Notes and thoughts for Advent 3 St Lucy day 13 December 2020 . For us here at Wesley Fremantle we are through our worship exploring the Christmas stories and traditions from around the world that have given rise to many of those wonderful and colourful experiences. Many of the sources of the stories and their Christian heritage are not well known This year two of our four Advent Sundays are particular saints days December 6th is Saint Nicholas day The story of St Nicholas, the Red Sock and Gold Coins Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas looks like this in the East—in Orthodox tradition and for Eastern Rite Catholics. This is how a bishop looks in the Eastern Church—and it is the way Bishop Nicholas would have looked (he lived before the Eastern and Western churches split). Nicholas was Greek and lived in Asia Minor, an area that is now in Turkey. St. Nicholas is a Father of the Faith in the Eastern Church. Bishop Nicholas attended the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea Red Sock The story of the very poor farmer and his three daughters all of whom needed a dowry and how St Nicholas provided for them all by giving gold coins which were thrown through an opening in the farmer’s house and the first time landed in the red sock drying beside the fire. In some versions of the story the gold landed in stockings drying before the fire (in others it was shoes—so European children put shoes out for St. Nicholas treats). This is the origin of hanging stockings for Santa to fill. Gold Coins Gold coins, real or chocolate, represent gold Nicholas tossed through the window to rescue three young women from a life of servitude, or even prostitution. Gold is the most common symbol for Saint Nicholas. Crozier Croziers are a common symbol for a bishop. They represent a shepherd’s staff, and are a visible reminder of bishops’ responsibility to care for people as the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep. A crozier is a symbol for St. Nicholas, a reminder of the care he had for people. December 6 is St Nicholas’s day and the whole story about this man born during the 3rd century who became the Bishop of Myra was the origin of the red stocking, the gold coins in netting and also the legend of Santa Claus December 13 Our Eucharist Sunday is Saint Lucy’s Day . St Lucia was martyred for faith in 304 because she would secretly bring food to persecuted Christians in Rome She would wear candles on her head so that she would have her hands free to carry more food and supplies . Lucy means light In Sweden there are very big celebrations and processions with young girls dressed as Lucy and we will be telling her story in worship on Sunday 13th December St Lucy’s Day Around Christmas time in Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations is St. Lucia's Day (or St. Lucy's Day) on December 13th. The celebration comes from stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden. St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means 'light' so this is a very appropriate name. December 13th was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old 'Julian' Calendar and a pagan festival of lights in Sweden was turned into St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia's Day is now celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with a red sash round her waist and a crown of candles on her head. Small children use electric candles but from about 12 years old, real candles are often used! The crown is made of Lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolise new life in winter. Schools normally have their own St. Lucia's and some town and villages also choose a girl to play St. Lucia in a procession where carols are sung. A national Lucia is also chosen. Lucias also visit hospitals and old people's homes singing a song about St Lucia and handing out 'Pepparkakor', ginger snap biscuits. Small children sometimes like dressing up as Lucia (with the help of their parents!). Also boys might dress up as 'Stjärngossar' (star boys) and girls might be 'tärnor' (like Lucia but without the candles). A popular food eaten at St. Lucia's day are 'Lussekatts', St Lucia's day buns flavored with saffron and dotted with raisins which are eaten for breakfast. St Lucia's Day first became widely celebrated in Sweden in the late 1700s. St Lucia's Day is also celebrated in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Bosnia, and Croatia. In Denmark it is more a of a children's day and in some part of Italy, children are told that St Lucy brings them presents. They leave out a sandwich for her and the donkey that helps carry the gifts! Comments on John 1:6-8, 19-28 and 1 1Thessalonians 5:16-24 Some notes and comments from a range of scholars who again point us to see the uniqueness of the writer of the Gospel of John and the way in which the story of John sets the scene of pointing to the coming Christ . This is the true theme of Advent and call us to show our commitment to how we in our lives are witnessing to Christ Thessalonians probably the first book in terms of date of the New Testament . brings us to the whole nature of how we live in community . The series of recent writings by Hugh Mackay a gifted social commentator and Christian add to the images and values expressed by Paul in the reading for Advent 3 But let us return to the Gospel text to begin these notes In the Synoptic Gospels, John the Baptist is a prophet who has an important ministry in his own right. He calls people to repentance and eventually dies as a martyr for daring to confront petty earthly tyrants with the word of the Lord. But in John, for the most part, he just points people to Jesus. The text for today tells us more about who John wasn’t than about who he was: he wasn’t the light; he wasn’t the Messiah; he wasn’t Elijah; he wasn’t the prophet.” Who, then, was he? He was a witness (John 1:7) and he was a voice (John 1:23), albeit a voice telling people to prepare for someone else, someone whose sandal thong John was unworthy to untie (John 1:28). There are probably historical reasons for this subordination. Many of the commentaries discuss various versions of a theory that John’s significance had to be downplayed in some segments of the church because his followers had become competitors with the followers of Jesus. Thus, John himself is represented as directing his followers to Jesus and as declaring that “he must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Whatever political struggles might have influenced the Fourth Gospel’s presentation of events, the account we have before us offers a different nuance than what we encountered in Mark. That is what seems most important to the writer of our Fourth Gospel: it is not just what he says about Jesus that is important, but how he says it. John is a witness (martyría; John 1:7) who testifies (martyréo; John 1:7, 19) to the good news of Jesus Christ. Those two words are used more than forty-five times in John’s Gospel and are expressive of what many consider to be a central theme of the work. They have their origin in a legal context and, so, imply public testimony to something that one guarantees is absolutely true. When a witness testifies to something, he or she stakes his or her life on it; a “false witness” commits perjury, a capital offense. This, of course, explains the origin of our English word martyr: a witness who suffers the ultimate consequence when his or her public testimony is deemed false. John is only the first of many to testify on behalf of Jesus in this Gospel (see, e.g., John 4:39; 5:36, 37, 39; 12:17; 15:26, 27). Like the man whose name was John, the church is sent into today’s world as a witness. So, focusing specifically on the text for Advent 3, we may characterize this witness as public, certain, and humble. These qualities are in tension with the spirit of our age. Most people today regard religion as a private matter and do not want to hear about someone else’s particular beliefs. Certainty is also shunned in these postmodern times; we are all victims of our own perspectives: who can ever know for sure whether anything is true or not? Still, we are audacious enough to believe that the gospel is true, and that it must be proclaimed boldly — publicly and confidently. The trick is to bear witness to this truth with humility. For John, that meant directing people away from himself and toward Jesus. Notice how people try not to let him do that. “Who are you? What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:22).