When we opened the last Advent Box of 2013, we promised to post the link for the 2014 blog.
We have set it up!
You are invited to check it out!
tmucadvent2014.wordpress.com
It’s there, and the boxes will start on November 30.
You are invited!
Advent box
December 24, 2013 The box is open!
Finally! The last box is open! December 24’s services are complete, and it is time to share the word.
Here is the box:
The waiting is over, Christmas is here.
And while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. Luke 2:6
A child, a gift of hope for the world.
Thanks be to God.
This is the last post in the tmucadvent2013.wordpress.com blog We will post links to new blogs here so you can follow along too. In the meantime, please follow us on Twitter, @tmucWpg Visit us in Winnipeg at Transcona Memorial United Church, 209 Yale Avenue West, or check out our website http://www.tmuc.ca
Thanks for journeying with us!
Cheers, and blessings
December 24, 2013
It is Christmas Eve! The waiting is almost over, but not quite. With every breath, we draw a little closer to the hour of opening the box.
Today’s scripture of reflection:
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
Luke 2:6
Today’s photo is a little different than the ones before it. The first photo of today is of the box as it waits to be opened inside the church sanctuary. Here it is:
The box sits on the table, near the tree, waiting. The time has not yet come. This box will finally get opened, ‘while they were there’. We will wait until many are gathered.
For people who are near us, and want to join us when we open the box, and celebrate the birth of Jesus, Transcona Memorial United Church has services at 5 pm, 7 pm, and 10pm. We are located at 209 Yale Avenue West in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
For people who are not near, or who want to wait until the next post to see what is inside the box, we will write after the last service of the evening, sometime before midnight Central Time Zone (GMT/UTC – 06:00).
We wait, we wait, we wait.
May Christmas bring peace, justice, and love to all the earth.
December 23, 2013
A Charlie Brown Christmas quotes the Gospel of Luke in giving the real meaning of Christmas. This is how the quote appears on IMDb:
[shouting in desperation]
Charlie Brown: Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.
[moves toward the center of the stage]
Linus Van Pelt: Lights, please.
[a spotlight shines on Linus]
Linus Van Pelt: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'”
[Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
Linus Van Pelt: That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
Today’s box finds the expression of the real meaning of Christmas as inspired by Matthew’s Gospel.
She will bear a son,
and you are to name him Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
Here’s the photo:
The real meaning of Christmas is the gift of the child, not the gifts under the tree. The real meaning of Christmas is in love shared, and time spent with family and friends, and in service to others. The real meaning of Christmas is found in living out the Gospel message of hope, peace, joy and love.
That’s the gift. That’s why we wait.
Just one more day…
December 22, 2013
Today is the last Sunday of Advent, and the last candle in the circle of the Advent wreath, the candle of love, was lit early in the worship service.
And then it was time. Eager hands flew up in anticipation of helping to open the box. We actually opened two boxes together. We opened yesterday’s ‘Let there be light…’ so we could see the power of the lit box. And, we opened the box for today.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf, and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6
Here’s what we found:
It is the words of the passage, doodled with care. It is the spiritual practice of reflecting on a passage of scripture while writing. It is a glimpse into our own connection with the words, and our own creativity.
The wolf shall live with the lamb…a statement of hope that the world can indeed be a different place. ‘…and a little child shall lead them’. It is a message that this world can be open to a new experience of God. We can celebrate the love that is around us. We can feed the hungry, and work for justice. We can be instruments of peace and joy. We can, because we are loved, and we believe that the world is not yet as God intends.
As we work for today and for the future, let us do so with in the light of the Advent candles of hope, peace, joy, and love!
Two boxes await!
December 21, 2013
There were a few of us gathered around the advent boxes when it was time to open this one. It came with instructions, in small letters of the top of the box. ‘Turn on switch before opening’. The anticipation built as we turned on the switch, and opened the shining box.
Lights, and shining paper. It glowed before us!
The scripture reading: And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. Genesis 1:3
The lights of the box shone forth in glory. But wait, if you look closely you can see a word in the lights. ‘Faith’. There at the back of the box, suing in the lights was the call to faith.
Faith, that God is with us.
Faith, that we are loved.
Faith, that we can make a difference in the world.
Faith, that hope, peace, joy, and love will come together in the birth of a baby in Bethlehem.
Faith.
The lights shine and take our hearts on a journey to Christmas.
December 20, 2013
Like in the other boxes that we have opened, there is a powerful message in the details of this box. It is the tiny little details of the pictures that stand in the midst of the image. There are people helping people, there is Christ in their midst.
Here is the photo:
The scripture is
God gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Isaiah 40:29
The box portrays the need for us to be the hands and feet of Christ. There are images of people helping each other by packing food hampers, by fixing a tire, by sharing a meal, by sharing shoes, by helping someone walk. It is an image of people doing what they do best, when they are at their best; caring for one another.
At the Women’s Canadian Club the other day, Ron Robinson said that ‘Good ideas express themselves in actions.’ He was talking about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but it extends here too. To strengthen the powerless is not just spiritual, or magical, it requires our actions.
May we be inspired.
December 19, 2013
There is a baby on my knee as I write today. His Mom and sister are in the food bank line. He is quite interested in the pictures on the computer screen, and in the movement of my fingers as I type with one hand. We are deep in conversation — he grunts and gurgles and smiles. I tell him important things, like how lovely he is, how bright he is, and what a joy he is.
i am reading to him the words that go with the picture:
Lift up your eyes and see: who created these…Isaiah 40:26a
Here’s the photo of the box:
The earth looks up to the heavens. Smiling. All of us, created in the image of God. All of us on this planet. The family who created the box who tell a story of surviving cancer. The little child on my lap with all kinds of tags for ‘syndromes’. The folks serving at food bank, the people in the receiving line. The people whose names we know. The strangers that we meet, and those whose names and faces we will never encounter. All around this planet. Every one of us. Made in the image of God. Made to know that we are loved. Made to know that we can love.
It is the season on true joy.
December 18, 2013
It is a small verse of scripture today, with, perhaps, a big meaning, and a big challenge for us.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
Isaiah 40:11a
Today’s box came with a note from the creator:
My first thoughts when thinking about this scripture was food banks, especially because I volunteer weekly at the Nine Circles Community Health Centre food bank. I had also distributed a list of all the place to eat for free in Winnipeg to some of the clients there and I knew that this would be a great list to start with. The names glued throughout the box are the names of places where you can either get a free meal, or access to a food hamper.
I then wanted to represent people in all their colours and nationalities. I was going to glue these forms to the bottom of the box, but then thought of the Last Supper. So I glued these forms to a table being shared with Jesus.
Here’s the box:
Here’s a photo of the list at the bottom of the box:
Sharing food is sharing life. And, sharing life is sharing food. No one should be hungry. We are called to be people who care for one another.
We journey together.
December 17, 2013
There is a prayer, written as a poem, in today’s box.
Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever true,
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like you.
You are the potter,
I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.
The poem is surrounded by images of people formed from plasticine. In the background is a photograph of clay on a wheel in a potter’s hands. This is the scripture verse for inspiration:
Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8
Here’s the box:
What does it mean to be formed by God? If we are all made in the image of God, can we see the beauty in each one? Can we live as if it is true. Can every human glimpse that in one another?
In a world where there is so much emphasis on a particular perception of beauty, we need that prayer and that vision. We need new eyes for seeing and new hearts for loving.
Maybe, just maybe, the world can be transformed if we can truly care about one another.
The candles of hope, peace and joy continue to light our way.
TMUC Advent 2013 