Wings. Advent 2012

There is a profound sense of discontent is our culture
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today. Everywhere we hear an aspiration for
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something better. People are fed up with the bafoonery and indifference to the real plight of people that we see in the arena of politics. In a world
where wealth is increasingly being concentrated in
the hands of fewer and fewer people, the "98%" are
beginning to realise that there must be a better way.
When we see severe weather on the increase, rising sea levels,
drought and floods affecting food security, we realise that our
poor stewardship of the earth's resources are increasingly having
a dramatic effect upon us and that our habits of consumption
simply are not sustainable. Institutions that were once trusted
are held in suspicion. Great changes in our society mean that the
church is faced with change like never before.
One sign of the discontent that was apparent one year ago was
the advent of the Occupy Movement. This loosely organized movement attempted to galvinize the so-called 98% around a demand
Sunday December 16, 7:00 p.m.
Festival of Lessons & Carols. Hot cider & cookies at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday December 20, 5:00 p.m.
Christmas Messy Church. Family fun, food and friendship
Monday December 24, 7:00 p.m.
Family Christmas Eve Eucharist
Monday December 24, 11:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Eucharist
Tuesday December 25, 10:00 a.m.
Christmas Day Eucharist with blessing of toys
for something better. While there was some significant support for the aims of this
movement, the lack of a cohesive vision for an alternative to the status-quo eventually led to the movement running out of steam. But the latent discontent remains
along with a vague hope for something better.
Christians have language that describes that hope for the future. Traditionally we
have called it the kingdom of God. The word "kingdom" is sometimes misleading; by
kingdom we do not mean the sort of coercive, manipulative and abusing power that
is evident in the "powers of this world". Jesus is for us a different kind of king. As Jesus
says to Pilate in the Gospel reading for the Sunday of the Reign of Christ, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Advent is the time in which the church reconnects with its longing for the kingdom of
God. The biblical texts appointed for Advent invite us to get in touch with our expectation and our hope.
It might seem that Advent is at odds with the culture's celebration of what they call
Christmas, but which is really a time of indulgent consumption. This year we might
find that the Advent message about a coming day when God will set all things right
finds a hearing among our friends and neighbours who so desire and long for a
message of hope.
The Occupy Movement may have moved on from many of the financial centres of the
world, but we can still occupy Advent this year and proclaim our hope in God, who
comes to us in great humility.
I wish you all the hope of the season and joy in believing.
Peace ,
Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 10:00 a.m. in the Church.
Our church has a tradition of celebrating a shortened Christmas communion service and hosting
a potluck lunch for those who have difficulty attending our regular worship. Plan to join us for
some Christmas cheer! Please reply to Susan McKay 905 5232 6218 or [email protected]
Blue homespun and the
bend of my breast
keep warm this small hot
naked star
fallen to my arms. (Rest …
you who have had so far to
come.)
Now nearness satisfies
the body of God sweetly. Quiet he lies
whose vigor hurled a universe. He sleeps
whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world. Charmed by doves' voices,
the whisper of straw, he dreams,
hearing no music from his other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
he is curtailed who overflowed all skies,
all years. Older than eternity, now he
is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed
to my poor planet, caught
that I might be free, blind in my womb
to know my darkness ended,
brought to this birth for me to be new-born,
and for him to see me mended
I must see him torn.
While travelling in Israel last month, we
heard about missile launches and saw
Israeli fighter jets overhead. We were told
that the problems between the Gaza Strip,
Egypt, Syria and Israel were very complex,
of long-standing and difficult to overcome.
Then we heard about an Oasis of Peace, a
cooperative village of Jews and Palestinian
Arabs of Israeli citizenship. At the School
of Peace, students speak both languages
and learn about each other’s celebrations
and traditions.
In June, vandals broke into the community
and wrote hate slogans on the school
walls. As a response to the incident, parents, teachers and pupils got together to
paint the school with colorful paintings
and graffiti and messages of coexistence.
God’s love at work!
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/israelioasis-of-peace-spray-painted-with-hatred/
Thank you to all who helped volunteer to collect food for
our annual food drive.
Also thank you to everyone who donated food to help
make this possible. In total we collected 2924 pounds of
food for St. Mathews House.
The “Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program”
provides new toys/gifts, holiday meals and
other household goods to thousands of people in Hamilton each year. This program runs
from November through until Christmas.
Individuals, organizations and businesses can
sponsor a child or an entire family. To learn
more about this opportunity, or to sponsor a
child/family, please contact St. Matthew’s
Let’s fill our Giving Tree for
the SMH Food Bank at the back of
the church during Advent
Canned goods
Baby Food
Kidney beans
Formula
Pasta and sauce
Diapers
Cereal
Personal HyPeanut Butter
giene Supplies
Instant Coffee
Tea
What a wonderful invitation!! The Musical Drama Group and the STOMP team
have been studying Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan Woman, through the song ‘Come As You
Are”. The youth team is creating a stomp using repeated rhythmic patterns and “found” sounds based
on ideas around thirst. The Musical Drama Group are encouraging people to come to Christ through
their singing and choreography. We look forward to sharing our efforts!!!