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Advent Conspiracy

"Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption." The conspirators behind this include my friends Chris Seay and Rick McKinley. Rick says "A lot of churches are participating in taking back Christmas by telling a better story with our Worship." Check it out and get involved.

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Advent. The Christian Calendar has begun

This is it. The day were were waiting for. Advent kicks off the Christian year and my goal is to track it as closely as i can, especially the FEASTS because I love my kitchen and food really communicates to me. More later. Look forward to walking through this year with you.

Harvest Festival

The Baptist church down the road from us is having a Harvest Festival which is popular among Protestants, although the timing is unsure. Harvest Festival usually at the end of the farming year and it is similar to the Jewish Feast of Ingathering. Its a time to bring in the food produced on our land and symbolically offer it to God. And, of course, eat a little of it. Some churches, like the Baptist churches I grew up with, had a table in the front of the church which would fill up with all kinds of bread. Nothing else, really, just bread . . but then it was an urban church and there were no farmers around.

This Sunday, the church is having a potluck dinner to celebrate Harvest Festival and we are bringing along food to add to it. That way we all get to eat together.

In USA and Canada, this is a national holiday and its called Thanksgiving. It occurs at the end of November and we always celebrate it because my wife is American and so are our kids. I am traveling this Thanksgiving and will not be at home so what we are doing this morning is making a COMPLETE THANKSGIVING FEAST, including turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato and brown sugar dish, etc, and bringing it along to the potluck at this little unsuspecting Scottish Baptist Church. It might freak them out a little, but not as much as when i brought a rare EYE-FILLET STEAK on a bed of garlic potatoes to the potluck last year.

Some history from Wikipedia

"The modern British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall. Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service."

Not sure what we will do or what you will do but I am thinking today is a good day to think about God's provision from the earth for our needs. Here are some prayers.

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Feast of St Hubert

Today in our rhythmic remembrance of the Christian calendar, we think of St Hubert who liked to hunt. He probably wouldn't be too popular in todays world. The story is that just before firing his arrow at a deer, he saw a cross between its antlers and it changed his life. He later became bishop of Tongres and was honored in France and Belgium as the patron saint of hunters. Those remembering him often cook with venison - which i couldn't find at my butchers so I am substituting it for a gamey tasting stuffing with bacon. Recipes are here.

No Feast day tomorrow but i think Harvest Festival is celebrated in a lot of countries.

All Soul's Day - and some thoughts on our yearly pilgrimage

Today is All Souls Day [also called Defuncts Day) and its a little morbid if you ask me. Its about commemorating the dead. Yesterday was All Saints Day, when we commemorated the saints in Christ that have died. Today the horizon widens and its basically anyone who died, whether they were saints or not. Its more of a Roman Catholic holiday since it requires a belief in Purgatory to fully participate. There is a Office for the Dead, There are recipes like Beans for the Dead, and Dead Bone Cookies and I think i found Bread for the Dead. Of course there are special prayers. The Eastern Orthodox have a number of these events during the year and the Anglicans, after the Reformation, decided to morph it with All Saints Day to make one holiday. Thats kinda where I end up. I don't believe in Purgatory but i do believe there will be a time of judgment for us all where our works will be tested with fire. I cant find anything that tells us we can accelerate anyones judgement with our prayers or our works. But I think we should remember the dead and honour them.

Celtic Daily Prayer Bible Verses: Psalm 25:4, Jeremiah 31:20, Revelation 12:12-18
One Year Bible Blog not only has daily readings but has a blog with thoughts, images and a place for you to comment.

This is the second day of my year long pilgrimage through the feasts, rhythms, celebrations, disciplines and events of the Christian calendar in all its forms. I realize that since there will be a lot of cooking invovled, i will need to give warning.

For example, tomorrow is St Huberts Day where we eat some venison to celebrate Huberts love of hunting. You probably dont have any venison in your fridge so tomorrow, when i suggest we eat venison, you will curse me for not giving you warning. Fair enough. I need to get my act together and write some of these in advance, as well as letting you know how to be prepared.

But think of it this way. The official Christian calendar begins in a months time with Advent so . . . we have a month to get our lives, our journals, and our KITCHENS ready for that active season and for the year that follows. Still want to join the rhythm? Cool. Let me know what else i can do.

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All Saints Day

Today is the first day in the Celtic year and its also All Saints Day. A day to remember the saints and believers in Christ who are passed on and are now with Christ. Bible verses for the day are from Northumbria: Hebrews. 12:1-2, 22-23, Revelation 7: 9-10, 19:5.

On All Saints Day, "Soul cakes" were made and "Souling" ballads like this one were sung by maids in many English towns in the evening:
"Soul, soul, for a soul cake!
I pray good misses a soul cake,
An apple or pear, a plum or a cherry,
Any good thing to make us merry,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for Him who made us all"
Feast Day Cookbook, Burton and Ripperger, 1951

Soul cakes were often shaped like men and women with currants or raisins for their eyes. Makes me wonder if gingerbread men are related to these. In fact, I will probably bake some gingerbread men and women for our kids and we will think about the departed saints before we eat them. Especially the people we know who have impacted our lives before going on to meet God.

More Resources:

One Year Bible Blog, Daily prayer for the world,

How to make Soul Cakes, American recipes for soul cakes, recipe for Gingerbread Men,

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new season

starts all saints day and runs for a year. tell you more soon.

Out of material

waiting for some inspiration for the next series. let me know if you have an idea.

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Emerging Church 1.13

"Perhaps a particular church should not have a full-time pastor at all. Consider the possibility of calling a team or ordained clergymen, each holding a "secular" job during the week. The alternatives for pastoral leadership are endless."

Larson, Osborne, The Emerging Church (1970), p52

Emerging Church 1.12

"Who says that the best place for a congregation is at the focal point of a community?
Perhaps is should be hidden in a corner somewhere, at the heartbeat of where its members live and work and socialize."

Larson, Osborne, The Emerging Church (1970), p51

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