Advent Pastoral Letter

We wait for God, creation longs to see a new day dawn.

And though the night is dark and deep, we dare to sing our song...
We watch for God, the earth cries out, “Will violence ever cease?”
he one who saw the signs is seen in ways that make for peace.
(from “We Wait for God” by William Kervin, #57 in Then Let Us Sing)

Friends in Christ,
Grace, peace, hope and love be with you as we move into another Advent Season.

Every year I am struck by the circular nature of the church year. We move from the last Sunday of the year where we name that the Reign of God is a reality growing in our midst directly into the Advent time of preparation and waiting for God to break into the world as a newborn baby.

There is a passage in Isaiah that is sometimes used on the first Sunday of Advent (we often hear from Isaiah in our Advent waiting and preparing). It begins “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence” (Isaiah 64:1). Some years I feel that prayer more acutely than others. This is one of those years. From Alberta to Chicago to Ukraine to Gaza and so many other places there is much that needs to be set right with the world. It would be nice if God were to break into the world and cause some speedy transformation in how the world works.

We are promised that in the birth of Jesus God is doing just that. When we wait and prepare in Advent it is not just to remember a birth long ago and far away it is also to remember that Christ continues to be born, that God continues to come to us bringing hope and peace, joy and love. Advent means that God is coming, coming to transform us, to change the world, Glory to God in the Highest! And on Earth Peace.

For now we watch and we wait. We light candles and we sing songs and we pray. But primarily we watch and wait. We open our hearts and souls so that we might recognize what God is up to around us. We name the troubles we see near and far and we join creation in longing for a new day, we cry out with the rest of the earth, we dare to sing our songs.

There are traditions that go with this annual time of watching and waiting and preparing. For many many years one of our traditions has been to gather with the CGIT for their Vespers Service. Though CGIT has come to its end the Vespers Service continues as a group of Alumnae have gotten together to welcome us to worship with them at 7:30 on November 30^th. The theme for the service this year is Faces of Joy. All are welcome.

Another tradition of the Christmas season is that we stretch out and think of the community around us. This year the Social Justice and Affirming Ministry Team (SJAM) is encouraging us to make extra donations to our Local Outreach Fund. This fund allows us to support our neighbours in times of need. It allows that when one of our partner agencies phones the office and says “we have a client who needs some help” we can respond with a voucher for groceries. Every day I drive past the Salvation Army building and see a line of people waiting for the Food Bank to open. There are so many of our neighbours who are struggling, let us do what we can to be the hands and face of Christ in Grande Prairie. SJAM is also reminding us all that the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle campaign is in need of volunteers to staff the kettles.

Dream a dream, a hopeful dream, as children do on Christmas Eve,

imaginings, surprising things to hold and to believe
Dream a gift, the Christmas gift that changes every thing we see:
the shimmering of angel wing, the Child, the Mystery.
(from “Dream a Dream” by Sheila Erena Murray, #158 in More Voices)

In a world where the news is so often nightmarish it is good to dream. I think that dreaming is a big part of how we, as Christians watch and wait for God. Dreaming can be, I believe, a big part of how God shares their vision for what the world could be. With that in mind the theme for my Advent sermons this year is The Christmas Dream. What dreams has God planted in Scripture as we prepare for Christ to be born? What dreams spring up in your heart and soul as you think of Christmas? Sometimes it feels like Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are just dreams for the world. What might it look like if those dreams came true? I invite you to dream along with me this season. Our Christmas Eve celebration will be at 8:00 and we will probably talk some more about dreams that night.

I close this year’s letter with a piece of news. United Church ministry personnel are encouraged to take time for rest and renewal. After a few years of encouragement from the St. Paul’s Ministry and Personnel Team I have decided, with their agreement, that is it time to take a Sabbatical Leave. I last did this in 2016 to mark 15 years since I was ordained, so in 2026 I will do the same to mark a quarter century in ministry. Between three months of leave and the normal month of vacation I will be off from May 8-September 8. Look for more details in the New Year.

I look forward to you joining us during the Advent and Christmas season. If it is a challenge to join us in person, all our worship events are also streamed on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@st.paulsunitedgrandeprairie).

Have a Blessed Advent and Christmas Season!