Good day,

Since last week’s email, Sault Ste Marie has had a MASSIVE amount of snow dumped on them. Wow…that’s enough shoveling for the winter now…

Happenings:

Wednesday, Dec.4 is the next Advent Zoom Bible Study, 7pm. Please email me if you need the link. We’re using the same link each Wednesday but, if you’ve lost track of it, let me know.

Also on Wednesday evening is the first of three book study sessions on Zoom with Bishop Michael Oulton. You’ll need to contact Carla at the Synod Office if you want that link.

Saturday, December 7 is the Christmas Market at the Trinity Centre, 11am – 3pm. $7 chili lunch, bake sale, craft sale, “new to you”, and more…

A Liturgical Note For You:  All Things Advent

Beginning Advent – The Advent Wreath: The Advent wreath is not meant to be the object of a little mini rite within our Sunday liturgical rite. The appropriate number of candles is to be lit before the service begins with no prayers, readings, or songs/hymns attached.  Why is this?  The Advent wreath was introduced to the Church as a means of encouraging the prayers and devotions of families in their homes, particularly at the evening meal together, throughout this penitential season of hopeful expectation.  In the church building, the wreath is a visual reminder of the season and something on which to focus as we pray.  All that we need to hear and know about each Sunday of Advent is already contained within our Sunday liturgy…in the prayers for the day, in the Prayers of the People, and in the songs/hymns we hear.  Want to read this for yourself? Check out this link for a more detailed explanation (p.A34) here: https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/OccasionalCelebrations.pdf

So what do the candles mean?  They are simply marking the passage of the weeks – an Advent calendar minus the chocolates – as we await the return of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.  We humans just can’t seem to resist attaching greater meaning to things like this so, over the years, various traditions have developed to explain each candle. One is 1. the Patriarchs  2. the Prophets  3. John the Baptist and  4. the Virgin Mary.  Another one is 1. Hope  2. Peace  3. Love  4. Joy.  Still another one is to combine those first two together (for example, lighting the candle of Love for the Virgin Mary).  

Why is one of the candles pink? As I mentioned, we love to assign meaning to things and so we have come to associate pink with the Virgin Mary (pink for girls?) 🙂  This doesn’t make much sense considering that the pink candle is lit on the Sunday when we talk about John the Baptist. The pink candle was simply the Roman Catholic Church’s way of giving people and clergy a break from the strain of the penitential season (they do this one Sunday in Lent as well).  The Third Sunday of Advent, when we light the pink candle, is called “Gaudete Sunday” (it means “Rejoice”) and comes from the fact that the first word of the Introit for that Sunday is Gaudete (Gaudete in Domino semper, or “rejoice in the Lord always.”) 

 The Colour of Advent:

Purple: Purple is the color of royalty, which was most commonly used in the Byzantine religious icons. It is intended to show the glory of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God.  It is not surprising, then, that in our seasons of waiting for our King – and for our King to “open the kingdom of heaven to all believers” (Te Deum), the traditional colour we see is purple.  It has come to represent, therefore, waiting and preparation – especially with penitential self-reflection during these times.

 Dark-blue and blue: In icon writing, these colours indicate the infiniteness of the sky and, therefore indicate another everlasting world. Blue is also used to indicate humanity. This is, therefore, an appropriate choice to mark our time of waiting for the King who is both fully human and fully divine. Dark blue was considered the color of the Mother of God who combines in her self both the terrestrial and celestial. The backgrounds of mural paintings in many Byzantine churches dedicated to the Mother of God are filled with a celestial dark blue.

 Which one to use: Many churches have increasingly chosen to use blue during Advent simply to be different from Lent when we emphasize the penitential aspect of that season’s time of waiting. In terms of historical use, the medieval church in England mostly used violet/blue during Advent and unbleached linen during Lent. Both blue and violet are appropriate and accepted choices for Advent so it really depends on your local tradition. The important thing to remember is that, during Advent, we mark with joy the coming of Christ in his Incarnation and, even more, we anticipate with hope his return bringing the fullness of God’s kingdom on earth as in heaven.

For Your Devotions:

Tuesday, December 3rd is the commemoration of Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East, died in 1552.  He was born into nobility and went to France to study at the University of Paris. In 1529, a student by the name of Ignatius of Loyola was assigned to room with Francis and the rest is history, as they say. Ignatius recruited Francis to be one of the seven original Jesuits and his call led him to both India and Japan. He reportedly baptized about 30 000 people in his short career. The zealous missionary succumbed to a fever, at just 46 years of age, on his way to attempt entry into China. More info:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Francis-Xavier

 Wednesday, December 4th is the commemoration of Nicholas Ferrar, a deacon who died in 1637. He was the founder of a religious community near Little Gidding in Huntingdon, England. When his family arrived at Little Gidding, it consisted of a derelict manor-house and a chapel that was being used as a hay barn. Nicholas died at the young age of 45 and, just 9 years later, the community was forcibly disbanded by the Puritans of Cromwell’s army. However, the community’s devotion to living the Gospel lived on. The Gregorian website notes: “The community became an important symbol for many Anglicans when religious orders began to revive. Its life inspired T.S. Eliot, and he gave the title, “Little Gidding,” to the last of his Four Quartets, one of the great religious poems of the twentieth century.” More info:  http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/295.html

Thursday, December 5th is the commemoration of Clement of Alexandria, died about 210.  Clement was born to pagan parents but became the well-known Christian intellectual leader of Alexandria. He combatted Gnostic heresy in his writings but used Greek ideas that caused others to question his orthodoxy. His “Christian Gnostic” sounded a little too close to actual Gnosticism for some but his ideas actually set the stage for the blossoming of monasticism in the Egyptian desert not long after his death. For more info:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Clement-of-Alexandria

Friday, December 6th is the commemoration of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, died about 342. Hey, it’s Santa! Well, sort of… Nicholas was born into wealth and was well-known for his generosity. He was also known for his defence of orthodox Christianity against Arianism (the denial that Jesus was God incarnate. Arians believed Jesus was simply another creature created by God.) For more info, check this out:   https://orthodoxwiki.org/Nicholas_of_Myra

Saturday, December 7th is the memorial of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, who died in 397. He was born into a powerful Roman family and was well into a great career in politics when life abruptly changed – the people wanted him to be their next bishop and he wasn’t even baptized yet! Ambrose was an influential figure in the Church during a time of rampant political finagling and intrigue. Fascinating to read about!  It is thanks to Ambrose that the Church gained Augustine of Hippo among its ranks. Because of his amazing work as bishop, we celebrate Ambrose today – on the anniversary of his ordination – rather than on the day he died.  This is a highly unusual move in terms of calendar observances. For more info:    https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/ambrose-of-milan.html

In the hope of Christ,

Susan