It must have been hard to get a "take" they could put on t.v.! The live audience is sure having fun though. Tim Conway is ad-libbing a long tale about an elephant, preventing the skit from progressing :
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Advent Candles Tradition
Our little community church is not very liturgical, but we do have an informal observance of Advent that leads up to a special Christmas eve service. Because Advent was never a significant part of my previous church experience, I did some research. The traditions vary quite a bit in various churches and denominations. Some are more heavily laden with symbolism and iconic representations than others.
These excerpts convey our church's experience of the season as I understand it:
The light (itself) reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6). The progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and the shadows of sin falling away as more and more light is shed into the world. ...
Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the promise of long ago has been realized.
The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope. This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of a Messiah that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. As God’s people were abused by power hungry kings, led astray by self-centered prophets, and lulled into apathy by half-hearted religious leaders, there arose a longing among some for God to raise up a new king who could show them how to be God’s people. They yearned for a return of God’s dynamic presence in their midst. And of course now it represents our hope in the ultimate Advent. ...
It is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise and his wife Sarah who tries to take matters into her own hands. Jacob, the cheat who struggles with everybody and Leah, who participates in deception to become his first wife. Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen. Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Rahab, the turncoat harlot. Gideon, the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great empire.
It never ceases to amaze me why God could not have chosen "better" people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He might be able to use me, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking in faith that I am. And it means that I need to be careful that I do not in my own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season.
These excerpts convey our church's experience of the season as I understand it:
The light (itself) reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6). The progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and the shadows of sin falling away as more and more light is shed into the world. ...
Finally, the light that has come into the world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice over the fact that the promise of long ago has been realized.
The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope. This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of a Messiah that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. As God’s people were abused by power hungry kings, led astray by self-centered prophets, and lulled into apathy by half-hearted religious leaders, there arose a longing among some for God to raise up a new king who could show them how to be God’s people. They yearned for a return of God’s dynamic presence in their midst. And of course now it represents our hope in the ultimate Advent. ...
It is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise and his wife Sarah who tries to take matters into her own hands. Jacob, the cheat who struggles with everybody and Leah, who participates in deception to become his first wife. Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen. Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Rahab, the turncoat harlot. Gideon, the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great empire.
It never ceases to amaze me why God could not have chosen "better" people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He might be able to use me, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking in faith that I am. And it means that I need to be careful that I do not in my own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season.
Interesting reading this morning...
Here are some articles I read this morning that moved, challenged and inspired me:
1. The Power of Hope:
I'm giving a short testimonial on the topic of Hope at church this Sunday. This is in conjunction with the Advent tradition that lights a series of candles each Sunday leading up to Christmas and each candle represents certain keys within the Christian faith. I came across this article that reveals how powerful and essential hope is as we confront the terrifying realities of life - in this case, spinal chord injury:
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5171
2. Wisdom and Miracles:
A physician takes a closer look at claims of "miracle healings" and reminds us of the importance of truth. And the fact that ultimately all healing, whether through medicine or otherwise, is still a miracle.
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5160
3. Better Good News:
Some interesting thoughts about presenting the Good News in a wider context beyond the method popularized in guilt-based Western culture.
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5169
1. The Power of Hope:
I'm giving a short testimonial on the topic of Hope at church this Sunday. This is in conjunction with the Advent tradition that lights a series of candles each Sunday leading up to Christmas and each candle represents certain keys within the Christian faith. I came across this article that reveals how powerful and essential hope is as we confront the terrifying realities of life - in this case, spinal chord injury:
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5171
2. Wisdom and Miracles:
A physician takes a closer look at claims of "miracle healings" and reminds us of the importance of truth. And the fact that ultimately all healing, whether through medicine or otherwise, is still a miracle.
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5160
3. Better Good News:
Some interesting thoughts about presenting the Good News in a wider context beyond the method popularized in guilt-based Western culture.
http://www.christianity.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=5169
Monday, November 26, 2007
How to make a zine
I just wanted to keep this one handy because I could use this to make checklists for the a/c:
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Art of Protest
Sixth street is a corridor in San Francisco's South of Market Area (SOMA), where the city tries to contain much of it's homeless and poverty-related problems. Local residents are often heard asking the city to please apply the same standards of law-enforcement here as they do in the swankier neigbourhoods. But they don't. So drug usage and pimping and other activities are allowed to go on here - within certain limits anyway, so that the rest of the neighborhoods can be kept "cleaner." Sounds a little like the mess Vancouver created with its east end of Hastings.
Anyway, our mission outpost 'church' / activity center was smack in the middle of the 6th street corridor. And down the block at the corner of Howard, we saw this building that has been converted to a protest-work of art. I forget the exact story, but Lynn Kopec has supplied it:
The original building had a fire in it in the 80's and had to be closed down. The owner did not want to do the repairs, so did not re-open the doors. As the homeless problem increased, he was asked to reopen the hotel and allow people to live there. He said no and actually was quoted as saying "why don't they just move the homeless, they can be homeless in Idaho". As a result, several people broke into the hotel and created the "work of art" using furniture etc from the hotel. The owner has allowed it to stay that way, but it still remains empty.
It's unique and artful way to express a point!
Anyway, our mission outpost 'church' / activity center was smack in the middle of the 6th street corridor. And down the block at the corner of Howard, we saw this building that has been converted to a protest-work of art. I forget the exact story, but Lynn Kopec has supplied it:
The original building had a fire in it in the 80's and had to be closed down. The owner did not want to do the repairs, so did not re-open the doors. As the homeless problem increased, he was asked to reopen the hotel and allow people to live there. He said no and actually was quoted as saying "why don't they just move the homeless, they can be homeless in Idaho". As a result, several people broke into the hotel and created the "work of art" using furniture etc from the hotel. The owner has allowed it to stay that way, but it still remains empty.
It's unique and artful way to express a point!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Fwd: Great Comebacks
I'm not pro or anti Bush, but just because I hear an imbalance of Anti-Bush remarks, I thought I'd post these to help balance the scale. I personally like the third one (which isn't about bush-bashing at all).
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'
It became very quiet in the room.
************************************************************
Then there was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?'
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'
Once again, dead silence.
*************************************************************
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.
You could have heard a pin drop
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