Canada

It's Christmas time and everywhere I look there are reminders, that for many, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour has become little more than a series of competitions that almost everyone is out to win. Competitions for the best gifts inclusive of gift wrapping, the best tree, and the best indoor and outdoor decorations. There are further competitions as to who has the best ugly sweater, throws the best parties, and cooks the best dinner.

"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." - Henri Nouwen.

Being the Justice and Reconciliation Mobilizer for the CRCNA is a position that demands, “heroic rebelliousness, humility, compliance and gratitude for the opportunity.”* I recently started reading this tiny but mighty book called, Towards Braiding which basically wrote about my experience in this role of raising the profile of and improving the church’s relationship to Indigenous-Settler responsibilities. The book was written as a result of experiences in a different institutional setting though. 

Different names for Christ are abundant in scripture. “Christ” comes from the Greek and “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew, and both mean “the Anointed One.” Jesus is called the Bread of Life (1 John 2:1), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), the Word of God (Revelations 19:13).

This year, as we meditate on the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Advent season, we also want to take time to meditate on how Scripture names Jesus and the implications those names have for our Christian witness in the world. In Matthew 1:21-23, the apostle writes:

“Throughout most of human history, people have lived as tribal groups in small villages in relatively isolated areas… A radical transformation of all human societies occurred when the European explorers discovered the Western Hemisphere… European languages replaced tribal languages in many lands, first French and then English became the tongue of the civilized world, of diplomacy and trade, and finally of the accepted expressions of civilized values.”  - Vine Deloria Jr.[1]

He has planted me and made me his own.  Fed by the gentle waters of his spirit, I beg him by faith to prune me as he will, to let me grow tall and broad, lit by the sun to bear his everlasting fruit unto the unending day of the new creation.  - Andrew Peterson 

 "Unexpected wonders happen, not on schedule, or when you expect or want them to happen, but if you keep hanging around, they do happen. -Wendell Berry

Miners work in inhumane conditions for the materials for electric cars

Mining for the elements needed for electric cars is problematic for how human rights abuses continue in these mining operations.  In Democratic Republic of Congo for example, stories about harsh working conditions for informal cobalt mines are common.  Where one injustice is addressed, another crops up, so we pray:

“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? NOW! What do we want…” I heard, as I walked through the heart of downtown Ottawa. The cries of a nation in uproar and disgust at yet another death of an innocent body; a person who continually had experienced disregard and distrust in a system where they were trodden on, discriminated against, and continually and systemically put at a disadvantage in this society.  

Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery. - Hannah Coulter

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105