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CRUCIS Magazine of St CRUCIS Magazine of St. Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church Dundee December 2010 “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 In the Beginning… vestments, but it was everyone who came that supplied the warmth. They call it the “Little Ice Age” – a period of severe weather and low temperatures The stable in Bethlehem might have been a stretching from the Middle Ages to Victo- cold, dark place. However, God supplied rian times. The dark, cold and snowy win- the Light. And it was those who came and ters in Europe and North America during who crowded into the little stable that sup- that time gave us many of our cultural con- plied the warmth: the beasts, the shepherds cepts of how winters – and especially and their flock. Christmas – should be. Much of Western literature, art and music reflect a very dif- God draws us to Himself by signs large or ferent winter (and a very different Christ- small and sometimes miraculous; we are mas) from the one we usually experience. beings created to live in His light. However, Still we dream of a white Christmas – per- it is up to us to bring the warmth: to stand haps not so much like the ones we used to together, hearts moved and warmed, know, but certainly like the ones our great crowded round the cradle of the Light of the grandparents and more distant ancestors World. knew. Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a Trying to make economies with our gas and prosperous New Year, electricity consumption in church has re- cently introduced us to a continuing discus- Fr. Clive sion about funding for heating and an un- welcome level of discomfort in church, de- We are very sorry to hear that spite our attempts to mitigate the seasonal Bishop John Mantle died cold. It may not help much, but perhaps it is on Monday, 29 November, 2010. worth recalling that, when our church was built, winter was a much colder time by far than it is now – the “Little Ice Age” – and We offer our prayers for his soul St. Salvador’s had absolutely no means of and our thoughts are with heating whatsoever! his widow Gill and their children. Well, there WAS one form of heating. It is There will be an opportunity locally hinted at in some of our old photographs, to recall and celebrate his life and showing a crowded sanctuary and choir stalls, and pews in the nave packed with ministry. Details to follow. large families from the cramped tenements round about. St. Salvador’s supplied the May he rest in peace. light, with its candles, incense, music and Sermon preached by the Rector on the First Sunday of Advent, 28 November, 2010 “Let us lay aside the works of darkness and ing ahead with yearning toward Christ’s put on the armour of light; let us live hon- return and the final establishment of His ourably as in the day, not in revelling and Kingdom is one of this season’s most im- drunkenness, not in debauchery and licen- portant themes. We are encouraged to yearn tiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.” for it and to prepare for it. Romans 13: 12b, 13 By the way, Jesus' words in today's Gospel The word “advent” is from the Latin, mean- warn us against any speculation about His ing “to come”. During the four weeks be- return. No one knows the hour or the time fore Christmas, the Church throughout the when these things will come to pass. We world calls on its members to focus on the aren't meant to know. Christ will return coming of Christ. We are invited to prepare when we don't expect, like a burglar in the ourselves for Christ’s appearing not once, night. We'll all be engaged in our every day not twice, but three times. tasks when He arrives to usher in His King- dom. That's the way He wants it to be. At Obviously in the weeks leading up to that time, we shall be accountable to Him Christmas, we are preparing spiritually to for our lives, both those who are still alive celebrate God's coming into our world in at His appearing, and those who have died Christ at Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. In before His return, both “the quick (that is, the next four weeks we shall hear again the the living) and the dead”. With Him, to- yearning of the Prophets of the Old Testa- gether with everyone we love and have ever ment as they looked toward Christ’s appear- loved, we shall form a community - a king- ing. We shall listen to John the Baptist as dom - that will have no end. In preparation he, seeing the dawning of Christ’s Kingdom for His judgement of us, we re-focus our- at hand, called men and women to penitence selves now. Advent is a season of spiritual and preparation. When Christ first came to seriousness. Bethlehem so long ago He came in all hu- mility to bring in the Kingdom. Later, He This is particularly the case when we con- died to prove His kingship and then He rose sider Christ’s third coming. Unlike the other again to establish His reign. All of this was two, it is not a public, but a personal, com- done in front of witnesses. This was ing. It happens between Christ’s first com- Christ’s first coming. We are preparing our- ing at the dawn of salvation and His final selves to celebrate it with awe and wonder, coming as Judge at the end of time. Christ’s and to be witnesses ourselves of the miracle third coming is his appearance to us indi- of the Incarnation – the revealing of God vidually and together as we journey toward through our human nature in Jesus Christ. the City of God. He comes to us on the road, sometimes at first unrecognised, but Christ’s second coming too will not be hid- making Himself known to all who want to den. Indeed, the Scripture says that “every remain in His company and follow Him. He eye shall see him” and “they shall look on comes neither in humility nor in majesty, him whom they have pierced”. He will re- but with power to transform us into His im- turn in majesty to share His Kingdom with age, if we will let Him. Advent is a time to us. In Advent we are called to reflect upon cast off darkness and to put on light, to re- our belief that, in the words of the Nicene move everything that stands in the way of Creed, our Lord “shall come again with Christ’s coming into our lives to make us glory to judge both the quick and the dead: like Himself. Whose kingdom shall have no end”. Look- 2 The Epistle reading today should be consid- ousness. That’s why there is a penitential ered in that context. We all need to “pull atmosphere in the Church’s services and life our socks up”. St. Paul’s words are not in- over the weeks leading up to Christmas. tended to scold non-believers who are bus- Among the first Christians Christmas was ily partying during this pre-Christmas sea- one of the few times of year when Baptism son of spiritual seriousness; the Apostle’s was administered. What this meant was that words are intended for those of us who are the weeks preceding the festival, while eve- looking for Christ, but do not see Him, or ryone else partied, in the Church it was a who are following Him, but not very well. It time of intense spiritual preparation of the is entirely appropriate that we in the Church baptismal candidates. Nurturing these new- should take today’s Epistle reading to heart. comers was the responsibility of the whole Christians should exercise some self-control local congregation, so a sense of spiritual and self-denial until Christmas. That we preparation took hold of the whole Christian should expect the same of non-believers, community leading up to Christmas. There- however, is unreasonable. Let them get on fore Advent was – and still is – a time of with their partying – we have a different particular spiritual seriousness for all mem- agenda. It is nothing less than allowing bers of the Church. Christ to come into our lives and change them. During the season that lies immediately ahead of us, the task of the Christian com- It is a mistake to assume that the celebra- munity on earth, the Church in the world tions all around us during this time of year today, remains basically what it has always have ever had much to do with Christ, and been. We show Christ to others by allowing that all the excesses associated with Christ- Him to come into our lives, and make us mas are only happening because the Church truly citizens of the Kingdom that Christ at has failed. The truth is that almost every His first coming proclaimed and at His final culture in the northern hemisphere since coming will finally establish. We show our- time began has had some sort of celebration selves as belonging now to the Kingdom for at this time of year, often marked by quite which we await by any number of means excessive partying.
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