Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 21th, 2011
Christmas?! Bah, Humbug!
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:24-27
Luke 2:8-20
Let us pray…God of mystery and new life, in this season of awaiting your light in the world, help us to stay strong. May your promises of newness and love sustain us now and throughout the year. May we never lose hope in the promise of the resurrection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
This is the time of year when everyone seems to be celebrating. The malls have been celebrating since Back to School in September and kicked it up to ludicrous just after Halloween. For the last four weeks churches have been proclaiming: peace, hope, love and joy. The hymns even get in on the festivities with tunes like “Hark the Herald, Go Tell it on the Mountain” and “Joy to the World.”
But as many of us know, Christmas is not all those things for everyone. For some this time of year has them feeling more like, “Christmas? Bah humbug!”
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 18th, 2011
The Empire Strikes Back
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126 (VU p. 850 refrain 1)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Ever present God, as we pray, as we hear your words of wisdom and truth, the words come alive to us in new ways. May the promises of hope, peace, joy and love be truly felt today and throughout the year. May we take your Christmas message with us into our community and into our families. Amen.
How many of you every had a Mom or Dad that told you, “Never, ever, under no circumstance to ever put your tongue on a piece of cold metal in the winter?” How many of you listened? You probably did it anyway.
How many of you eat an apple a day. Remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” How many of you do it? It is such a simple thing to do and it can’t hurt and probably does a lot of good.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 4th, 2011
Baby + Manger = ?
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
God of Hope, we begin our Advent waiting time today knowing that you are with us every moment. In every task we do, in every breath we take, your love is with us, yesterday, today and always. We thank you, God. Amen.
Every year a very predictable part of the season will begin. It is not the endless Musac pumped into the stores, or the Christmas trees that went on sale at Costco during back to school. Oh no. The thing that will make its way onto our morning newspapers, magazines and the Discovery Channel is the discussion of whether Jesus was born in a manager, on December 25th? There will be questions of whether there was a star, shepherds and Magi from the East? Every year the secular world seems to become enthralled with the Christmas story. So what I will be attempting over this Advent season is to provide some food for thought and perhaps more importantly to encourage you to ask what you believe and what your belief, might mean for you and for the world.
Advent Christmas Letter from Rev. Carla
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon
his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
-Isaiah 9:6 NRSV
As I type this letter to you, Eastern Ontario has just experienced its first major snow fall of the year. The roads are quiet, the squirrels seem to have taken a break from their frantic search for anything edible and the grass and leaves that had not been raked up, are now covered with a blanket of clean, blemish free snow. Back in my retail days this was the kind of weather we prayed for. Snow meant shoppers were put in the festive mood. Snow meant the corridors of the malls would be filled with bustling people with list in hand, hurrying on to the next item on their list. But as I ponder what Advent means for me this year, I wonder how I will keep the season in my spirit. Will I read a book, listen to music, or bake some cookies? But packed around these activities there will be also be professional and personal lists of things to do in the coming weeks. I have to confess that it will not be easy to keep the Christ child in front of me at all times.
Perhaps with all the meals that need to be prepared, the cards addressed, and stamps licked, the best thing that we can do is to take some time each day to remember why we mark Christmas the way we do. It’s not because the empire of commercialism says so, not because our parents did it and we should too, not because everyone else is doing it, but because the deeper meaning of love, sharing and celebrating is what is at the heart of the Christmas story. The baby born thousands of years ago symbolized that God had entered into this world in a very different way. The way of Jesus would be of joy, love, sharing and celebrating. Jesus’ Way is one of hope and freedom. So maybe this year, as we go about our traditions, and our customs that we have always done, perhaps we could remember that Jesus is celebrating with us and that Jesus is the honoured guest at our feast. That the reason why we share with others at this time of year, perhaps more than at any other, is that God shared the ultimate gift with us, Himself. Surely that is reason enough to celebrate.
May the wonder of the shepherds,
the generosity of the wise men
and the compassion of Mary,
be in us and flow from us,
this Christmas and always.
Rev. Carla Van Delen
St. Paul’s United Church, Richmond, Ontario
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Remembrance Day 2011
Imagine
Joshua 24:1–3a, 14–25
Psalm 78:1–7 (VU p. 792, Part One)
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Matthew 25:1–13
Merciful God, break open our hearts today. May the cracks in our heart allow your Spirit to enter and change what it is there. Be gentle with us O God, but more importantly teach us how to dream even when we are wide awake. Amen.
In 1971 John Lennon released a song that today is deemed one of the 500 most important songs ever written. The title of that song was “Imagine.” It could be argued that it was an anthem of sorts for a time and for a group of people. The Vietnam War was still raging. The world seemed to be turned upside down. The age of TV meant that this was the first war that had wide media coverage. Heart stopping pictures were broadcast into our living rooms all in vivid colour. For the first time in history, it wouldn’t be weeks or months before people saw what was raging on the battlefield, it would be days and hours. Unfortunately, the frustration that the people felt back home was taken out on the government but more hurtfully it was laid at the feet of those coming back from the frontline, just as it is today. War has a way of taking young, innocent boys and transforming them into hardened men and women. If those service men and women don’t come back with broken bodies often times their psyches have been crushed into the mud of a foreign land.
Lennon’s song began with the words…
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for todayImagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
Some saw Lennon as a messianic figure, a hippy, an out of touch prophet who would rather stuff flowers in the barrels of the guns of those threatening to harm American interests than fight for those precious ideals. Someone who didn’t really get what the world was all about.
Lennon echoes Jesus’s message when he goes on to say…
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Lennon was a dreamer. Behind him and before him, in the generations following this song men and women continue to serve their country. Men and women continue to give up their lives for reasons that are far too complicated to cover in this short sermon. It is sufficient to say that those who serve must believe in peace and hope, the optimism that Lennon sang about. For if they didn’t believe that their actions could make the world a better place, then why serve at all? Why risk so much if there is no hope for a brighter, freer tomorrow? And that hope, that belief needs to be remembered, it needs to be celebrated each and every year.
I found this video on Youtube. It is called Remembrance Day Video 2011: Exclusive WWII Footage.
The next stanza of Lennon’s song calls on us to
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Today we are called upon to remember because the world is becoming a smaller place. The seventh billionth person was born this week and as food, oil and water become more valuable than gold, we need to remind ourselves of the sacrifice that will be required if we don’t find ways of sharing this world.
Lennon ends his song with the chorus repeated,
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
To dream takes courage, to believe takes faith and to serve that dream sometimes…sometimes takes sacrifice. May we never forget those who imagined a better world, those who imagined a better life for all, those who sacrificed for the love of his neighbor, because the world needs dreamers. May we continue to imagine, to dream with God about the possibilities that come with believing in hope, freedom and equality.
May it be so. Thanks be to God.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Nov 10th, 2011
Saints Preserve Us!
Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 18-22 (VU p. 761-762)
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
Ever-present and compassionate God, may we truly hear the message that you have for us this morning. May it inform our lives and enliven our faith. May all that we do be a living pray to you. Amen.
I often hear from people that once they reach a certain age they adopt a daily routine often without even realizing it. It is the daily reading of the back of the newspaper. And what is found at the back of every newspaper? The obituaries. But I wonder, after reading the glowing descriptions of the lives of each one listed, do you ever catch yourself saying wondering, “My…but there sure are a lot of saints.”
While it would probably be bad manners to print what the person was really like, I wonder if we would be better served, really appreciate the person if we heard not only the good but also about the struggles that they had. Were they procrastinators, litter bugs, leave their laundry on the floor or wear saggy jogging pants all the time? Did they pick their nose, flunk grade ten, get speeding tickets or sometimes make really bad decisions? How did they handle the low points in their life? As one author once wrote, “It is not how often one gets knocked down but how often one gets back up.”
Personally I think that what makes a person interesting is their imperfections. Saints are not saints not because of what they did right, but what they did when things went wrong.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Sept. 12, 2011
What is the Difference?
Exodus 14:19-31
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 20:1-16
Let us pray. God of ancient story; God of our lives; even though these stories and traditions are very old, help us to know that they proclaim that you are present and active at all times and in all ages. Open us to the message for us that is contained in these words. Amen.
I love going to the mailbox. I never know what I might find: A card, a letter, a long awaited parcel perhaps. Hopefully I won’t find the latest bill. But this week I found something else. I received a consumer survey. The outside of the envelope promised that if I dutifully filled out the survey and returned it I would receive a bunch of money saving coupons on brand name products.
When I sat at my kitchen table I opened the envelope and unfolded the survey. It contained a lot of questions. There were questions about what kind of toothpaste, shampoo and denture cleaner I used. There were questions about the brand of toilet paper, frozen vegetables and hairspray I bought. Then came the questions that make anyone wonder whether they should take the time to fill in a questionnaire. For example, there were questions about income, education level and home ownership.
The survey had lots of little boxes that had to do with personal information that I needed to fill out if I wanted my coupons. But then I stopped and asked myself, “Why did Diana, at the Consumer Survey Institute, need this information?” Was it to make the products better or was it to put me in a box where I could be easily labeled and sold products to? Or were they trying to find out what make me different from the next person.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Sept. 11, 2011
Do You Know What Time It Is?
Exodus 12:1-14
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
Let us pray…God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Your ways are not the ways of this earth, but help us to hear and act on the words that your followers have left for us. Help us to open our hearts and minds to embrace the grace that you give to each of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s reading from the book of Exodus is for me a troubling one. It is a passage that contains many things. The text institutes the Passover. The passage tells the story origins of a holy celebration that Jewish people mark and remember up until this day. A passage that is grounded in the remembered history of a people that were once slaves but who were rescued by God. It is a passage that the first followers of Christ used as a lens to describe and to make sense of what God had done through Jesus.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – August 28 2011
Are We Done Yet?
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b (VU p. 828 Parts 1 & 2)
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
In the midst of a long season of Pentecost, O Lord, remind us that you work through the ministries of the church and your community of faith. As the church was born on the day of Pentecost, allow us to receive your Holy Spirit, which makes us whole during these days of Pentecost. Guide us and abide with us always. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
When many of us were small, and by small I mean younger in years, we felt that we would never grow up. Personally, I longed for the days when I wouldn’t have to listen to any adults giving me advice. I remember being taught to believe that this advice would give me a happy, wealthy and wise life of care-free living. Many of you probably grew up with a similar mantra that you too heard over and over again from your parents. You may have even heard these lines more than you heard the Ten Commandments recited in our homes.
