Tracy's Blog

Our four-year old son, Timmy, has been having trouble going to Nursery School in the last couple of weeks. It wasn't that he didn't like the program or that he didn't have other children he knew there, it was that he worried I would forget to pick him up. He wasn't sure how I'd remember to pick him up so he couldn't trust that I would. So, we worked on a plan to ensure that Timmy knew I had reminders. First, I asked him to remember every other pre-school time – had Mommy or someone he knew picked him up? Yes. Second, I set my alarm on my cell phone for 15 minutes before I needed to be there. I showed him how it worked and assured him that I would come when it rang. Third, I wrote his name on the palm of my hand and showed it to him. Well, on Monday morning we set out to Nursery School and his anxiety was very high. He was crying alot and saying “I won't go to pre-school” and “Mommy won't pick me up”. So, I addressed these words, we prayed to...

We are still looking at John 2:1-11 this week BUT it isn't at verse 4 as I didn't get anywhere in my attempt to figure it out this week. (Maybe next week?!) What I want to ask you about this text is: Did you notice the servants? I'm so impressed with the servants in this story. Why? Well, let me tell you! But first let's look at exactly what they did: John 2:5-9a “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim . Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so , and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine . As you can see by my bold highlights, I'm impressed with the servants total obedience to Jesus. They filled the water jars “to the brim”...

Our Christmas wreaths and garlands have been put away, the artificial tree has been stuffed into it's box which now has duck tape around it to keep all those green boughs in, and all that's left of Christmas treats is a candy cane or two but guess who is on my mind.... Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Why? This coming Sunday's gospel reading is John 2:1-11 .  It's the story of the wedding at Cana when Jesus turns water into wine, when Jesus did " the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him " (John 2:11) and it starts with Mary. John 2:1-3 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.  Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." The passage starts by saying that Jesus' mother was at the wedding.  This caught my attention because it is the first mention...

Today is the day that we celebrate the revealing of the Messiah to the nations through the visit of the Magi to the Christ-child ( Matthew 2:1-12 ).  From my heritage, it is also the day that we celebrate Ukrainian Christmas Eve.  When I put these two things together, I think of the many people who have obeyed God's call to share the good news that Jesus is the Saviour of the whole world.  And I remember the people who have shared God's Word with me. My encouragement to you is twofold: 1) take a few minutes to thank God for the people who have shown you who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.  2) pray for people you know who need God to reveal to them that Jesus is Lord and King.

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...