December, 2006

                                      We Sing of Jesus
A Christmas Greeting
From Rev. Susan Ivany

This past summer, Thunder Bay hosted the 39th General Council of the United Church of Canada. Roughly 800 United Church commissioners, volunteers and General Council staff gathered at the Lakehead University Hangar for a week of discernment, worship, work, and even some fun.

One of the decisions made at General Council was the approval of a new statement of faith for the United Church of Canada. The Theology and Faith committee, who created the new statement, felt that it was not intended to supplant former statements and creeds, but rather, would stand on its own as an expression of our faith at this point in time.

It is something like a map in a large building, in which you get your bearings by noticing the words “You are Here”

The result was “A Song of Faith” –a statement reflecting the United Church’s present location on the theological terrain.

As Christmas approaches and we anticipate the birth of Christ child, I was drawn to these words from “A Song of Faith” (UCPH, 2006):

We sing of Jesus,
a Jew,
born to a woman in poverty
in a time of social upheaval and political oppression.
He knew human joy and sorrow.
So filled with the Holy Spirit was he
that in him people experienced the presence of God among them.
We sing praise to God incarnate…

Jesus announced the coming of God’s reign –
a commonwealth not of domination
but of peace, justice, and reconciliation.
He healed the sick and fed the hungry.
He crossed barriers of race, class, culture and gender.
He preached and practiced unconditional love –
love of God, love of neighbour,
love of friend, love of enemy –
and he commanded his followers to love one another as he had loved them.

We naturally tend to think of the Christmas story as the nativity scene in which the baby is born. While this is where we focus our attention at this time of year, our faith tells us that Christmas is more – it is a time for renewing our commitment to all that the wee baby in the manger grew up to teach us.

In October 2006, the congregation of Westminster United Church mad an important and, I believe, faithful decision about how to live the Way of Christ. We voted to become an Affirming Ministry within the United Church of Canada. The Statement of Faith and Action that you see below has been adopted as the model by which we choose to shape our lives together.

We, the people of Westminster United Church, Thunder Bay, are determined that our life together will be fully inclusive for people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, differing abilities, ethnic origins and economic circumstances. Therefore, we pray that God will work in us so that we will be a sensitive congregation, willing to share our faith and gifts in language and worship, in the life and work of our church and wherever God calls us to do justice in the wider community, with compassion, fun and laughter.

Love, peace, inclusivity, justice – these are the notes that make up the lasting songs of our faith. We are called to sing our song of faith at Christmas time, and always. I feel deeply blessed to share in the ministry of Westminster congregation, and I am excited about the possibilities that lay before us in 2007.

With joyous Christmas blessings,

Rev. Susan Ivany.