Salvogesis

Last night, like every night, our staff were working all night at the Bread of Life. We are open all day everyday and all night every night. Last night, today and tonight are no different. Our staff all has to take their turn working. Those who had last night, today, or tomorrow off, will need to work New Year’s Eve, night, or day – and they will need to be sober.   This is not entirely dissimilar to the shepherds in our text today. They are working the night shift. They have the important job of protecting the lives of the sheep from predators just like our staff have the responsibility to protect the lives of the homeless under their care from predators. Without our shelter, many of our friends would not have a safe warm place to sleep. The shepherds in our text were not in a safe warm place.   The text says that an Angel appeared and stood before them. The word angel just means ‘messenger’ but the appearance of this messenger certainly alludes to something more, something m...

2018’s tie has an Advent wreath reminding all who see my tie of the importance of Advent and a profession of faith. 2019 and 2020’s ties don’t have quite as overt Biblical themes as the others. 2019’s tie references Bohemian Rhapsody , the Song by Queen, but if you look at the faces you may notice that instead of the band members they are pictures of Heather, Sarah-Grace, Rebecca, and Susan around a Christmas Tree. Christmas Trees, off course, like the Advent wreaths, symbolize eternal life – so there is that reference to Scriptures. 2020 is an animal – a cat maybe?, the Christmas Star, and two pineapples making up the zeros in 2020. That is an inside joke. In 2020 there were a lot of pineapples in the food bank here and it made me a little concerned that we were handing these out to people who had no food and no means to eat them and    - while there were a lot of inside jokes that I won’t necessarily share here but this tie was certainly a personal act of love – just as God ...

In 2013 I received 2 ties: one from all three girls and one just from Sarah-Grace. 11-year-old Sarah-Grace made me a cow because cows were her favourite animal and because she loved me, she gave me her favourite just as God gave us His favourite, His One and Only Son, on Christmas. The other tie I received in 2013 which was made by my daughters is of a shepherd and a sheep. The sheep’s body is the print of my bottom on my three-year-old Heather’s palm. This tie references John 10:14-15, where it is recorded: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Next in 2015 we have a picture of a lamb outside of Jerusalem reminding us that Jesus is the Lamb of God and that as, as Revelation records, He is coming back with the new Jerusalem. This is ultimately what we are all waiting for even today – in Advent and always – Christ’s triumphant return. Next, we have a reindeer and a Christmas...

The 2008 tie has a picture drawn by one or both of my daughters: it has a picture of Mary and Baby Jesus in a manger as well as the Star. It says “I love you” reminding us of the Christmas story and how Jesus was lain in a manger because their way no room for him in the inn – it recalls the Father’s great love for us as recorded in John 3:16 and 17: “For God so love the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life for God did not send His Son to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” The 2009 tie from Rebecca and Sarah-Grace has the creativity of my young children on full display with Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus under the Christmas star and a Christmas tree. This reminds us, as well as everything else, of the faithfulness of Joseph as told in the Gospel of Luke, how he loved Jesus as his own and served God with all his heart. Matthew 1:18-25: 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Mes...

Advent is a time of waiting. Advent is remembering the wait for Jesus’ incarnation and the wait we have now for his triumphant return. It is about waiting with exiled Israel for a philosopher king and the Judean diaspora for a conquering hero: a wonderful counsellor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. It is about waiting with Mary and Joseph for a baby to be born. It is like waiting with Abraham for a promise to be fulfilled. Advent is us remembering these waits even as we eagerly await now Jesus’ ultimate return. Waiting can sometimes be difficult. As anticipation of Jesus’ return – as we really believe he is coming back - builds with every passing day. I think this growing anticipation of each successive Christmas contributed to the German Protestants inventing Advent Calendars in the nineteenth century to help with the wait. Many times when our children were growing up, Susan has made daily advent devotions with different symbols and treats in stockings leadi...