May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Could all of the kids please come up here?
Are you ready to be counted?
Do any of you know what a census is?
Why did I ask you about a census?
Why did we come to church tonight? What is special about tonight?
We are all here tonight because we believe that there was something special about a baby who was born more than two thousand years ago. We are here because we believe that boy has something to offer to us in our lives today. That boy who lived so long ago can still change our lives for the better.
Do you ever insist that God give you something?
Do you pray and expect that your prayer will come true?
Good. That little baby was just one of the people talked about in the Bible who told us to do that. God wants us to ask for things. God wants to give us things.
Does God insist that we do anything?
(Love God, love ourselves, love each other … love)
What happens when we don’t do what God asks of us?
(God forgives us)
What happens when God doesn’t do what we ask?
?
Are there other things that God asks us to do, not what we must do but some things that would be a good idea?
- Taking care of the poor and the sick
- Helping each other
- … (lots more)
Why do we go to church?
- Worship God
- Pray
- Learn
- Community
God asks us to go to Church. In church, we learn about what God wants us to do. In church, we gather so that we can do God’s work together. In one way, church is kind of like that census: we are counted by God and by each other as helpers who are trying to make the world a better place.
Are you ready to be counted?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Jesus Emmanuel
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
There two very important words in our Gospel today. Well, there are more, but I’m just going to look at two of them.
Jesus and Emmanuel.
Jesus – he will save.
What does Jesus save us from?
(Sin) But what is sin?
Sin is turning away from God. That is why we are called to repent. The word which we translate as repent does not mean to be sorry for what we have done. It means to re-turn. It literally means to turn back around and continue on a different path.
When I first felt called to become a priest, I sinned against God. I turned away from that call. I put my head in the sand and pretended that I didn’t hear. This is a common reaction to any call from God. When God calls to us, we don’t always want do to what God asks of us. This is sin – resisting God’s call, acting in ways which we know we shouldn’t, doing things which we know we shouldn’t.
This is what Jesus saves us from – ourselves.
But how?
Emmanuel – God is with us.
God understands us, not only as our creator, but as a fellow human being. God walks with us through all of our lifelong journey.
When we experience the joys of our life, God is with us.
When we experience the pain of loss, God is with us.
When we follow God’s call, God is with us.
When we turn away from God and walk in the path of sin and despair, God is with us.
This is the true meaning of Christmas. This is the incredible grace of God. God is with us.
There two very important words in our Gospel today. Well, there are more, but I’m just going to look at two of them.
Jesus and Emmanuel.
Jesus – he will save.
What does Jesus save us from?
(Sin) But what is sin?
Sin is turning away from God. That is why we are called to repent. The word which we translate as repent does not mean to be sorry for what we have done. It means to re-turn. It literally means to turn back around and continue on a different path.
When I first felt called to become a priest, I sinned against God. I turned away from that call. I put my head in the sand and pretended that I didn’t hear. This is a common reaction to any call from God. When God calls to us, we don’t always want do to what God asks of us. This is sin – resisting God’s call, acting in ways which we know we shouldn’t, doing things which we know we shouldn’t.
This is what Jesus saves us from – ourselves.
But how?
Emmanuel – God is with us.
God understands us, not only as our creator, but as a fellow human being. God walks with us through all of our lifelong journey.
When we experience the joys of our life, God is with us.
When we experience the pain of loss, God is with us.
When we follow God’s call, God is with us.
When we turn away from God and walk in the path of sin and despair, God is with us.
This is the true meaning of Christmas. This is the incredible grace of God. God is with us.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Slow Down
May the words of my (our) mouth(s) be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Where has all the time gone?
Before Advent started, Bishop Sue sent a message out to all of the clergy telling us not to plan too much. She told us to make sure that we had time to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord. After all, that is what Christmas is really about.
It is not about buying things. It’s not even really about giving presents to our friends and families.
It is about the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives. It is about the coming of Jesus Christ into my life.
Where has all the time gone?
This is supposed to be a time of preparation. It is supposed to be a time when we slow down, when we take a step back and take a good look at our lives.
My last week started as usual with a very busy Sunday. On Monday I had a morning meeting in Truro followed by the AGM for the co-op in the evening. Tuesday – catch up on reading, try to clean my office, Cape Smokey Christmas concert. Wednesday – laundry, the rest of the day is a blur but there was some family time. Thursday – visiting, service preparation, invites for next Sunday, bulletins, vestry meeting and getting a start on this. Friday – meeting in Sydney, celebration of new ministry for Gloria McLure-Fraser. Saturday – visioning session in Ingonish, visiting and finish writing this. Plus finding time for prayer at least twice a day. And now we’re back to Sunday.
Where has all the time gone?
And after all that, I know what I want to talk about today, but all of you are going to have to help me. There just hasn’t been time to put it all together.
With all that we have going on in our lives, how do we find the time to make ourselves ready for the coming of our Lord?
…
How do we find the time to slow down and take stock of our lives?
…
Please help me, because I don’t know. All I know for sure is that we need to do it. Even in Jesus’ time someone with as much insight as John the Baptist had trouble being sure that Jesus was the Christ. How, in my overly busy life, am I ever supposed to see what is Christ-like in those around me let alone recognize Christ, himself, when he steps into my life.
…
The busier my life gets, the more often I think I have to do it alone.
When I get overwhelmed, I forget to ask for help.
I have a feeling that I’m not alone. Is there anyone else here who has that problem?
Who can we ask for help? Who do you turn to when there just isn’t enough time or energy to do everything you need to do?
… (God)
Let us share a repeat after me prayer.
Gracious God,
When life is easy
I forget to give thanks.
When life is busy
I forget to take time for you.
When life is hard
I forget to ask for help.
Please God,
Help me to remember
To look for you in my life.
Help me to remember
To slow down and pray.
Help me to remember
That you are always there to help me.
Help me to be ready
For your birth.
Amen.
Where has all the time gone?
Before Advent started, Bishop Sue sent a message out to all of the clergy telling us not to plan too much. She told us to make sure that we had time to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord. After all, that is what Christmas is really about.
It is not about buying things. It’s not even really about giving presents to our friends and families.
It is about the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives. It is about the coming of Jesus Christ into my life.
Where has all the time gone?
This is supposed to be a time of preparation. It is supposed to be a time when we slow down, when we take a step back and take a good look at our lives.
My last week started as usual with a very busy Sunday. On Monday I had a morning meeting in Truro followed by the AGM for the co-op in the evening. Tuesday – catch up on reading, try to clean my office, Cape Smokey Christmas concert. Wednesday – laundry, the rest of the day is a blur but there was some family time. Thursday – visiting, service preparation, invites for next Sunday, bulletins, vestry meeting and getting a start on this. Friday – meeting in Sydney, celebration of new ministry for Gloria McLure-Fraser. Saturday – visioning session in Ingonish, visiting and finish writing this. Plus finding time for prayer at least twice a day. And now we’re back to Sunday.
Where has all the time gone?
And after all that, I know what I want to talk about today, but all of you are going to have to help me. There just hasn’t been time to put it all together.
With all that we have going on in our lives, how do we find the time to make ourselves ready for the coming of our Lord?
…
How do we find the time to slow down and take stock of our lives?
…
Please help me, because I don’t know. All I know for sure is that we need to do it. Even in Jesus’ time someone with as much insight as John the Baptist had trouble being sure that Jesus was the Christ. How, in my overly busy life, am I ever supposed to see what is Christ-like in those around me let alone recognize Christ, himself, when he steps into my life.
…
The busier my life gets, the more often I think I have to do it alone.
When I get overwhelmed, I forget to ask for help.
I have a feeling that I’m not alone. Is there anyone else here who has that problem?
Who can we ask for help? Who do you turn to when there just isn’t enough time or energy to do everything you need to do?
… (God)
Let us share a repeat after me prayer.
Gracious God,
When life is easy
I forget to give thanks.
When life is busy
I forget to take time for you.
When life is hard
I forget to ask for help.
Please God,
Help me to remember
To look for you in my life.
Help me to remember
To slow down and pray.
Help me to remember
That you are always there to help me.
Help me to be ready
For your birth.
Amen.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
What is Baptism about anyway?
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
What is baptism all about?
What was baptism about in the time of Jesus? Does anyone know?
Well, the Jews had a ceremony called Mikvah. It was a ritual of cleansing. It was not really about sin. It was about being ritually clean so that you could enter the temple. For example, if you had been defiled by coming in contact with the dead you had to go through the ritual immersion of Mikvah to return to the temple. It was also required of those who wished to convert to Judaism. You could go through Mikvah more than once if you needed to.
John the Baptist took this ritual and adapted it as a rite of conversion to his particular branch of the Jewish faith: those who believed that the time of the Messiah was upon them. For him, baptism was about being ready to enter into the presence of the Messiah, not the temple.
In the early church, what age do you think people were typically baptised?
Usually, they were baptised as adults. Baptism gave you full entry into the church. The only time children were baptised was when a whole family got baptised together.
As Anglicans, what do we believe baptism is all about?
If you open your BCP to page 532 and read the paragraph starting “Dearly Beloved” you will see what the church believed in 1662. These explanations and prayers have changed only slightly from that edition of the prayer book.
What does this paragraph tell us?
1. Without baptism, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
2. Through baptism we receive the Holy Spirit.
3. Through baptism we become part of the Christian community.
4. Through baptism we become members of the body of Christ.
… …
What has changed in our understanding of baptism since these words were written?
Now we turn to the BAS. Please open it to page 156 and look at the last paragraph read by the celebrant. What does this paragraph tell us about the change in our understanding of baptism?
…
It is the sacrifice made by Jesus that frees us from sin, not anything that we can do. It goes on to talk about baptism as being a way to be made one with Christ and to be cleansed from sin.
This is a very important distinction. Christ’s sacrifice frees us from the bondage of sin. By baptism we are cleansed from sin and enter into the community and body of Christ.
This is a very subtle difference, but worth thinking about.
If you haven’t already done it, please open your BAS to page 158 and we will renew, together, our baptismal covenants.
What is baptism all about?
What was baptism about in the time of Jesus? Does anyone know?
Well, the Jews had a ceremony called Mikvah. It was a ritual of cleansing. It was not really about sin. It was about being ritually clean so that you could enter the temple. For example, if you had been defiled by coming in contact with the dead you had to go through the ritual immersion of Mikvah to return to the temple. It was also required of those who wished to convert to Judaism. You could go through Mikvah more than once if you needed to.
John the Baptist took this ritual and adapted it as a rite of conversion to his particular branch of the Jewish faith: those who believed that the time of the Messiah was upon them. For him, baptism was about being ready to enter into the presence of the Messiah, not the temple.
In the early church, what age do you think people were typically baptised?
Usually, they were baptised as adults. Baptism gave you full entry into the church. The only time children were baptised was when a whole family got baptised together.
As Anglicans, what do we believe baptism is all about?
If you open your BCP to page 532 and read the paragraph starting “Dearly Beloved” you will see what the church believed in 1662. These explanations and prayers have changed only slightly from that edition of the prayer book.
What does this paragraph tell us?
1. Without baptism, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
2. Through baptism we receive the Holy Spirit.
3. Through baptism we become part of the Christian community.
4. Through baptism we become members of the body of Christ.
… …
What has changed in our understanding of baptism since these words were written?
Now we turn to the BAS. Please open it to page 156 and look at the last paragraph read by the celebrant. What does this paragraph tell us about the change in our understanding of baptism?
…
It is the sacrifice made by Jesus that frees us from sin, not anything that we can do. It goes on to talk about baptism as being a way to be made one with Christ and to be cleansed from sin.
This is a very important distinction. Christ’s sacrifice frees us from the bondage of sin. By baptism we are cleansed from sin and enter into the community and body of Christ.
This is a very subtle difference, but worth thinking about.
If you haven’t already done it, please open your BAS to page 158 and we will renew, together, our baptismal covenants.
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