A series of questions confronts me at the Cross. Why was the terrible suffering and death of Christ necessary? Could not God have chosen another way to redeem us? I have always had difficulty with the extreme language of some writers that seem to portray God as demanding a blood sacrifice in payment for the sins of the world, which seems to reduce the life of Christ to some legal/judicial payment of debts. This is not to deny the reality of original sin that has destroyed the relationship between God and His creation or the reality of suffering and death becoming an integral part of the human condition. But rather the difficulty with this language is that it leaves little room for the images of Christ as shepherd, as healer and teacher. The image of a loving God who calls us into relationship with Him, of a loving Father as portrayed in the parable of the Prodigal Son is more in keeping with my understanding of the God revealed to us in Jesus.

The Cross was the sign of the reality and power of sin and death in creation and that Jesus through His suffering and death destroyed the power of death and by His resurrection open a new and living relationship with our Father. The Cross is the ultimate sign of God’s love for you and me, that restores our relationship to the Father.

As St. Paul expresses in Romans 6:5-6: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.”

I found in a little book on the Orthodox faith the following quote which helped clarify my thoughts:

“St. Isaac the Syrian writes: “God the Lord surrendered His own Son to death on the Cross for the fervent love of creation. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to death for our sake (cf. John 3:16). This was not, however, because He could not have redeemed us in another way, but so that His surpassing love, manifested hereby, might be a teacher unto us. And by the death of His only begotten Son, He made us near to Himself. Yea, if He had had anything more precious, He would have given it to us, so that by it our race might be his own.”

The Cross offers us a choice, to stay enslaved by sin, estranged from God or to chose to respond to the new life of the Resurrection and be restored to our true identities as people made in the image of God. The sacrifice of the Cross is God shattering the bonds of slavery and inviting us into His life. How awesome is this invitation, what love He has shown for us!

The question is are we ready to leave the shadows and move into the light of the new life of Christ? The shadows can be uncomfortable, but it is what is known. Responding to the call of Christ will move us out of ourselves and into a deeper relationship not only with God but with our neighbours and all of creation. Each one of us needs to look at the crucified one on the Cross and decide for ourselves. Will I reject His love shown at such a great cost?

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I like to spend some time in Lent reading familiar books that have helped shape my spiritual life and that have given me insights into how Christ is present in my life. I have always had a deep love and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist, and while sorting through the cards and letters that accumulate on my desk I found a lovely card from Fr. James Koester, Superior of the Society of St. John The Evangelist, a religious community with a long history in Canada but now based in Cambridge Mass. The following quote on the card, from the writings of the founder of SSJE, Fr. Richard Benson, caused me to pause:

“Each communion should be, as it were,

Adding some fresh point to the image of Christ within our souls.

As each touch of the artist adds some fresh feature

To the painting, so each communion is a touch of Christ, 

Which should develop some fresh feature of His own perfect likeness within us.”

This wonderful image is a simple but profound insight into the beauty and gift of the Eucharist that Christ has given to His Church. 

One of the fruits of the liturgical renewal in the Church over the last 40 years is the return of the Eucharist as the focus of our life as parish communities. It is a rare event in the Church that is now not gathered around the altar or that is finding inspiration in the themes of the Eucharist. This development brings both joys and difficulties to our spiritual lives. The frequency of the celebration of the Eucharist and receiving of Holy Communion can lead to a loss of a deep sense of wonder at encountering Christ in such an intimate and personal way. 

Fr. Benson’s image of Christ as the artist who in Holy Communion brings forth the beauty and goodness that is our life in the Risen Christ is key to renewing our love of the Eucharist. 

The Eucharist is both the intimate communion of the individual soul with Christ but also of drawing the Body of Christ into one: “We, being many, are one body for we all share in the one bread.”(BAS p.212) The Body refers not to just to the local community at a particular time and place, but of the whole Communion of Saints on earth and in heaven. The prayer “therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven…” attempts to capture the truth that the Eucharist is in time and out of time, of earth and of heaven. In light of the breadth and depth of the Eucharist, we do well to prepare ourselves to receive such a gift as St. Paul writes: “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (I Corth.11:27) To receive unworthily means without due consideration of what we are sharing in, of the awe and wonder at God’s grace be offered to all of us, of not coming with an open heart and mind to hear Christ as he speaks to us as individuals and as parish communities.

I too often have been guilty of rushing in and finding a pew at the last minute, without making time to be still before God and acknowledging my need for healing, forgiveness and renewal. There is only great benefit to our souls if we carve out a little time in preparation as we come to worship the living God and to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. 

We can help others by creating a peaceful space in our Church before the services, by avoiding unnecessary chat until the coffee time after the service. Reading over the scripture lessons of the day or praying over the prayer requests in the bulletin are only a couple of ways to intentionally create an atmosphere of prayer and peace.

I pray that this Lent, all of us may deepen our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and find fresh joy each time we receive Him in our Holy Communions.

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This popular expression of the manger scene misrepresents the events as found in holy scripture. This incredible event, according to the scriptures, was not an earth shattering event with all the world taking notice, but an event in an obscure part of the Roman empire involving a poor couple who could not find even a simple room, but only a stable, in which to give birth to their only child.The people of Bethlehem, concerned with all the demands of everyday complicated by the influx of people coming to be registered for the tax census, were unaware.  

In our nativity scenes, the one group that is often over looked, and who were there on that Holy night as it was unfolding, were the shepherds.The shepherds, who are often found somewhere in the background of the nativity scenes behind the wise men, as if in a secondary and not too important role.Yet the shepherds can give us some insight in our walk of faith and be an example to us as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.

The shepherds were responsible for the care and protection of the sheep and the goats, a mainstay of the local agricultural economy. They spent their days and nights out in the areas around Bethlehem, moving their animals constantly to look for food and protecting them from harm. They had to be people of courage, who also possessed a knowledge and understanding of the local environment.They had to be constantly on watch for changes in the weather and the world around them. Their concern was not for themselves but for the animals placed in their care, and for their families and communities that depended on the animals for food and trade. 

If you are fortunate enough to have been out in the country, perhaps at a cottage or camping, and away from the bright lights of the city, you soon notice both how really dark it can be and the brilliance of the stars and moon at night. In the city, we miss the glorious heavens because all the lesser lights of the city obscure our vision.

This is why I think only the shepherds heard and saw the heavenly hosts that first Christmas. The shepherds were focused not on themselves and their challenges and problems. They were looking out and up, and they caught the heavenly vision. 

I have found that in the rush of planning for Christmas I often fail to stop and look up from my own needs and challenges to see the beauty in God’s creation and in the lives of the people with whom I live and work. In stopping, looking and listening to the world around us, we are opening to the possibility of seeing God’s presence in the midst of all the noise and confusion.

Perhaps we need to take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving in the midst of family and friends for the gift of each one of them. 

Take a moment to look up at the wonder of the star-filled heavens and thank God that out of love for you, the One who created the wonders of the universe became like one of us to bring us back to Him. 

Take time to listen with an open heart and imagination to the words of sacred scripture during Advent and the Christmas season and hear Christ speaking to you of mercy, hope and challenge. 

Take a moment to ask God to give us grace to see him in the midst of the round of our daily routines. 

Finally, as we gather in our parishes to celebrate the hope and promise of Christmas, take a moment to thank God for all who are gathered with you and to rejoice that he has called us in all our fragility to be the body of Christ in the world.

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The beginning of a New Year for me, is a time of mixed feelings. As a New Year begins, it is both a time of reflection on the old year that has drawn to a close, with all its joys and sorrows and looking to the days that have yet to unfold.  In reflecting on the events of the past year in the world in which we live, it is all too easy to see only the troubles and sorrows, thearise of senseless destruction and disregard for human life. To see only the injustice and poverty of the human spirit and imagination. 

 In our own personal life we can be tempted to remember only our short comings and feeling of our inadequacies when we encounter the trouble and injustice of our world.  I wonder if all the top 10 lists make us feel that some how we should have done more, and we ask ourselves what mark, what difference did I make in the past year ?  

Looking forward can also be a very uncomfortable experience. Fears about the future of our family, our health and the environment,  employment and a myriad of other worries can quickly fill our thoughts. I often think about what kind of world are we leaving to our precious children and  grandchildren? Will they have the same quality of life that I so often take for granted?    

But we cannot let the loud voices of our fears and worries drown out the joyous songs of the angels and the celebration of Christmas and the Epiphany that we have just celebrated. In the midst of the seeming chaos of our world and at times own personal lives, we remember and affirm the message of Christmas – God with us.  The Incarnation, where in the living God took flesh and was born in a stable to share the joys, sorrows, doubts and questions of being alive in the 21st century.  For me the truth of the Incarnation becomes the focus of my way of seeing and understanding the world. When I stop and remember that my life has been redeemed and that I am a son of the living God by Christ’s death and resurrection a member of the Body of Christ, a sense of peace comes into my life. I realize that the temporary chaos around and within me will not overwhelm me, but that Jesus Christ has me and all who I love in His hands.  

Being a Christian does not mean that the brokenness of the world will not touch my life, or the lives of those I love,  but rather in the midst of the world I walk with and in Christ.    In a sense the turmoil in the world does not define me or you, but it is our membership in the Body of Christ that is the ultimate truth and reality. Just as the parable from the Gospel of Matthew 7:24-27 about building our house on the sand or the rock, our faith in Jesus is a sure rock on which to build our lives and that faith will withstand all the chaos and turmoil that we will surely meet.  That is why sharing week by week in our Parish Eucharist is so important, it is a constant reminder that we walk not alone but in the great company of disciples on earth and in heaven and that we are nourished and sustained by the grace, mercy and love of God which will never fail.   This new year, bring your fears, your hopes and worries to Him and allow the living God in our midst bring the gift of the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

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