Tracy's Blog

In our Children and Worship time at church during the last Sunday of Advent, we talked about the Wise Men and their journey to Bethlehem based on Matthew 2:1-12 . In our discussion time, I asked the children if they thought it was easy or hard for the Magi to find Jesus. Since I was expecting someone to say “Easy! They just had to follow the star, “ I was a little taken aback when a shy girl answered, “Hard.” I asked her why she thought it would have been hard for the Wise Men to find Jesus and she said nothing. Not wanting to conversation just to end like that, I thought I would say something. But what could I say? I was prepared to talk about how easy it was. Then it hit me..... Jerusalem... Herod. Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of Kind Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”   The star h...

We had our Advent Pageant at church today. Yesterday during the rehearsal I was overseeing some of the 4-8 year old children and we had quite a bit of time to wait while the youth and older children were working on their parts. While we sat in the back of the church, I talked with my 4-year old son and another boy about the season of Advent and how we are waiting both for Christmas and for Christ's return. This was the first time Timmy heard that Jesus was coming back. “Really?” he asked. Later at bedtime we talked again about Jesus' return. Timmy was really tired so his emotions were pretty raw. He started to cry... really hard. “But I don't want to miss Christmas!” he sobbed at the realization that Jesus' return would transform life as we know it. He felt afraid of the unknown. As Clint and I talked with Timmy and explained that being with Jesus is the best thing ever (even better than a room full of toys!), he started to laugh...and laugh...and laugh. At ...

I've been reading a One Year Bible throughout 2012 and yesterday I started into the book of Revelation.  In the past when I've been reading the Bible in a year and spent the days before Christmas reading about scrolls and seals or beasts and bowls or the return of Christ, I didn't think it suited the pre-Christmas season and wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. It didn't seem to suit the festive spirit around me.  But now I see things different. Why?  My view of the pre-Christmas season has changed.  I now know its name: Advent.  I'm more mindful of Advent as a season for preparation both for celebrating the Incarnation as well as Christ's return that it yet to come.  Our church in Winnipeg, St. Margaret's Anglican , has a Advent sermon series entitled " On the Four Last Things ".  The four sermon topics over the weeks of Advent are: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell.  Although it has been years since I've read R...

For Advent, I decided to write about my experiences through this season.  So let me tell you about today... When I woke up, I knew it was going to be a busy day.  With church in Winnipeg (45 minutes away from our home) and a Christmas Party in the afternoon in a town 45 minutes the other direction, I knew I didn't have much "wiggle-room" in my schedule.  So, when we left church 20 minutes later than I had hoped, the first red light I hit was a nuisance.  Then I hit another, and another, and another.  Seriously, I hit more red lights on McPhillips Street than I can ever remember.  After I hit number 4 or 5, I asked myself, "Is there an Advent lesson here?"  What was I doing as I attempted to hurry along the path set out for me that day?  Watching and waiting.  Watching for those red lights to turn green.  Waiting out those seconds that felt like minutes. Isn't that part of what we are to allow ourselves to acknowle...