FORT MASSEY STAR CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE PASTOR

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Walter Sherman
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1 Advent/Christmas 2013 FORT MASSEY STAR CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE PASTOR Midnight Madness at the Mall and Midnight Mass at Church have only one thing in common - midnight. Watching people on Black Friday fight their way through the crowds bears no resemblance to the seasons of Advent and Christmas with peace to all and good will. Perhaps Christmas in your home sounds a bit more like this: T'was the night before Christmas and all through the kitchen There was cooking and baking and moaning and witching. I've been here for hours;; I can't stop to rest This room's a disaster;; just look at the mess. Tomorrow I've got thirty people to feed They expect all the trimmings. Who cares what I need? My feet are both blistered;; I've got cramps in my legs The cat just knocked over a bowl full of eggs. I ve had all I can stand;; I can't take any more Then in walks my husband, spills rum on the floor. He weavers and he wobbles, his balance unsteady Then grins as he chuckles, "The eggnog is ready!" There may be a few households where the night before Christmas finds people snuggled down deep in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. But most households are a bit more chaotic than that. It is Advent, a time of waiting on the church calendar. We still have time to turn it around this year, to make it a bit more silent and peaceful. Yet usually we get caught up in the madness. We envy those shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. We know that they were told Be not afraid, but most of us hear the words Be afraid, be very afraid, Christmas is coming!, rather than I bring you good news, news of great joy for the whole nation. We know that we can t just jump out of the madness and hear the angels sing. But there must be at least a few of us who are a little bit tempted. Perhaps someday we will manage to reclaim the holiday and jump off the consumer bandwagon and celebrate Christmas in our own way. This Christmas may you be able to kneel with the shepherds, listen to the music, and be still. The stars will go by, the world will stand in solemn stillness, and you might listen closely enough to hear the angels of today in the stillness. Peace at Christmas, Rev. Trent INSIDE THIS ISSUE: WE DAY 2 AN UNDERSTANDING HEART FROM THE MANSE 4 REMEMBERING NELSON MANDELA COZY HANDS PROJECT CHRISTMAS AND THE CUSTOM OF GIFT GIVING

PAGE 2 FROM THE UCW The Christmas Tea & Sale on November 16th was a whopping success! We raised over $3400 (the first time we went over the $3000 mark since 2007).

The beautiful background music of the Cranston Trio was very much enjoyed that some people stayed the entire two hours! It was nice for so many of us to see Margaret Grant there and to chat with her.

This time we will have an auctioneer (our own) which should work better, so put on your thinking cap and come up with some ideas.

2 PAGE 2 FROM THE UCW The Christmas Tea & Sale on November 16th was a whopping success! We raised over $3400 (the first time we went over the $3000 mark since 2007). Many, many, many thanks to all those who helped in so many ways to make this another success. The beautiful background music of the Cranston Trio was very much enjoyed that some people stayed the entire two hours! It was nice for so many of us to see Margaret Grant there and to chat with her. She still has her great sense of humour. Another Auction is Fun is in the works for late winter/early spring. This time we will have an auctioneer (our own) which should work better, so put on your thinking cap and come up with some ideas. Upcoming fundraisers in 2014 are the Valentine Tea on Saturday, February 8th and, of course, our Annual Flea Market on Saturday, April 26th. The UCW Annual Meeting is scheduled for after church on January 12th, 2014 (Brown Bag lunch)., with the storm date being January 19th, Submitted by Irene Parks On Wednesday November 27th my mom, some others in my school, and I had the honour of attending the first We Day ever in Atlantic Canada. It was the most amazing day of my life. Some of the guest speakers were: Spencer West Molly Burke Martin Luther King the 3 rd Candy Palmater Chris Tse Mike Savage Mark and Craig Kielburger Hon. Michaëlle Jean And these 2 kids who talked about Malala and Iqbal (two young children s rights activists): Hannah Alper Vishal Vijay There were also some singers/ performers there but that wasn t the main idea of We Day. One of my favourite parts was when Molly Burke spoke. Her speech was about her as a 14 year old girl;; she had broken her ankle and was a victim of bullying. She had no friends. One day these girls came up to her WE DAY and asked if she wanted to go for a walk with them Molly knew that those girls were bullies, but she was so desperate to have friends that she said yes. They led her through the woods and finally she had to sit down she was so tired. The next thing she heard was the sound of her crutches being smashed against a tree;; she knew they were broken. She was so scared that she couldn t find her voice, she couldn't call for help and she couldn't stand up. Then all of a sudden the metro centre lights went out and Molly said this darkness is my everyday life, I am blind and with that the lights went back on and she called her service dog, gypsy, on stage and left. I also liked when Spencer West spoke, he told us about when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, with no legs! A powerful line in his speech was when he said I stand before you as living proof that we can redefine what s possible. Vishal Vijay also talked about finding your passion, whether it s getting clean water for a village, building a school so everyone gets an education, or trying to stop child labour. I know I found my passion;; How about you? You can do your part in helping out by donating or buying Me To We products at: By Elizabeth Dorey

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime, And in that meeting they ve become the rhythm of the rhyme.

3 PAGE 3 I have a list of friends I know, all written in a book, And every year at Christmas time I go and take a look. And this is when I realize these names are a part Not, of the book they re written in, but of my very heart. For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime, And in that meeting they ve become the rhythm of the rhyme. And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim, I really am composed of each remembered name. And while you may not be aware of any special link, Just meeting you has changed CHRISTMAS POEM my life more than you think. For once you ve met someone, the years cannot erase The memory of a pleasant word or of a friendly face. So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between. For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you, It s because you re on the list of folks that I m indebted to. For you are but a token of the many folks I ve met, But you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget. And whether I have known you for many years or few, In some way you had a part in shaping things I do. And every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew, The biggest gift that life can give is meeting folks like you. And may the Spirit of Christmas that forever and ever endures Leave its richest blessing in the nearest of you and yours. ~Author Unknown Submitted by Irene Parks Lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart. 1 Kings 3 12 An understanding heart draws us close to others. It helps us to see and know them as they really are, God s children, striving to do their best. An understanding heart makes us needed and loved by others, for there is nothing that people respond to as much as the loving encouragement that understanding offers. An understanding heart is first of all a heart that understands that we are all children of God, AN UNDERSTANDING HEART all one in His love. An understanding heart looks beneath the surface;; an understanding heart sees beyond the surface to the motive. An understanding heart looks for and finds the everpresent good in everyone and everything. God heeds and hears our prayers for an understanding heart, for this is His very nature in us, this is the essence of love that He has implanted in our heart, a love that reaches beyond self and self-interest and includes others in its warmth. So we pray for an understanding heart. I found the above, on a piece of paper in her own handwriting, neatly folded, and tucked away in my mother s Bible. It was probably written as a meditation for U.C.W. She was Miriam A (Gentles) Rasley, What a surprise! Now that Advent is here and it will soon be Christmas, I hope everyone finds a lovely surprise and that we are all thankful to be so blessed. Merry Christmas. By M. Jean Brown, OFM While falling asleep late one Sunday night, I learned from a CBC program that snow is actually dandruff from the sasquatch! That being the case, we now know that a snow storm is just the sasquatch having a bad hair day! ~Ruth MacKenzie

4 PAGE 4 Our first Christmas tree was a small Charlie Brown tree with one ornament which we bought in Saint John, New Brunswick where we were living. We were coming home to Nova Scotia for Christmas so the tree was fine. But the next year we began our collection of Christmas ornaments much more seriously. The ornament collection has grown to the point that we would need more than one tree (and likely more than two) to hang them all but we treasure the collection. One of my favourite moments during Advent is getting out the boxes and looking through the history of our lives. There is a star which a friend brought back from the Rose Bowl Parade;; gold frankincense and myrrh from Saudi Arabia from Tim and Linda Dean;; an ornament from Australia when a friend spent time teaching on an exchange and so many more. We have given our children an ornament every year so they now have a FROM THE MANSE collection. Beatrice has her own collection of sports and basketball ornaments and Tristan has musical notes and instruments. Jason carried around for many years his treasured collectible Charlie Brown ornaments. Trent bought a set of nautical flags which spell out "Merry Christmas" in nautical symbols years ago and they are now very fragile and beloved. There are ornaments of universities, home towns, churches, pewter collections and tin stars and icicles. We have homemade ornaments and collectibles. We put on some and pack the rest away again. Yet Christmas comes even without the ornaments. We remember fondly the tree which the Westin hotel staff kindly put up in our room (likely against regulations) and the kindness of Colleen Estabrooks and Kathy Evans who loaned us their ornaments to decorate. That year Christmas came without any of our own Christmas items - our bedtime books, our wreath or our ornaments. Yet our children still remember it as one of the best Christmases ever - waking up in a hotel and being fussed over by staff who were thrilled to have children for Christmas. Christmas 2013 will come whether all of our traditions are observed or not. Christmas is fortunately not a formula that has to be recreated. It sneaks up on us even when we feel a bit like Scrooge. And it comes without packages and parcels and all of the trimmings. So if your Christmas has changed a bit this year, remember it will come anyway. Merry Christmas from the manse! By Linda Cleveland-Thompson

PAGE 5 REMEMBERING NELSON MANDELA As the world mourns the death of Nelson Mandela, Moderator Gary Paterson reflected on the life and legacy of Mandela.

5 PAGE 5 REMEMBERING NELSON MANDELA As the world mourns the death of Nelson Mandela, Moderator Gary Paterson reflected on the life and legacy of Mandela. We have an opportunity today to remember the man his determination to confront apartheid and injustice;; his commitment to freedom and equality;; his capacity to endure twenty-seven years of prison and emerge with his soul intact, able to forgive and embark on a journey of reconciliation, persuading others to follow along with him, commented Paterson. In this moment says Paterson, We are called to give thanks for Mandela s life not simply to praise him, but to honour his memory with a determination to undertake a similar quest for wholeness, for ourselves and for the body politic. And, adds Paterson, As we grieve his passing, I commend to you the following prayer: Remembering Mandela For us, in our being, Mandela is gone: We will no longer dance and march with him. We will no longer hear him speak of justice, freedom, and peace. For us, in our knowing, Mandela is changing: He can no longer speak to us, but he can still be heard. He can no longer touch us, but he can still be felt. For us, in our thoughts, Mandela is alive: We dance and march with him when we work for human dignity and rights. We speak with him when we work for a world where one does not oppress another. For us, in our actions, Mandela is here. So as we journey with our siblings imprisoned by poverty, slavery, and all forms of created suffering, we will remember Mandela s belief that we are all imprisoned until we are all free. As we encounter forces of resistance that feel overwhelmingly insurmountable, we will remember the integrity and grace with which Mandela held to his convictions while he was imprisoned for 27 years. And as we give thanks to our Creator for the life of Mandela, we will continue to pray for your comfort to surround the family, friends, and nation that mourn the loss of Madiba;; we will celebrate a life that perpetually worked for the good of all;; and we will affirm that his legacy will continue in our memories and actions. As we entrust him into your loving care, may we commend him to our hearts. Amen. By Alydia Smith GIFTS YOU CAN GIVE YEAR ROUND The Gift of Praise: Appropriate mention, right in front of the other person, of superior qualities or of a job or deeds well done. The Gift of Consideration: Putting yourself in the other's shoes and thus providing your genuine understanding of his side of the case. The Gift of Concession: Humbly saying at just the right point, "I am sorry, you are right and I am wrong." The Gift of Gratitude: Never forgetting to say "Thank You" and never failing to mean it. The Gift of Attention: When the other person speaks, listen attentive- ly. If his words are directed to you personally, meet his eye squarely. The Gift of Inspiration: Plant seeds of courage and action in the other person's heart. The Gift of Personal Presence: In sickness, in trouble, or in great joy, there is nothing quite equal to your personal expression of sympathy or congratulations. Resolve to give these gifts each day. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you will receive in return. Wishing everyone at Fort Massey a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2014! Submitted by Holly MacIntosh

6 Page 6 COZY HANDS UPDATE FROM THE OUTREACH COMMITTEE Amazing how quickly a year passes! It was nearly 12 months ago that our small group of mitten-makers began the Cozy Hands Project of sewing warm, comforting mittens for some of our most at risk brothers and sisters living on the streets in Halifax. In late November we surpassed our 100 pair goal and were able to donate 107 pair of our unique creations, blessed in a Sunday service, to a number of organizations in the city. Each and every group was elated to receive such a special gift to their ministry. The Out of the Cold Shelter at St. Matthew s Church on Barrington Street, a communitybased, volunteer run emergency winter shelter that provides safe accommodations to homeless and street-involved people, welcomed a total of 35 pair;; the Metro Non-profit Support Center on Gottingen Street, which not only serves over 375 cups of coffee and tea a day but also provides a safe place for home- less and at-risk adults, received 15 pair, made especially for women;; the Brunswick St. Mission, a church well known to us here at Fort Massey for their compassion to the most vulnerable in the city, received 37 pair and ARK, a non-profit organization located on Gottingen Street that specializes in helping and caring for troubled youth between the ages of 16 24, received 20 pair. The leaders at ARK that Irene and I met with last Wednesday indicated that they will be able to use more mittens as their shelter often provides for upwards of 100+ people, including women with children. The mittens we gave to them will be used as Christmas gifts. It is from there that we picked up two more wool sweaters! It would be wonderful to say that we have run out of recipients of warm comfort wear;; however, it just seems like the need is growing. Therefore, our Cozy Hands Project will continue in January along with the ad- dition of our Cozy Necks and Cozy Heads endeavor, recycling scarves into Snoods or Eternity neck wear and making fleece toques. Already we have obtained and laundered 50 scarves in various colors, homemade and store bought, to begin our unique fashions! How can you help? Check your closets for 100% wool sweaters and scarves of all descriptions and donate to the cause. Monetary donations are also welcome in order to purchase warm fleece for the head wear. We also welcome anyone who would like to be a part of our outreach mission no experience necessary just a willing heart. Please contact Muriel Hale: murielandbill@ns.sympatico.ca or Irene Beeler: irene.beeler@ns.sympatico.ca for more information. Thank you to all who met regularly to cut and sew the mittens and to Ian for the Mitten inserts. Missing from the photo is Jean Cudmore, Gwen Smith -Dockrill and Coleen Estabrooks. In this season of Advent, our thoughts are drawn to the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born - our savior who walked the earth teaching, healing, comforting, loving and forgiving. As the candles of hope, peace, joy and love are lit, let us be ever mindful of those around us who long for these blessings in their lives. Submitted by Muriel Hale

7 Page 7 CHRISTMAS AND THE CUSTOM OF GIFT GIVING toms taken up by the Christian church. Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid- December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles." Regarding the custom of gift giving, the journal History Today noted: "The giving of presents at the midwinter feast almost certainly began as a magical more than a social custom. The New York Times of December 24, 1991, featured an article on the origins of Christmas customs, including gift giving. Simon Schama, professor of history at Harvard University, wrote: "Christmas itself was superimposed over the ancient festivals that celebrated the winter solstice. In the third century, when sun cults like the Mithraic religion of Persia found their way to Rome, days in December were given over to celebrate the rebirth of Sol Invictus: the invincible sun. "The early Church in Rome had a particularly hard battle against two other great pagan festivals, the week-long Saturnalia, which began Dec. 17, and the Kalends, which greeted the New Year. The first festival was a time of licensed misrule, often presided over by a lord of merriment, not so much Santa as fat Saturn himself, the orgiast of eating, drinking and other kinds of naughtiness. It was during Kalends, when the year changed, however, that gifts were ritually exchanged, often tied to the boughs of greenery that decorated houses Christmas is an amazing time of year when you think about the fact that this is the single major event in the last 2,000 years that is celebrated by most of the world. The exact date that Jesus Christ was born is not known. The first Christmas was not celebrated until the year 350 AD when Pope Julius I officially designated December 25 to celebrate Christ's birth. The origin of gift giving seems to have multi-faceted roots. We have many recorded events in history that show the giving and receiving of gifts dates back at least to the 4th century. St. Nicholas, a Christian Bishop, was known for his generosity in giving to those less fortunate, as well as giving to children simply because he felt they needed to savor their childhood and have joyous times to remember. This tradition moved throughout the world very quickly, and before the 10th century is supposed that nearly every country was participating in this exchange. Many people believe that the tradition of gift giving started within the first year of Christ's birth as the 3 wise men/kings brought offerings to honour him. Many factors and historical practices have contributed to what we know today as Christmas. Some of the customs were adopted from non-christian sources. U.S. Catholic, in fact, said: "It is impossible to separate Christmas from its pagan origins." The Encyclopedia Americana explained: "Most of the customs now associated with Christmas were not originally Christmas customs but rather were pre- Christian and non-christian cusduring the festivities. "The attitude of the early church toward all this indecent jollity was predictably frosty. Its fathers, notably the fulminating St. John Chrysostom, urged no compromise with heathen abominations. Since there was no general agreement about the exact date of the birth of Jesus, it must have seemed helpful to have it supersede the Saturnalia. So the rebirth of the sun became instead the birth of the Son of God. "In the same way, the Kalends were replaced by the Feast of the Epiphany, and the gifts and trinkets that pagan Romans had given each other became instead the homage paid by the three kings to the new King of the World. By the middle of the fourth century, the basic features of the Christmas calendar were set for good." While historical data supports the influence of pagan practices on the origin of Christmas and its customs, many argue that such origin really does not matter. Responding to Professor Schama's article, early this year a retired rabbi wrote in a letter to the Times editor: "The origins of an institution have nothing to do with its value today." Regarding Christmas and other such celebrations, he claimed: "Their celebrants endow them with a new meaning that gives purpose to their own lives and lifts their spirits in exultation." Submitted by Ruth MacKenzie

FROM THE PASTOR S DESK...

FROM THE PASTOR S DESK... Page 5 FORT MASSEY STAR Newsletter Date Advent/Christmas 2014 It was just a few days before Christmas. Two men, nextdoor neighbours, decided to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. While