HELLO!

I will see some of you at the Ecumenical Men’s Breakfast Saturday 8 am.

We approach our third Sunday of Advent with the spirit of Joy. And the Gospel story often associated with this day is Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46-55). We reflected on this same text on Wednesday night, Blue Christmas, offering the full range of emotions many feel at this time of year: sorrow, anxiety, fear, resentment, anger, joy, expectation, warmth, gratitude & hope. As per my practice, I put the words to this liturgy six weeks ago, waited on the Spirit, and three different, expressions of all these emotions, were offered; by Gus, by Tapestry and Adelia (accompanied by June). And…it was in these songs that Mary’s spirit was felt. If you are interested, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FplH_FZjwJA

On Sunday December 14^th at 3 pm there is a reunion of sorts planned, the Boardwalk Brass, Polyphony, and the Woodlawn Choir, inspired by concerts of the past, the Salvation Army Brass Band and our Woodlawn Gospel Choir, will offer us very special Christmas music. Don’t miss it!

On Sunday December 14^th at 10 am, Mary’s Song comes to life with an uplifting expression of Joy. Our choir, Kaitlin and Chelsea, Violet and Julia (new to our church), and our own 150-200 voices, will fill our sanctuary with praise for a God who made us for song, community and service.

But how did Mary find it in herself to rejoice? Her fiancé was thinking divorce. Her family was thinking disown. Her community was thinking stone. Her situation could not have been more difficult. Her status could not have been humbler. An ordinary teenage girl—no resumé, no royal lineage. A teenage girl sent away to live with a relative in another city like so many pregnant teens. How could she say, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God [my Saviour]”?

African-American Christian mystic Howard Thurmon tells us, "It is our great and blessed fortune that our lives are never left to themselves alone. We are visited in ways that we can understand and in ways that are beyond our understanding, by highlights, great moments of inspiration, quiet reassurances of grace, simple manifestations of expressions of the goodness of life. These quiet things enrich the common life and give to the ordinary experiences of our daily grind significance and a strength that steadies and inspires. We are also surrounded by the witness of those others whose strivings have made possible so much upon which we draw from the common reservoir of our heritage, those who have persevered when to persevere seemed idiotic, those who have forgotten themselves in creative response to something that calls them beyond the reaches of their dreams and their hopes."

Amen and Amen…Peace & Joy. Kevin