Beloved parishioners and friends of St. Matthias,

On this most Holy night, we remember and we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. In Jesus, God became a human and lived among human beings, not as an earthly sovereign, not in grandeur or power, but as a tiny baby growing up in a poor family. Our God became vulnerable and humble in order to understand and share our humanity. Jesus came to show us what God is like: a caring God who is with us in all the circumstances of our lives.

As we’ve lived through the last year, we have all experienced changes, both individually and as a parish. Some parishioners have experienced the death of a loved one, others are navigating health issues and changes in living environment. The circumstances of our lives are ever changing. The one constant thing is that in all circumstances, God is with us.

Bishop Anna has been telling us for some time now that the church of the future will not look the same as the church of the past and she adds that the future is bright. How can she say this with such confidence? because we know who holds the future. In this context we are being attentive to the Spirit of God here at St. Matthias. We continue to be a faith community, coming together to celebrate the sacred liturgy of the Holy Eucharist. We continued to believe, to pray and to reach out beyond our small community to those in need. We don’t know what the future will look like, where we will gather to worship, or how God will call us to serve as we move into 2024.

And so we place our hope in the God who came to be with us in all circumstances, who through the power of the Holy Spirit is with us now. We give thanks for all the blessings we have received this year and for all the ways that God has been with us in our challenges and losses. And as we look to what 2024 will bring, we wait in joyful hope, for the light of Christ has come into our world and we will never again walk in darkness.

Thank you to each one of you for all that you are and all that you do to make St. Matthias a warm, inviting and inclusive community. You all reflect the light of Christ to me in so many ways and I am more grateful than I can say.

With love and many blessings

Rev. Colleen+

Come celebrate Advent and Christmas 2023 with St Matthias  

Thursday Morning Celtic Communion continues weekly at 10am.  

Please note: There will be no Thursday Communion the week after Christmas (Dec 28th). We will resume January 4th 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent: Lessons and Carols  

10am Sunday December 24th 

Christmas Eve Service 

7pm Sunday December 24th 

Christmas Dinner 

2pm in the Parish Hall

The Feast of the Epiphany

10am Sunday Dec 31, 2023

The Chapel Gallery: Special Epiphany Exhibit 

Show: Paintings by Michael Utgaard:The 12 Days of Christmas & The Epiphany.

Dates: January 4-6th, Thurs-Saturday 10am-4pm. Special Epiphany Event Saturday, January 6, 2-3pm. 

A Series of paintings by Michael Utgaard depicitng the 12 Days of Christmas and the "Three Kings," making the transition from the secular to the spiritual aspects of Christmas. 

 

Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash 

In the deep shadows of the night,   
The Light of the World shines forth.  
Through the pain of birth,   
Hope arrives.  
Amid the poverty of a stable and the struggle of life,   
A Peace Maker enters the world.  
On this night, we prepare ourselves once more for the miracle of Jesus' birth, as God is born among us, Emmanuel. O God, be with us—in the day and in the night, in our joys and in our sorrows. Be with us—Light of our Lives, Hope Bearer, Liberator, Messiah - For you declare this night: Good news of a great joy for all people.

Join us for our Christmas Eve serivce at 7pm. 

Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash 

Rev. Colleen and will be cooking Christmas dinner (turkey and all the trimmings) in the church hall on Christmas day at 2pm for all who would like to attend. The invitation is open to all, not just members of the parish. If you want to attend, let Colleen know so that she can begin to get some idea of numbers.

RSVP to St. Matthias 250-882-5191.

[And, if you are able to help in some way, rumour has it that Colleen would like to know that too!]

Arise, shine, for the Light of the World has come! Darkness covers the earth and its people, but the radiance of God's light burns away its shadows, illuminates the smallest corner, and heralds in the start of a new dawn, where hearts no longer fear and souls might be set free. 

“God, where are you?”
- “Under the rubble…”

In Bethlehem, the Lutheran Church decided that its Christmas nativity scene would reflect the reality of children living and being born in Palestine today, placing the symbolic Baby Jesus in a manger of rubble and destruction. Photograph: Nida' Ibrahim