Telephone: 416-221-1722 Fax: 416-221-3095
lansingunited@bellnet.ca
Minister’s
Reflection:
Advent/Christmas/New Year
2011
It seems like it was not long ago
that we were just beginning a new year after rushing through the Christmas
season. The question I wrestle with as I face the presence of another Christmas
season is, “Where has the time gone?” In
conversations with people of different ages I hear that many are busy just
trying to meet daily responsibilities and demands and when their head hits the
pillow they ask, “Where has the day gone?”
Where have the days of 2011 gone?
We are now just weeks away from Christmas and the welcoming of
2012.
On one of my walks I stopped to talk
to a neighbour on his ladder putting up his Christmas lights. In my conversation I noticed that he was
becoming anxious. He eventually asked if
I would excuse him so he could to get the lights up because he felt crunched
for time due to other tasks that awaited him. That same day standing in line at
a checkout counter the cashier and a customer were chatting while the items
were being scanned. From the line a frustrated voice piped up, “If you want a
conversation with her wait till she is on her break. She is busy now.” It seems that we are all running from one
thing to another due to time constraints and when we are bothered or held up
not only does our blood pressure rise but impatience rears its ugly head and is
demonstrated in our behaviour.
In the November Observer in the
‘Question Box’ a question was posed: “Do people pray anymore?” Prayer, hum,
isn’t that like ‘snail mail’? In a
society that e-mails, twitters, skypes, texts and facebooks, instant responses
are demanded. In prayer, individuals have to be patient for a response. Sometimes individuals wait for long periods
of time to see some change. Patient waiting doesn’t seem to fit into our
culture or Christmas celebrations very well.
Why do I raise the practice of prayer
during Christmas time? The four weeks
before Christmas is called Advent. This is a time for waiting, for pausing and
for preparing for something new. The
wisemen of the Christmas Story become our models for the Advent Season. They
waited and paused, gathered information from their environment, reflected and
then responded to their findings by searching for the new king, the ‘Messiah.’
A number of years ago, I offered weekend workshops on the
outcomes of prayer life. In a three-part workshop I
spoke on the three phases of prayer life and to pause, to reflect and to act -
like the wisemen did. A few of the
participants realized the positive outcomes of prayer life. Yet a majority of them, reflecting the views
of society, saw the discipline of prayer as a difficult practice, only adding
to the many pressures of daily life when time vanishes quickly. This is true if a person comes to the
discipline with the same expectations which are found in the communication
patterns we rely on today. “Pray and wait” is not a normal part of society’s
life style.
We discover in Matthew 2 the results when the King of
Israel and his council fail to pause for prayer life. The results were that they failed to notice
the announcement in the sky of the birth of the Messiah. King Herod, finds out through some
foreigners, calls his council together and is upset with them because
they did not take the time to
pause and to study the ancient texts, thus failing to detect this significant
occurrence in his homeland. Because they were busy ruling and ensuring that
their personal destiny remain intact, they failed to
observe the coming of the Christ. Their
anxiousness in holding on to what they had allowed no time to pause, to reflect
and act appropriately as their counterparts did. The wisemen were informed,
through pausing, of an event that would change the course of history and they
responded by leaving their homeland, seeking to witness this discovery. Somehow, Herod and his council in their
day-to-day tasks of rushing about and filling the day with works and words,
forgot the central glue which held the people of Israel together in God -
prayer - and thus missed the announcement of the coming Messiah. When pauses are not taken, important signs
which give life meaning and purpose are overlooked.
Christmas is the hardest season for individuals to take
time to pause. This is especially true
when the Christmas air is electric with excitement, sweeping people up into the
Christmas rush and hype, taking their minds and most of their energies away
from the message of the Christ event.
Thus, it often becomes a time with little to no time to pause, to truly
contemplate on the message of Christmas.
To pause, reflect and act, in many peoples’ lives, during these often
hectic days, would further create stress and when added upon the regular life
issues can often be overwhelming.
In
the opening minutes of the Prayer workshop I asked a fundamental question,
“When was the last time you took a slow --- deep---- breath?” That’s the pause
allowing for reflection. Instantly a
person will notice their breathing to be shallow and quick. Fast breathing does
not inspire the body to relax or the heart to slow its pace or the mind to be
open. Shallow breathing reduces the
amount of oxygen to the brain, placing the body in a constant state of alert or
of feeling anxious. If the mind is in this pre-panic mode how can it reflect in
a positive way even when things go awry.
Look at King Herod - he became fearful for his kingdom. He did not pause to reflect on the meaning of
the birth of this child but instead he lashed out in selfish fear.
Christmas is a wonderful season
filled with excitement and fun but it has become for many a roller coaster
adding stress and anxiety because of the sheer demands the season places upon
individuals and families. I invite you,
as you buzz around this Christmas, to take a pause. If you are shopping, stop and look at what
you are holding. Take a moment and ask
some questions about the one for whom you are buying. Why are you considering this gift? What makes this person special in your life?
Then give the Creator thanks. When you
are hanging decorations, pause and ask what are the memories held in this
decoration? Why does it draw me back to
a place in time? Then give thanks to the
Creator. When offering a gift, pause,
hold that gift and think about the support and love that this gift will unleash
upon the receiver. Pause at every
available moment to give thanks to the One who brings to us the expressions of
hope, peace, joy and love this Advent season in the child of
May the blessing of the Christmas season be full of
meaning and love.
In
Christ
Bryan
Ransom
Advent and Christmas Services
Sunday,
December 4, 10:00 a.m. White Gift Sunday - Donations for the Lansing Food bank
Sunday,
December 11, 10:00 a.m. Service of Loss and Remembrance
Sunday,
December 17, 10:00 a.m. Last Sunday of Advent –Communion
Saturday,
December 14, 7:00 p.m. Christmas
Eve Candle Light and Communion Service
Please
visit the