Christmas in Song

Our thanks to the Comox Valley Interchurch Choir.

Our thanks to Al Wedel.

Our thanks for a treat and a wonderful Christmas concert.

It was a veritable feast

Your magnificent rendition of Christmas carols and readings helped prepare our hearts for Christmas.

It helped to rekindle that sense of Christmas joy and anticipation which in today's world can far too often get lost.

Thank you Interchurch Choir for bringing the miracle of Bethlehem ever so much closer; even to within reach of our fingertips.

This was a free concert and it epitomized the spirit of Christmas giving; giving freely and giving for the joy of it.

Your endless hours of hard work and practice bore fruit on Sunday evening and the packed church at St. John the Divine was witness to that.

But judging by your glowing countenances while you sang I am persuaded to say that you too enjoyed the experience as much as we did.

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all and I'm sure that I echo the sentiments of most of the audience when I ask: "When's the next concert?"

O little town of Bethlehem , Wales.

There is always much activity in the little town of Bethlehem , Wales in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Thousands of people visit so that they can send their Christmas cards with a special Christmas postmark .

This year the community is getting together to produce a nativity play called 'Seren Bethlehem' 'Star of Bethlehem'. And they have been rehearsing for several weeks. The play will be screened on the Welsh Language tv station S4C , and I hope to be able to watch it on the internet.

On a candlelit stage.

Last Wednesday , we went to see Winter Harp performing at the Sid Williams Theatre . The group played a variety of instruments , including one which I had never seen before ; a five foot tall bass psaltery. Psalteries date back 3000 years , and this one on the Sid's stage was unique , made by Edward Turner of Vancouver.

I was particularly interested to hear the harps. Two were played that night ; the classical pedal harp and the Celtic Harp. Both were beautifully played and created a magical sound to all present.

All in all, we experienced a lovely combination of colourful mediaeval constumes, candles , carols and winter themed narratives.

Good start to the week.

Yesterday began with the lighting of the second candle in the advent wreath, at the 8 o'clock Holy Eucharist. Another special service.

Then , later that morning I had arranged to have a chat by video link with one of my friends in Wales. I happened to notice that there were over 18 million people chatting on skype at the same time, and maybe this was the reason why the reception quality wasn't as good as usual . Anyhow , we talked and talked and the hour passed very quickly .

I went back to St John in the afternoon, and thoroughly enjoyed a talk and slide show presented by Kay Semple , who talked about her life as a nurse in isolated aboriginal communities during the 1970's. She described her duties , and we also learned about the people she met and cared for during her time in Canada's Arctic.

Within the hour , I was once again back in Courtenay meeting our good friends at one of our favourite eating establishments in the Comox Valley . We had a hearty meal before braving the cold weather in Simms Park , where we saw 'The living nativity'. And despite the cold , it was lovely to see , as it brought to mind the childhood nativity plays of long ago.

Lighting up the week

Last week began with an early start on Sunday morning. We attended a special Holy Eucharist at 8 o'clock , when the first of the four advent candles was lit.



Since I was brought up a 'chapel girl' back home in Wales, I have a lot to learn about the Church and its symbolisms. But I am learning ! I decided to do a search on the history of the advent candle and this is a little of what I found on Wikipedia.

In some traditions the first candle is called the prophet's candle and is meant to signify the hope of Jesus' coming.
The second is called the Bethlehem candle in honor of the city of Christ's birth.
The third candle is the shepherds' candle.
The final candle is the angels' candle, symbolising the angelic proclamation of joy at Christ's birth.

We also have a fifth candle set in the middle of the advent wreath . It symbolizes Christmas , and is called the Christ Candle.

Fiat Lux .....Let There Be Light .