Text: Luke 1:39-56 (Mary’s song of love and justice) * Video of complete service * Order of service (PDF) Friends, in 2005 I joined a choir in Toronto called the “Bell’Arte Singers,” and that December, we presented a Christmas concert. The program booklet for the concert talked about our hopes for a world of greater peace and joy, and it ended with … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 1:26-38 (the birth of Jesus foretold) * Video of first part of service * Order of service (PDF) Like most children born in the 1950s, I became enchanted by Christmas as soon as I became aware of it; and because my late father was a United Church minister, and because Canada was much more religious then, … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 1:18-25 (waiting in silence) * Video of complete service * Order of service (PDF) Five years ago when I decided to put aside the Lectionary during Advent — with its focus on the Day of Judgement on the first Sunday of Advent and on the prophecies of the adult John the Baptist on its second Sunday, and to … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 1:5-17 (the birth of John the Baptist foretold) * Video of complete service * Order of service (PDF) Hope is essential. And so, it makes sense to me that the church focuses on Hope on the first of the four Sundays in Advent and at the start of a new church year. But hope can also elude … [Read more…]
Texts: “Our deepest fear” by Marianne Williamson * Luke 1:46-56 (Mary’s song) Video of complete service “Christmas comes but once a year,” or so goes an old saying that encourages us to celebrate it with abandon. But when I was a child, I came to the happy realization there was more than one Christmas each … [Read more…]
Texts: from “Lifesigns” by Henri Nouwen * Luke 1:26-45 (the birth of Jesus foretold) Video of complete service When I dream about Christmas, I find it easier to imagine feeling joy next year – Christmas 2021 — than this year; probably because many of us hope and expect that by next fall, the COVID-19 pandemic … [Read more…]
Texts: “Peacemaking and the spiritual life” by John Dear * Luke 1:18-25 (“waiting in silence”) Video of complete service Advent feels more important this year than usual because getting ready for Christmas during the pandemic requires extra thought and care. When the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, some hoped it would … [Read more…]
Texts: poem inspired by Mark 13:24-25 by Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes * Luke 1:5-17 (the birth of John the Baptist foretold) Video of complete service What does Hope look like this Advent? Perhaps you’re like me, and a lot of your hopes this year focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Many find hope in news about vaccines … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 1:46-56 (Mary’s song of love and justice) Have you ever noticed that many of the holidays we celebrate in Canada have roots in the church but are now mostly secular? This list would include Valentine’s Day on February 14, St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, and Halloween on October 31. There are still … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 1:39-56 (Mary’s song) What flows from the silence and prayer of Advent? Judging from the song that Mary sings in today’s reading, we could be forgiven for answering “revolution” instead of “Christmas!” Mary is often portrayed as being meek and obedient. But she doesn’t pull any punches when she sings in joy after … [Read more…]