Advent
/ Christmas
November - December 2005
St Francis of Assisi Parish Newsletter
Youth
Group – Botswana Outreach September 2005
Praying for church members after a service
St Francis of Assisi
Anglican Church, 373 Milner Street, Waterkloof, 0181 Tel. 012-346 1106/7,
Fax: 346 4226. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ForewordThis
is the third and final Newsletter of the year. The rhythm of three numbers
a year seems to be the easiest to handle for all concerned, so we’ll
probably keep to this formula next year. Do get writing and send in your
contributions for the Easter edition in mid-April. Our
main feature in this edition is the account of the Botswana Outreach
programme of the Youth Group, written in the form of a diary. Three
members of the Group and Liz Horne teamed up with members of the Brooklyn
Methodist church and their youth pastor, Dave Fiddler, to renovate a
church in Francistown and visit various children’s homes, thus
demonstrating solidarity with fellow Christians … and having a ball
while doing so. Many
thanks to Dave Tweedley and Copymart for once again printing, collating
and binding the hard copy of our Newsletter free of charge. Jill
Daugherty (Ed) From the Rector's Desk
My dear Parishioners, When Jenny
reminded me that my article for the “Christmas” edition of the
Franciscan was due – I seriously looked at her as though she had taken
leave of her senses. But, she was right, and I was forced to take a deep
breath and face the fact that ‘the season to be merry’ is indeed once
again upon us. (I could’ve sworn it was January not too long ago). ‘The season to
be merry’. A strange adjective to use, this word ‘merry’, in
a world where vast pockets of ‘misery’ exist. The truth is that, for
about 3 billion of the earth’s inhabitants, this season is absolutely
everything EXCEPT ‘merry’. ‘Well thank-you very much,’ you say
(perhaps crunching on your 15th mince pie if you are anything
like me) – ‘you have successfully disabled my Christmas spirit.’
Please keep on reading, this is not my intention. My aim is certainly not
to undo the fun and joy, the ‘merriness’ of the season, but perhaps it
would not be amiss of us to look at our ‘merriment’ and see just what
it is that enables us to celebrate the season in that vein. The OD (Oxford Dictionary) describes ‘merry’ in two ways:
Certainly that
word ‘joyous’, for me, best sums up why we are entitled to be
‘merry’, and certainly laughter and gaiety are a special
part of the season. But,
note, the OD does not include ‘frivolity’ in its descriptions. Nor
‘excessive wantonness’ – and that, I fear, is where the problem
lies. My understanding
of the season of Christmas is that our ‘merriness’, our ‘joyousness’
are responses to the Good News of Salvation wrought in us by the Christ
Child. And the hope and the grace that this brings to humankind. Sadly,
secular society, as we well know, hasn’t a clue as to this merriment
(perhaps this is not entirely true – for there exists a faint
recollection and awareness of the True Story through the digital Christmas
jingles and horrible plastic ivy), but by and large the merriment enjoyed
is of a hedonistic, deeply indulgent nature. And that, I fear, is
about as relevant and helpful to the Christian cause as sunshine in the
desert. Does this mean,
therefore, that we are wrong to plunge ourselves into the ‘holiday
spirit’? No and again a
thousand times no. I love the season. I love the joy that it brings to
society (more than likely inadvertently, but the joy is nevertheless
real). I love the Carol Services (even though at times we are singing
about ‘sleighs’ and it is 37 degrees outside and most of the singers
haven’t a clue what a ‘sleigh’ is), but MY merriment and joyousness
must find their source and fulfilment in the Incarnate One, who alone is
the Fountain of all Hope and Life, and within the awareness that
most of the earth’s population will be lucky if they get a daily glass
of clean drinking water throughout the entire season. So you see, it has
nothing to do with ‘spoiling the fun’ – rather, everything to do
with authenticity and perspective… I DO, therefore,
wish you a ‘merry Christmas’ and may you indeed revel in the
‘joyousness’ of it all. Know again that I thank God every day
that you are my flock and my responsibility. Your love, generosity and
forgiving spirit have brought me safely to the shore once again at the end
of 2005. MERRY CHRISTMAS ! Christmas Services at St Francis of Assisi
BOTSWANA
OUTREACH 2005 (for photos see the Gallery) 24
september 2005 The
trip through the Limpopo Province was an experience. Not once did tempers
flare or people get bitchy with each other, there was a definite peace in
the combi (which drives really well, by the way). Amy’S and Carla’s
infectious giggles kept us all smiling. Passing
through the border was a breeze, in terms of what could go wrong. The
border officials on the SA side where quite funny, when we stopped the
vehicle to be searched. They asked if we had anything to declare, we said
we weren’t sure what you should declare or not. The guy just waved us
through saying, he can see we’re South Africans but to watch out at the
Botswana side, cause they can be funny. Our
accommodation is nice. We’ve got comfy beds, great showers and air-con,
when it works. It’s really
hot here!!! Meeting
Fr. Tom, his society stewards and the youth was interesting. The
expectations from both sides seem to be very far apart. But God is in
control and He will and has laid out the path for us. God bless and keep
us safe. The
youth co-coordinator is a young lady by the name of Tshidi. The youth
group themselves are great and I’m sure we will forge strong bonds with
them by the time the week is over. 25
september 2005 The
2 services at the Methodist Church this morning couldn’t have been more
different from each other. The 9:30 service is traditionally the English
Service with people from all over coming, led by Rev Niel. We just
attended this service and gave half the bibles to them. The
second service is the Tswana Service. The team was asked to do a programme
and Dave preached on the Freedom that God has given us through
Forgiveness. Gave the other Bibles to this service. Very African. Lots of
hand shaking, thanking and speechifying. The ministry time after the
service was incredible, people coming for prayer for all sorts of things.
From single-moms with HIV to Grandmothers worrying about the children and
grandchildren. The team wERE awesome in their response. Our
lunch and supper was at the home of a wonderful lady named Flora. She is a
caterer on one of the mines, and really blessed us with her openness and
hospitality and incredible cooking. The
Independence Service, at the local soccer ground, was good exposure for
the team to being the only white faces around, and thereby raising
questions of who’s that????? Ended
the day with a Prayer Service at the Church and team devotions back at the
Nest. 26
september 2005 Lunch
was prepared for us by Mrs. Chikolo (Fransisco’s mother). A traditional fare of 2 types of “Pap” with Spinach and
ground meat, really nice. The only “snag” was none of us could really
finish alL the food that was given to us. After
lunch, went to the Light & Courage HIV/AIDS day care centre. It serves
as a counselLing and “Life-skills” centre, Where ‘clients’ who are
infected/affected by HIV can come and “learn” how to live positively.
the focus is on looking forward and living with the virus. Carla’s
self-image testimony was a real blessing to the clients as well as the
staff – reminding them that it doesn’t matter what’s happening to
the physical body, Jesus concentrates on the inner beauty and the
Spiritual body of a person. The
evening Prayer service went well. 27
september 2005 The team decided to spend some of their free time learning a dance that they wanted to do tonight at the prayer meeting. They also ran the prayer meeting tonight. Handled it really well. 28
september 2005 The
painting is finished. I can’t believe how quickly and how well the job got done.
Everyone just got stuck in again.
Not once did we have to nag someone to work or help or whatever.
The church looks really good. Lunch
was really nice. The community has really fed us well. Today’s
site visits were incredible. Our first stop was the Lephoi Centre for the
Blind and Visually Impaired. It’s 1 of only 2 centrEs in the country.
The kids are incredibly musically gifted.
A group of them played the Marimbas and drums for us.
WOW!!!!! Our
next stop was the Francistown Prison. We spenT about 20 minutes with some
of the ladies. (Crimes ranging from murder to theft and abortion). The
team really handled themselves well.
You could tell that it got to them, especially when you noticed
that one or two of the ladies had children with them.
Joyce, a member of the congregation, works there and arranged for
us to go in. No photos of anywhere around the prison are allowed. Our
last stop for the day was at the Francistown Deaf School/Centre. It is
beautiful watching the children communicate with each other. They
“sang” the most gorgeous song for us, to say good-bye. Carla’S clown
act really got them going, it was scary for 1 or 2, but in general the
kids really loved it. At both of the schools today, it would have been
nice To have more time to actually interact with the kids, but such is
life. The
guys did the prayer evening tonight, it was a combination prayer
meeting/cultural evening. The interaction with the youth was great. They
shared a small insight into the Tswana Culture with us – traditional
dress and dancing and song. Dingi
recited a poem that spoke volumes about the way that the traditions and
culture are dying out because of “modernization” – how the
“African drums are silent”. The
letters from home were a Godsend. 29
september 2005 We
decided to spend some time 1 on 1 with Fr. Tom today, to encourage him and
bless him. The team also decided to leave him a gift of P500.00. His
family all stay back in Gauteng. Just chatting to him, and sharing in his
passion for these people, lifted my spirits. His passion for sharing the
love of his Jesus is infectious. The
youth co-coordinator for the society, Ernest, had organized a workshop to
look at issues such as HIV/Aids, Passion Killings, etc. The fact that the
youth want to share their struggles is great. May this initiative continue
and hopefully they’ll come up with some really good plans of action on
Abstinence etc and BE able to put them into practice. Had
a brief visit at the SOS Children’s Home tonight. Again, it would have
been nice to interact with the children.
Amy and Marc did the “Sin Chair” – IT was brilliantly
funny!!! Supper
was at Ernest’s home with some of the youth. It was nice to spend some
time with Tshidi again. Really tired!!
30
september 2005 The
team spent the morning at the church playing games with the youth. A game
with old coldrink cans called “Dibekhi and Molelo Wa Sha” and good old
soccer. Great fun was had by all. Lunch
was a “braai” at the Chikole residence with most of the youth there.
The afternoon was spent sleeping for most of us. The
evening session at the church was really bittersweet. The youth prepared
one or two songs and a lot of thank yous and speechifying happened.
The
trip back to South Africa was a lot quieter and more subdued than the trip
to Botswana. We all had mixed feelings about coming home. Thank
you to both Congregations who helped make this Outreach possible through
all the Prayer and financial support we received. The
following article was sent to us from Clarens by Grace
Meyer, who used to worship at St Francis. In her covering e-mail, she
spoke about the early years of Edutak as follows: ‘In
those early years the prayers and support of St Francis’s and St Anne's
helped us through difficult times. I have continued fundraising for
this organisation as well as monitoring pre-school programmes, which
we have developed. […] Edutak
Pre-School Training and Development Uplifting
the poorest communities of South Africa
|
Edutak
Pre-School Training & Development |
|
The Calendar of important dates for the first four months of 2006. Please note that some of these dates of events are provisional and could change.
JANUARY |
FEBRUARY |
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3 |
Tue |
Parish Office opens |
1 |
Wed |
Fr Timothy on leave |
15 |
Sun |
Lay Ministers’ Fraternal |
5 |
Sun |
Family Service |
23 |
Mon |
Parish Executive meet |
10 - 12 Fri to Sun |
Parish Retreat |
|
26 |
Thur |
Parish Council meet |
|
||
28 |
Sat |
Prayer Walk |
23 |
Thur |
Parish Council meet |
|
|
|
24 |
Fri |
Fr Timothy returns |
MARCH |
APRIL |
||||
1 |
Wed |
Ash Wednesday |
5 |
Wed |
Lent Course |
5 |
Sun |
Lent 1 08:30 Mass Annual Vestry Meeting |
8 |
Sat |
Making Palm Crosses |
|
|
9 |
Sun |
Palm Sunday |
|
8 |
Wed |
Lent Course |
9 |
Sun |
Lay Ministers’ Fraternal |
12 |
Sun |
Lay Ministers’ Fraternal |
10 |
Mon |
Holy Week 09:00 Mass |
15 |
Wed |
Lent Course |
11 |
Tue |
Holy Week 09:00 Mass |
21 |
Tue |
Public Holiday |
12 |
Wed |
Holy Week 09:00 Mass |
22 |
Wed |
Lent Course |
13 |
Thu |
Holy Week 09:00 Mass |
25 |
Sat |
Men’s Breakfast |
13 |
Thu |
Maundy Thurs Service |
26 |
Sun |
Mothering Sunday |
14 |
Fri |
Good Friday |
27 |
Mon |
Parish Executive meet |
15 |
Sat |
Service of light |
29 |
Wed |
Lent Course |
16 |
Sun |
Easter Day |
30 |
Thur |
Parish Council meet |
17 |
Mon |
Public Holiday |
|
|
|
20 |
Thu |
Parish Exco & Council |
|
|
|
27 |
Thu |
Public Holiday |
Jenny
Poll
Christmas Services at St Francis of Assisi
Each
year, at Christmas time, we hear the same old favourite carols. 'Old' is
not being disparaging - most of our favourites are fairly old. Two of my
favourites are The Holly and the Ivy and What Child Is This.
The old Christmas carols are also warm and comfortable and wrap us in a
cloak of introspection, nostalgia and anticipation.
Each
year brings a few new Christmas carols. Some of these are added to
favourites and others are sung continuously for a while and then
forgotten. Does anyone remember a Cowboy Carol? I have no idea where it
came from. Although there is a Christmas musical, A Cowboy's Carol
(an American Cowboy and Indian version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol),
I don't think they are related. I remember singing it in the annual
Collegiate carols in the PE Feather Market Hall in about 1974. I don't
recall having heard it again after about 1976. Time and again, however, we
revisit the old carols – possibly because most of them are easier to
sing than the modern ones and also because the music, as well as the
words, appeal to us.
The
lovely story of the origins of the perennial favourite – Silent Night
(Stille Nacht) – is well known, but others of my favourites also
have interesting stories associated with them. Examples of such carols
include:
Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing! The music is from the second chorus of a cantata by Felix Mendelssohn
written in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg and the invention of
printing. The words are from a hundred years earlier, written in 1739 by
Charles Wesley whose brother, John, founded the Methodist Church.
Another
beautiful carol O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël) was
denounced by church authorities for its lack of musical taste and
"total absence of the spirit of religion"! This carol was
written by Adolphe Charles Adam (1803 – 1856), the French composer best
known for his ballet Giselle. The French text is by Cappeau de
Roquemaure; the English by American clergyman John Sullivan Dwight
(1812-1893).
What
Child Is This
is sung to the melody of Greensleeves. The song was first
registered in 1850 to Richard Jones with lyrics that were neither
religious nor respectable. In 1865 William Chatterton Dix (English) wrote The
Manger Throne, three verses of which became What Child Is This.
About
Christmas
Once again, Christmas is just around the corner. Did you know that for
more than half a century Christmas was forbidden in the entire
English-speaking world and it was banned for almost 400 years in Scotland?
For most Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the fact of the birth
of Christ, rather than the observation of his date of birth. (There is no
direct reference to the birth date of Christ in the bible, but it is
generally assumed to have taken place in April.)
The
Puritans, who emphasized the observation of only pure fact taken from the
bible, saw the celebration of Christmas as 'heathen' and 'idolatrous' and
of course 'popish' and banned the celebration of Christmas 'Christ masse'
and all associated with it. For
the Scots the banning of Christmas also seems to have been a reflection of
their independence of the English. […]
The
following is taken from the scottishchristian.com website:
For almost 400 years, Christmas was banned in Scotland. At the height of
the Reformation, in 1583, when anything smacking of Catholicism and
idolatrous excess was thrown out with contempt, Christmas and all its
trappings was wiped off the official calendar. On December 25th, not so
much as a plum pudding was allowed to steam.
There
was nothing half-hearted about this gesture. Reinforced by the hard arm of
the law, this was a ban that had bite. Over the centuries that followed,
many a casual offender was called to account for Christmas transgressions,
and no seasonal leniency was shown.
This
was an age when religious belief could mean the difference between life
and a very nasty death. Whereas nowadays many Christians look on aghast at
the crazy commercialism of modern gift-buying, they wouldn't dream of
taking serious steps to stop others celebrating as they wish. Back in the
16th century, however, this is exactly what they did. […]
When
the ban was officially lifted [in Scotland], the change came quietly. In
1954, the minister of St Giles preached an impassioned Watch Night Service
calling for industrialists to make Christmas Day a public holiday. Four
years later, in 1958, his wish was granted. It was official
acknowledgement of a quiet revolution, which had been taking place
throughout the century. But from its early manifestations, nobody could
have anticipated the speed with which the festival would develop.
To
read the rest of the article visit:
http://www.scottishchristian.com/features/0412christmas.shtml
The
extracts below were taken from a website devoted to Christmas which makes
for interesting reading:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com
When
Victoria was born in 1819, it is said that carols were only sung in a few
isolated communities in rural England. Oliver Goldsmith (1731-1774) wrote
that the parishioners of The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) "kept
up the Christmas carol." A writer in the Gentleman's Magazine
for May, 1811, wrote that in the area known as North Riding in Yorkshire,
he was awakened about 6 o'clock on Christmas Day "by a sweet singing
under my window," and looking out he saw six young women and four men
singing.
Washington
Irving wrote in The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent (1818-1819)
– and primarily from the section known as Old Christmas – that
he was surprised on Christmas night to hear beautiful music from local
citizens. He wrote:
"Even
the sound of the waits [= street singers of Christmas carols],
rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mid-watches of a winter
night with the effect of perfect harmony. As I have been awakened by them
in that still and solemn hour, ‘when deep sleep falleth upon man,’ I
have listened with a hushed delight, and, connecting them with the sacred
and joyous occasion, have almost fancied them into another celestial
choir, announcing peace and good-will to mankind."
In
the Christmas Eve sketch, Irving continued:
"I
had scarcely got into bed when a strain of music seemed to break forth in
the air just below the window. I listened, and found it proceeded from a
band, which I concluded to be the waits from some neighbouring village.
They went round the house, playing under the windows.
"I
drew aside the curtains, to hear them more distinctly. The moonbeams fell
through the upper part of the casement, partially lighting up the
antiquated apartment. The sounds, as they receded, became more soft and
aerial, and seemed to accord with quiet and moonlight. I listened and
listened – they became more and more tender and remote, and, as they
gradually died away, my head sank upon the pillow and I fell asleep."
[…]
© Shelley Childs PMAA 08 November 2005
Extract
from the delightful and charming description of the Melstock Quire [=
alternative spelling of choir] in Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree, which was written in the late
1800s. The tradition of carolling was still very much alive then.
For your
amusement, here are two extracts describing the quire setting out to
entertain the village on their rounds and their experience at Farmer
Shiner’s house:
Advice to Quire
"Now
mind, neighbours," he (William Dewey) said, as they all went out one
by one at the door, he himself holding it ajar and regarding them with a
critical face as they passed, like a shepherd counting out his sheep.
"You two counter-boys, keep your ears open to Michael's fingering,
and don't ye go straying into the treble part along o' Dick and his set,
as ye did last year; and mind this especially when we be in 'Arise, and
hail.' Billy Chimlen, don't you sing quite so raving mad as you fain
would; and, all o' ye, whatever ye do, keep from making a great scuffle on
the ground when we go in at people's gates; but go quietly, so as to
strike up all of a sudden, like spirits."
Farmer
Shiner's House
Farmer
Shiner's was a queer lump of a house, standing at the corner of a lane
that ran into the principal thoroughfare. The upper windows were much
wider than they were high, and this feature, together with a broad
bay-window where the door might have been expected, gave it by day the
aspect of a human countenance turned askance and wearing a sly and wicked
leer. To-night nothing was visible but the outline of the roof upon the
sky.
The
front of this building was reached and the preliminaries arranged as
usual. "Four breaths, and number thirty-two, 'Behold the morning
star,' " said old William.
They
had reached the end of the second verse, and the fiddlers were doing the
up bow-stroke previously to pouring forth the opening chord of the third
verse, when without a light appearing or any signal being given a roaring
voice exclaimed, "Shut up, woll 'ee! Don't make your blaring row
here: a feller wi' a headache enough to split his skull likes a quiet
night." Slam went the window. "Hullo – that’s a' ugly blow
for we!" said the tranter [= one who transports goods with a horse
and cart] in a keenly appreciative voice, and turning to his companions.
"Finish
the carrel, all who be friends of harmony!" commanded old William:
and they continued to the end.
"Four
breaths and number nineteen," said William firmly. "Give it him
well: the quire can't be insulted in this manner."
A
light now flashed into existence, the window opened, and the farmer stood
revealed as one in a terrific passion.
"Drown
en - drown en!" the tranter cried, fiddling frantically: "Play
fortissimy and drown his spaking!" "Fortissimy!" said
Michael Mail and the music and singing waxed so loud that it was
impossible to know what Mr Shiner had said, was saying, or was about to
say; but wildly flinging his arms and body about in the forms of capital
Xs and Ys he appeared to utter enough invectives to consign the whole
parish to perdition.
"Very
onseemly – very," said old William as they retired. 'Never such a
dreadful scene in the whole round o' my carrel practice: never! And he a
churchwarden!"
I hope
that our carol programmes do not encourage such a bad spirit!
Michael
Hennessy
St Charles, Victory Park
I went
looking for the meaning of the Advent Wreath on the World Wide Web. Here
is the most complete explanation I found, which is echoed in most of the
other sites :
The History of the Advent Wreath FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0132.html
The
Advent wreath is part of our long-standing Catholic tradition. However,
the actual origins are uncertain. There is evidence of pre-Christian
Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles during the cold and dark
December days as a sign of hope in the future warm and extended-sunlight
days of Spring. […]
By
the Middle Ages, the Christians adapted this tradition and used Advent
wreathes as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. After all,
Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness
of sin and to radiate the truth and love of God (cf. John 3:19-21). By
1600, both Catholics and Lutherans had more formal practices surrounding
the Advent wreath.
The
symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various
evergreens, signifying continuous life. […] The circle of the wreath,
which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the
immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any
pinecones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize
life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the
immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us
through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world
becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His
own passion, death, and resurrection.
The
four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each
week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam
and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. Three candles are purple and one is
rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and
preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose
candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also
wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing,
because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their
preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The
progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope
surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation
of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.
The
light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Some modern day
adaptations include a white candle placed in the middle of the wreath,
which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. […]
The
symbolism of the four candles as explained above by Fr Saunders does not
coincide with our South African Anglican tradition. I then turned to Fr
Roy Snyman’s book “Travelling along the Anglican Way”, where
I found the following definition of the Advent Wreath (p 74) :
A
floral wreath with four candles is sometimes used liturgically to mark the
four Sundays of Advent, with emphasis on ‘The Four Last Things’
associated with the “Advent” of Christ: ‘Death’, ‘Judgment’,
‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’. (A fifth candle may represent Christmass.)
But
we no longer concentrate on the Four Last Things during Advent. I quote
from notes handed out at an Advent Course held at St Framcis a few years
ago :
Originally
three candles were purple because that is the colour associated with
penitential seasons. Until the liturgical reforms of the 1960s Advent was
a second penitential season, after Lent. Today Advent is clearly
identified as a season of anticipation, not of penance. Purple is not
required and, in fact, seems inappropriate.
If we examine the Collects for the four Sundays of
Advent, it becomes clear that the first candle now represents
Anticipation, the second the Scriptures, the third St John the Baptist and
the fourth the Virgin Mary. Because we associate pink with women, we now
light the pink candle on the fourth, instead of the third Sunday of
Advent. At a recent Lay Ministers’ workshop, it was said that the pink
candle could be replaced by a blue one, the colour traditionally
associated with the mother of Jesus.
Before we get totally confused by all the above, let me
once again quote from the Advent notes of a few years ago :
The
key symbolism of the Advent wreath is in danger of getting lost behind
questions of colour, “theme”, etc. It really is very simple: there is
light in the darkness. This in itself is entirely biblical and goes well
with the readings for the Advent and Christmas seasons. With the
successive lighting of one, two, three and finally four candles there is
the idea of increasing light. The number four was determined by the four
Sundays of Advent, but is not sacred in itself. As we have seen, in its
origins there were as many candles as space allowed. […]
Finally,
the Advent wreath is not any part of the official liturgy of the church,
though this does not mean that we cannot use it in church. But its use
should be modest, and should respect the primary liturgical symbols of
assembly, minister, word and Eucharist. Official liturgical books tell us
nothing about placement, number, size, colour, or when and how it is to be
used. This is for us to decide, using common sense and respecting
liturgical principles.
Jill Daugherty
An
IT Prayer
Lord,
I have been made for Your service. Download on to my hard drive Your
complete instructions. With Your unlimited power, transform my memory and
give me gigs unheard of in this world. I pray that my RAM will be
controlled and invaded by You.
Thank
You for software that You send me every day through people, books and
especially Your Word. Use this software in me to serve people around me, I
pray.
Lord,
delete every fault and malfunction in me please. Thank You that You have
erased it from Your memory. Help me to remember that You have erased it
from my hard drive. With Your instructions and Word, install in me a virus
protection program against virus attacks from the evil Hacker.
Upgrade
me every day, I pray. Make me more powerful to serve You. Help me to use
every function that You have created in me to Your glory.
Lord,
You know how easily I hang. You are the main frame. No matter how many
times I hang and am switched on and off, I am forever saved by You and in
You.
Paula
Pretorius
Every
afternoon at 12, in the blazing heat,
God comes to me in the form of 200 grams of gruel.
I know him in every grain, I taste him in every lick,
I commune with him as I gulp; I can hope to live one day more,
For you made God come to me as 200 grams of gruel.
Jaimi
Bi
THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NEEDS YOU!!! WHO? WHEN? If you feel you’d like to get involved,
please contact Liz either at the Parish Office or on 082 342 5895 Training and Guidelines will be
provided. |