Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014    

Isaiah 65: 15 – 25

How appropriate that as we end one year and look forward to the start of a new one, we read one of Isaiah’s prophecies of the new world and world order that God promises.

There are visions of physical prosperity and safety: those who build houses will be able to live in them; people will eat from the fields they plant; enemies will be no more.  There are also visions of emotional and spiritual prosperity and security: no sounds of weeping, no infant death, old age the norm.  [Read this in The Message if you can – the vision is expanded with wonderful detail.]

The reason for this is God.  God chooses to create a new heaven and a new earth and says he will “create my people as pure delight.” (18) “All the earlier troubles, chaos and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten.”(17) “They themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed.” (23)

I find the challenge to be in living this way now – for Jesus said that the kingdom of God was near, present, within.  This is not then just a future vision but also a present possibility.   All my past sin is indeed forgotten by God (if not always by me or others).  The pain of the past does not need to scar my ability to take joy in the gifts of the present.  I can be part of this new creation now, both receiving and giving blessing with my brothers and sisters in God’s family.

The passage concludes with a vision that Isaiah has used before: that of the wolf lying down with the lamb.  At St. John’s, in the Nursery downstairs, is a painting of this vision, a gift from Peter Mansell to the whole church and the children in particular.  It is well worth a visit.  Take the time to see how all of creation is delighting in God’s peace. “Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my holy mountain,” says God.” (25)

Blessings

Ann Kelland

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Isaiah 54:1-13

“…my steadfast love shall not depart from you...”

            In today’s text, the writer holds out hope to those in despair. Presumably written during the Babylonian Exile, this section of Isaiah reminds the people of God’s unconditional covenant love. Despite their outward circumstances (“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,”) God’s presence is constant (“but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”)

As I meditate on this text, my mind runs to all those in the world who know no peace today. My heart runs to all those I know personally who desperately need this message. I think of those who, like the audience of Isaiah’s prophecy, are “afflicted,” “storm-tossed,” and “not comforted” (v. 11). I think of a friend whose wife and son left him at Christmas taking everything he had. I think of a friend who is underemployed, and the work he has lacks meaning and purpose. I think of someone whose new supervisor, a Scrooge of sorts, goes out of his way to make working conditions as difficult as possible. qtI think of a dear friend who, four months later, is still recovering from a debilitating accident she thought would heal in a few weeks.

            When I think of these people and the circumstances that surround them, I want to offer them Christmas hope. I have to be honest, though. If this text from Isaiah were all I had, I could not in good conscience offer it. At the end of the day, isn’t Isaiah saying, “Cheer up! Circumstances will improve! Today, you have no home, no security, no worldly blessings, and yet, tomorrow, you will have all this and more. ‘Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns.” (vs. 2-3) God’s unconditional covenant love is measured, it seems, in terms of worldly success. 

            I can’t offer this kind of message to my friends. “Brighten up! Your life will improve!” is a message that rings hollow, and, in many cases is downright false. Sometimes circumstances don’t improve, a meaningful job does not appear, one’s spouse does not return, the outer healing does not come.

            Instead, I cling to the faith of the early Christians who wrestled with these prophecies through the lens of Jesus’ ministry, tragic death, and wholly unexpected resurrection. Despite outward circumstances, and, in fact, in the very midst of life-denying surroundings, the Christmas message of Incarnation reveals that God is with us each step of the way, offering us inner strength and peace.

            I keep coming back to a lesson I heard a few years ago. Parker Palmer, the educator and spiritual writer, describes his own soul-paralyzing depression. Looking back on that time, one friend stands out to him. It was a man who visited faithfully every week, but who never offered words of explanation or attempted solace. Instead, he gently massaged Palmer’s feet. That faithful presence and physical touch slowly, over time, offered him a genuine message of hope.

            Yes, of course, we do have control over some of our circumstances. We should resist unjust working conditions. We should seek more meaningful work for ourselves and for others. We should seek reconciliation with those estranged from us. We should rely on the expertise of medical professionals for outer healing. But we are mistaken, I think, when we believe God’s goodness is only present if external events are going our way.  

           

            My mind returns to my friends in great need. How can I can embody Christmas hope for them?

- David Shumaker

Monday, December 29, 2014

Monday, December 29, 2014

John 7:37-52

The festival in this passage was the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. This big fall harvest festival drew all of the people together for seven days. Strict observance required that people make a temporary shelter and live in it for the duration, representing time in the wilderness after the delivery from Egypt. The shelter helped people reflect on their helplessness and dependence on God. At first, Jesus declines to go, since his time is not at hand, but when his disciples leave for Jerusalem, he attends secretly. 

Unfortunately for Jesus, there was no such thing as secretly. He was spotted and reported to the chief priests of the temple. On the last day of the feast, he stands in public and declares:

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me,
as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

There is no scripture using those words. Jesus is likely talking about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, which John explains had not yet happened. (See Joel 2:28-29; Isaiah 44:3 and Isaiah 55:1-13) 

Some in the crowd thought he was the Prophet. Some believed he was the Messiah. Gossipers in the streets debated whether anyone from Galilee could be the Messiah. The Messiah had to be from David’s line and come from Bethlehem. So the crowd was not sure whether to seize him or honour him.

The temple guards reported this to the chief priests who wondered why Jesus was not brought in for questioning. And here we have the heart of the issue. The guards heard Jesus speak in person. Their reaction is profoundly different from that of the chief priests. A respected elder such as Nicodemus asks “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” But the chief priests insult and mock Nicodemus too. They are far too locked into the notion that no prophet can come from Galilee. They have condemned a man they have not yet met.

“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted.
“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No!
But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

In that exchange we see what in more modern times we call Silo Thinking. I suspect that the scribes and Pharisees who ran the temple were ordinary responsible leaders like our own church and government leaders. But clearly, they were trapped in a Silo of their own thinking and conclusions. Like many folks inside a bureaucratic structure, they existed in an echo chamber of their own ideas echoed back to them by their supporters. And the effort to kill Jesus looks to me like an effort to protect the institutional structure that kept these men in power and prestige.

In such an echo chamber, no new ideas, no ideas that challenge the conventional wisdom and no upstart preachers such as Jesus who have not come up through their ranks are to be taken seriously. Earlier in John 7, the author quotes these chief priests in a telling comment:

v15 “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

In this story, Jesus is tried in the Court of Public Opinion. We know that in our time, this court destroys the reputations of public figures in a matter of hours. The Internet turns the entire world into a mob ready to judge and condemn, based on nothing more than rumours and innuendo, some planted by clever lawyers, but all of it unproven in a court of law. In this court, ‘if it sounds true, it must be true!’ And the more the story is repeated, the more it becomes true.

The questions swirling in the crowd in John 7 sound like those of strategically planted troublemakers. The ‘no prophet can come from Galilee’ meme drove an effective wedge of doubt into the crowd as it was supposed to do. Jesus falls victim to this group again when he faces Pontius Pilate. Apparently this time, Jesus escapes unharmed. But he does not stand down. Reading on in John 8, Jesus argues publicly that his church leaders are sons of the devil convincing more in the crowd that he is the Messiah. The next time, the chief priests will make sure there is no public debate, only a nighttime arrest, a flogging and a crucifixion.

We too are plagued by rumour mills, echo chambers and leaders who cling tighter to bureaucracy than to the truth. Our only clear path through this chaos is to stay close to Jesus, and follow his lead.

Peter Mansell Advent, 2014

Saturday, December 27, 2014 (St. John the Evangelist)

Saturday, December 27, 2014 (St. John the Evangelist)

Isaiah 41:17-20           

              The Patron Saint of our parish is traditionally remembered on the 27^th of December in the midst of the Season of Christmas. Many different stories surround the individual and his life. Many people of faith see him as the Beloved Disciple to whom Jesus entrusted the care of his Mother. The close bond between Jesus and John is seen throughout the Gospel records, when time and time again, John  is present at significant moments during Jesus’ ministry.

               The image which is brought to our attention in the quotation from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah offers a message with a profound visual component. “The wretched and the poor look for water and find none.” How often, as we sit in the comfort of our own homes do we have the images of other members of our global community presented to us as they yearn for the basics of life, like water. The images tug at our heart strings and many feel motivated to respond to the charitable organizations that place that need before us.

               We actually do not need to look beyond our own Canadian context to become aware of the fact that a number of the citizens of this nation do not have access to clean, fresh drinking water. First Nations communities across Canada, do not have access to what so many of us take for granted.

             It might be an easy option to dwell at length upon the reality of this imbalance in society. Fresh water sustains life, in all its forms. The renewal of the desert places referred to by Isaiah are going to be transformed by God’s intervention. The dry land will have springs of water and people will become aware of the fact that this transformation is completely due to the power of God at work.

               Living water transforming a dry environment is an image that may be noted in writings, which, by tradition, have been attributed to St. John. He writes of those who have suffered persecution and borne faithful witness to Jesus. “They shall never again feel hunger or thirst, the sun shall not beat on them nor any scorching heat, because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to the springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” ( Revelation 7:16,17 ).

               The dry and arid places of the soul are transformed by the Living Water of the Gospel. It becomes all the more important for us to value and appreciate this message during the Christmas season, when we celebrate the reality of the word “Emmanuel”, which simply means “God with us”. It is that refreshing and life giving message of the Gospel, which waters the arid places of our own lives.

               In recent days our Parish Family has claimed this message as a theme framework around which we may build our shared ministry. St John’s is a place where anyone may experience “Living water for thirsty souls”. It is a simple, yet transforming message which provides a focus for anyone who enters into the worship and fellowship of our congregation. Each of us has a part to play as we seek to ensure that the Gospel message which was so central to the work, ministry and witness of our Patron Saint continues to be a life giving message in our own generation.

- Reverend Canon Christopher Pratt

Rector, The Church of St. John the Evangelist

Friday December 26, 2014

Acts 7:59 - 8:8

And so it begins.  Violence against the followers of Jesus. 

In the church calendar we move abruptly from the story of the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus, to a story of a raging mob, excited by religious fervour, killing the deacon Stephen; a killing that unleashed a wave of state violence against those who became known as Christians.

Followers of Jesus, Christians, are by no means unique in being targets of hate and violence.   Members of various groups seen as "other" have all been, and continue to be, targeted because of their religious or ideological beliefs, ethnicity or nationality, gender, sexual orientation, perceived disabilities, and more.

Our scriptures give one of the dead - Stephen - a face, a name, a story, a voice.  This moves us beyond the mind-numbing numbers of the dead and the slaughtered in the mass persecution that followed.  This stating of a name, giving voice to the story, and declaring the human impact of mass hate and violence remains critical today.  

Earlier this year I had the immense privilege of meeting Javier Sicilia who is a Mexican poet, mystic, and protester.  When his son was caught in the crossfires of the Mexican drug wars he began to work against the anonymity of the tens of thousands of people killed by giving a face and name and voice to his son and others.  The resulting Movement for Peace and Justice with Dignity has given voice to many Mexicans, dead and alive, and continues to influence the Mexican, American and Canadian governments (read more about Sicilia's story here).  

But why focus on this the day after Christmas?  The story of Jesus' birth, and the good news he lived and taught, are not sugarplum sentiments.  Our scriptures and church calendar push us to hold together, on one hand, the angel song and God's vision of peace on earth and good will toward all people and, on the other hand, the stories of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were targets of hate and state violence and of a man whose name was Stephen martyred because he was a follower of that same Jesus.  The good news is that God dwells among us in the midst of our suffering and each human face has a name and voice and a story known by God.  How are we seeing, listening, and giving voice to the stories of our brothers and sisters?

Marilyn Malton

Thursday, December 25, 2014 (The Birth of Our Lord)

Thursday, December 25, 2014 

(The Birth of Our Lord, i.e. JESUS) 

1 John 4:7-16

1 John contains the beautiful teaching that “God is love.” It also explains the way in which God’s love was revealed to humanity; namely, in sending God’s son to the world “so that we might live through him” (v. 9). The author also asserts what he believes to be other important theological teachings likely because there was debate and discussion taking place in his particular community. But the overarching teaching here is the importance of love. God is love, God loves humanity, and human beings ought to love one another. By loving one another, says the author, “God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (v. 12). At Christmastime, when we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, we can try to remember how much God does love the world. This love may not always seem obvious, but when we love another, including the stranger, the outsider, the forgotten, the “other,” God’s love is manifest.

- Alicia Batten

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Wednesday, December 24, 2014  

Isaiah 35: 1 – 10

It is Christmas Eve, the day and night when our anticipation and longing come to a climax.  It is not unlike the moments before any birth to any family – the waiting even for one more moment seems excruciating, yet there is mixed in with the hopefulness a niggling – will everything be all right?

This song in Isaiah answers the longing and the niggling.  The most unexpected happens – God does indeed do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine!  The poet paints pictures of what would seem impossible for his listeners/readers:  wilderness and desert will become lush, physical losses are reversed.  Not only that, but the physical world will rejoice and sing joyously as if they were human! All because “God’s resplendent glory [is] fully on display. God awesome, God majestic.” (The Message, v. 2)

People, fearful and downtrodden are encouraged to take heart for God is right here (note the present tense rather than the future.)  He is “on his way to put things right.” (4) This renewal, restoration, re-creation is totally inclusive, none left out: “Even lowly jackals will have water to drink.” (7)

The highway, the Holy Road, will be safe and clear: “impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it.”(8) The poet sees those God has redeemed (I still hear the inclusion of all – including jackals and fools!) coming home to Him.  They/We will be “welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.”(10)

Let these images fill all our hearts and minds today and tonight as we await the celebration of tomorrow morning.

Blessings and a Joyous Christmas

Ann Kelland

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Revelation 22:6-21

Today we come to the last chapter of Revelation, indeed, to the final chapter of the Bible.  As we approach the end of Advent too, we recall that one of its important themes is the Parousia, that is, the return and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of the age.  

John, the author of Revelation (probably not the same John for whom the fourth Gospel is named), is looking back too, reviewing the manuscript he is completing.  Revelation is addressed to churches of John’s time, and much of its content is intended primarily for them (such as its thinly-veiled references to Rome and its Empire).  At the same time, Revelation presents many wonderful visions of Heaven and the worship of God, along with accounts of coming calamities, judgment, and destruction, culminating in the return of the Lord Jesus as all-powerful judge, destroying evil and establishing God’s everlasting kingdom of justice and righteousness.  

As we have seen in our reflections the past three days, the wonderful visions of Revelation come to a climax of magnificence and joy in the renewal of all things, in the New Heaven and the New Earth, in the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven, in God making his dwelling with people, in the River of the Water of Life and the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations.

But now, in today’s passage, John’s work is almost complete; the great visions are finished.  Now John gives his final remarks, down to earth, addressed to his ordinary human readers and hearers.  This conclusion sums up Revelation’s most important points in just a few words:  the sad state of many people and the righteous state of others (v. 11), the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus in power, authority, and judgment (vv. 12-16), and the gracious invitation to everyone who wishes to come and take the water of life as a free gift (v. 17).  In its few words, Rev. 22:11-17 sums up the whole Gospel message and opens it up for the entire world to hear and respond.

Look especially at the gracious invitation in v. 17:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Note that it is the Holy Spirit of God who is named first as extending the invitation.  Salvation is always God’s initiative, not ours.  In the New Testament (see Eph. 5:25-27), the Bride of Christ stands for the (purified, universal) Church, all people who have been made holy through Christ.  It is through the Church that the invitation is made; it is a primary responsibility of the Church to convey the Spirit’s invitation to all people everywhere.  And for us who make up the Church, for us who have heard the invitation, it is our job too to extend the invitation “Come” however we can.  Everyone who is thirsty is welcome; anyone who wishes is encouraged to take the water of life as a free gift:  Salvation is for all who say “Yes”; salvation is by God’s grace alone, a free gift, and it brings the great joy of eternal life.

Yet there is even more in our Scripture passage today.  Another theme appears in vv. 6-10 and 18-19, bracketing the recapitulation of the Gospel in vv. 11-17.  This theme is:

These words are trustworthy and true. … Blessed is the one who keeps the words of God’s message in this book.    (vv. 6, 7)  [I changed the word prophecy to God’s message, because that’s what prophecy means.]

This emphasis on the words of God’s message is prominent in the first three chapters of Revelation, but, from chapter 4, it is almost absent (as John relates his visions) until here, where it reappears prominently, both before and after the Gospel summary.

How, you may ask, should we interpret vv. 8-10 in view of this theme?  Here’s one possibility, one I endorse but is not authoritative and certainly would not be accepted by a large number of Christians.  

Recall first that the word angel really means just messenger, nothing more.  When John falls down in worship before the messenger [angel] who has shown him all the visions, the messenger essentially replies, “Don’t worship me.  I’m just the messenger; I too keep the words of God’s message.  Worship God alone.”  The messenger adds, “Don’t seal up the words of God’s message, for the time is near.” 

Can we hear the Bible saying the same thing to us?  Yes, the Bible conveys God’s message; it is trustworthy and true.  But we are not to worship the Bible; we are to worship God alone.  The Bible is indeed God’s word, but it is at the same time a very human book, a human messenger, written by fallible human authors with different perspectives, world views, and cultures.  In a deeper way than the surface words, the Holy Spirit of God guided the authors.  The Holy Spirit worked all through the messy history of fierce arguments and close votes in selecting the writings in the Bible and in their transmission through the centuries.  The Holy Spirit continues to guide us together with the Church through the centuries, in our changing understanding of what the Bible says and means, if we are faithful.  The Holy Spirit uses the written words of the Bible to teach us the uniquely trustworthy and true message from God.

We must not, moreover, seal up the Bible as though it were meant for another time.  We must not put it away on the shelf to gather dust (a paraphrase used in Peterson’s The Message).  Because the time is near, we are to keep the Bible open, read and study it, and communicate its message to all who will listen.

In vv. 18-19, after the Gospel summary, there is a dire warning, which we must take seriously, the peril of adding to or taking away from the trustworthy and true words of God’s message.

Sometimes this can be and is done blatantly or deceptively,  but adding to or taking from the words of God’s message is usually more subtle.  We all have our favourite Scripture passages, and it’s a temptation to limit our attention to these, or at least to those passages that make us feel good rather than challenge or deeply disturb us.  Thereby we effectively ignore much of the Bible.  One advantage of using a lectionary (as for this series of reflections) is that it can make us study parts of the Bible that we probably would not otherwise.  On the addition side too, we often face the temptation to add something in, and then emphasize the addition rather than consider the text as we find it.  Perhaps we start with one phrase or idea from a passage and run with that, going off in some direction tangential or even unconnected to what the text is saying.  In that case, aren’t we guilty of adding to the words of God’s message?

Let us instead trust God and listen to the message God is teaching us through the Holy Scriptures.  Let us try to understand the message as fully and as faithfully as we can.  Let us examine ourselves to make sure that our intention is to keep the trustworthy and true words of God’s message.   Let us learn to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit, always following in faith and obedience.

Jesus says, “Surely I am coming soon.”  Let it be!  Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

– Robert Kruse

Monday, December 22, 2014

Monday, December 22, 2014
Revelation 21:22 - 22:5

       On Saturday Marilyn held together the beginnings and endings that we find in the last chapters of Revelation, and in other apocalyptic writings. Just a chapter or so later, I get off a little easier, as we have left behind the endings (often a little scary) and we are fully into the making of new beginnings. That’s what it seems like in the context of the book of Revelation. However, considered as the conclusion of our scriptures, Hebrew and Christian, it is very much a conclusion. Where there was a differentiation of night and day in the creation story of Genesis, here in Revelation we find that in God’s full Presence there is no more dark, no more night. And while a tree is associated with humanity’s disobedience in the story of Adam and Eve, here we read of the tree of life being used for the healing of the nations (22:2). There’s also water imagery. In Genesis we read of a river watering the garden of Eden, and here in the new Jerusalem we have “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city” (Rev. 22:1-2, NRSV). To appreciate the ending, we need some familiarity with the beginning. (Unless we’re talking about Star Wars, in which case you’re better off skipping the prequels.) 

http://www.bestfreejpg.com/central-park-bridge-picture-18739/

Revelation is a mysterious and difficult book, but in these descriptions of the world to come we find language and imagery that is familiar to us: light, fruit, trees, water. When I read this part of Revelation I can’t help but start daydreaming about my favourite place I’ve visited: New York City. Both are cities with, basically, big parks in the middle. People say you shouldn't visit Central Park at night, but that's not a problem in the New Jerusalem, where it's full of radiant daylight all the time. 

http://paradiseintheworld.com/central-park-new-york-city/

       While some of the language and imagery used in today’s passage is familiar to us, alluding to earlier parts of the Bible, there is some discontinuity in that in John’s vision there is no Temple, “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Rev. 21:22, NRSV). Just when we think we have everything figured out, we’re surprised. John’s description stands in contrast to the ending of the book of the prophet Ezekiel, which has several chapters devoted to the measuring out of a new Temple. Was John influenced by the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE? Could be. This interesting break with previous tradition should awaken us to the necessity of being flexible and open to change. The Temple was considered the locus of God’s Presence, yes, but it was understood that it didn’t wholly contain and constrict God. The Temple was a symbol of God’s Presence among God’s people. Symbols represent, but also point beyond, to a reality beyond themselves. This is why we must be careful not to idolize the symbols themselves, but to let them awaken us to that to which they point. In the new Jerusalem there is no Temple because in the world to come symbols give way to the Reality that was previously veiled (see Rev. 22:4). While Revelation and Ezekiel differ in some details, the spirit is the same, though. There will come a day when the distance between God and God’s creation will not be so great. "The name of the city in future must be: Yahweh-is-there" (Ezek. 48:35, New Jerusalem Bible). 

- Matthew Kieswetter

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Revelation 21:9-21

The book of Revelation is probably one of, if not the, most notorious books of the Bible. It is easy to see why there were debates about its inclusion into the canon. Full of violence and strange imagery, Revelation is a book that seems to offer more questions than answers, leading to two reading strategies: over-interpretation and under-interpretation. 

For those who ‘over-interpret’ Revelation, it is a book that contains the secrets to the future, secrets which must be unlocked using what, frankly, amount to interpretations that sound like conspiracy-theories. Unfortunately, this strategy does little to help the PR record of the Church in the eyes of the unchurched, leading to bizarre caricatures and misunderstandings of orthodox Christian beliefs at best and preemptive rejection of the gospel at worst.

On the other hand, there are those who wish to avoid Revelation altogether, particularly given the interpretative abuses to which it is subjected by the ‘over-interpreters’. The strategy is to either relegate Revelation to a distant Christian past, effectively silencing its voice within the canon or to simply avoid it altogether, assuming its inclusion in the canon the result of human fallibility.

Neither of these strategies does justice to the book of Revelation.

Whether we like it or not, Revelation is part of Holy Scripture; therefore, we must read it as an integral part not only of the biblical canon, but of the gospel itself.

Revelation 21 & 22 is the denouement of the book, which, up to this point, is riddled full of violent and unsettling imagery. If we are to speak of an interpretive ‘key’ to Revelation, it is found in these two chapters. In his vision, John is pointing his readers, both then and now, to God’s promised future.

The picture John paints in 21.9-21 is one of absolute beauty. While our contemporary aesthetic tastes may vary from those of 2,000 years ago, the picture is, nevertheless, stunning. John is attempting to describe perfection; the perfect dwelling place for God and God’s people, where they will enjoy the eternal marriage feast of the Lamb and his Bride.

Neither Babylon nor Rome in their splendor can come close to the New Jerusalem, the place where God will make his home, the place where heaven and earth are joined and creation is renewed and redeemed, the place where God’s kingdom is established and God’s rule of shalom is extended over the entire cosmos.

When we get lost in various theories about unlocking the ‘code’ of Revelation or when we cover our ears in an attempt to bring the bliss that is ignorance, we miss the profound message of hope that is ultimately the overarching message of Revelation; the message that God promises to live among his people in a renewed heaven and earth, where tears and suffering, pain and death are no more.

This profound message of hope is good news regardless of whether we live in the 1st or 21st century.

Moreover, it is good news especially for those who cry out for justice and an end to suffering, longing for the day when their voices will finally be heard.

As we prepare for the coming of the King, may we place our trust and hope in Christ alone, and may we experience the beauty of his presence among us.

Hallelujah, Come Lord, come!

- Jason Postma

[Jason Postma is a student in the M. Div. program at Wycliffe College, and a postulant with the Diocese of Huron]

Saturday December 20, 2014

Revelation 20:11 - 21:8

End and Beginning by Jan Richardson

I began Advent reflecting on the "Little Apocalypse", in Mark 13:24 -27, with visual artist and poet Jan Richardson.  As Richardson says, "It used to come as something of a shock to me: that a season commonly perceived to be about joy and peace always begins with the end of the world. Every year, on the first Sunday of Advent, the lectionary gives us a little apocalypse." (adventdoor.com).  And now here we are in these last days of Advent being asked to ponder John's vision of the end of the world.

Endings and beginnings.  They are linked aren't they?  During Advent we wait with Mary for the beginnings that come with the birth of Jesus, but our Christmas celebrations also involve endings - the end of the season of Advent, the end of Mary's pregnancy, innocent children slaughtered by Herod in the wake of Jesus' birth . . . 

Endings and beginnings.  John mixes them intimately as he speaks in scorching images of the endings of a second death, the ending of the first heaven and the first earth, and the beginnings of a new heaven and a new earth when God will come down from heaven, make God's home with us, and dwell among we mortals.  

Endings and beginnings.  John writes that the "one seated on throne" says, "See, I am making all things new . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 

World events during Advent have left me raw.  Climate change talks in Peru resulting in few commitments to work for a renewed heaven and earth with clean air and water and soil for all God's creatures; weeping for children killed in Peshawar and around the world; greed continuing its exploitation of people and all creation; and then there are the more local and personal endings of death and loss.  And yet, in the midst of such endings we dare to light out Advent candles, sing our songs of hope, offer our lives as living signs of peace, joy and love, and begin each day anew with the One who longs to make all things new.  

What are the endings  and beginnings in your life right now?  Is is possible to be aware of God's presence with you in them - the one who comes down from heaven to make a home with us?

Marilyn Malton

Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday, December 19, 2014 (Ember Day)  

John 5:30-47

The Advent Ember Days – the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday before the Fourth (and last) Sunday of Advent - were traditionally observed as days of fasting and prayer.  While in most branches of the Christian Church they have fallen out of common usage, they might still be seen as helpful moments of reflection in the midst of the busy commercial lead-up to the Christmas celebration.  The fasting stipulation, as well, might be a good discipline to use in preparing for the often excessive holiday consumption of food and drink.

The reading from John’s Gospel reflects an Advent theme, as it speaks of John the Baptizer and his relationship to Jesus. The narration of these verses takes place in Jerusalem, and during a festival.  Jesus has encountered a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years, without having been able to avail himself of the healing waters of the Pool of Siloam.  Jesus healed him of this ailment immediately, and he did this on the Sabbath, a day on which any type of labour was prohibited.  When the Temple authorities heard of this misstep, they accosted Jesus, who responded to their persecution with the words we read today.  Jesus points out that his calling and his ministry, as well as his intimate relationship with God, have been attested to by others – particularly John, who proclaimed his coming in the Judean wilderness. He describes John as a “burning and shining lamp”, and adds that they were happy to bask in John’s light – his message – for a time.

We, too, long for light.  I particularly look forward to this coming Sunday, December 21, not because it is the first day of winter, but because from this time up to the summer solstice, the daylight hours will become longer and longer.  We will experience increasing physical light in our day-to-day lives.  As we come to the end of this Advent season, and await that celebration, and the gift of spiritual light that Jesus’ coming brings, may we give thanks for this light, and may we also be encouraged to share this light to all around us.

- Rev'd Paul Kett

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Thursday, December 18, 2014

John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world….”

 I just started re-reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit in preparation for the third installment of the Peter Jackson film adaptation, and the story is inspiring. Gandalf the wizard chooses the unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, to round out a company of dwarves on a journey to recapture land and treasure stolen by the dragon Smaug.

The prospect of adventure frightens Bilbo. Besides, he much prefers the comforts of home. Yet, something about the invitation attracts him. As he listens to the dwarves sing about the lost kingdom and their desire to reclaim it, Bilbo

“wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. He looked out of the window. The stars were out in a dark sky above the trees. He thought of the jewels of the dwarvesshining in the dark caverns. Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water a flame leapt up – probably somebody lighting a wood-fire – and he thought of plundering dragons settling on his quiet Hill and kindling it all to flames. He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins of Bag-End, Under-Hill, again.

Bilbo ultimately accepts the challenge and proves himself a capable member of the team, but the journey will require every ounce of courage and resolve he can muster. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles and personal doubts continually plague him.

            Such also is the life of faith, if you will. For no other reason than love, God invites us into life’s thrilling and challenging adventure with the full promise that we will have what is most important for the journey: God’s ever-abiding Presence (verse 16). To accept the invitation requires trust and deep courage (“everyone who believes in him”), and these virtues are made possible because God first believed in us (“God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”)  

The writer of John’s Gospel has fully embraced the invitation. The most contemplative and mystical of the four Gospels, John presents a Jesus who is the center of a cosmic drama in which the forces of light struggle against the forces of darkness (verses 19-21). It is as easy today, as it was in the days of John’s Gospel to carve up the world into “us” and “them” and assign labels to both: good/evil, light/darkness, saved/condemned. However, the deeper truth of the Gospel is that we are all a mixture of light and dark. We all have the capacity for courage even as we harbor paralyzing fears. Like Bilbo, we all “wish to go and see the great mountains” until we are convinced that we are “plain” and unlikely.

This Advent season, how can we reflect on the places in our hearts, in our churches, and in our neighborhoods where we can accept God’s offer of much-needed courage?

- David Shumaker