On the first Sunday of Advent Lakeview United Church was well and beautifully dressed for the season, thanks to the dedication of our wonderful volunteers. After worship, a group was talking about their plans to decorate their homes. Some were going to start that day and make it an Advent celebration. Others were bursting to share their traditions of decorating inside and outside, and when the Christmas tree usually went up in their house. A few proudly told stories of special items—an angel that always topped the tree, a snowman that greeted visitors just inside the front door, a Christmas runner that topped the dining room table.
Did I mention that all the people talking with anticipation and delight were adults?
Yes, this is the season when adults let their guard down just a little, to play with the season and its toys. We relax into a home décor that we create from our homemade children’s tree ornaments, well worn centerpieces for the table that often sit slightly askew after several decades of use, liberal amounts of sparkle and sequins and glitter, and a colour scheme (if we can call it that) that may or may not match the rest of our home. But we like it that way. We like it just fine! Because attached to all these things are memories from our lives that are precious—joyous, sad, funny, comforting—they are all precious memories.
That same Sunday after church, our children were rushing from their Sunday program to rehearse their upcoming pageant that tells the Christmas story in a special way. They hurriedly unloaded their arms laden with things from Sunday school. I saw the United Church Advent Calendars that our congregation had purchased to give them. And then I saw something else—the beginnings of a Christmas crèche. It was easy to imagine how that might become another treasured item to unpack each year, and another way the story at the heart of Christmas would be with them.
Good people, we are in a deep partnership with parents and grandparents to nurture children with the Christmas story. And no one else is doing it. Only congregations. This is holy work in the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We are passing on this story every way we can imagine, so that when these young lives mature, they will know what is the heart of Christmas. Then, each year, they will unpack their lights, snowmen, and trees with the same feelings that we have. But the most important things they will unpack will be those that tell the real story of Christmas—the most precious memory in which we all have a share. Thanks be to God for the privilege of this ministry with children and their families.
A blessed Advent and Christmas for you and those you love.
Rev. Diane J. Strickland.
Please scroll down for seasonal service times and dates.
And a big thank you from the Board for donations received this year for the Roof-Us Fund!
Advent, Christmas and Epiphany at Lakeview United Church
Sunday, December 4, 2011 10am ADVENT II
Holy Baptism, The Spiritual Practice of Christmas, White Gift Sunday
After worship, LUC Ladies Shortbread Sale
Sunday, December 11, 2011 10am ADVENT III
Bethlehem Road, A Christmas Musical Drama presented by Children, Youth, and the Young at Heart, led by Joan Greenfield
Sunday, December 18, 2011 10am ADVENT IV
I Hear the Prophet Callin’, A Seasonal Cantata offered by Lakeview United Church Choir, with instrumental ensemble.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 7pm The Longest Night
A gentle service of music, lessons, and Light for those who may need to steady their spirits at this season of the year.
Saturday, December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve
5pm A Family Service, Designed with children in mind
7pm Candlelit Service of Lessons and Carols, Holy Communion, Choir
Sunday, December 25, 2011 10am CHRISTMAS!
We celebrate the story together.
Sunday, January 1, 2011 10am NEW YEARS DAY!
The Seasons of our Lives Rev. Gerry Scharff, Guest Preacher
Sunday, January 8th, 2011 10am First Sunday after Epiphany
The Visit of the Magi Rev. Gerry Scharff, Guest Preacher
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