Grace St. Andrew's United Church

Last Sunday and this Sunday coming up, we are reading from the Gospel of John particularly the powerful and evocative language of John 15. This idea of of being absolutely connected to God through Christ- the image of the vine bearing fruit. It is a wonderful image and a powerful symbol. But, I think much of the force of these words comes to us because they are so emphatic. We can do nothing apart from Christ. Moreover, it is a clear commandment to live and breath and the love of God in us; not just on Sunday mornings but every day of the week. 

We gathered on Palm Sunday in fellowship and welcomed the “Kingly” Messiah. We knelt in humble gratitude and washed each other's feet. We walked together while carrying the cross and gathered with eight other churches to feel the power of the Good Friday experience. We were ready for Easter Sunday and, when it arrived, we celebrated. Jesus Christ is truly risen and our lives are forever changed. We are the commissioned ones; challenged by Jesus to make known our witness to those we encounter. We are the baptized ones; challenged by Jesus to be instruments of holiness and health.

We started two Sundays ago with a preaching series on the Gospel of Mark. It is generally recognized to be the first gospel to be written. It was used by the writers of Matthew and Luke. It is the closest we have to the actual time of Jesus and it is the most striking and provocative. This is not a warm and domesticated Jesus. This is an untamed Savior with an attitude. Right out of the gate, Jesus gets to the heart of it; repent and believe in the good news (Mk 1:15). It is a demand that we are to be brutally honest with ourselves and stop giving God excuses.

I have always been struck by the fact that Jesus called his disciples individually and by their first name (Mk 1:16-20). It is as if he knew them very personally for many years. The "incarnate One" did know his disciples. He called them individually but moulded and shaped their faith together as one body (Gal 3:28). 

I am looking forward to our Christmas Eve Service @ 8:00pm. I am just finishing it and it includes lots of of the great old carols and features some of our church musicians. We are truly blessed to have such great talent in our congregation. We will also celebrate Holy Communion. Hope you can join us.

When we actually stop long enough to reflect on what is happening at GSA, we see some really good news. This Sunday, we talked about what Isaiah and Jesus we talking about when they stressed the delivery of "good news". It was not about pleasant "niceness". It was a radical call to give the powers of cynicism, bitterness and negativism a real shake-up. In our own little way, that is what we are doing. Our outreach to the community is testimony to this. We invited a lot of folks for diner on Sunday and it was a real success.

Our Sunday service reflected on the story of John the Baptist. This is one of those rare moments in our New Testament when all four gospels line up with their unique, yet, very similar, versions of the narrative. My message (see video section) to folks was that Advent is an active time. Not a time for waiting around for God to do something. Instead, we are urged to "make our paths straight" which is a biblical metaphor for repenting. God wants us to be actively involved in our spiritual growth. God wants us to meet him half-way. So let's all get busy...

The Greens are hung. The church is lite up in glorious Christmas light. I think I will keep the lights on during our Advent services and Christmas Eve will be wonderful. I was reflecting this week about past Christmas Eve services that I remember as a child. Funny thing, I do not remember any Minister's message....but I do remember the lights, the carols, the candles and the atmosphere.

Advent is approaching quickly! It is our official Christian "new year". It is four weeks of very intentional devotion, preparation and spiritual contemplation that readies us for the magnitude of what God does on Christmas. I am looking forward to our Hanging of the Greens Service. This is a first for me but it is an almost 20 year tradition at GSA!