From the Rector
EASTER 2010
Dear Parish Family,
“In Him was life; and the life was the light of all. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not overpower it.” John 1:4-5
Yes, this is part of the Gospel reading for Christmas. I begin with John’s glorious statement about the work of God in Jesus Christ which both transcends time, as well as firmly grounding it within our common human experience. The celebration of the Resurrection is not, in Christ’s words, “it is finished” and that’s the end, but “it is finished” because Jesus has fully redeemed our human experience from birth to death. Nothing in life, or in death, is beyond the redemptive touch of the grace of a loving merciful God. No matter how humble or broken or demeaned, God has shown His glory “even in this.” This is the triumphant statement of faith we celebrate: “the darkness did not overpower it.” He is risen from the darkness of the grave.
The Darkness of this world and human experience so often takes center stage. We find ourselves overwhelmed by another disaster either natural or manmade. The drama of man’s inhumanity to man hides the loving kindness of a stranger given to someone in need. No wonder John chose the image of light shining in darkness as a metaphor for the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The darkness is truly overwhelming unless you see the light of Christ. Unless you truly believe “light” overcomes “darkness” and not just for a moment but for a lifetime, your life time.
As Christ was the light of the world so are we children of the light. We are called to bring the light of Christ to every human experience so the Glory of God can be seen and celebrated. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s statement that a life lived in faithfulness is of eternal significance. Death does not negate it. Evil does not diminish it. Hate can not bury love. A life lived doing the works of God, motivated by His love, will always triumph over the darkness of this world.
“He is risen. He is not here.” He was not there because the love of God knows no limits. Not in life or in death can limitations be placed on the empowering love of God as seen and proven in Jesus Christ. A life lived in this manner will always triumph. It will embrace the tragedies of this world and redeem them.
Let your light shine that God may be seen and glorified. Make the path of redemption clear for all to see the triumph of our God. Live fully the love of God always.
BE an Easter people!
The Reverend David Warren
LENT 2010
Dear Parish Family,
“Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our brokenness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;” Ash Wednesday Collect.
The Ash Wednesday Collect and the Imposition of Ashes begin our Lenten Season. It calls us to remember that our life of faith is centered on prayer and action. Prayer without a life which reflects those prayers and beliefs are described in scripture as “vain repetition.” Action, which is not an out growth of our relationship with God, will never achieve its full potential. The two must be fully present in our lives. Lent is when we purposefully take time to do a ‘faithfulness’ check-up.
In order to facilitate this check-up, two opportunities are going to be offered beyond our regular times of worship and fellowship. The first of these is a time of guided meditation on scripture. This is an opportunity for personal reflection as we pray though portions of scripture which call us into a fully, deeper relationship with God. The outline of the hour (Mondays 7:30 pm. to 8:30 pm.) is as follows: Introduction of Theme, Stilling our minds, Prayer time (scripture and music), and a Concluding summary and evaluation. The central concept of this time is to “be still and know that I am God.” Our second opportunity will be the Diocesan study: Mission Possible. This study is an exploration of how we live our faith. What is God calling us, you and I, to do in this world? Our world has changed in so many ways yet we are still called to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. Through five Wednesday studies (see calendar attached) we explore knowing God, our world and the gifts we have to participate in God’s plan of redemption. Both are unique opportunities for prayer and exploring effective actions we can take, as both individuals and as a community, to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully.
Lent is a time to prepare for this (Easter) celebration and to renew our life in the paschal mystery. We begin this holy season by remembering our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ……I invite you therefore, in the name of the Lord, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (time and talents), and by reading and meditating on the word of God. Ash Wednesday Liturgy BAS.
May your Lent be a time of renewal for your faith and an empowering of your witness to the love of God which was proclaimed by Jesus Christ through his life, death and resurrection which is our hope and our salvation.
Together in Christ,
The Reverend David Warren
CHRISTMAS 2009
Dear Parish Family,
"Time For Change" - "Yes We Can"
For the last year we have been hearing this echo over our airwaves from our neighbors
to the south. On Tuesday, President Obama told the people of the US that things
are bad and we all have to work together to rise above things which challenge
the founding values of their country. “Yes we can!”
Reality, challenge, community and hope; words which are very much a part of our
own life journey. Reality: Knowing exactly what I/We have
to deal with. Challenge:
What can I/We do about it or with it? Community: Who can help me? Hope:
Yes I/We will have something to celebrate at the end of the day.
These same words are reflected in our liturgical cycle. Christmas/Incarnation:
God is very much part of our reality. Every aspect of our lives has the ability to
reflect to the world the grace and love of God’s redemption and restoration. Epiphany:
The ‘light’ of the knowledge that God calls us to journey with Him as
we come to know ourselves and God in the midst of a very real world situation.
Lent: This journey is a challenge. It isn’t easy to look at who we
are and how what we do affects both ourselves and those around us. If we want to
be truly alive in Christ, we have to go beyond ‘self’ and see the Divine
in those around us honoring that gift in our interactions. How can I do this? The
Lenten question we need to struggle with. Easter: The gift of hope
for salvation and healing in the living Christ proven by the resurrection. A Hope
which cannot be diminished by the reality of brokenness and death. Pentecost:
The whole world, starting with our neighbors, need to hear and experience this new
living reality. Advent: Thus, the cycle begins afresh with the call
to hear and see, to prepare to be gifted with a new reality in God.
We enter the season of Lent with the reality that we have all worked very hard to
renew, restore, and rebuild our Church infrastructure. The building is now solid
and leak free. We have just about paid for the biggest project we have undertaken
since the building of the Dyer Hall in 1963. Now we need to move on to the real reason
we have buildings, the Ministry to which we have been called by Jesus Christ. What
does this mean? Simply, doing what St. George’s does well – work together
for the sake of the Gospel. In spite of fire, flood and pestilence (remember the
wasps) we have stood together and remained faithful to our calling. Infrastructure
only has value if it empowers/enables ministry to happen. This ministry involves
people. Volunteer, and paid staff, need the resources to do the work God has called
and gifted us to do in His Son’s name. We are going to enter into a program
during Lent to develop these resources and move ahead in our work for the furtherance
of the Gospel. I pray that God will bless our efforts and honor us with the joy of
celebrating another great chapter in the ongoing story of St. George’s, Allandale.
The Reverend David Warren
THANKSGIVING 2009
Dear Parish Family,
Thanksgiving letters often talk about an “attitude of gratitude.” As I reflected on this concept and our current socio-economic situation in Ontario, I could not help but think of Old Testament Israel. As they entered the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, they were warned that one of the biggest temptations they were going to face was going to be the loss of “gratitude.” They were coming out of the wilderness with only what they could carry. Because of their fear, they had been in the wilderness for forty years, so that the majority of that wandering band only knew living day-by-day by the grace of God. In the Promised Land, they could accumulate both food and wealth. Prosperity would give them great opportunity but it would also distract them. Distract them from community need and personal meaning. Accumulating and protecting personal wealth would become more important than meeting the needs of the poor, the widow and the orphan. What you have would become more important than the good you do with it. Israel did not heed the warning. Even the parables Jesus used and the social encounters recorded in the Gospels show that the lesson was falling on deaf ears. So what of Ontario 2009? For over a year we have seen the devastating effects of financial greed in high places. How often do we see the creation of a perceived “socially hyped” need so easily met until the bill finally comes due? The salesperson has long left and the bill collector is calling daily. Everyone is feeling the effects. Without much effort the world has lead us down the road of privilege creating a generation that has lost its sense of gratitude. “It is my right to have.” The word “no” and delayed gratification are not part of their world. Sadly the lessons are learned the hard way.
There are signs of hope. The attitude of gratitude has not been lost. It often takes a crisis to bring it to the surface but it is still visibly present. Volunteerism and social networking are thriving in our community. Consistently, when the need is made known, the response is overwhelming. We all have the ability to overcome ‘self’ and meet the need of the ‘other.’ We can ignore the call of the world for “more” and seek “enough” for all. We can and do find more personal value and meaning in giving, lifting up the other person, than accumulating temporal riches. We can live with a sense of divine gratitude if we so choose. Giving thanks is a choice. So choose the Divine path.
“It is more blessed to give than receive.” Bless those around you with your expression of divine gratitude.
The Reverend David Warren
