Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.  Mk 13:33

Happy New Year!  I guess…  Advent is the beginning of the Church Year, the liturgical calendar, and traditionally understood as a time of preparation for Christmas.  But, it’s not quite that simple, or easy.

Every store, the entire commercial world, is more than ready.  Every possible medium of mass communication is saturated with messages carefully crafted to tug at our heartstrings and then at our pockets and purses, to tug money out of them.  The ‘Coming One’ has already come, with the Santa Claus Parade the Saturday after Remembrance Day, and is now ruthlessly exploited to squeeze as many dollars as possible out of everyone, including those who can’t afford to spend anything, but feel compelled to do so anyhow.

So what about us?  How are we feeling, and what on earth – or not – is Jesus talking about in his stern words from the Gospel?  Now it’s Mark’s Gospel, which will be our main source for the coming year, during Year B of the three year lectionary (four assigned readings for each Sunday) which is our discipline in the Anglican Church of Canada, and in many other churches also, including our Full Communion partner the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Beware!  Keep alert!  Keep awake!  Keep awake!

Yes, Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, and the celebration of the Word made flesh in the helpless baby of Bethlehem, whose family would soon become homeless refugees, but Christmas itself, the whole Feast of twelve days, is really a time of preparation for the rest of the story.  The helpless human baby will grow up, the wood of the manger will take another form as, eventually, that baby, named Y’shua (or Joshua, or Jesus) becomes the helpless man nailed to a cross.  All the tinsel and shiny globes and bright lights in the world cannot make this tree beautiful.  What will make it beautiful, though, is the light of God’s love shining so brightly in the suffering servant who is obedient unto death, even death on a cross, for our sake, and the sake of all.

Can we handle this, when the rest of the world – at least our part of it – is urging us into an orgy of materialism and self-idolatry?  To do so, we are invited to journey together in the Spirit of the Servant Christ, in prayer, in reflection, in worship, in service, disciples together of Jesus.  To make this journey of preparation for service in the Reign of God, Jesus himself invites us, strongly, urgently:

Therefore, keep awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”  Mark 13:35-37

St. John’s Rector and Dean of Rupert’s Land, The Very Rev. Paul N. Johnson, said both soldiers were mentioned by name during the prayers, which featured the Rifles’ regimental band throughout the service. “It’s a privilege to have this service — every year they come and we remember, with them — it’s a special day,” Johnson said. “But it’s more poignant this year. Everything is still fresh in people’s minds about both here and overseas. But we even pray for our enemies, as we are called to do, and we pray for peace, which every soldier wants.”

Please read the full story here.

We had another great Remembrance Sunday service with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Band, and other members. We had some visitors too, of course, including first time visitor today MP Joy Smith, one of our local MPs. Joy serves the people of Kildonan-St. Paul (east and west) Riding. She also has done an extraordinary amount of great work in fighting human trafficking, through The Joy Smith Foundation, as well as in the Parliament of Canada. Thank you, Joy!

Join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. The Regimental Band of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles — gazetted in 1883 and associated with this Cathedral since — will be with us, playing prelude, postlude, and several hymns. Parade to the Regimental Memorial follows immediately, with coffee, tea, cakes, and fellowship in the John West Hall to follow that. The Director of the Band is 2nd Lt. Ryan Wehrle. Welcome Rifles, welcome all!

Address: 135 Anderson Avenue, just off north Main, north of St. John’s Park, east toward the River, street parking.

ALBERT (POM POM) BRUNEAU It is with heavy hearts we announce Al’s death at the age of 76 years on October 10, 2014 after a long, courageous battle with colo-rectal cancer. Left to mourn Al are his wife Heather; children Rene, Florence, Yvonne, Stacy, Louise, Greg; as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Al was born in St. Boniface on April 13, 1938 and grew up in the Lac Du Bonnet area before moving to Winnipeg. He worked hard at many jobs all of his life before becoming a Pembina Trails School Division courier from 1981 to 2012. After retiring, Al kept busy as a lunchroom supervisor at Acadia Junior High. When Al wasn’t working, you’d find him visiting his friends, former coworkers, or those working at many Fort Richmond businesses. You couldn’t go anywhere with Al without running into someone he knew. He also loved music and to meet new people, which led him to ballroom dancing and his wife Heather. Al also believed in keeping his family ties strong. He rarely missed the chance to spend time with his children and grandchildren.

On Saturday, October 18, 2014, Al’s funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. in St. John’s Cathedral, 135 Anderson Avenue between Main Street and the Red River. In lieu of flowers, if friends so desire, donations in Al’s name may be made to Siloam Mission, Main Street Project, CancerCare Manitoba or the Riverview Health Centre Foundation. Our family would like to thank the warm and caring Palliative Homecare staff, particularly nurses Marianne N. and Joanne, as well as Riverview Health Centre staff, who allowed him to die with dignity.

Wojcik’s Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 1020 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB 204-586-8668, in care of arrangements. wojciksfuneralchapel.com

“My darling, my life, Just by being in the world, You made it a better place.”

As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on October 15, 2014

David Peter Doerksen:  17 September 1962 — 5 October 2014

Our brother in Christ, Dave, died Sunday night, 5 October 2014, at 6:35 p.m.  He was at home, and his beloved wife Tina was by his side, along with other family and close friends.

We mourn his death, far too soon, of cancer.  Dave had just turned 52.  He and Tina were married only a little more than a year ago here at St. John’s Cathedral.  Now his funeral will be held in the same holy space, this coming Saturday, 11 October 2104, at 9:30 a.m.  There is a wedding booked in the afternoon, hence the hour, and the sad irony.

All are welcome at this public service of worship, which will include Holy Eucharist.  A light lunch will be served in the John West Hall following the service, and we will need to vacate the building and parking by 1 p.m.

The Cathedral is at 135 Anderson in Winnipeg, between north Main and the Red River, just north of St. John’s Park.  If you’re coming north on Main, turn right onto Anderson, if coming south on Main, turn left onto Anderson.

Dave, we will miss you very much.  But we give thanks for your life, and rejoice that you are now healed and whole in the presence of Christ forever.

May you rest in peace and rise in glory.

Sunday at St. John’s:

9 a.m. Dean’s Forum in the narthex; Ch. 2 of R. Williams’ book, ‘Being Christian’ – Bible. Thanks, Richard!
10:30 a.m. Sung Eucharist, The Rev. Brian Ford, Hon. Assistant, preaching and presiding. Thank you, Brian.
Noon or so… Coffee and koinonia in the narthex.

7 p.m. Ordination of Diane Panting to the Diaconate
Reception to follow in the John West Hall.

Dean’s Forum at 9 a.m. – Baptism (the first chapter of Rowan Williams’ book, ‘Being Christian’)
Sung Eucharist (Holy Communion) at 10:30 a.m.; Dean preaching, the Rev. Canon Ann Goodwin presiding at the Eucharist (this is Ann’s last Sunday with us before she moves to Whitby, Ontario).

Noon: Potluck feast in the John West Hall, all welcome!  If you’re new or visiting, don’t worry about bringing anything, just yourself.

Please come and join us for the Feast of Christ – Holy Communion – and then stay for the feast to follow… Should be a great meal, two, in fact! Hope to see you here.

The Cathedral is at 135 Anderson, Winnipeg, just off North Main toward the Red River, where the first church was built in 1822. We are just north of St. John’s Park, named after the Cathedral when the parish donated the land to the city many years ago. Street parking all round.