Three Advents
Yme Woensdregt
December 1, 2022
The season of Advent can be difficult to celebrate. All around us, the world is already celebrating Christmas. Carols play in an endless loop, and
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The season of Advent can be difficult to celebrate. All around us, the world is already celebrating Christmas. Carols play in an endless loop, and
A few weeks ago, I discovered a work of art online. I don’t remember the artist; it showed one of the most famous of Jesus’
I’m a huge fan of Louise Penny’s novels, which are set in the village of Three Pines in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Armand Gamache
Many churches identify themselves as a “family church.” It sounds warm and cozy: we are friendly, welcoming, open, big–hearted. Be part of our family; it’s
Where is God? It sounds like a child’s question. One of the earliest answers we learned was simple, certain, reliable: God is in heaven, smiling
Wilfred Cantwell Smith was one of the world’s most influential figures in the field of comparative religion. He founded the Institute of Islamic Studies at
Amid all the difficulties of this time—a lingering pandemic; violent protests; fears and anxieties; the sudden premature death of a close friend—I’ve been thinking about
What is a sacrament? Different churches have different ways of talking about this. More liturgical churches have either two or seven sacraments. Almost every church
Are you kidding me? No complaints for 21 days? No way! It’s human nature to complain. But that’s exactly what Rev. Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City challenged his people to do in 2006. “The one thing we can agree on,” he said, “is there’s too much complaining.”
Last month, I wrote about several festivals celebrating the light during this season of winter in the northern hemisphere. Western Christians continue to celebrate the light in the festival of Epiphany, the climax of our Christmas season. It comes after the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 – January 5) and heralds the revealing of the light.
The bright lights come out in December, wonderful cascades of light making neighbourhoods more beautiful. Icicles hang from gutters and brilliant dioramas on lawns give the illusion of movement as the lights flicker off and on in wondrous patterns. In picture windows, we see Christmas trees garlanded with strings of coloured lights.
One of Jesus’ most famous parables is the story about the Good Samaritan. Briefly, the story goes like this. A certain man traveled from the city to a smaller town. On the way, a gang beat him within an inch of his life and left him for dead. Soon, a prominent city leader came by and saw the beaten man, but she crossed to the other side of the road and continued on her way…
I’m a huge fan of the Muppets. I remember watching Sesame Street with my kids just so I could be part of that fascinating puppet world for a few brief moments. When The Muppet Show appeared on TV in 1976, it became part of my calendar. And of course, I’ve watched all the Muppet movies with Kermit, Miss Piggy et al numerous times.
As I write this, wildfires are raging all over the province, smoke casts a pall over everything, and thousands of people are being displaced. It feels like an exclamation point on an arduous year.
I have a friend who asked me from time to time, “How is it going with your soul these days?” The first time, I was flustered. No one had ever asked me that question before, and it’s not the kind of question you can answer just like that. The next time, I was ready.
Earlier this year, three churches in the lower mainland brought a lawsuit claiming that BC’s restrictions on in–person worship violated their Charter rights to gather. They claimed that while Scripture requires them to obey civil authorities, that duty “ends when they command that we engage in behaviour contrary to God’s Word or when they prohibit what God commands us to do.
I’ve been writing columns for the local newspaper since 2004, just after I had moved to Cranbrook, some of which are reprinted in the HighWay. Recently, someone asked, “Why do you write these columns? What do you hope to achieve?”
On January 20, the world heard Amanda Gorman speak at the Inauguration of President Biden and Vice–President Harris. She stole the show as she spoke words of hope and power.
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