Clergy Notes — First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2024

Advent is upon us – a time of waiting and preparation; a time which, for many of us, can be very busy and hectic as the social and secular demands of the holiday season press upon us. It is even more crucial in this time that we make space for prayer and contemplation, for silence and slowness. However you do that, there are many ways in which the parish of St. James’ and the wider church can support you.

Bishop John is leading an Advent series on Celtic theology, to which he will be adding his own unique perspective including some scientific perspectives as well as life experience. Registration and session info here: https://www.st-dunstans.ca/events/advent-series-with-bishop-john/2024-11-26.

For the first three Wednesdays in December, St. James’ Bible study will be focusing on Advent themes. Even if you cannot come to the sessions, you are welcome to request the study materials so that you can use them for your own devotions. And, on Saturday, December 14, we will be hosting an Advent Quiet Day in the church. Details for both this day and the Bible Study are posted in the Thurible.

And of course, St. James’ is planning several additional worship services which are perfect for inviting a friend or family member to, or for taking a moment out of your busy schedule to spend time with God, in music and in fellowship. Details for all our seasonal services can be found in the bulletin, and online.

May God richly bless each of you in this special season. May you know the joy and anticipation of both the Incarnation and the second coming of Christ – and may you be ready to meet him when he comes.

Mother Amanda

Click here to find the Liturgy at Home for Sunday

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Clergy Notes — Reign of Christ the King, November 24, 2024

The Feast of the Reign of Christ concludes the liturgical year, and is an ideal time to reflect on the wheel of time. The ending of one cycle and start of another naturally causes us to look back and forward, in the same way that we begin a calendar year by recalling the experiences, achievements, and foibles of the past one. We do this hoping we might use the wisdom we’ve acquired to plan for the new year, the new cycle.

In the spirit of that invitation, let’s take a moment to consider this past year. How have you manifested the kingdom of God in your life? How have you used it to help transform the lives of others, your neighbourhood, and our world? One thing is for certain: we can’t do it alone. We need community – both our small circles and society writ large – in order to have the support we need to have an impact.

In a time of crisis, community is a subversive idea. Matthew Crawford’s book, The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, is an intriguing critique of modern capitalist society, which sees community as an obstacle to exploiting individual desires and fears. Crawford writes that our society vainly tries to distinguish between the individual and the group; between conforming and setting one’s own path. He claims that individuality cannot properly exist, much less reach its full potential, without community – a co-creation that begins from birth.

We were born into our society, for better or worse, and – as Christians – we can’t help but be struck by its dissonance with the egalitarian message of Jesus, in which the kingdom of God levels all relationships: every valley shall be exalted; and every hill and mountain made low.

Like New Year’s Eve, the eve of a new liturgical year is an ambivalent, ambiguous time – as a time of reflection and taking stock often is. Humanity is at a tipping point in history – a time of both unprecedented threat and unprecedented opportunity. A turning of the wheel on the cycle of time. As people who proclaim the advent of the reign of Christ, we do well to decide on which side of that history to stand – the winter of death or the spring of new birth.

Revd. Neil Fernyhough

Click here to find the Liturgy at Home for Sunday

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