The end is near!
It’s been a busy term, wow!
Just as much so the last two weeks where I’ve been doing lots of work before the end of the term. I just finished a research paper, and now all that is left is a 15 page take home exam for my Christology course.
We put up our Christmas tree last night, makes our living room look all that much smaller, but that’s ok. The tree looks pretty good! I’ll have to take a pic I suppose. It’s our first tree with Anna, since we moved last Christmas we only decorated the 12-inch’er. She’s been pretty good around it thus far! 🙂
I did preach November 20, it went really well. It was the Celebration Sunday service at the end of our stewardship campaign, and I received some excellent feedback from all in attendance. I had hoped to record it, but wasn’t to organize it. I don’t know if I’ll post the manuscript or not, I’m pleased with my delivery, and feel that the text cannot quite relay the appropriate energy needed. So it will probably remain on my laptop’s hard drive.
Well, should finish up my little bit of work for the service tomorrow morning and do some reading for the take home.
I pray that God is blessing you as we journey through Advent, as we wait to celebrate the coming of our Saviour.
Thank you
We will remember…
First “Real” Hallowe’en
We decided at the last minute that we would dress up Anna on Hallowe’en as we were invited to friends for dinner and to watch the trick-or-treaters.
We managed to pull together a princess outfit at the last minute before getting in the car! Which was assembled at our destination!
For a handmade crown and wand, Bev did a great job!
We only went to 3 houses, the dark and noises thereof scared her a bit. But by the end of the evening she was figuring this whole thing out, even to the point of offering to help our host hand out candy!
It was too funny as she would stand on her tip-toes to reach into the older kids bags to drop in the little bars of chocolate.
Basis of Union 2.1
Section 2.1 of the Basis of Union reads
“We believe in the one only living and true God, a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being and perfections; the Lord Almighty, who is love, most just in all His ways, most glorious in holiness, unsearchable in wisdom, plenteous in mercy, full of compassion, and abundant in goodness and truth. We worship Him in the unity of the Godhead and the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three persons of the same substance, equal in power and glory.â€
The Trinity! The cornerstone of our how we envision God. God is three, Creator, Redeemer and Guide. All equally divine. How people personally feel God reveals himself to us differs from person to person. Each of us has our own relationship with God. God offers his abundant gift to all people. Some of us seek earnestly for His guidance, others do not. That is part of the gift of freewill offered to us. We ought to be seeking His way, for His way is The Way.
Basis of Union – Part 1
So, here is my first post regarding the Basis of Union of the United Church of Canada.
I am exploring the Basis of Union in regards to interpretating it as I continue to explore my role within the United Church. It is my hope that by adding my own personal reflection to the ongoing discussions across the church, that I can enter into meaningful dialog as to what it means to be in ministry within the UCC.
I start with section 2.0, an introduction to the church’s doctrine.
2.0 We, the representatives of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational branches of the Church of Christ in Canada, do hereby set forth the substance of the Christian faith, as commonly held among us. In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We affirm our belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary source and ultimate standard of Christian faith and life. We acknowledge the teaching of the great creeds of the ancient Church. We further maintain our allegiance to the evangelical doctrines of the Reformation, as set forth in common in the doctrinal standards adopted by the Presbyterian Church in Canada, by the Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec, and by the Methodist Church. We present the accompanying statement as a brief summary of our common faith and commend it to the studious attention of the members and adherents of the negotiating Churches, as in substance agreeable to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
What draws my attention in this section are the statements “In doing so, we build upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. We affirm our belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the primary source and ultimate standard of Christian faith and life. ”
Where else are we to find the standards to which we are to live? The world around us has been subject to sin since creation. We need only to look to the serpent in the garden to know this. We are tempted continually by the world around us. In today’s increasingly consumerist world, we are increasingly attacked by ads focused on an individual’s greed and pride. And in these attacks, are lead to believe that these are what makes a person whole.
Scripture teaches us a different lesson. A lesson that we are only whole when sharing the love and teachings of Jesus the Christ; a lesson that we can only learn through the reading and study of the entire Bible that is central to our faith.
More to come…