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| Archbishop’s
2010 Advent/Christmas/New Year’s Message to the United Anglican Church |
| This message was
written, in part, to have been sent to you before the start of Advent. However, my computer stopped working.
As a result, I had to order a replacement laptop and then gain access to and move my old data and programs to the new
computer. Oh, yes, I had a learning curve in the process to adjust to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010
in 64-bit, especially when I discovered that I had to rebuild all of my Outlook address book, thanks to Microsoft‟s
decision to not include the Windows Mobile Device Center linkage for 64-bit Outlook. Finally, at the end
of last week I was somewhat operational with the new computer and systems. Such wonderful success out the
midst of such frustration. |
| I elected to keep
the Advent part in this message and add a New Year conclusion. |
| The New
Ecclesiastical Year began with the Season of Advent |
| In the Word was
life, and that life was humanity‟s light—a Light that shines in the darkness, a Light that the dark-ness has never
overtaken. -- John 1:4-5 |
| O God, in ancient
Decembers, in the narrow corridors, the ancestors huddled very low, yearning for the solstice sun. We,
too, wait—but for the Son. We wait expectantly in the pregnant and holy dark. We
wait in joyful hope for the advent of our Savior. |
| Let the Christ light
penetrate into the inner corridors of our hearts. Where there is darkness, let there be light. |
| Where there is coldness,
let there be warmth. Where there is doubt, let there be hope. Where there is guilt,
let there be forgiveness. Come, Lord Jesus! |
| The Christmas season
will begin soon as we celebrate the Child of Glory, Child of Mary, born in the stable. The King of all
who came to our wasteland and in our place suffered. Draw near to us who call to You. |
| Bless us in this
day of joy. Open to us heaven‟s generous gates. Strengthen our hope.
Revive our tired souls until we sing the joys of Your glory with all the angels of heaven. |
| Almighty Father,
we rejoice in the coming of Christ our Lord. We pray that, as He has taken on our humanity, through your
grace and goodness, we may share in your Divinity, and so, partake in the radiance of your Glory; through Him who came down
for us and is alive and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
| Holy and lowly One,
Jesus, Friend and Brother, we rejoice in your coming among us. You come down to lift us up.
You come as the Light to our darkness: we welcome and adore you. We pray for
your church throughout the world; may we reveal your saving power and abide in your love. We pray for the
work of the church among the poor and the outcasts of our world. King of glory, come to earth, lift
us up into your kingdom. |
| Prince of Peace,
we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for peace in the Holy Land; for peace among nations and goodwill throughout this world;
for the communities to which we belong and the places where we work, that they may know your presence and your peace.
King of glory, come to earth, lift us up into your kingdom. |
| Lord, both a Bethlehem,
we pray for our families, for all with whom we will share this Christmas time: we re-joice in their love
and your love for us all. We remember absent friends and loved ones, all who will be alone this Christmas
time. King of glory, come to earth, lift us up into your kingdom. |
| At this time of
joy and rejoicing, we remember all who are sad, all whose lives are full of sorrow, fear or dark-ness. We
pray for all who are in care, in hospital or in a hospice; we remember those who have no home and will sleep rough this night.
We pray especially for friends and loved ones who are ill. King of glory, come to earth, lift
us up into your kingdom. |
| We rejoice with
all who have entered into the fullness of your presence, all who are at peace in your kingdom. We pray
for friends and loved ones departed. King of glory, come to earth, lift us up into your kingdom.
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| This day heaven
comes down, we are one with our God, the Word is made flesh and dwells among us. The peace of the Lord
be always with you. Amen. |
| Barbara and I wish
you all a Merry Christmas. |
| Brief Reflection
on Past Year and Thoughts as we enter the New Year |
| My guess is that,
for most of us, this past year has been filled with highs and lows, with times of excitement and satisfactions tempered with
times of frustration and concern and crises. Yet in the midst of this, our Lord has been ever present with
us. Each of us encounters the hills and the valleys in our sojourn. An accountant friend
sent me a story he found on the internet a few of years ago. It has an interesting message and an amusing
title: “Twinkies and a Six Pack.” |
| “A little
boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies
and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey. |
| “When he had
gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at some pi-geons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root
beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. |
| “He gratefully
accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered
him a root beer. |
| “Again, he
smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling,
but they never said a word. |
| “As it grew
dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around,
ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever. |
| “When the
boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.
She asked him, „What did you do today that made you so happy?‟ He replied, „I
had lunch with God.‟ But before his mother could respond, he added, „You know what? God's got
the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!‟ |
| “Meanwhile,
the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his
face and he asked, „Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?‟ He replied, „I
ate Twinkies in the park with God.‟ However, before his son responded, he added, “You know,
he's much younger than I ex-pected.‟ |
| “Too often
we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of
caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason,
a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!” |
| Sometimes in the
most unexpected moments, God brings people our way to uplift us. |
| In July, 1995, I
wrote a prayer for my former military commander and close friend, the late Major General James C. Wahleithner, USAFR (Ret).
The general put things that were important to him in his flight book/day planner, which he always kept in his flightsuit.
His aircraft failed him in severe weather in northern California. A few days after his crash, the
air search and rescue personnel found the aircraft and his body in the cockpit of a small UPS freighter, which he flew into
semi-rural areas. In the empty co-pilot seat next to him, his flight book was opened to the page with this
prayer. I have revised the prayer for various audiences over the years since. I
share it with you for the 2011 new year. |
| Our Lord and most
gracious Master of all, may Your wisdom become my direction--the beacon of my pathway.
Enable my vision to be founded in the highest ideals, fortified in Your strength, clear in reason, and articulated
with consistency and clarity. May I dwell daily in Your presence and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
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| Grant me courage
when facing difficult issues and situations that I encounter and insight to define not only spe-cific issues and problems
but also the context in which they take their form and the effect they have upon the whole. May my judgments
be clear, informed, delivered with tact, and logical in reason so as to be compre-hended by others. Assist
me to relate in empathy to persons I will encounter so that I may comprehend their situational needs and wants.
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| May I be a catalyst
of change, a stabilizer in time of turmoil, a tenacious fighter for that which is right, and a constant voice of hope.
When I enter the turbulent times of chaos, steady my course and grant me reasoned un-derstanding in the midst of that
which may remain uncertain or unknown. |
| As we move into
the next year, may I see what is, dream of what can be, and see visions that inspirit me at the core of my being.
May my passion for the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, its ideals, and its mission be translated through my
action so that others may discover the common value, join in collaboration and mutual effort, and together accomplish that
which is best for Your Glory. Grant me wise counsel. May my critics aide me in the fine
tuning of my course. Help me discern the things that are important from those that will lead me on tangents
and the things that are possible to be accomplished. |
| When my energy is
depleted, refresh me with Your Spirit so that I may soar unrestrained to face the tasks of each day. In
these times, surround me with Your support and care through those You bring in timeliness to nur-ture me, to facilitate my
creative thought, and to guide my action. Enlighten the eyes of my soul to see through the fog in which
I often navigate. |
| May Your Light illuminate
the path I walk in my ministry to others, in my stewardship, and in my service to You. Amen. |
| May this coming
year be one in which we are renewed in spirit and in the confidence of our faith. Let us draw clos-er to
one another in fellowship, even though separated by many miles. |
| I am working on
some possible dates for a Synod early in 2011. Under separate e-mail, I will propose some possi-bilities.
I will be in the Middle East on a peacebuilding and faith-based reconciliation mission in mid-January for one week.
I covet your prayers in this critical work of religious diplomacy. Uplift one another in prayer.
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