Grace and Peace

The Third Sunday of Advent along with the preceding

Friday and Wednesday are Ember days. On these

days we give thanks and prayers for those called to

the ordained ministry of the church. On Saturday the

13th the Bishop will be ordaining two Priests and eight

Deacons. We thank God for them and pray for their

ministries.

We are privileged to be sharing in the celebration

of a great milestone in the lives of two Priests of the

Diocese as Peter Gunning and Grahame Ainslie lead

us in worship on Sunday, and we celebrate their

Ordinations and long and meaningful ministries.

We thank God for their life and ministry and praise

God for his faithfulness to them.

As we continue to reflect on Advent of Anticipation

we follow the example of John the Baptist who

"prepares the way for the Lord." I pray that we will

prayerfully and joyfully seek ways to honor Christ's

work in our lives.

To make room for His ministry in our lives, we ask His

Holy Spirit to guide and assist us in embracing

our humanity and the transformation of our lives.

We are still surrounded by people who make no room

for Jesus and avoid godly conversation. But let us be

those who have adopted a humble place for the birth

of Jesus into our lives. Let us embrace the spirit of

anticipation of the coming of Jesus into our world. Let

us replace fear with hope.

Christ comes to find Jesus afresh.

May Christmas bring to mind our rescue from

worshipping Jesus - but our dedication will bring us to