We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. Hebrews 6:19 - 20 NIV
Church of Our Lord Newsletter December 2013 Editor: Lynne Damant email: fmdamant@shaw.ca
Producer: Richard Montgomery
email: office@churchofourlord.org
WHEN I WAS ALONE AND DESOLATE December 1985
ADVENT GLORIA I remember that Night the night when Heaven touched the earth scrambling in terror from my hillside bed my peaceful sleep turned mad with searing dreams of holy radiance and glorious praise and joyous fire I cried out for my shepherding father Stumbling, slippering, struggling to keep pace I followed at a distance this motley band of honest, frantic men driven by a fragile hope rooted by the ancient prophet-promise treasured by my shepherding father The town slept on as we entered the smells and gentle sounds of that strange night I remember well cattle, donkeys, sheep keeping watch over the sleeping child the Child of Light worshipped by my shepherding father I remember the tender beginning I witnessed the violent end of this Baby born to die and rise to bring me life: Saviour, Lord, and King gladly, with full and grateful heart I lay my life before you to follow your Shepherding Father Ruth Patstone
I walked the fields in winter and it was cold. Stars, like crystal teardrops, stained the sky. Wind, like remembered fingers, rippled my hair. Snow lay on my cloak, flakes of fallen dreams. I was alone and desolate under a misty moon too weary to shed light. My sighs went echoing through the night. I looked up and saw a pulsing star Whose rays drew me with an unseen hand Across the hills until it shone above a stable Where the air was warm. And there I saw a little Babe laid on a bed of straw, Only a tiny child who could not speak, His Mother bowing her head with tears upon her cheeks. I stood entranced while others kneeled— Crowned Kings with royal gifts, And men like me in shepherd’s robes. While animals stood quiet and still. The Little One held up His hands. There was a dream-drenched light about His head. He laughed and smiled, and I went forth into the night.
Joan Reid (1913 – 1989)
FROM THE EDITOR One of the things I like about a liturgical church is that it observes a calendar of seasons. The ancient church set aside whole seasons to mark the important mysteries of faith. The four weeks leading up to Christmas were set aside for preparation and meditation. This became known as the season of Advent. In the same way, the meaning and importance of Christmas is developed upon and enlarged by the season called Epiphany which comes after the Christmas celebration. The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the season of Advent is the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. We think not only of Jesus’ First Advent or Coming, we anticipate also the return of Christ the King in His Second Advent. The Advent season is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation and longing. We look forward to the birth of Christ, we prepare for the great mystery of the arrival of God With Us, the Incarnation – the Word made flesh. Advent’s prayers are prayers of humble devotion and commitment, of submission, for deliverance, prayers from those walking in darkness who await and anticipate a great light. This explains why the Advent Season is the beginning of our Church Year. It begins on the Fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, called Advent Sunday, and ends on Christmas Eve. In this year of 2013, Advent Sunday is December 1st. Historically, the primary liturgical colour of Advent was Purple, the colour of fasting and penitence as well as the colour of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. The intention was to point to the important connection between Jesus’ birth and death, so originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, and shared the colour of the season of Lent. In recent times, though, Advent has undergone a shift in emphasis – the penitential aspect of the season has been almost totally replaced by an emphasis on hope and anticipation. Generally churches now use Blue to distinguish the Season of Advent from that of Lent. The readings set specifically for the Advent Season are some of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. How about: The People walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Is.9:2); and: The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them (Is.11:6).
We sing some glorious hymns during the Advent Season! - #60, Lo! he comes with clouds descending,” #62, O Come, O come, Emmanuel, #63, Hark! A herald voice is sounding; #67, On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry, #71, Rejoice, all ye believers, #548, Come, thou longexpected Jesus, and #499, How firm a foundation. I love Epiphany almost more than Advent, but it seems nowadays generally Epiphany is inclined to slip by unnoticed. The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal.” It originated in the Eastern Church, and was celebrated as early as the third century. It marks the coming of the Wise Men or Magi bringing gifts to visit the Christ child. These visitors from the east "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas, January 6th. The traditional liturgical symbols of Epiphany are usually associated with the Magi and include three crowns or a single crown, various portrayals of the Magi or Wise Men, three gifts, a five pointed star, or a combination of a star and crown. A more modern symbol of Epiphany is a globe or a stylized portrayal of the world, because these Wise Men were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as "King" and so were the first to "show" or "reveal" Jesus to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. This act of worship by the Magi, corresponded to Simeon’s blessing in the Temple that this child Jesus would be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32). And it was one of the first indications that Jesus came for all people, of all nations, of all races, and that the work of God in the world would not be limited to only a few. And so too the mission of the church is to reach others by “showing” Jesus as the Saviour of all people: Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord (Is.60:3,6b). Epiphany hymns? Oh Yes! #93, The people that in darkness sat; #97, As with gladness men of old; #98, Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (absolutely!); #287, Zion’s King shall reign victorious; #388, Jesus shall reign where’er the sun. When you read this, we shall be into the season of Advent. For us in the Church though, it isn’t Christmas Day only and then we’re done! From Advent Sunday to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th there are 40 days. On each and all of these 40 days we will read the beautiful Scriptures, sing the glorious hymns and songs, and pray for and anticipate the coming of the Light! ____________________________________________
A Christmas Story
had the cloth made especially for me in Brussels. There could not be another like it.”
This is a story of a young pastor. His church was old. Long ago it had flourished. Famous men had preached from its pulpit, prayed before its altar. Rich and poor alike had worshiped there. Now the good days had passed from the sections of town where it stood. But the pastor and his wife believed in their rundown church. They felt that with paint, hammer and faith they could get it into shape. Together they went to work.
For the next few minutes, the woman and the pastor talked solemnly together. She explained that she was Viennese and that she and her husband had opposed the Nazis and decided to leave Austria. They went separately. Her husband put her on a train for Switzerland. They planned that he would join her as soon as he could arrange to ship their household goods across the border. She never saw him again. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp.
Late one December, a severe storm whipped through the river valley and the worst blow fell on the little church. A huge chunk of rain soaked plaster fell out of the inside wall just behind the altar. The pastor and his wife swept away the mess, but they couldn’t hide the ragged hole. His wife despaired, “Christmas is only two days away!”
“I’ve always felt that it was my fault to leave without him. Perhaps these years of wandering have been my punishment...” The pastor tried to comfort her and urged her to take the tablecloth but she refused and then she left.
That afternoon the dispirited couple attended an auction held for a local youth group. The auctioneer opened a box and shook out a handsome gold and ivory tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, over 4 metres long. There were a few half-hearted bids, then the pastor was seized with a great idea and he placed the winning bid of $6.50. He carried the cloth back to the church and tacked it up on the wall behind the altar. It completely hid the hole. Its shimmering handiwork was a fine holiday glow over the presbytery. It was a triumph. Just before noon on Christmas Eve as the pastor was opening the church he noticed a woman standing in the cold at the bus stop. “The bus won’t be here for 40 minute,” he called and he invited her in to get warm. She told him that she had come from the city that morning to be interviewed for a job as a governess to the children of a wealthy family, but had been turned down. She was a war refugee and spoke imperfect English. The woman sat in the pew and prayed. She looked up as the pastor began to adjust the great gold and ivory lace cloth across the hole. She rose suddenly and walked to the steps of the chancel. The pastor smiled and started to tell her about the storm damage but she didn’t seem to listen. She took up a fold of the cloth between her fingers. “It is mine” she said. “It is my banquet cloth.” She lifted up a corner of the cloth and showed the pastor that there were initials monogrammed on it. “My husband
As the church began to fill for Christmas Eve, it was clear that the cloth was going to be a great success. It had been skillfully designed to look its best by candlelight. After the service the pastor stood at the doorway and many people told him that the church looked beautiful. One gentle faced middle aged man, the local clock and watch repairman looked rather puzzled. “It is strange,” he said in his accent. “Many years ago my wife – God rest her – and I owned such a cloth. In our home in Vienna, my wife put it on the table only when the Bishop came to dinner.” The pastor became very excited. He told the watchmaker about the woman who had been in church earlier that day. The startled man clutched the pastor’s arm. “Can it be?” Where does she live?’ Together the two got in touch with the family who had interviewed the woman. Than in the pastor’s car they started for the city. And on Christmas Day, this man and his wife who had been separated so many years were reunited. To all who have heard this story, the joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now clear. People said it was a miracle, but I think you will agree it was the season for it! Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, But to your name, but to your name, may all the glory be. Psalm 150:1
AND KINGS SHALL COME TO HIS RISING by Bishop Rob Badham
The story of the Magi, the three wise men, who travelled a great distance to find the “King of Kings,” Jesus, is well known to us. We have almost no factual evidence about them, but we do know that these men were experts in studying the heavens and in being able to interpret signs and meanings which could affect the future of kings and rulers. They had spent their whole lives in this kind of study. They were skilled in philosophy, medicines and natural science. They were soothsayers and interpreters of dreams. They were good and holy men who sought the truth where ever it was to be found. We cannot tell what brilliant star the Magi saw, but what they did see made a tremendous impression upon them, so much so that they forsook their homeland and set out on an arduous journey to Bethlehem. We also cannot be certain where these Magi originated. Some authorities say they came from Persia and were Holy Men in that country. Other sources say they came from widely different countries to meet at some destined spot and then to travel to Bethlehem. We do know that they came from the east. Their Spiritual Journey took them first to Herod’s Palace because naturally they thought that he would know of this new Prince that had been born. Now to us it may be a strange and extraordinary thing that these Magi should set out from the East to find a king, but the world at the time of Jesus’ birth was ready to receive a mighty king and ruler. There was the feeling of expectation of the coming of a king. The Romans, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, all had this expectation that a new king was coming. The Roman Suetonius wrote, “There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judaea to rule the world.” (Suetonius: Life of Vespasian 4:5). Tacitus tells us of the same belief that “there was a firm persuasion that at this very time the East was to grow powerful and rulers from Judaea were to acquire universal empire.” (Tacitus: Histories, 5:13). Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote that the Jews had a belief that “about that time one from their country should become
governor of the habitable earth,” (Josephus: Wars of the Jews 6:5,) It was then to a waiting world that Jesus came and when He came the ends of the earth were gathered at His cradle, a sign and symbol of the beginning of the world conquest by Jesus. The Magi contacted Herod, the King of the Jewish race by Roman authority. It was only through Roman authority that Herod was permitted to rule. Herod was half Jew and half Idumaean. There was Edomite blood in his veins. Herod had made himself useful to the Romans during the civil wars of Palestine; and so the Romans trusted him and allowed him to rule. He was called Herod the Great because he was the only ruler who succeeded in keeping the peace and in establishing order out of disorder. He built the Temple of Jerusalem. He could be generous when he wanted to. It is said that in times of difficulty he remitted the taxes to make things easier for the people. It is also reported that in the famine of 25 BC he had actually had his own gold plate melted down to buy corn for the people. Herod was always of a suspicious nature however, and if he sensed that someone was after his throne he eliminated them; even members of his own family were murdered to ensure his grasp of the throne. So when these learned, wise men from the east came to him seeking a new born king, what did he do? He called the chief priests and members of the select families together and demanded of them where according to the scriptures the Anointed one was to be born. They quoted the Scriptures from Micah 5:2 : “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” In his fury Herod had all children from babies to two years of age massacred. There are various opinions as to why Herod extended the order to children up to two years. Some say that Jesus was at that time two years of age. If so we must assume that it took two years for the Magi to reach Jesus. Herod was quite sure now that he had eliminated this threat. The Magi came to worship Jesus and bring costly gifts to signify His kingship. The names of the Magi according to legend are Casper, Melchior and Balthazar. Legend also gives us a description of the three: Melchior was the eldest, grey haired and with a long beard and it was he
who brought the gift of gold signifying Jesus as King. Caspar was young and clean shaven and he brought incense signifying Jesus as the High Priest. Balthazar was heavy set and he brought the gift of myrrh which signified that Jesus was to die for mankind.
Jesus, the Christ Child
It has always been the custom when visiting royalty to bring a gift fit for the occasion. Gold is the most precious gift to honour a king and this was a fitting gift to bring. It is well to remember that Jesus is King and we can never meet him on equal terms. We must always meet Him in an act of complete submission. Before we must be friends with Christ, we must submit to Christ. Frankincense is the gift for a priest. It was in the Temple worship that the sweet perfume of frankincense was used. The function of the priest is to open the way to God. Interesting that the word for priest in Latin is pontifex, which means bridge builder. The priest then is the man who builds a bridge between man and God. It was Jesus’ mission to open a way to God and make it possible for mankind to enter into the very presence of God. The gift of Myrrh is the gift for one about to die. Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Jesus came into this world to live for men, to show mankind the way to God, and in the end to die for men. Jesus came to give for mankind His life and His death. So the Magi came with gifts for a king and to worship the king of Kings. And so the season after Christmas is called Epiphany. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, and means "appearance" or "manifestation." The Magi "manifest l" or “show” Jesus to the world as Lord and King. As we celebrate this glorious season, and the start of a new year, I thank God for you and pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, As a new year begins, we come to You and ask for Your blessing. We pray that you would give us joy to fill our days, peace to fill our hearts, and love to fill our lives. Thank You for the plans You have for us in this New Year. We wait in anticipation to see all You will do! "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Jesus the babe remembered by believers... rejoicing and praising his long ago birth with well-loved tunes and biblical words... stories retold again and again down through the ages generation to generation new to young ears the wonderful news told by parents... teachers, preachers there’s love, there’s joy in worshiping...remembering Jesus...his birth of long ago But what of those who have never been told don’t know this Jesus until they hear... that Jesus the babe grew to his manhood long, long ago suffered and died and rose once again that we might have life ....eternally are we not committed to spread this good news to all whom we meet so they too will rejoice understanding his long ago birth Agnes Duke
AN INTERVIEW WITH ARCHDEACON RON Editor: Ron, in November 2009 (when we were still the separate parish of Christ the King), at the ANiC Synod in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Bishop Don Harvey appointed you Territorial Archdeacon, West. You took over this position from then Archdeacon Trevor Walters who was one of three new bishops consecrated at the same Synod. I think there are now a total of six archdeacons serving across Canada? Evidence that ANiC has continued to grow in the three and a half years since that Synod! Could you comment on this? Ron: In November 2009 I was rather shocked when Bishop Don asked me to become the Archdeacon of Western Canada. At my appointment, I became the third Archdeacon in ANiC and I am happy to say that we now have a total of seven, which helps tremendously with the workload. Having seven Archdeacons is also evidence of the growth of ANiC since we joined in 2009. We were parish number 28 in March of 2009 and I am happy to report that there are now 80 projects, plants and parishes across Canada. The latest one to join us is Fergus, Ontario and they are called ‘The Circle.’ I have often said (I don’t know where the idea came from) that ANiC is like a plane. It has taken off, but while it is in flight we continue to add parts to the plane as we fly. Praise be to God, we are still up in the air!!!!. J Editor: Following your appointment at the end of 2009, Bishop Trevor wrote to the parishes of the Western Region that your Canadian Forces experience in the area of deployment and strategic planning gave you the skills needed for this sort of position. He indicated that you would be the immediate contact person on the Island for all matters related to parish vacancies, interregnums, Canonical committees and issues of conflict. What would be your comments in this particular regard? Ron: With the addition of six other Archdeacons, my area is not as widespread as it was then. In fact, my area now is specifically Vancouver Island which, along with my duties with the Time to Build Campaign, is enough. Editor: Now that the congregations of Christ the King and Church of Our Lord have merged, are your duties changed in any way? Do your archdeacon jurisdictions and responsibilities function in the same way or have they changed?
Ron: As a parish priest, the workload is more shared, as you will have noticed, I am not preaching every Sunday! The Archdeacon jurisdictions and responsibilities continue on in the same way, but I am blessed by the shared ministry here. They know that there are times when I cannot be here because of those responsibilities and are supportive of my work as Archdeacon. Editor: A particular assignment or activity which must be requiring a major dedication of your time and effort is the “Time to Build” Campaign and its 20/20 Vision initiative. As Chairman of this Campaign you have undertaken visits to other parishes across the country. Could tell us more about this, Ron – what the ANiC Council hopes to achieve and how you manage to apportion your time and expenses connected with these duties? Ron: One of the great difficulties in starting a new organization is start-up costs and ANiC is no different. In our past configurations the churches were expected to send to the Diocese between 18 to 26% of their income. When ANiC was established it decided not to assess parishes 18% and over, but to ask each Project, Plant and Parish to be faithful in giving 10% of their income. 10% is a Biblical Tithe. However, 10% is not enough for an organization of our size. We needed more. And so my task is to try and raise one million dollars for the Time to Build Campaign. In year one of the Campaign (I was not running it at that time) the Diocese raised $241,000.00. Much of this money was from one-time gifts from people who have what I call ‘deep pockets.’ In year two, I took over the campaign and up to November 30th of this year, we have raised a total of $177,000.00. Most of this money is from 377 supporters who have signed up for the 20/20 programme. That programme is based on $20.00 for each of 20 months. Altogether the Time to Build Campaign has raised $414,000.00. In this next year we have to collect $586,000.00. So if anyone can give me a cheque for that amount, my task will be over and I will not have to do any more presentations on the Time to Build Campaign. J J J (Wouldn’t that be nice!!) In carrying out this work, I have visited 26 Parishes in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I have a commitment of one more year to the programme. However, the work that I am doing across the country is not restricted to the Time to Build Campaign. While visiting Parishes and regions I am teaching on four different subjects, all which all have to do with what we do with
the money that God has entrusted to our care. Those subjects are: First, Money — it’s about Discipleship and in that talk, I remind people that there are 31,104 verses in the Bible, but there is no verse like Malachi 3:10. (I will let those reading this article look up that verse.) Second, Tithing — in which I use Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament from the Book of Hebrews. The question I answer is, to whom do we pay our Tithes and to where do we pay our Tithes? Third, Offerings — I talk specifically about Offerings; how to move beyond the Biblical Tithe to Offerings, and how individuals can assist with the Time to Build Campaign and help other organizations. I also answer the question how do we determine which charities and outreach programmes should Christians be supporting? Fourth, is topic I have added, one that I normally do on a Sunday morning. I have entitled that talk: “It’s not ‘US’ and ‘THEM’, No, it is just ‘US!’” In the old days, many people felt that Headquarters was ‘THEM’ and ‘THEY’ really did not know or appreciate what went on in the life of the Parish. It seemed at times that all ‘THEY’ were interested in was the assessment and didn’t really care about ‘US.’ In this new configuration it is ‘ALL ABOUT US!’ We are in this ‘TOGETHER!’ That is the message all of us need to take to heart. As an aside, I want you to know that the greatest supporters of the Time to Build Campaign are on the West Coast and belong to a Parish called Church of Our Lord, Victoria, BC. Your support has encouraged me tremendously and I graciously thank you for your generosity! Editor: Ron, in this time of stretching your personal strength and health with the ANiC family across the land, how should your family here in Church of Our Lord best pray for you over these next months? Ron: Pray for wisdom as I work with other parishes who are just beginning to find their path; pray for travelling mercies and safety as I fly from one area to another. As Deirdre doesn`t travel with me, pray for strength for her as she continues her ministries here. Most of all pray for God`s presence to strengthen and guide my words and actions as I come in contact with so many people who are seeking to follow Him. Thank you dearly. Editor: Thank you, Archdeacon Ron! Readers, I’ve made it easy for you …swivel your eyes right for Malachi 3:10!
Love Them … Anyway A preacher visited the orphanage founded by Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. He saw over 400 abandoned children, all under the care of the Sisters of Charity. It was a moving experience for him. As he was walking through the lobby on his way out, one of the sisters pointed to a wall hanging and said, “You should read this. Mother had it enlarged and hung on the wall.”
Anyway People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centred. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, Ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win False friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have – ANYWAY. From The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M.Keith
Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts. “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such a blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
A QUESTION ANSWERED by Mike Damant
I had a long-standing question answered this week! In a column in the English Weekly Express newspaper of all places! Genesis is not an easy book to understand. For myself I have found it helpful to not take everything literally. For example, the Creation story set out in chapters one to three makes sense if I substitute the word ‘age’ in place of the word ‘day’ as in this sentence: “and there was evening and there was morning, the second day” makes sense to me as: “and there was evening (an end) and there was morning (a beginning), the second age.” It makes sense too when one realises that, outside of the material world, time does not exist, as Peter wrote in his Second Letter, chapter 3, verse 8, “but do not overlook this one fact beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” There is however, or has been until this week, one passage which puzzled me. It is in Genesis, chapter one, verses six to ten, which describes the separation of the waters and the emergence of dry land. This is it: 6
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. So, first God created an expanse separating the waters from the waters, and He called the expanse, “heaven.” So far, so good. I can visualise the planet completely covered by water with the atmosphere above it (at the back of my mind is a question — what has happened to the “waters that were above the expanse”?) They’re not
mention again. The short passage ends with the naming of the dry land Earth and the waters Seas. I have always found it difficult to deal with the missing water. I know that there is water in our atmosphere and I understand the cycle of evaporation and precipitation which goes on, and we are taught that this is a closed system, i.e. the volume of water on the planet is constant – divided into airborne water and earth borne water. So where is this “waters that were above the expanse”? For me that question has received at least a partial answer in, perhaps a most unlikely place – a British newspaper! I get a great deal of pleasure from reading two weekly British newspapers – the weekly Telegraph and the weekly Express. The latter contains a most interesting column, “Your questions answered.” Readers from every corner of the world send in the most extraordinary questions and these are always answered with fascinating detail. This week a gentleman from Southampton, England asked this question: “ON a recent Q1 (TV) programme it was stated that the longest river on this planet is in the sky. How can that be?” The answer: “SUCH a claim is rather stretching the definition of a river but it is based on the discovery about 20 years ago of long, narrow stretches of water vapour in the atmosphere. These “atmospheric rivers” can be several thousand miles long and a couple of hundred miles wide and are thought to be the cause of intense storm systems and flooding in Europe, North America and North Africa.” So, for me, the mystery is solved. These are indeed the missing “waters that were above the expanse” – and there are a lot, a huge amount of them. Once again, for me, Genesis is shown to be an accurate presentation of the creation of the world – and indeed of the whole solar system! And God’s incredible power, vision and imagination are affirmed. We should indeed, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” ALLELUIA!
Hercule Poirot Reads the Bible Inspector Hercule Poirot, so well-known as the famous little Belgian detective, is David Suchet in real life. The UK newspaper TheTelegraph, in its November 1–6 edition, describes a very different venture being undertaken by Mr. Suchet. This is what they report: David Suchet’s appetite for work is alarming. While starring in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night and filming his final Poirot, Suchet has also spent 200 hours in the past year recording the entire Bible in his sonorous voice. The recording will be released next Easter. It was a labour of love, indirectly linked to his own late conversion to the Church of England. He was brought up a non-Orthodox Jew but had been dabbling in new-age philosophies. At the end of a day’s filming, Suchet picked up the Bible in his hotel room and started to read St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (He has since made a television documentary about St Paul.) “I read it as a letter that had just been sent to me,” he says. “By the time I got to the end, I found a world view I had been looking for all my life; something I could hang on to. I don’t have blind faith. If I were ever to write about my journey to faith, the title would be, ‘Dragged Kicking and Screaming’.”
A Second Christmas Story The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. “I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service. Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flur-
ries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound… Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud…At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them…He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms…Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn. And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.” At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.
A FUNNY BIBLE VERSE by Jack Krayenhoff
I mean, not ha-ha funny, but: what do you make of this one? I am talking about 1 Corinthians 11:30, and the verse runs, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” The context is people who take communion flippantly or unworthily, and God punishes them with illness or even death. It certainly makes us stop and consider what a deep and serious matter communion is in the Lord’s eyes, but still, does it not seem strange that God would use physical illness and death to punish us for not taking a spiritual exercise seriously enough? Perhaps the following facts from the medical world help, because they show a clear connection between spiritual and physical health. Every family physician has patients who come for help for physical complaints like aches and pains, or fatigue, for which no clear physical cause can be found. Not so long ago, these people were then given the label ‘chronic anxiety state’, and the common prescription for that was Valium or something similar. In fact, the going (half)-joke was “Life is a Valium-deficiency state.” Though people felt initially much better on that drug, it was found to be unsatisfactory in the long run, and nowadays the label is more likely to be ‘depression’, and they are prescribed anti-depressants. But either diagnosis did not get to the root of the problem. Saying it is an ‘imbalance of chemicals in the brain’ does not solve anything, for then you must ask: Why is that imbalance there? No, the true answer is that the patient is living with a problem that affects his emotions adversely, and emotions express themselves in the body. And if the emotions are disharmonious, the body will soon function disharmoniously too. Take the case of Connie, a 38-year old woman, divorced, one child, who had moved in with her widowed father, for financial reasons. She came to my office complaining of sore muscles, mostly in her neck. I found her muscles generally to be very tense. Also her blood pressure was on the high side and her cholesterol was elevated. We tried heat, massage, exercise and muscle relaxing pills, but nothing really helped. One day I asked her, “What is the biggest problem you are trying to deal with?” She did not hesitate one moment: “My dad. He is awful. I hate him.” And she went on to tell me the
terrible things her dad had done to her. I asked if she could not forgive him. She said, “Forgive him? Never! If I did I would feel so feeble.” She preferred feeling angry because it gave her a sense of strength! So here we had the real diagnosis: chronic anger. And a serious condition that was, because the chance of Connie getting a myocardial infarction is three times as high as the average. She had a spiritual problem, and it had a good chance of killing her physically. Spiritual problems need spiritual cures. And spiritual health does translate into physical health. This is a matter of statistics. The US National Health Interview Survey found that compared to nonchurch attenders, people who attend church more than once weekly on the average live six years longer. (People who attended once a week also lived longer, but not quite as much.) And this is by no means the only statistic. For instance Seventh Day Adventists have been known for their longevity a long time. They attribute it to the fact they don’t drink and are vegetarians, but the statistics about this are more controversial. And then, there are the Scriptures themselves. They repeatedly link godliness with good health, and likewise ill health with sin: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26) “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all my commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of the heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.” (Leviticus 26:14-16) “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues— and serious and prolonged sicknesses. Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you." (Deuteronomy 28:56-60).
And many more, including 1 Corinthians 11:30. Considering the obverse implication of that verse, it means that when we take communion with the right attitude, it has tremendously beneficial effects on our health. It’s so much more than just a symbolic act! †
O VALIANT HEARTS O Valiant Hearts, who to your glory came Through dust of conflict and through battle-flame, Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved, Your memory hallowed in the Land you loved.
On Sunday November 10, our church services were themed to mark Remembrance Day, November 11, and the loss of all those who have given their lives in military service. At our service our own Trevor Woodruff was the soloist in that incredibly moving hymn, O Valiant Hearts. Trevor is 92, but to my mind, there could not have been a more perfect voice to sing these emotional and heart stopping words! Trevor’s voice conveyed that sense of loss and mourning, of pain and desolation, with a feeling that was ethereal and not of this world. My heart was so moved – when we came to sing the last verses with him, I could barely summon any voice! Proudly you gathered, rank on rank to war, As who had heard God's message from afar; All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave To save Mankind - yourselves you scorned to save.
These words and this music stayed with me for a long time afterwards. And so I thought I would research O Valiant Hearts and find out a bit more about hymn. The words are by Sir John Stanhope Arkwright (18721954), who belonged to a family with long connections to Herefordshire in England, and who was a barrister and MP for Hereford from 1900-1919. O Valiant Hearts first emerged in a collection of poems he published in 1919, called The Supreme Sacrifice. During the First World War he toured the country, giving recruitment speeches, and he wrote these poems on the many train journeys he took to engagements.
cation of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, London, on November 11, 1920. Both men knew the pain of losing a loved one first hand. Dr Harris lost a son in the First World War, and one of Sir John's two sons was killed in a submarine accident in World War II. Sir John received many requests to have some of his words used as the inscription of the gravestones of soldiers who died in both world wars. It also forms part of the inscription on the war memorial in Leominster. Great tribute is paid to the valiant sacrifice of these fallen men by comparing it with the selfless sacrifice of Christ who showed the way through awful trial. O risen Lord, O shepherd of our dead, Whose cross has bought them and whose staff has led In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land Commits her children to thy gracious hand.
The poem was later included as a hymn in both editions of the hymn book, Songs of Praise. For the first edition, published in 1925, the music was set to a traditional tune, 'Valour', arranged by Vaughan Williams. In the second, larger edition of Songs of Praise, published in 1931, Gustav Holst composed the tune 'Valiant Hearts' especially for the hymn. (LD) http://www.bbc.co.uk
Warm Christmas Greetings and Thank You's from those who serve on the Street Hope RV. Between Easter and Thanksgiving between fifty and sixty people were served soup, sandwiches, juice and hot chocolate, sox and gloves (with a two week break in August). Blessings continue to abound! Recently The Table and The Table in Fernwood began donating soup weekly. This is such a very welcome contribution. We are currently considering replacement for the RV and anticipate a firm decision early in the new year. Thank you, and A Blessed Christmas Season Greeting to you all.
It was set to music by Dr. Charles Harris, who was the Vicar of Colwall in the same county, 1909 – 1929. The combination of Harris’ tune and Arkwright’s words was an immediate success; the hymn was sung at the dedi-
Barbara Stoeckel
Christmas Story #3 We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half -mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?' Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.' Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.' Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon
the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labour, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this baby.' Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift.' I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.' I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity. How did God feel when he put his baby in our arms 2000 years ago? The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.' _____________________________________________ The whole concept of God taking human shape had never made much sense to me. That was because, I realised one wonderful day, it was so simple. For people with bodies, important things like love have to be embodied. That's all. God had to be embodied, or else people with bodies would never in a trillion years understand about love. Jane Vonnegut Yarmolinsky, Angels Without Wings
The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world. Stuart Briscoe, Meet Him at the Manger _________________________________________________