A Letter from the Rector - Christmas 2009

 

Christmas 2009

Dear Friends,

It is quite amazing how very physical the Christmas stories all are. Unlike Venus who was born as an adult directly from the waves of the ocean, or Athena who was born from Zeus' forehead, Jesus' birth is that of any peasant baby, born in the usual way among animals which were a normal part of peasant home life. Jesus' birth is also embedded in the politics of the time – Augustus Caesar calls a census; Rome's puppet king manipulates foreigners to spy for him and then commits genocide in an attempt to retain his power; Jesus has ancestors who are prostitutes and others who are unbelievers. The circumstances surrounding his birth are exactly what one would expect in that age. His birth is no timeless myth, it is embedded in reality.

In order to enhance the meaning of Jesus' birth, it has been easy for us to embellish the stories with a soft romantic glow which has the unfortunate effect of removing his birth from everyday reality and moving him into an ideal world and therefore out of ours.

But the whole point of the stories around Jesus' birth is to get him into our world. That's why politics plays such a large role – the stories proclaim that Jesus is born in the midst of the politics of power. That's also why he has such a mixed ancestry – the stories proclaim Jesus is born in the ambiguity of the life we all live. That's why Jesus is born in extreme poverty – the stories proclaim that unless we take the poor seriously, we will end up with a society that is fractured and where nobody has dignity. That's why Jesus is born among animals – the stories proclaim, as we are now re-discovering, that we only exist because of the animals which surround and uphold us.

But the whole point of the stories around Jesus' birth is to get him into our world. That's why politics plays such a large role – the stories proclaim that Jesus is born in the midst of the politics of power. That's also why he has such a mixed ancestry – the stories proclaim Jesus is born in the ambiguity of the life we all live. That's why Jesus is born in extreme poverty – the stories proclaim that unless we take the poor seriously, we will end up with a society that is fractured and where nobody has dignity. That's why Jesus is born among animals – the stories proclaim, as we are now re-discovering, that we only exist because of the animals which surround and uphold us.

If the stories of Jesus' birth weren't so very physical, so very down-to-earth, Jesus would have no significance for us. But precisely because Jesus' birth takes place in the midst of politics, ecology, human frailty, and social exploitation, his birth becomes central to our experience. It means that God chooses especially to be present in the real circumstances of life, and not in a romantic vision of some impossible ideal. It means that creativity, confidence, graciousness and the unexpected are most likely to emerge in those times when we need them most. Do we find ourselves in the midst of our own mixed motives? At the mercy of global forces far beyond our control? Facing inward or outward poverty which we seem hopeless to address? The stories say that is precisely where the king of glory is likely to be born. What a life-changing claim that is! Look for the birth of Christ in the very midst of your life – and you'll find him being born right there.

And then we can sing, with full voice, in the middle of the night, the refrain to that great Christmas carol, “Christ is born today, Christ is born today!”

This Christmas, take advantage of all the ways to deepen your experience Christ being born in our time. The pageant, with a new script by Su McLeod and Gina McIntosh, has Jesus being born amongst the very poor. The early Christmas Eve service has its focus on participation by all ages which make it obvious how we experience Jesus being born among us, while the midnight service transports us with the glory and awe of Christ's birth.

We will have a choral Eucharist for Epiphany at 7.00 p.m. on evening of January 6th, and the traditional lovely service of carols and lessons for Christmas and Epiphany on January 10th, also at 7.00 pm.

We will have a choral Eucharist for Epiphany at 7.00 p.m. on evening of January 6 th, and the traditional lovely service of carols and lessons for Christmas and Epiphany on January 10 th, also at 7.00 pm.

The service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas and Epiphany will be Michael Denton's last service as our interim organist and choir director, and we owe him an immense debt of gratitude for his gift of music these past four months. David Stratkauskas begins his duties that week, and will have his first Sunday service with us on January 17th which is also a Divine Brunch – we look forward to having David and his wife Soile among us.

Bill Denson, our treasurer for 37 years, and his wife Alice, were leading members of this parish for over 50 years. They left to St. John's a bequest which has been used to renovate the lounge in their memory. We will dedicate the lounge “The Denson Lounge”, with their family present, after church on Sunday December 20th. The Densons were a truly remarkable couple in their immense commitment to the life of this parish over half a century and those of us who knew them are honoured to have been associated with them.

I enclose an envelope which you may wish to use to uphold St. John's proclamation of the good news that Christ is still being born among us, and especially in those places where we most need his hope and glory.

Finally, a calendar is attached with events taking place in the Christmas and Epiphany seasons.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Canon Dr. Harold Munn

Rector