the friesen blog

Have a Merry Christmas!!

peace.

dallas

Here is an installation that a few friends of mine are putting together.  Check it out it should be a great opportunity to enter into the Christmas story.

 Press Release

Grindstone Valley Bible Church and St. James United Church are teaming up to offer a new Christmas worship alternative to people in and around Waterdown this year.  ENCARNA is a Christmas worship installation that will take place on Dec. 21 and 22 in the St. James auditorium (306 Parkside Dr., Waterdown).  Participants are invited to arrive on site at their convenience between the hours of 7pm and 9pm.  It should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to experience the installation.

Worship installations are new, cutting edge forms of worship that often occur in artistic, post-modern communities.  They are somewhat like an art installation or an art gallery, where participants can engage at their own pace with a variety of artistic mediums and interactive stations, but for the purposes of worship.  ENCARNA will use things like music, video, drama, art from local artists, prayer, journaling and creative and social justice outlets to bring participants in touch with the mystery of the incarnation – the Christian belief that God came to earth in the form of a baby at Christmas.  The new format allows participants to create a personalized, introspective and contemplative worship experience, and acts as an alternative to the customary Christmas pageants and worship services.

Everyone, regardless of belief or background, is invited to come and experience ENCARNA.  While the contemplative and introspective nature of the installation is aimed at a high school and above age level, people of all ages are welcome.

Recently, I was talking to a friend about his struggle to attend a wedding that would have drinking and dancing.  He doesn’t have a problem with drinking or dancing but comes from a culture where freedom means leaving the world’s vices.  I told him that I thought “wordly” means not quarreling and being jealous of others (1 Cor. 3:3) and that Christ was the biggest partier around.  

Wal-mart has been in the news (or an article in fast company) lately because many people believe that they pay their employees too little.  Now most people also want the benefits of Wal-marts prices. 

I am helping to write a history of my church community and I just read a quote from a newspaper article from 1936.  The article recaps a special service that the church had to dedicate a baptistery.  The speaker for the occasion was Rev. Dr. C.H. Schutt, head of the Baptist mission board in Toronto .  This is what he said on Oct. 26, 1936,

“If God’s people were dedicated to Him there would be no beer parlours, dance halls, indecent movies or people working in department stores at low wages to pay interest on ‘watered’ stock; nor would war be threatening.”

I love advent.  It is my favorite season of the church calendar because it reminds me to be a person of hope.  Since the summer of 2001, when I heard the Dave Matthews Band play the song "Bartender" at the Gorge in George, Washington, I have used that song to help me enter into the advent season.  Advent is a period marked by expectation, anticipation, preparation and longing.  I don't know of anything that embodies that as much as seeing DMB play Bartender under a stary sky in the most beautiful ampitheatre in the world.  The song is probably more of an easter morning song and maybe that is why I find it helpful for advent. 

If anyone has a link to the song I would invite you to post it. 

hope. peace. joy. love.
 

Today is December 1st which means that submissions to our churches annual report are due.  I must say that I am absolutely enjoying the process of reflecting on what God has done in the midst of our church community this last year.  One of my on going tensions in life is living in the present but living in the present does not mean forgetting to reflect about the past.  Who knew writing an annual report would be so much fun!
peace.
dallas