Friday Message and what's coming.

Friday Message

What's Coming!

December 7, 2018

Season: Advent

'Sharing the Light'

The Candle of Peace

Rev. Kathi's Message

Did you know that it is a challenge every year, as we prepare for Advent, to find the right candles for the wreath. For Sylvia to find the right size and the right colour of blue and to find 3 of them and a pink one that looks about the same size and shape, is not an easy task. And once we have them the question always remains: is the first candle – the hope candle – big enough, strong enough, or slow-burning enough to make it all the way through the season? The candle of hope is lit before all of the other candles. It burns through all the Advent services and on Christmas Eve, too. It burns the longest, and every year we get nervous that it won’t make it all the way to Christmas.

The hope candle burns the longest.

Isn’t that the way?

The thing about hope is that it requires a wait. If we’re already where we want to be, if the journey is already completed, there is nothing to hope for. If we’ve already arrived at the destination, there’s no need to hope. Hope and expectation are things of the journey, not of the arrival.

If we’ve arrived – if we’ve realized the goal – hope will have given way to reality. Promise will have been transformed into what was promised. Hope is the journey of expectation, waiting, and longing. Hope is refusal to give up when the wait drags on. Hope relies on the imagination to continue painting a clear picture of what is to come. Hope pushes us onward even when we’d rather give up.

Hope is messy. Difficulties arise. Troubles come. Roadblocks pop up. We never know how long the journey will take, though we continue anxiously trying to count down the minutes . What we do know is that unexpected difficulties make the whole thing take longer.

Hope burns the longest, and sometimes we wonder if we have enough hope to make it until the promise becomes a reality. Our endurance flickers. Our determination wavers. Our imagination gets cloudy. And we wonder if there’s enough hope to get us through.

When we light the candle of hope, we do not light it to illustrate our own ability to hope. When we light the candle of hope, we are reminded where our hope comes from. We are called to be a people of hope, not because we have some extra ability to remain hopeful but because we believe in the one who is the source of all hope. We hope because Christ is the hope of the world. And, when we can no longer hope on our own, we run to the one who will hope for us.

Our candles will flicker from time to time. As our hope burns longer, we will wonder if are able to keep going. Advent reminds us that we do not hope on our own. When we are unable to hope, Christ is our hope. When we’ve got nothing left to shine, Christ is our light.

May the hope of Christ be with us all, whether this Advent finds us with strong flames or smouldering wicks.

Peace,

Kathi

This Week at EMUC

Sunday December 9th:

10:00 am: Advent 2 - 'Peace' and White Gift ( unwrapped donations of food, gift cards or cash are collected for those in need in our community)

Hebrew Scripture: Isaiah 40: 1-11

Gospel: Mark 1: 1-8

Play: 'The Miracle of the Red Maple Leaf'

After service: Amnesty International Write for Rights Event

Tuesday December 11th:

2:00 pm: Advent Study Group

Wednesday December 12th

2:00 pm: Christmas Tea

6:45 pm: Prayers and Communion

7:30 pm: Advent Study Group

Thursday December 13th

7:00 pm: Chancel Choir

Next Sunday December 16th: Advent 3 - 'Joy' and 7 pm Candlelight Carol Service and Reception

Refugee Sponsorship Fundraising Appeal Update

Target: $ 10 000

Total amount raised to date: - $7,600

In the fall of 2015, Erin Mills United, Erindale United, and Streetsville United churches formed the Northwest Mississauga Constituent Group to become refugee sponsors with the United Church of Canada as our Sponsorship Agreement holder. At that time, we accepted the responsibility of fully supporting the sponsored refugee(s) for one year following their arrival in Canada. In order to meet our commitment, the Northwest Mississauga Constituent Group will require a further $40 000. Erin Mills United Church has set a target of $10 000 for this appeal. Thank you for your generous support.

What's Coming!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Come Join Us! All are Welcome!

Advent 2018

‘Sharing the Light’

Sunday Dec. 9 10 am. Advent 2 - ‘Peace’ & White Gift ( unwrapped donations of food, gift cards or cash are collected for those in need in our community)

Wednesday Dec. 12 2 pm. Christmas Tea (all are invited for Christmas tea & desserts, conversation & carol singing)

Sunday Dec. 16 10 am. Advent 3 - ‘Joy’

7 pm. Candlelight Carol Service & reception

Wednesday Dec. 19 7:00 pm. Service of Hope & Healing – a service for those struggling with loss in this season of celebration

Sunday Dec. 23 10 am. Advent 4 - 'Love'

Christmas Eve.

Monday Dec. 24 6:30 pm. Family Service

9 pm. Candlelight Communion Service

ADVENT STUDY GROUP

For those who want an opportunity to go a little deeper into Christmas, I am offering a 3-week small group seminar called Living Nativity, to start on December 4th. Focusing on the traditional creches that we bring out to decorate our homes and churches, we will take a closer look at the figures and how their presence in the story connects with our own spiritual journey. We will explore incarnation in the bigger picture of love and as a practice of cooperation. We will see how each figure can infuse the ordinary, and we will ask who is always in the story and never in the creche.

Our beloved figures take us deeply into the mystery of incarnation and the divine longing at the heart of “the hopes and fears of all the years.”

Each week there will be 2 opportunities to participate – a Tuesday afternoon session at 2pm and a Wednesday evening session at 7:30pm.

Please sign up on the sheet on the back bulletin board or contact Kathi or leave a message at (905)820-9466.

OUT OF THE COLD - Winter Coats, Jackets

As in previous years, we are collecting warm outer wear for the Open Door at Square One. There is a special need for kids’ snow pants. Please drop off your clean, in good repair items at the church. Thank you.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'WRITE FOR RIGHTS' EVENT

The Interfaith Peace and Justice Committee will mark International Human Rights Day on Sunday, December 9 with a “Write for Rights” event in support of prisoners of conscience and victims of harassment and human rights abuses around the world. Join us immediately following the service to write letters to government officials, send a card or note of support to prisoners of conscience to remind them that they are not alone, or sign a petition. This year’s cases focus on women’s rights activists who are being persecuted for standing up for human rights. Copies of this year’s cases are available in the narthex if you wish to prepare your letters ahead of time. Donations to cover the cost of postage will be gratefully received.

Sign up to participate on our public event page at: https://act.writeathon.ca/events/interfaith-peace-and-justice-write-for-rights

For further information on this event speak to any member of the committee: Dianne Hope, Muriel Hamdani, Hilton Jeffers, Debby Sturgeon, Larry Van Goozen.

LOAVES AND DISHES

Toutieres and shepherd's pies are ready for pickup in the EMUC kitchen after the service on Sunday.

Turkey pot pies will be available in January 2019. An order sheet is on the sign-up bulletin board at the back of the church. Please place your orders there.

' FUNDSCRIP' PROGRAM

FUNDSCRIP is an innovative fundraising program that asks you to purchase gift cards in order to pay for regular items you buy every month. A percentage of the cards purchased through FUNDSCRIP is donated back to our church.

Order forms for gift cards are available the last Sunday of every month. The next order date is this Sunday, December 16th. Speak to Joanne Hines if you have any questions about the program. This is the last time to order for Christmas!