A Steady Flame

The true light that enlightens every person was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own things, but his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but born of God
(John 1:9-13)

To our friends in Christ far and near:

Shalom and Peace of God be with you and your family. Once again the Christmas season has arrived. We are again reminded that His light is with us here on earth. Christmas and lights go together. Midnight services sung by candlelight.

Lights strung on the houses and on Christmas trees. Blinking, twinkling lights.

In Bethlehem, some two thousand years ago, light came into the world. The skies exploded with brilliant light and an angel descended, bringing a message of hope for all: “Jesus was born!” Heavenly light. True light. Primal light. The Source of all light. God of God, Light of Light. A Light that existed before God said, "Let there be light." A Light that will shine long after sun, moon, and stars are snuffed out.

In Bethlehem, some two thousand years ago, life entered the world, life conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Word of God made human flesh. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of people." In the darkness, God shines His Light, His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to join forces with us, to be on our side, to become one with us and one of us. He came to dwell among us, full of grace and truth and love. Jesus Christ is Light and Life. He is a Light that no darkness can overcome.

Peace has come to have a deeper meaning for me this year, I feel so blessed by God through the ministry God has entrusted to us in St. Ansgar’s. We are what we are because of the spiritual influence other Christians have had on us in our faith journey. Come to think about it, it is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise. Jacob, the cheat who struggles with everybody. Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen.

Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Gideon, the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great empire etc.

It never ceases to amaze me why God could not have chosen "better" people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He might be able to use us, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking in faith that we are. And it means that we need to be careful that we do not in our own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with the most unlikely of people like us in the most unlikely of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season. That is miracle of Advent and Christmas.

As the calendar year draws to a close, family schedules and personal agendas fill with meetings, programs, parties, and annual obligations. The carol "Silent Night" could not have been written at the end of the twentieth century, when its title evokes the peace and stillness modern women and men can only imagine. Yet this busiest time of year calls us to draw close to others, above all to God, who became flesh and lived with us. Meditation and manic shopping?!

How do we carve out moments of quiet when we open ourselves to God's presence?

It is my wish that this moment will be a further blessing in your life and mine, as we celebrate the greatest gift that God gave to us on Christmas, his only Son. To receive him is to have him make our hearts his manger. He takes our hearts, and fills them with his light and life. God gave the greatest gift of all when He gave Jesus! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" John 3:16. Christmas is not a date on the calendar. It is a way of life. But like the innkeeper who turned Joseph and Mary away, we often put up a sign in our heart that reads, "No room!" Oh, we can participate in the festivities of the Christmas season but until we receive the gift that God gives, we will never truly experience Christmas.

To have a Christ-centered Christmas we must not only recognize God as the center of a season but we must make Him the center of our whole life! He chose to dwell in our hearts but He didn't have to do it that way. He could have been born into a palace. His first home on earth could have been a mansion but He came to a manger and His birth was announced by shepherds instead of Kings. The greatest of all miracles took place in the midst of total simplicity. And today He comes to us once again in the midst of our simple daily lives.

He conforms our will to his will and gives us purpose to live and for ministry as small as it might be. He gives us a new birth by the Holy Spirit whom He sends. He calls us His brothers and His sisters. When we open our hearts to this wonderful Baby born in Bethlehem, he will save us and give us peace, which passes all understanding, and fill us with true light. He will fill us with His life. That is deep and lasting Christmas joy.

My family and I would like to take this occasion to thank you for your friendship, love, and patience with us, support, encouragement, and ministry. We are forever thankful to be part of what God is doing and what He is going to perform in our midst. I sincerely thank all the members and friends of St. Ansgar who worked diligently, and helped out with our annual Bazaar (it was a great success), and other Church related activities.

Also I would to thank you all for your diligent prayers, emotional, and financial support for the on going ministry at St. Ansgar. We are truly a community church people in mission for others, and I have great confidence, and believe that there is a future and potential for our parish. I trust that you have been touched by God in some way during the Advent and Christmas season.

May God’s presence fill your heart, your home and may the birth of the Christ-child be a sustaining strength throughout this festive season and the days to come.

May you be richly blessed by this wonderful gift of Christ.
Have a blessed Christmas,
Glædelig Jul,
Frohe Weihnachten
Joyeux Noël,
Happy Hanukkah and
a Happy New Year!

We leave you with this thought:

An Act of Love
An act of love need not be a gesture great or grand… A smile can work a miracle and show you understand.
Being there in time of need transcends the spoken word; A helping hand is simply grand when hearts begin to bleed.
A prayer is nothing till it’s heard beyond the highest leaf, But when it’s answered, oh my friend, how strong is our belief!
An act of love may simply be a smile, a hug, a kiss…
But it’s a joy for all to see when troubles come like this.
(Clay Harrison)

"The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel, meaning, God is with us."
Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

Yours in Christ:
Pastor Samuel K King-Kabu.
Pastor@st-ansgars-montreal.ca

Biking with Roger (part 3)

I awoke at the Peribonka Bed & Breakfast to a dark and rainy morning. Being the only guest, I sat alone at the breakfast table, my hosts only stepping out of the kitchen once or twice to serve me. Outside, I leaned my bike up against the covered verandah and dutifully began packing my gear, fully rigged for rainy weather. It was 08:00 when I set off.

Highway 169 leaves the lakeside at Peribonka and climbs gently up through the farmland along the valley of a small river, barely a creek actually. After about 10km, I came to a point where the 'Veloroute' sign directed me along small side road, towards the town of Ste.-Jeanne d'Arc. This detour would take me slightly out of my way, but I was getting bored with the main road. The side road led me parallel to the main highway, but kept me on the opposite side of the small creek. I was glad I went that way. I came across one of the largest, most prosperous farms of the region, a complex the size of a small town, complete with horse stables, race track, and manor house girded all around with giant picture windows. The farm even had its own, small hydro-electric plant along the river. At the town itself, I was treated to an old-fashioned mill and dam, with water wheel. In the end, I only had to backtrack a couple of kilometres to regain the main road, and by then it had stopped raining. An hour (15km) further along the still uninteresting highway, I came upon the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, the furthest point from home of my trip. At Mistassini is one of largest waterfalls around Lac St. Jean, a thunderous cascade of white water drops in wide steps through a gorge separating what was formerly two separate towns. The cascade is bordered by stone walls, and there is a pedestrian walkway along the top.

Dolbeau is one of the largest towns in the area. Two blocks of its downtown street have been roofed over and turned into an enclosed pedestrian mall. After exploring and having lunch in an old, retro cafe, I set out westward across the top of Lac St. Jean. From this point on, every kilometre travelled would bring me closer to home. I followed the secondary highway #373, for the main highway made a large and somewhat useless loop to the north, which would have easily added 20km to my route. My road was lined alternatively with stretches of forest and vast, open blueberry fields, still sporting their brownish-red tint of late May. To my left, at the far side of the fields, I could sense, but not see, the cliff, which dropped down to the Mistassini gorge and river below. Ahead, and looming ever larger, were the mountains that form the west wall of the valley of Lac St. Jean. A very strong wind blew from the west, making pedalling along the flat ground like climbing those mountains.

I rejoined Highway 169 at St. Méthode and about an hour later had reached St. Félicien, my destination for the evening. The B&B for that evening would be the nicest of my trip. The house had a nice terrace overlooking the river and the owners offered guests a beer and had us sit down with them to chat and look out over the river at sunset.

The next morning I headed south. At St. Prime, the 'veloroute' left the highway and ran on a trail of its own, between the railroad tracks and the shoreline of the lake. It came out at the Indian reservation at Pointe-Bleue, where there were museums and a waterfront park adorned with giant concrete teepees. Next came the populous town of Roberval, beyond which the bike trail continued along its own right-of-way, again right alongside the lake. South of Roberval, the trail was paved.

The wall of mountains to the west grew ever closer until, even with the 'village historique' of Val-Jalbert, a re-constructed mill town of the 1920s, the bike trail and highway were hugging the shoreline at the bottom of steep cliffs.

Halfway up the mountainside, I could see the spectacular waterfalls of Val-Jalbert. After this, the trail left the water's edge and began climbing, up to the town of Chambord, which is the highest town around the lake. It was my day's destination.

I had a short task for the next day: I would only ride about 25km, but nearly straight up! In planning my trip, I had worried about the distance between Lac St. Jean and La Tuque: Over 125 km of wilderness highway! Could I make such a long ride through the mountains? Then I had discovered there was lodging to be had at Lac Bouchette, 25km along the way. I climbed slowly, huffing and puffing, up the mountain face, until from the crest I could look out over all of Lac St. Jean spread out below me. ("You can't see the views, lest you pays the dues!").

I reached the Benedictine Monastery at Lac Bouchette, where I would spend the night, at just after Noon. I would spend the afternoon relaxing by the lake and visiting the monastery. I even attended evening prayers with the monks.

The next morning, I would leave at 05:30 in the morning, to share the narrow, mountain highway with the big transport trucks as I headed for La Tuque, 100 km away.

(The story will be continued in subsequent editions of the Messenger. Accounts of earlier bike rides can be found at http://rogerkenner.ca/Bike/Bike.html)

Roger Kenner

New Banners and paraments

A set of new Advent paraments (frontals) and banners were dedicated on November 27, the first Sunday of Advent. If you look closely, you will notice that the paraments and one of the banners have the same subject: 4 advent candles and 3 stars above. The white star is the star of Bethlehem. The four candles are for the four Sundays in Advent. The 3 stars represent the Trinity (or Triune God). The stars can also be read as 3 crosses, foreshadowing the crucifixion. The flames of the candles represent Christ’s presence. It also represents the pervading presence of God because the light of Christ vanquishes the darkness of sin and death. Fire is also a symbol of purification.

The second banner is a Nativity scene. The white star of Bethlehem meets the head (surrounded by a halo) of the infant Jesus. The head is a circle, signifying eternity, because it has no ending and no beginning. The white star can also be seen as a cross, and it’s top is a shepherd’s crook. This reads as the Greek letter “RHO” (or P). The golden points of the star can also be read as the Greek letter “Chi” (or X). The letters together: Chi-Rho, make up the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ. You may have noticed the Chi-Rho in other instances of Christian context.

The paraments, designed by Jette, were machine-embroidered at ‘Bertrand, Foucher & Bélanger’ in Montreal. The banners, also designed by Jette, were hand-sewn by Anne-Marie and Jette.

Also new were two wooden candle-holders on the altar made by Pastor Samuel and four small banners on the advent wreath, that read Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Each Sunday of Advent, the young people will read a little story about the significance of each banner.

The banners were given by Pastor Samuel and his family in memory of his mother who passed away last year in Ghana.

The Advent wreath is an increasingly popular symbol of the beginning of the Church year in many churches as well as homes. It is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center.

Advent means “coming” or ”arrival”. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Christ in his first Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Advent symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He’ll come again in Power.

The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. Holly is sometimes used instead of - or with - the evergreen. The sharp points of the leaves of the Holly remind us of Christ's crown of thorns. The red berries remind us of his blood. There is a story that holly berries were white until Christ's blood fell on them - causing them to be red ever since.

Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. The colors of the candles vary with different traditions, but there are usually three purple candles, and one pink or rose candle. One of the purple candles is lighted the first Sunday of Advent, a Scripture is read, a short devotional or reading is given, and a prayer offered. On subsequent Sundays, previous candles are re-lighted with an additional one lighted. The pink candle is lighted on the third Sunday of Advent.

The light of the candles itself becomes an important symbol of the season. The light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6). The progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and the shadows of sin falling away as more and more light is shed into the world. The flame of each new candle reminds the worshippers that something is happening, and that more is yet to come.

Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the promise of long ago has been realized.

The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope. This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of a Messiah that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. We again with expectation, with hope, await God’s new work in history, the second Advent, in which He will again reveal Himself to the world.

The remaining three candles of Advent may be associated with different aspects of the Advent story. Usually they are organized around characters or themes as a way to unfold the story and direct attention to the celebrations and worship in the season.

So, this year the sequence for the remaining three Sundays will be Peace, Joy, Love. The third candle for the Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the Advent of the Christ. The center candle is white and is called the Christ Candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day. However, since many Protestant churches do not have services on those days, many light it on the Sunday preceding Christmas, with all five candles continuing to be lighted in services through Epiphany (Jan 6). The central location of the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season, giving light to the world.

Contribution by Susan King-Kabu

Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner & Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2006/02/22
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal