St. John’s is the oldest Anglican parish church in Toronto and will be celebrating its 200^th anniversary in 2016. In preparation for continued service to the community, it recently completed a $1.6 million renovation. In doing so, it has realized its dream for new gathering and worship spaces that are both welcoming and reverential.

Although many renovations and two extensions had taken place over the years, the main portion of the building – the sanctuary – had changed very little. Updating it for the 21^st century was a labour of love for the congregation. It was also important so that St. John’s could accommodate its growing programs for children and teens.

The church building is now refreshed, refurbished and re-imagined after nearly nine months of construction work, during which time the congregation worshipped in the basement auditorium. The renovated and brightened foyer is very welcoming, and the new social area and meeting room, still called the Garnsworthy Room (after the late Archbishop Lewis Garnsworthy), has been conveniently re-located to just off the entrance to the church; it now has a much larger kitchen. The beautiful sanctuary seems bigger than before, and the light and brightness is uplifting to all who enter.

On the morning of the rededication, the chancel was busy with musicians – choirs, worship team, band, bell choirs and young chimers. The children led the congregation in singing “Standing on the Promises of God.” All joined together to raise prayers to God in thanksgiving for the newly renovated church, His home, which is now more accessible and open.

Archbishop Colin Johnson presided over the rededication service. It was encouraging to hear him speak about how the new space was already being used; he referred to the church as a place for worship and learning. Also during the service, the Rev. Canon Dr. Drew MacDonald, incumbent, extended the congregation’s appreciation to those involved in the renovation.

St. John, York Mills is a teaching church, and now it has a more congenial space to hold its many events. On Nov. 1, the Leading Children’s Ministry Conference, held in the new space, was able to livestream the sessions on the Internet because of the technical updates; this enabled more people to benefit from the conference, even though they could not attend in person. With the front pews now replaced with chairs, and the new technology, St. John’s will be able to host and record a wider variety of musical and theatrical events.

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The Anglican Church has tried to maintain the season of Advent, the four Sundays prior to Christmas, as a time of preparation for the birth of the Christ-child. Advent means “the coming,” and we leave the singing of Christmas songs during this period to the broadcast industry and the marketplace. There are a number of beautiful Advent hymns that we sing during this season, remembering that music is an important part of our worship.

The ancient Hebrew people were also aware of the importance of music, and they produced the Psalter as the songbook of the temple worship. That book, which we know more commonly as the Psalms, is a remarkable book of prayers, meditations and poems about their God and what He meant to their daily life.

The Psalms are probably the most varied collection of writings in scripture, having been composed over a period of 1,000 years. Some may actually date back to King David and his son Solomon. Others were written during the exilic period (586 BCE and later). Some were post-exilic, written after 538 BCE, when the Hebrew people returned to Jerusalem. As such, the Psalms give us a good overview of the developing theology of these ancient people.

The longest Psalm is the 119^th, covering some 176 verses. Each stanza begins with a succeeding letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The shortest is the 117th. It has only two verses. The most popular Psalm is probably the 23rd. Most people in my age bracket learned this Psalm by rote, either in public school (when that was allowed!) or in Sunday school. I remember visiting my father-in-law for the last time in hospital. He was a cradle Anglican, attending church as a young child in his native Ireland, a practice that his family continued when they migrated to Canada when he was a young teen. His first request to me in the hospital that day was to read to him the 23rd Psalm. As I began to read, he said the words along with me without missing a word. At the end of the Psalm, he had that appearance of absolute peace and contentment. He knew the Good Shepherd, he knew where he was going, and he had absolute faith in the power of God in these last hours. He died shortly after we left the hospital that day, but he did so in the sure and certain hope of his place in heaven. That is the power of the 23rd Psalm for many of us!

My personal favourite is the 84th Psalm, having written a term paper on this Psalm over 50 years ago in seminary. This is one of the processional Psalms written for a major harvest festival. As I read this Psalm, I could visualize the priest and people singing it as they wound their way through the streets of Jerusalem, making their way up to the majestic temple. Here they would celebrate the great festival of harvest, singing a number of these harvest Psalms.

If you haven’t read the Psalms lately, I would urge you to do so, especially in preparation for the birth of the Christ-child. Start with the 84th Psalm, and then proceed to the “Kingship Psalms” of 93 to 99. These are the ones set aside to be sung through our Christmas day services. You may also look at Psalm 100, one of the Praise Psalms, and then conclude with your favourite, Psalm 23, or whatever one you prefer.

If you attend a church that traditionally sings these Psalms week by week, then you are most fortunate. We have a couple of young people who are cantors and they sing the Psalm for us each week. Fortunately, we also have a music director who will get the best out of his students. The congregation enters in with the refrain and it is most beautiful. We use the music setting composed by the late Dr. George Black, who was my professor of church music at Huron College many years ago. This music is especially for the Psalter, according to the BAS. These Psalms were the hymn book of the ancient people, can we do less? Enjoy the dialogue and have a holy Advent and a blessed Christmas.

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Jerry Howarth, long-time radio broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays and a parishioner of St. Philip, Etobicoke, gave the keynote address. Mr. Howarth spoke about his spiritual journey, including the many people who have shaped his life as a Christian.

Among them was Gary Lavelle, a born-again Christian and pitcher for the Blue Jays in 1985. “When I heard Gary speak so lovingly and personally and so genuinely about his love for Jesus Christ, I began to tune in,” said Mr. Howarth, who grew up in a Catholic household.

At Mr. Lavelle’s suggestion, Mr. Howarth bought a Bible and began to read one Proverb each day. “The seed was planted. I didn’t know where it was going, but I liked that relationship with Christ that Gary had,” said Mr. Howarth.

Mr. Howarth also spoke about his favourite biblical verse, Romans 3:23: “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“We all fall short of the glory of God,” he said. “I do every day. But in the big picture, the seeds have been planted, and I try to love, praise and serve the Lord with my life, my career, the friends that I have right here, the people that I’m talking to right now. That’s my journey.”

The Rev. Canon Allan Budzin, incumbent of St. Philip, Etobicoke, introduced Mr. Howarth, his friend of many years. “Not many folks know that throughout the season, Jerry offers each broadcast not only to the Blue Jays fans, but also to God. Jerry Howarth is a man who practices his Christian faith with as much dedication as he practices his craft,” said Canon Budzin.

Bishop Philip Poole, area bishop of York-Credit Valley, thanked everyone for attending and supporting the work of the Bishop’s Company. He spoke about the importance of the Bishop’s Company in helping clergy and their families in ways they could never imagine.

The silent auction, with items ranging from Toronto Raptors tickets to a Book of Common Prayer signed by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, raised $4,300.

The dinner was sponsored by Hugessen Consulting, Ward Funeral Homes and Turner & Porter Funeral Directors, along with 18 supporting parishes.

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The opportunity will arise at the Vital Church Planting Conference, to be held at St. Paul, Bloor Street from Jan. 29 to 31. The last day of the conference – a Saturday – is specially designated for teams of laity.

Co-sponsored by the Diocese of Toronto and the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism, the conference offers an exploration of fresh expressions of church and church planting.

If anyone looks at the changing culture and feels helpless or confused and wonders about the future of the church, they will find this conference encouraging and educational, says the Rev. Ryan Sim, one of the organizers.

“They will learn about exciting things that are happening in Canada to reach new people, and they will learn some of the steps that have brought about those new forms of church,” he says.

In previous years, the conference looked to the United Kingdom for inspiration, since the Fresh Expression movement began there. However, this year there is a change.

“Enough is happening in Canada in terms of fresh expressions of church and people pioneering new forms of ministry to reach new people that we can have an entirely Canadian focus,” says Mr. Sim, who is the priest-in-charge of Redeemer, Ajax, and a church planter himself.

The conference will showcase a variety of fresh expressions of church, new church plants and other pioneering forms of ministry that are happening across Canada. It will include plenary sessions and workshops.

Providing education and support to lay people is important because many fresh expressions of church bubble up from the grassroots and are led and sustained by lay people.

Although the Saturday will be devoted to lay people who come in parish teams or individually, clergy are also encouraged to take part. Jared Seibert will be the speaker for the day. The parish teams will get together for hands-on practice of some of the skills they will need to start something new back home.

One focus will be on missional listening. Teams will be sent out to walk the neighbourhood around St. Paul’s, to understand its context and what God is doing there. Then they will return to the church and discuss the trends and needs they see in the community, and consider how to serve those needs in a way that builds community and makes disciples.

“I hope people will walk away from this conference saying, ‘I know how to do that now,’” says Mr. Sim. “I hope it’s not just passive learning, in terms of listening to a speaker and then going to a workshop where they listen to another speaker. They’re going to listen to a speaker and then try out what they’ve learned.”

“This conference will help them dream about some creative ways to spread that good news,” he says.

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That was one of the messages from an impassioned talk by Fr. Nadim Nassar, an Anglican priest from Syria who was speaking about the plight of Christians in the Middle East at St. James Cathedral on Oct. 30.

Fr. Nassar, who is based in London and is head of The Awareness Foundation, was in Syria the previous week and said the destruction and violence in his homeland is indescribable.

“My country is bleeding to death,” he said. “The violence and cruelty and monstrosity of it is beyond imagination. The despair and lack of hope, for both Muslims and Christians, is heart-stopping.”

Fr. Nassar was interviewed by Mark Kelley of CBC’s The Fifth Estate in front of a crowd of about 130 in Snell Hall. The event, held over the lunch hour, gave people a chance to hear about the war in Syria and to donate to The Awareness Foundation, an international Christian charity that provides programs of peace and reconciliation for young people in the Middle East.

Fr. Nassar said there is no future for Christians or any other religious minorities in Syria as long as nations continue to arm the warring factions and try to use force to stop groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

He said the violence is dividing the Middle East into sectarian nations, which will eventually squeeze out Christians and other religious minorities. This would be a disaster, he said, not only for the minorities but for the entire region.

“If it continues like this, all the minorities will vanish,” he said. “We don’t want to empty the Middle East of Christians and other minorities. Minorities are the glue that holds the Middle East together.” He reminded the audience that St. Paul had his conversion on the road to Damascus, the capital of Syria.

He had strong words for governments that are trying to stop groups such as ISIS with force. “ISIS cannot be defeated by force,” he said. “It can only be stopped by drying up the veins that feed it.”

In a question-and-answer session with the audience afterwards, he said ISIS has become such a powerful force in the region because governments in the Middle East are financing it. “Why is nobody asking who is supporting ISIS? All we hear is air strikes. Using air strikes to defeat ISIS is a joke. It won’t work. We need to stop the business of death now. No more ‘boots on the ground.’ No more force.”

He said the only thing that will stop the bloodshed and the rise of extremism, both in the Middle East and the rest of the world, is a concerted effort on the part of the regional and world powers to establish peace in the area. “Why isn’t anybody talking about a peace process among Syrians?” he asked. “Until that happens, we will continue to see war and the export of extremism and fanaticism. I say shame on the politicians. You should not arm people. It is evil. As long at this happens, there will be no peace.”

He pleaded with Christians in Canada to take action to bring about peace in the Middle East. “Help us. Ask your politicians the difficult questions they don’t want to answer.” He also asked the audience to financially support The Awareness Foundation. “We’re trying to rebuild trust in the region. If you want to be a light in the world, support us. We need help to run programs for young people and children that will bring hope back into their lives.”

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In September, we brought Verity to church to baptize her and mark her as Christ’s own forever. In her baptism, as in all baptisms, she participated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Out of crucifixion comes resurrection, out of death comes new life. In her baptism, as in all baptisms, God gave her the gift of membership into a wider Christian family. As Archbishop Rowan Williams is fond of saying, baptism brings you into the neighbourhood of other Christians.

In his recent book, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, Archbishop Williams notes that the New Testament is very clear that being with Jesus is to be in the neighbourhood of other Christians. At every baptism, the gathered Christian community vows to do all in its power to support those who have just been baptized into their Christian journey. As an aside, I invite you to reflect on exactly how you live out that vow. So Verity is now a part of the great Christian family.

Three weeks before Verity’s baptism, our family gathered to celebrate the remarkable gift of life of Karen’s father. He had been ill for some time and died with courage and grace in the face of some very difficult health challenges. He was very clear he was ready to die; he wanted to die and was frustrated that he could not die. He shared with the family, who were by his side holding his hand as he breathed his last, that he had made his peace with God and prayed that God would receive him into life eternal. On what would be his last best day of health, he met his great-granddaughter at the hospital. What a precious moment that proved to be for all of our family. Birth and death. The cycle of life continues.

In a few days we will celebrate Christmas, the annual reminder of the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Many of us will celebrate with family and friends, enjoy good times and create new memories.

Jesus, God Incarnate, was born into a family. He was utterly dependent on Mary and Joseph to provide for his every need. It is amazing to reflect on the fact that God in Jesus was utterly dependent on his human parents for his very survival. The Divine relied on the human! Jesus would be raised in a family – a family of faith – and would be schooled in the Jewish traditions. He would learn to pray and to participate in the worship of God. In his family, he learned what mattered and reflected that in his adult life.

Christmas has become a kind of once-a-year “time out” in the midst of frenetically busy lives, to tend to those whom we can so easily take for granted. We live remarkably full and busy lives while complaining that we don’t have the time to do the things we want and be with the people we wish to be with. Life has a way of being taken for granted, as does the gift of family and our relationship with God. Often it takes a shock, either good or bad, to jolt us into reflection on what really matters. Family matters. Faith matters. Relationship matters.

I hope that Christmas will be a time for us to be very present to what truly matters in life – present to friends and family, present to the Christian community, present to the needs of others and, above all, present to God in Jesus Christ. May Christmas be a time to refocus and seek the balance in life for which many yearn. May it be a time for great thanksgiving for God`s gift of the cycle of life.

One final thought. At Christmas, God bent down and kissed the world with God’s love, expressed most fully in Jesus. God loves you unconditionally. God loves you, and told you so in the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

My observation is that while we love others deeply, some of us are reluctant to tell those closest to us that we love them. A bishop friend of mine in the United States is famous for telling everyone that he meets – and I do mean everyone – that he loves them. When he ends a phone conversation, a meeting, an interview or a social gathering, he tells each person, “I love you.” When I queried him about that practice, he said, “Well Phil, God has told us to love God, love others and love ourselves. I am just following what I have been asked to do.”

“I love you” are among the three most important words we can say. May I encourage you to tell someone you love that you love them, using your words and not just your actions. Saying “I love you” matters. At Christmas, God says that to us. Now whom do you need to tell that to this Christmas?

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