Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Caroling

Fri. Dec. 21st was the most blessed Christmas caroling event in Resurrection history.
Five singers started by warming their voices on the church stairs.  Across the road, the aparment windows filled with a few onlookers; one was a mother and child, who rocked with the music. A couple of women with carts returning from the supermarket stopped to listen, to soak in the sound, to hum along.  And then a women on a bike road past, dismounted, turned around and came back to listen.  She was overly thankful...it was the first time this season that she felt at peace.  The gift of caroling songs was her hope for the day, to carry into tomorrow.
If this had not been enough...
singing in front the Superstore, led to smiles, nods, a clapping of hands, and just as the songs finished a worker came out and was disappointed, she wanted to hear, in fact she wanted to sing too!  Her co-workers came out and took pictures.
If this had not been enough...
At Canadian Tire a father and his two children stopped and waited for their mom.  The one little boy danced the whole time.  He even came and sang too!  And just for him, a chorus of "Deck the Halls" echoed loud and clear. One passer by wished to leave money and wasn't able to, as the singing was all gift!
What a great night of sharing God's hope and Good News with the world!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Grace, in rain?

It is pouring rain and has been since yesterday.  It is Dec.19th and for some of us in the Maritimes (most of us CFAs -come from awayers) the prayer is for snow.  As a family that shares a car, it was hubbies day to take the car to work, so that means the final Christmas communion visits will be done on foot in a bright yellow rain coat (and perhaps the yellow pants too, unless the bus is taken).  Ick!
Perhaps grace is found in how bright the Christmas lights look against such a backdrop.  Yes it is on while this blog post is being written, along with the electric fireplace.
May grace is how warm the morning cup of tea feels or the warmth of the wool sweater.
On days like this visits can require extra energy and patience...aches and pains seem worse, people move slower, the weather makes people sleepy and sad.  Here's praying that grace moves ahead and behind the feet, wherever they go, all day, every day, but especially in the darkness of today.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A Prophet in Our Midst

On Sunday the sermon was about prophets.  It began with tinkling of bells on the hem of Zechariah the priest's robes as he went to take the incense offering into the Holy of Holies.  While there, he encountered the angel of the Lord, who told him that his wife, Elizabeth, in her old age would bear a child.  "How will I know this?" asks Zechariah.  For this Zechariah is speechless until his son is born.  Zechariah's speechlessness speaks volumes.  Then, on regaining his voice, he sings a hymn of praise.  His son, John the Baptist, offers the Good News in a very different way than Zechariah -he is like a magnet-a-phone.  
The point of the sermon was that for a short moment in time Zechariah and John were proclaimers of Good News; they were prophets for a particular time and in a particular place.  Are we ever called to be bearers of Good News?  To be prophetic for a short moment of time in the place where we find ourselves?
At the end of the sermon, as the pulpit was vacated, a loud "thank-you" came from the back of the church. Then the gentlemen walked out of the building.  This gentlemen came back in shortly, as the congregation was singing.  He walked right up to the altar and handed me two plaques.  Both were black with gold writing; one said "love", the other "home".  Then he left again.
The gentlemen's name is Brian.  He lives on the margin of society, often spending the night on the street.  He is part of the neighbourhood and will stop to tell stories about his grandmother, his faith, some of his life experiences.  He passes on treasures from one person to another, to bring joy, to share love.
Sunday morning Resurrection was awakened by two prophetic words: love and home.  Sunday morning we were that for Brian, and reminded that that is our prophetic word for the world.
Thank-you Brian for being God's prophet in our midst.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Why We Celebrate Not-so-real Stories

Over the past few days, I have been reminded of conversations over the years,  that there is very little actual truth in the details of Christmas narative and the way we celebrate it.  -Dec. 25 more like some time in Sept....and so on.
      On Monday my son asked if I needed help putting up the Christmas tree.  To start with it is about a week earlier than it usually goes up.  "I wasn't thinking about doing that today."  "OK :(   Well I changed my mind and together we hauled the tree up from the work room and the wooden box it sits on.  We had a grand time, my 17 year old, talking up a storm.
       The next day after school, "Mom are we decorating the tree sometime."  Well it wasn't on my schedule.  So he helped me put the lights on it - a job over the years that we have always done together.   Once again excitedly chatting up a storm.  If I didn't see the almost 6ft young man in front of me, I would have guessed he was five.  He was totally affected by the nip in the air, the snowflakes gently falling, and making the house festive.  For me it was two afternoons of grace -time with my son, seeing delight as the old decorations were pulled from their paper, joking about me moving decorations after they are already on the tree (I only rerouted two this year).
This in itself is a reason why we celebrate a story that didn't happen exactly the way it says that it did.
       Then last night at the supper table my 19 year old talked about friends who get caught up in her fascination with science and tell her she is wrong, those who read the Bible in a black and white manner.  We talked about learning to be a discerning reader, embracing metaphor, finding truth in the pieces presented, and loving hope, God, in a well told beloved story.
They appreciate celebrating the story in all its parts, feeding on the hope, love, and grace found therein.  ....and on top of that reminding "mom" that being giddy is a gracefilled attitude.

God Is Known- Eye to Eye, Heart to Heart

  The following lines from today’s scripture weave together in my mind.   I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their he...