Advent 4
By Michael Wilson Pastoral Letters December 20, 2024

 

 

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:

December 22 Worship Service Video

 

Join us for Worship Sunday at 10:00 AM followed by fellowship and refreshments in the He/SheBrews Café

 

  • Dates for your calendar
    • Christmas Eve 5:00 PM
      • Children’s Service
    • Christmas Eve 7:00 PM
      • Communion with ASL Interpretation provided
    • Christmas Eve 9:00 PM
      • Candlelight Communion with Senior Choir
    • Sunday, December 29 10:00 AM
      • Worship
    • Sunday, January 5 10:00 AM
      • Communion
    • Sunday, January 5 7:00 PM
      • Lights for Lives Service

 

  • Christmas is a tender time for those who must navigate grief during the holidays. Please pray for the following church members and their families who are on this journey. Shirley Salay whose husband Joe was remembered this past Tuesday, Cheryl Kirkness and children Darcy, Barb, and James as they plan for a Celebration of Life for Jim on January 4 and Judy Palmer and family after our dear friend Bill died this week. A Celebration of Life for Bill is being planned and we will notify you when arrangements have been made.

 

  • The 2025 Stewardship Campaign In light of the postal strike we are encouraging you to look for the pledge form on our website. Information for this year’s campaign has been sent by email. It is also available in print at the church or online by clicking here: 2025 Stewardship Pledge Form; 2025 Stewardship Letter

 

 

Dear Friends

Welcome to worship for Sunday, December 22, 2024.

I have to confess that I am letting Christmas come a little early this year.

Many years ago, I preached a sermon on Christmas Eve at the 11:00 PM service. Frankly I was a little pleased with what I had offered. The key line was “Sometimes it is as if the heavens command, go ahead, look somewhere else, I dare you.” I had invited a friend of mine to come to that service and he and his wife were sitting near the back of the church. After the service I asked him what he thought of my ‘key line’. He said he hadn’t heard it because the fellow sitting next to him was snoring!!

Ever since I have been a little reticent about preaching on Christmas Eve, at least not with any length. Besides, the carols say everything I have to offer and a lot better. As a consequence, I seldom get to delve into the biblical text that is the birth of Jesus. And it is a wonderful text! So this year I decided to go a little off-script. Advent is four Sundays prior to Christmas and I think of them as building momentum. Each Sunday we get a little bit closer and therefore we aim to have the service feel a little bit more like Christmas. If I had more discipline I would have used another Advent text this Sunday and reserved Luke 2 for Christmas Eve as per usual. But having preached on the prophets, John the Baptist, and Mary the last three weeks, I couldn’t wait any longer. I condensed the two weeks of Mary into one last Sunday and this Sunday we are reading the birth story of Jesus. We’re also going full into the carol section of the hymn book. I’m pretty sure we won’t be struck by lightening but I’m glad I don’t have a pope looking over my shoulder.

In reading Luke 2:1-14 I found myself curious by the differing natures of the first half and the second half of this familiar story. Verses 1-7 tell a matter-of-fact account of the birth itself. Here was a time and a place. Here were two people who lived in one town but had to travel to another town. Here was a woman who was expecting a child. And here were the circumstance in which the child was born. No angels, no mystery, no voice of God. Just people living their lives and experiencing a rather common thing.

However, this is followed by an extraordinary account in verses 8-14. At first, we are still in the matter-of-fact mode. There were shepherds. They were doing the thing that shepherds do, keeping watch over their flock by night. Normal people performing their normal job. But then all heaven breaks forth. An angel appears and says not to be afraid. Easy for an angel to say. This is followed by an announcement, good news of a great joy to all people. This very night in the City of David, a child has been born, a saviour who is Christ the Lord. Not only should the shepherds go and see this wonder but they are told to look for a sign, a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. That ought to be enough but this if followed by a heavenly host, a choir of angels, a cosmos in harmony. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace, among those with whom God is well pleased.”

A temporal birth. An eternal meaning. God comes into our ordinary lives, finds us in the day to day, meets us in regular people. But in the meeting is good news of a great joy. This same God announces that joy is a gift for ALL people. Our lives are a blessing for all the world. Everyone’s life is a blessing for the whole of creation. And angels aren’t even afraid to get political. Peace will be the measure by which God is pleased. That which is anything short of peace will not only disappoint us but will displease God.

Wow! Sometimes it’s as if the heavens declare: Go ahead look somewhere else, I dare you.

Merry Christmas,

Michael

 

  • For news and events please have a look at Life & Work on our website: Life and Work

 

  • Did you know you can support this ministry by e-transfer, automatic withdrawal (PAR), and gifted securities, in addition to weekly or monthly cheques? For Offering Information please visit: https://charleswoodunited.org/support/  We have begun to receive donations for this summer’s Roofing Project which will be held separate from Operations and Mission & Service. Thank you for your generous support.

 

 

  • Read this week’s scripture lesson here: Luke 2:1-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Wilson / About Author
Michael’s involvement in the wider church has included ministry with children and youth, membership on the National Division of World Outreach, supervision of campus ministry, and the Ten Days for Global Justice National Committee. He has been blessed by the opportunity to represent the United Church of Canada in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Africa on different occasions. Michael has taught at the University of Winnipeg – Faculty of Theology and is past President of the Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario.
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