When Mary's Water Broke

 Early this morning Ruth shared this message from social media and we both laughed. As I shovelled snow later I thought about the fact that we celebrate the birth of Jesus with no birthin' o' babies allowed, in some respects. Of course we have endless images from the history of art depicting the manger scene, most of them wildly inaccurate. But we don't want Mary's water to break and we sure don't won't her to moan and groan giving birth. There is nary a mention of these human realities in carols or art. I mean, uck. 

It's weird that while Christianity is different than others religions in the centrality of "God with us" in the flesh we avoid some basic realities of Jesus actually getting here. In the early centuries of Christianity some streams of the faith wanted to work around the humanity of Jesus, both at birth and death. They were deemed heretical, so the uck factor is essential, even when it makes us skirm.

Earlier this year a Roman Catholic church in Austria displayed what became a controversial statue of Mary giving birth. Some parishioners labelled it as blasphemous and then vandals beheaded it, an ironic act of violence, wouldn't you say? I'm fairly confident that the perpetrator(s) were male. The Guardian newspaper interviewed the artist: 

The artist who created the “crowning” sculpture, Esther Strauss, also condemned the destruction, according to the Linz diocese statement. “Most portraits of the Virgin Mary were made by men and have therefore often served patriarchal interests,” she said, adding that in her sculpture, “Mary gets her body back”. 

“Whoever removed the head from the sculpture was very brutal,” Strauss said. “For me, this violence is an expression of the fact that there are still people who question women’s right to their own bodies. We have to take a very firm stance against this.”

As a father present for the birth of all of three children I was in awe of Ruth's stamina and strength pushing those three marvelous babies into the world. I would have understood if shed decide that enough was enough after the first one but the everyday miracle of birth happened again, and again.

Now, should we start in on "The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes"?...

O Holy Night & the Scourge of Slavery

       Front cover of the 6th edition of "Cantique de Noël", 1852 (original name for O Holy Night) 

 3 Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

                                    O Holy Night verse 3

As anticipated, the Christmas hymn that won the Trenton United Clash of the Carols was O Holy Night -- decidedly not my choice. Rev. Isaac used the sermon time to talk about this carol and the runner up, In the Bleak Midwinter before we sang the winner. 

He explained that it was written by Adolphe Adam on request from the writer who had penned the original poem in the 1840s. I discovered later that the carol writer was an atheist which didn't sit well with the Roman Catholic establishment.There were Protestant churches which wouldn't sing it because it was perceived as Catholic.  It also included a passionate criticism of slavery which meant that the English translation version was embraced by abolitionists in the United States and rejected by those who were pro-slavery. 

Afterward I thought about the many ways of defining slavery, an evil reality to the present day. Both Trenton and Belleville are communities along the 401 highway corridor known as a conduit for sex trafficking, a sort of oppressive bondage that tends to be hidden in plain sight. From time to time there are news items from these two towns about young women who have been freed from this form of modern-day slavery. 

Fortunately we weren't asked to literally "fall on our knees" (first verse) as we sang yesterday. Our congregation is of a general age that many of us might still be there waiting for help to get back up. 

Despite all these hurdles, through the decades O Holy Night has been persistently popular, often with soloists who want to display their vocal chops. I'm grateful that it isn't in our worship resource, Voices United, but the history of the carol is interesting and the people have spoken!

Finding Shelter in the Bleak Midwinter

 

1 In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2 Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign;

in the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

the Lord God almighty, Jesus Christ.

                                      Voices United 55

I mentioned along the way that Trenton United has been involved in Clash of the Carols just before worship begins during Advent. It gives folks the opportunity to vote for a favourite Christmas carol in an elimination format that's fun, although there are some who take it all fairly seriously. Two weeks ago our almost-12-year-old grandson was shocked that I hadn't chosen O Holy Night over In the Bleak Midwinter. His expression suggested that he was now convinced that dementia had set in. We were pleasantly surprised that he cared about the competition. I appreciate the poetry of Bleak Midwinter even if Jesus likely wasn't born in this season, as well as the tune. O Holy Night is so, well, melodramatic!

This morning it was -20C in these parts, our coldest start to a day since last Winter. I thought of those across this province who were "sleeping rough" last night in homeless encampments and on city vents. There are Warming Centres in a lot of communities now and when we arrive at church today the centre at Trenton UC will have closed for another night. While people can shelter from the cold they are officially not supposed to be places where they sleep or eat -- such a strange concept for an overnight arrangement. Our congregational volunteers do their best to make guests feel welcome. 

                                                 Homeless Jesus sculpture -- Timothy Schmalz

Yesterday Ruth and I did our monthly delivery of baked goods from Cobs Bakery and Metro to Bridge St UC. As we approached the church a fellow was meandering along the street wrapped in a sleeping bag carrying a big bag of worldly possessions. It was cold yesterday as well and as I awakened today I thought of him and others on the street. Earlier this year this stretch was the epicentre of news about drug overdoses in the province and the grim reality of opioid addcition. Intense cold adds the risk of injury or death from exposure. 

Today Rev. Isaac will reflect on these two hymns and I'll certainly continue my prayers for those who have dealt with the bitter weather overnight, In the Bleak Midwinter. 

                                                    In front of Bridge St. UC earlier this year

Winning the Winter Solstice Lottery

 

                                   

                                                                          Newgrange, Ireland 

A substantial crowd gathered at Newgrange in Ireland today to recognize the Winter Solstice. Newgrange is a 5,000+ year-old monument, perhaps a grave (bones were found here), older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt. There is a passageway that is aligned so that on this solstice of shortest daylight hours the wan sunlight will stream along it, providing that there is any "in the bleak midwinter." Unfortunately it was cloudy for most of the 17 minute window, as it often is, although there was a brief period of illumination.How did those who constructed this astronomical calendar figure it out so precisely millennia ago?  

Newgrange has become so popular amongst those desiring to get in touch with their inner Druid that tickets are sold for entry throughout the year. For this event most people  are gathered in the vicinity except for 16 who win the lottery to actually enter the chamber. 

While lots of Christians might be inclined to make the sign of the cross at this pagan recognition we don't need to feel this way. It's said that the success of the early Christians in Ireland, including Patrick, came from a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" reciprocity where the goodness of Creator and Creation was celebrated, establishing common ground. There are delightful legends for lots of the Celtic saints who lived as "Green martyrs" amidst the birds and creatures of the wild. The seasons and rhythms of the Earth were acknowledged and celebrated. 

It's unlikely that Jesus was born in late December but the early Roman Christians may well have celebrated his birth around the Saturnalia festival recognizing the beginning of longer dayss in order to avoid drawing attention to their Christ-mass. 

This morning we went for a walk along our Belleville waterfront to acknowledge the Winter Solstice. It was frosty -- -11C -- and a bit breezy but the sun was shining and ice was re-forming on the Bay of Quinte. It felt as though we had won the lottery and both of us were grateful for the world into which God the Creator entered in the person of Jesus, the Christ. Thank God for Creation with all its wonders. 

“In the infinity of night skies, in the free flashing of lightning, in whirling elemental winds you are God. 

 In the impenetrable mists of dark clouds, in the wild gusts of lashing rain, in the ageless rocks of the sea you are God and I bless you.  

You are in all things and contained by no thing.  You are the Life of all life and beyond every name.  You are God and in the eternal mystery I praise you.”

An Evening Prayer from Celtic Prayer John Philip Newell 

Wayfinders Searching for the Messiah

 

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem,  asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.”  

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared... Matthew 2:1-7 NRSVue

In recent weeks  Rev. Isaac at Trenton United (our son) has been exploring the story of the Magi, moving the journey theme forward into Advent. Many of us are aware of these astronomers/astrologers following a star to find the place of birth of Jesus, "King of the Jews." The evil ruler Herod wants to know the exact place of this star so he can dispose of this child he perceives as a rival. The word "star" is used four times to describe this heavenly body in the passage found in Matthew's gospel.

As it happens I have been musing a lot of late about the Wayfinders of other cultures who navigate by the stars, prompted first of all by a somewhat tangential theme in Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner, one of the celebrated novels of 2024. A character is fascinated by the Polynesians, peoples of the Pacific Ocean who were exceptional navigators across great expanses using star paths, along with knowledge of patterns of winds, waves, and currents. These "sailor priests" had no instruments such as astrolabes and sextants yet astounded explorers such as Captain Cook with the depth of their knowledge and skill.

 

Then came another wonderful novel, Playground by the great Richard Power. He too sets much of his story in Polynesia and muses about these navigators who were and are vaunted in their culture as almost mystical shamans. 

I went rooting around in the book of essays called --you guessed it - The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, by the award-winning anthropologist Wade Davis. I have a sneaking suspicion that Rachel Kushner drew on this book for inspiration. 

Last but not least I watched, for the first time, the animated film Moana, the original rather than the sequel. Even though some Indigenous critics decry these films as the disneyfication of Polynesian culture and spirituality the story is of a plucky Polynesian girl who learns the way of the stars and constellations for the sake of her land-locked people.

This may seem like a far cry from our images of Wise Men crossing a desert on camels (there are no camels in Matthew), yet the combination of courage, ancient knowledge, and mystery resonate. 

We are all invited to set out from convention and certainty to be Wayfinders. I hope we can be Christ-finders in this season, no matter how familiar the stories may seem. 

The Ten Commandments...Priceless?

 

Then God spoke all these words, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;  you shall have no other gods before[a] me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

 “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

 “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20

A marble tablet containing the Ten Commandments was sold at auction yesterday and realized five million USD, far above the estimate of one to two million. Would Moses have been impressed, given that this wasn't an original?  According to Al Jazeera:

The tablet dates from 300 to 800 AD and is inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script — the only complete example of its kind from antiquity, according to Sotheby’s.It was unearthed during railroad excavations along the southern coast of Israel in 1913 and was not recognised as historically significant at first. Sotheby’s said the tablet was used as a paving stone at a local home until 1943, when it was sold to a scholar who grasped its significance.

There is a certain irony here given that the Ten Commandments are no longer posted in public places (it is important to separate church and state) and rarely referred to even in religious settings. I wonder when any of us have heard or preached a series on the Ten "Suggestions"? I wasn't sure if I ever did but a document search unearthed that I offered a series of sermons and a study series on the subject in days of yore (2010). 

There is a further irony that some conservative Christians and legislators in the US are insisting that they be reintroduced in courts and classrooms even as there has been a rash of #MeToo-style "outings" of evangelical leaders for sexual impropriety -- would they be posted with a fingers-crossed symbol in front of "thou shalt not commit adultery"? 

Let's keep the irony rolling with the thought of a passel of nomads wandering in the wilderness and their beleagured leader being called up a mountain so that Yahweh, the God of Israel, could provide them with a moral code. The story is remarkable when you consider it, regardless of what you think about the actual theophany aspect. While these commandments would be "priceless" for more than three thousand years they have been devalued in terms of their application in every day life. Now this tablet of questionable provenance has been commodified and sold to the highest bidder. 

We might keep in mind that Moses went up the mountain for the commandments and ended up smashing the first set because when he came back down the people of Israel had created the Golden Calf as an idol. Moses also destroys the idol made of melted down jewelry although after he calms down he ascends for the second set of tablets. Note that this cautionary story is in the Jewish Torah, the Quran of Islam, and the Christian scriptures. Maybe we should turn our attention to the importance of the commandments as an important element of our moral compass in a society that seems to be wandering in the wilderness. 

You are hereby cautioned not to covet or steal your neighbours' Christmas inflatables. 

 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

 “You shall not murder.

 “You shall not commit adultery.

 “You shall not steal.

 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Joy & Living Beyond Anxiety

 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 

Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7 NRSVue

I noticed that one of the scripture readings for this past Sunday was the few verses from the New Testament letter that are one of my middle-of-the-night mantras. I repeat then for comfort when the problems of the world are amplified and scenarios of dread rise up even though they would seem foolish in the light of day. 

It begins with an invitation to joy with a promise that God is at hand. Then there is the phrase that is a bit of a jolt. Don't be anxious about anything? Really?! Still, this is a powerful statement in a time when we anxious about just about everything; the economy, the climate crisis, violence and wars, the Orange One...killer bagged carrots, for cryin' out loud. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear from Christianity Today that bible search apps offers this info for 2024: 

Philippians 4:6 was the most shared, bookmarked, and highlighted passage on the YouVersion Bible app and was named its 2024 verse of the year:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4 was also the most read New Testament chapter on BibleGateway.com. Overall, the site’s annual rankings skew toward the Psalms, which represent nearly all of the top 25 verses. BibleGateway’s most read verse was Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Hey, if we have comfort foods, why not comfort verses? I'm also inclined to repeating (silently)  the 23rd Psalm in the wee hours although it can get a little comical keeping the phrases straight in my groggy state. 

I also regularly visit Matthew 6 where Jesus comments about God's love for the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, and us. This passage ends with verse 34: 

 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Amen. 

Back to the Future in Jerusalem

 

                                                                    

                                                                      from Christianity Today

As we rambled around the old city of Jerusalem in April of 2023 I was aware of how little and how much had changed since I was last there 30 years before. The Western Wall and various gates were enduring landmarks along with other key sites. The watery Siloam Tunnel can still be traversed by the brave and not-so-tall. 

Yet there has been constant excavation and discovery at different levels. A parking lot where our coach sat alongside others years ago is now an extensive archeological site. The first time I visited the area to the south of the Al Aksa Mosque was a hillside with some buildings. A few years later steps were being unearthed leading to the Temple Mount. Now this area can be explored by visitors and there is a thrill to be able walk up the broad steps that Jesus and his disciples used to gain access to the magnificent temple plaza created by Herod. 

                                                                 South Steps to the Temple Mount

So much is deep underground though, in many layers of civilization and destruction. Much of it is next to impossible to access because of the buildings above. Sectarian and religious tensions preclude serious archeological efforts. 

I just read an interesting article in Christianity Today about the use of muon detectors (you know, muon detectors!) to boldly go where archeology nerds have never gone before. Here are a few paragraphs:

Now, however, physicists have come up with a new way to dig without digging: muography.Muons are tiny subatomic particles that are everywhere on earth, according to physicists. They are created when cosmic rays smash into the Earth’s atmosphere, showering the surface of the planet with about 10,000 of the particles per square meter. 

In recent years, scientists have figured out how to use muon detectors to map inaccessible subterranean cavities, creating images of rooms inside Egyptian pyramids and magma chambers deep in volcanoes. Now they’re using them to map the streets Jesus once walked in ancient Jerusalem. 

Last year, a team of Tel Aviv University archaeologists and physicists shoehorned an unwieldy homemade muon detector—you can’t buy one from a store—into a rocky cavern close to the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley. They placed another detector behind a rocky bulwark called the Stepped Stone Structure. Then they pointed them both toward the Temple Mount and turned them on.

Here’s how they work: Muons have about 10,000 times the energy of a typical x-ray. They can easily pass through rock and earth—and anything less dense, like plants and people—but the denser the material they pass through, the quicker they lose their energy. 

When muons hit the detectors with different energy levels, an image can be created of the density of the matter through which they passed. Empty spaces are easily distinguished. And archaeologists can “see” underground.

The use of this technology is in its infancy, it is expensive to build a muon detector, and they have significant limitations in that the spaces they find have to be interpreted. Still, it will add to the ever expanding toolbox used by researchers. It all sounds rather "Back to the Future", doesn't it? 

 Will it help people from the three monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam live in peace? That's probably too much to ask. Yahweh/God/Allah will need to effect a metaphysical miracle that goes beyond any technological innnovation from the realm of physics.  

Words and Woke in an Age of Rage

 

 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.  Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come.  It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 

Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.  And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” Mark 13:32-37 NRSVue

Don’t try to tell me that God is dead
He woke me up this morning;
Don’t try to tell me
He’s not alive,
He lives within my heart,
He opened up my blinded eyes
And set me on my way,
Don’t try to tell me that God is dead
I just talked to Him/Her/Them today.

Canadian journalist and author Carol Off is a national treasure and she has the awards and accolades to prove it. Her latest thoughtful tome is At a Loss for Words: Conversations in an Age of Rage. It explores the ways in which the language we use has been misappropriated and distorted so that some words are barely recognizable. 

In the introduction she observes that " the language we once shared has been coopted by extremists and we're reduced to barking and snapping. It's not just that we dispute what path to take, we no longer agree on the meaning of the words that define our destination...we have arrived at a point where every word needs to count."

One of these words that receives a whole chapter of Off's attention is "woke". Now, I woke up this morning and at my age I don't take for granted. As you can see, woke is also a positive term that has been used to describe being attentive to issues of social and racial injustice and through the decades it has been employed by the Black community, most recently by Black Lives Matter. Sadly, it is also used to demean "liberals" and the "elite" and those "radicals leftists" who may espouse views that support minorities. While this war of woke word usage emerged in the US a Canadian political leader now trots it out with a sneer at every turn. 

In this chapter Carol Off tells the story of an author of a book decrying the supposed woke agenda who was a guest on a television program where she was asked to define the term. She fumbled and foundered attempting to do so and in the end couldn't come up with a coherent response, even though the host, also a woman, encouraged her to think it through. 

As a Christian, "woke" fascinates me. Jesus got in lots of trouble with certain religious leaders for his relentless support for those who were marginalized in his society and eventually he was executed as a possibly seditious trouble-maker. Was he woke? He certainly urged his followers to keep awake, lots of times -- that sounds woke-ish to me. I notice that some conservative Christians have climbed aboard the anti-woke bandwagon that is white nationalism and while I figure this is "heresy" I should be careful about weaponizing yet another word.  

I will say that while I've rolled my eyes at times and suggested that the motto of the United Church could be "the importance of being earnest" I'm largely grateful for the "wokeness" of our denomination through the years. Much of that earnestness has come from a desire to be compassionate and accepting of those who have been rejected and dismissed. While it has become a challenge to stay awake past ten o'clock at night I'm willing to be dismissed as "woke" as I seek to be a faithful follower of Jesus. I do agree with Carol Off that talking past one another or lobbing words as a form of profanity is destructive. 

Just a note: I may have modified the lyrics to the chorus for the old gospel foot-stomper above. 

Joy to All of Creation

 

                                                       Peaceable Kingdom -John August Swanson 

1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come:

let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room,

and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

2 Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:

let all their songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,

repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

                                 Voices United 59

We were up early yesterday (recurring theme) and in the gloom we decided to go for a walk, admittedly not the choice of some people -- the majority of people. We chose Belleville's waterfront trail because it is decently lit at an ungodly hour and the path is kept cleared.

It turned out to be a Godly hour as the sun rose above the low-lying clouds in various hues. Of course the sun doesn't rise at all but our planetary home spins on its axis and travels in orbit around this star. I do not like these days of brief, wan sunlight but I was enchanted by the dawn of a new day. 

Joy, including Joy to the World is the theme of this third Sunday in Advent and again today I want to be mindful of the marvellous interdependency of heaven and earth. When Isaac Watts wrote this hymn a little more than 300 years ago it was not meant to be for Advent or Christmas even though that's where it usually shows up in worship resources. It was his interpretation of Psalm 98 with an added Christological twist. 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

 with the lyre and the sound of melody.
 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
    the world and those who live in it.
 Let the floods clap their hands;
    let the hills sing together for joy
 at the presence of the Lord.

Psalm 98:4-8 NRSVue

Every year I wonder how I might give praise and thanksgiving to the God who loves the world in the person of Jesus, the Christ, during Advent. There are eco-faith resources for this first season of the Christian year but they are often very earnest about doing more to save the planet. Of course this is important as individuals, faith communities, and through our elected governments. Yet living with a foreboding of the curse of our relentless anthropocentrism can be soul-destroying. At the same time it is imperative that we express our wonder at the love of the Creator and Redeemer and Sustainer who as God in Three Persons enchants and animates all that is around us, every day. 

Thank you to Isaac Watts for this enduring gift. Thank God for the abundance and variety of Turtle Island. Let's repeat the sounding joy each and every day.  

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground:

he comes to make his blessings flow

far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,

far as, far as the curse is found.

4 He rules the earth with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness

and wonders of his love, and wonders of his love,

and wonders, wonders of his love.

A Postal Strike & Holy Letters

 A second postal post in the same week! It would appear that striking Canadian postal workers will soon be back on the job, forced to return just in time to make no difference for retailers or for the remnant of those who still mail physical Christmas cards and letters. I heard a news item a couple of days ago about individuals who've been entrepeneurial, first out of necessity, then to meet a need. As small business owners they began delivering their own parcels when neither Canada Post nor other courier services were options, then took to the roads for others who were willing to pay for the service. Why not?

This disruption and the creative solution got me thinking about the miracle of our New Testament which includes a number of letters, many written by the apostle Paul (often dictated to a scribe), which were circulated amongst the earliest Christian communities. They were usually carried by trusted individuals, men and women. While the Roman Empire didn't have  a postal service there was a system of secure roads and shipping routes used for communication and travelled by citizens as well. Somehow these early Christian epistles, hand-written before the development of paper, survived to become part of our bible. No original manuscripts still exist but they were transcribed and shared from generation to generation.

It's hard to believe that we'll ever return to writing "snail mail" letters even though there was a resurgence of interest in hand-written missives a few decades ago with the publication of the charming Griffin and Sabine trilogy of books by Nick Bantock which contained actual letters. I do have fond memories of a project pairing children and elders as secret penpals in one congregation. 

Griffin and Sabine

I've assumed through the years that the phrase “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” is the motto of the US States Postal Service -- the service doesn't have an official motto.  The phrase is actually a quote from The Persian Wars by Greek historian Herodotus, written around 2,500 years ago. Herodotus was referring to the Persian mounted postal couriers he observed during the Greco-Persian wars. 

I appreciate that the New Testament letters that are vital to our Christian faith were delivered not by any empire in the midst of war but by a loose association of followers of the Prince of Peace. We can only imagine the risk they took to share the Good News of Jesus, the Risen Christ. 

Now, to decide whether to write and mail those 'holy" Christmas cards!

                                                             Paul Dictating a Letter to a Scribe

  

Jesus Bids Us Shine...& Count Birds!

 

Jesus bids us shine,

With a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine,
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.

                        Blue Hymnary 613

Earlier this week we met for lunch with good friends from the Clarington area. These are always stimulating get-togethers and the rain held off long enough that we could go for a pleasant walk at nearby  Presqu'ile Provincial Park.

During our ramble we heard that they will be involved in the annual Christmas Bird Count, a continent-wide event that's taken place since 1900, although the first one involved only two people. It is the longest running Citizen Science project, now with more that 2000 locations. Our friends are not exactly retired but they have more freedom in the use of their time so they have become involved with the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area near Newcastle. This area on the shore of Lake Ontario is small but mighty, on a migratory path for many bird species, including eagles, as well as Monarch butterflies, while the creek is visited by spawning salmon. 

Our active friends have become adept Monarch taggers wielding their nets like Samurai warriors (I may be exaggerating.) The group maintains bird nesting boxes and plants native flowers and grasses. This year's Bird Count is the first official one for Samuel Wilmot and is scheduled for January 2nd. How do they still get away with using the word "Christmas"? 

                                                            Canadian Bird Count Locations 

We got to know these lovely folks when I served a congregation in Bowmanville and they were quite involved along with their young sons. They have always had a concern and appreciation for the natural world, or Creation, so this involvement is an practical extension of that aspect of their lives and of their faith. This group and so many others like it are rays of hope in the gloomy world of environmental gloom. The Nature Area itself is well used but not widely known yet it is vital for lots of non-human species and an oasis of ecological health in a region with more and more suburban sprawl. 

When I was a wee lad we sang from a section in the Blue Hymnary with a section called For Little Children. One of the hymns that didn't survive in the development of subsequent worship resources was Jesus Bids Us Shine. Maybe it was because one verse has the line "He looks down from heaven" when we now have a sense of God's immanence as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. There does seem to be far too much "sin and want and sorrow" at every turn yet we can make a difference at any stage of life. 

Thanks D and C, and may your lights continue to shine. 

Oh yes, did you know that a group of Monarch butterflies is a "kaleidoscope"? 

3 Jesus bids us shine then for all around

many kinds of darkness in this world are found

sin and want and sorry; so we must shine,

You in our small corner, and I in mine.

There are two components to the annual count:

1. a given geographic area is divided into manageable units called “ circles “ and are monitored on the day of the count by volunteers observing in the field
2. concurrently , feeder watches are conducted by citizens in their own yards

Weak Hands, Feeble Knees, & Gratitude

 Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God. He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

    and the ears of the deaf shall be opened;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

                                   Isaiah 35:3-7 NRSVue

We are infernally early risers, not by choice but by the habit of many years. These days we get up rather grudgingly in the dark, make our morning coffee and sit by the gas fireplace chatting and listening to the news. It's cozy. 

Every other day I push myself to leave this comfort and get out the door to the gym, specifically the weight room where I toil alongside people half my age. At this stage of life I give special attention to arthritic joints and strengthening my grip. While I may ache a bit afterward it's supposedly helpful for geezers to do resistance training. 

I appreciated God's sense of humour yesterday because when I returned I gave attention to a passage from the prophet Isaiah as one of the daily scripture readings, a prayer imploring the Creator to strengthen hands and knees (I'm on it). The day before I had been at the optician (eyes of the blind!) and I figure that in 2025 I will consider some form of hearing assistance (ears of the deaf!). 

My leaping days are definitely over yet I'm grateful, if not joyful, that we're both still active and able to get out and appreciate the beauty of Creation described in the latter part of the psalm.We certainly don't take for granted that we can still do this with the grandchildren we adore. God is good!  Where did I put that Advil?...                

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert;
 the burning sand shall become a pool
    and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp;
    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

                 Isaiah 35:3-7 NRSVue