charity and
kindness it reminds us that humans are created in the image of God.

Glory and praise are ascribed to God when the law of the spirit of life triumphs over the law of
sin and death. The generosity that was expressed in Paris is the fruit of compassion and
triumph of the human spirit.

Jesus demonstrated this when he defeated sin and death on the cross. He also reflected it in
his earthly life when he did not seek equality with God as something to be grasped but humbled himself even to the point of death.

The response of the people to show love and compassion on Friday night is encouraging but
how will France ultimately deal with this grief?

It is also shocking how this horrific event happened so soon after Remembrance Day.
The prayers of the people reminded us that God wants us to live peaceful lives. The church
need not give in to terror or fear for God is near and in control. Jesus said we are the light of
the world and no matter how dark things get this light will not go out.

The bible story today reminds us of how great things can happen out of a seeming hopeless
situation. Hannah was very depressed and turned to God for help. The birth of Samuel was the
answer to her sincere prayer and he was a great prophet. Hannah gave back her son as a gift
to the temple to glorify God.

So what is next? The practice of generosity is often portrayed in bible stories and we are to look for opportunities each day to give freely. It need not be money. It may be our time or energy.

The most generous thing we can do is give our hearts to God and walk humbly with Him. We
get our light from Christ and can accomplish nothing without him. As we bring the light of Christ into the dark places of this world things can truly be on earth as they are in heaven.

Amen

Sharon A.