For 2008, the Hillhurst United website (which can be reached via the link to the left) now has a Giving Light page, in the Outreach section. It is a list of ideas from the congregation gathered over the past two years to help us find a way of giving gifts that allows us to demonstrate our appreciation for family, friends and community yet is relatively light on the environment and beneficial for both the giver and recipient. We welcome your additions.
You can contact Greg Powell, the Outreach Committee chair with your suggestions, or post comments to our blog. Last year's Giving Light blog entries can be viewed using the link to the left.
This campaign is not intended to be a matter of moral or theological purity, so don’t let it be another pressure; it is an invitation to see where God has been born into our midst, an invitation to connect with a "transformative compassion for the world", however you may find that.
This year has brought us some forceful reminders of the fleeting nature of material success. What better time to reflect on giving and receiving?
A look at the Gospels and the Prophets will reveal a world in which we can work and hope for abundance if we do not look for it in possessions alone. This is the theme of some of the greatest Christmas stories and carols. Think of In the Bleak Midwinter, The Gift of the Magi – and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Christmas is also a time when we traditionally consider those less fortunate than ourselves and offer gifts to them as well as to our families and friends. Good King Wenceslaus comes to mind, and A Christmas Carol.
These themes are universal and timeless, but they are particularly important for our time and place. Social and economic histories of North America tell us about increasing mass production and mass consumption since the turn of the 20th century; they show that the roots of the current economic crisis reach deep into the 20th century, deep into our culture and deep into our own psyches. We have come to believe that our identity and our self-worth (to quote commentator Richard Florida) somehow depend on acquiring (and by extension, giving) expensive or impressive belongings – much of it on credit.
Our oldest generation can tell us stories about the privations and joys of spending time in the kitchen, rather than in the mall, of listening to stories told or read rather than watched on large screens. We hear these stories, though, knowing that we live in a different world from the one in which they arose.
How can we understand the difference between an earlier, less consumption-crazed Alberta and today’s Alberta? Christian journalist Bill McKibben has said that up to a certain point, “more” is in fact “better”. People experiencing extreme poverty, homelessness and other deprivations certainly need more of what the material world has to offer. After a certain material level has been reached, however, “better” has a different source, and we do not really benefit from more of the same. It’s just that we continue to expect that we will get more joy from more stuff.
(Bill McKibben’s books include Deep Economy and The Hundred Dollar Holiday, which is described in the Books and Movies section of Giving Light)
Advent and Christmas are an important time to look once again at the economic audacity described in the Gospels and the Prophets, and the cosmic audacity of the Christmas story itself.
We hope you will find true abundance this year through Advent and Christmas, and invite you to share your ideas with the rest of us.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Giving Light for Christmas 2008
Giving Light for Christmas 2008 - Food for Thought
Here's an offering of food for thought from various sources, including the painting "The Annunciation" by African-American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner.
A favourite Advent reading is what Mary said to her cousin Elizabeth about being pregnant with a “blessed infant”, this is often called The Magnificat (Luke 1 :46 – 55)
My soul magnifies the Lord,And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.He has shown strength with His arm:He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.He has put down the mighty from their thrones,and exalted those of low degree.He has filled the hungry with good things;and the rich He has sent empty away.He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.
Scripture text: Revised Standard Version
While we encourage a thoughtful reading of the scriptures that are traditional during Advent and Christmas, here is some contemporary food for thought:
From Geez Magazine:
. … Unfortunately, there are competing and non-humanizing views of beauty and wonder in our midst. The Wal-Mart aesthetic has crept into our heads. We look for bright colors, shiny knobs. We prize efficiency, and quantify value with price tags. We seem to enjoy anything that disconnects us from our natural surroundings. We accept and even prefer “virtual” reality and “simulated” flavors. We see beautiful golf greens on the sports television network and forget about where we live and dream about get-away vacations.
We are both victims and agents of this collective maladjusted vision. It is hard to see differently when most of our views are so “picture perfect.” But I’m trying to see differently, to embrace “plain-old” when offered “new and improved.”
I often think of the zen-like phrases Jesus offered to the world. “Don’t worry about your clothes. Look at the flowers, you should all be like flowers!” Or birds, learn from the birds. I have this deep sense that there’s some secret mystery to life that is within our grasp. Jesus was trying to communicate that vision, not an other-worldly vision but a fuller-worldly vision. It had to do with restoring Eden, seeing heaven on earth. It sounds magical, but I think he assumed we could see the radiant glory of Being Itself if only we had the eyes to see, the ears to hear. I want those eyes.
Aiden Enns is publisher of Geez magazine
From Jean Vanier, Becoming Human:
"The excluded live certain values that we all need to discover and to live ourselves before we can become truly human. It is not just a question of doing good deeds for those who are excluded but of being open and vulnerable to them in order to receive the life that they can offer......they will break down the prejudices and protective walls that gave rise to exclusion in the first place. They will then start to affect our human organizations, revealing new ways of being and walking together.....a place of belonging where each person finds their place and where we live in mutual trust......if it is lived at the grassroots level, in families, in communities and other places of belonging, this vision can gradually permeate our societies and humanize them".
From the Globe and Mail
PATRICK WHITE
November 27, 2007 at 9:14 AM EDT
Don't say iPod, say I love you
Parents have a new weapon in the battle to hush demands for $500 handbags and $250 jeans this Christmas: compliments.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071127.wxlpeers27/BNStory/lifeFamily/home
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Giving Light for Christmas
This is year 2 of an initiative of the Hillhurst United Church Outreach Committee. It began from our desire to offer alternatives to the commercialism of Christmas, and the name came from a desire to have a positive focus.
Many of us genuinely want to treat our family and friends over the Christmas season but, at the same time, we feel uncomfortable with the overwhelming consumerism that our culture has come to associate with the holidays. Is there a way of giving gifts that allows us to demonstrate our appreciation for loved ones yet is relatively light on the environment and beneficial to our community?
In our city today, we are the target of many marketing efforts, many of them simply material, some of them spiritual. Where previous generations found their identity in what they produced, today we often find our identity in what we consume. But there is a point at which abundance becomes clutter. Can Christian practice re-direct that consumption-based identity to a way of celebrating based on generosity and gratitude?
We believe it's possible. As children know, tradition is a living thing.
It’s not a matter of moral or theological purity, so don’t let this be another pressure (like the Martha Stewart magazine is for some of us!); this is an invitation see where God has been born into our midst, an invitation to connect with a "transformative compassion for the world", however you may find that.
Our list of ideas will initially be published on this blog - we welcome your additions to this list, which you can contribute by adding a comment below. The posts will be updated regularly through November and the beginning of December to reflect your contributions. There is a post for each of the following categories: Movies/Books/Music, Crafts and Gifts to Make, Gifts to Buy, Giving to the Wider Community, Family and Community Events.
Also, a version of this material will be made available in printed form at the back of the sanctuary mid-way through November and through Advent. This list will hopefully grow with your contributions.
“Knowing the giver in each gift, we can set ourselves free from small desires and awake to Gods desire in everything.”
Here is a link to a recent article in the Globe and Mail about giving gifts to childen and teenagers. It's not specifically religious, but I take the liberty of posting it because it gets to the heart of why we give gifts, and provides some reassurance about where to draw the line and why:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071127.wxlpeers27/BNStory/lifeFamily/home
Wider Giving
Giving to the poorest of the poor is an ancient Christmas tradition. The importance of opening our hearts to those less fortunate than ourselves is the point of many of our most beloved Christmas stories and songs. There's A Christmas Carol, of course. And Good King Wenceslaus said - "Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing."
If you ask around, you will find many creative ways people in our congregation share their treasure with others - in the city and across the world.
Ideally, we would be connected with all the people we give to, the people we pray for; we would seek to know and understand them. Unfortunately, there is always a risk in making donations, especially on behalf of recipients across the world, that your donation will not reach its intended destination or fulfull its intended purpose. This is a reality of our busy and complex world, but perhaps that is a limitation that can be transcended with faithful perseverence. The list below is a sharing of possibilities, not a thoroughly researched endorsement of any particular organization. We can only recommend that you check out any charity as much as possible before making a donation.
One of the newer ways of giving is offered by Christmas Future. Find out more about them at: http://www.christmasfuture.org/
NEWS FLASH: On Sunday, November 18, Jay Baydala of Christmas Future was at Hillhurst United. After church, he discussed his own experience with the organization, which is described on its website as being "a passionate movement of people empowering a non-profit organization that advances us – all of us – everyday closer to eradicating extreme poverty."
World Vision has a gift catalogue which has ideas for how individuals and groups can give concrete assistance to others; some of these can work as familiy or group activities. This is a very suitable format for making a charitable donation in someone else's name as a gift to both. The website is: www2.worldvision.ca/gifts/app
World Vision's website at worldvision.ca has lots of other ideas, too. At least one congregation member is a longtime supporter of World Vision, and may be able to provide more information.
Kiva.org is another really interesting way to leverage Christmas giving. Kiva is actually a web interface between lender and lendee and facilitates wonderful microfinance, allowing the 'fisher' to buy his or her own 'rod' and 'net' and develop a proper business. The lender does not receive interest, but the principal is fully repaid over time. Then the money can be re-loaned and re-loaned and re-loaned... http://www.kiva.org/
Spread the Net is an organization that aims to stop the spread of malaria by distributing mosquito nets in Africa. You can buy the nets for $10.00 each. More explained here: www.spreadthenet.org/c_learn_malaria_en.aspx
Ten Thousand Villages (mentioned in the "Gifts to Buy" section as a source of fair trade items) has a Living Gift Festival which kicks off on November 24. They provide a selection of items to donate in someone's name, and cards that explain the donation. They also run a school kits campaign, which donates items gathered specifically for a child; this is another very concrete way children can be involved in wider giving.
Here's the link for Canada Food for the Hungry's 2007 Christmas Catalogue
http://www.cfhi.ca/Gifts;jsessionid=0a0004471f4310287d42c7644ee6b724c7df9f043199.e3iKaNePch4Re34Pa38Ta38Pbh50
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan is one of the most interesting groups around. They provide an opportunity to give gift donations or just donations, see http://www.w4wafghan.ca/
The World Wildlife Fund has interesting 'adopt a species' gifts:
http://www.wwf.ca/HowYouCanHelp/PandaStore/PandaStore.asp
Family and Community Activities
What can you do to celebrate with friends and relatives of various ages? Do you want to involve children in an activity other than opening presents? Of course, the great Advent and Christmas events at Hillhurst United are a terrific place to start with this! But if you've still got blank spaces on your calendar and want to celebrate with friends and/or relations, here are some ideas from the congregation:
1. Story night - We started a tradition of getting together some time in December with extended family and reading stories. This brings every new reader on board with a very simple story and gives dads a chance to read funny poems or stories; gives moms a chance to read sentimental ones. Even the older kids have started to look forward to this evening and ask when it will be. Busy people can pick out something at the last minute, and meticulous people can find just the right story in November. You can write and illustrate your own stories, perhaps from family lore (see the "Gifts to Make" section).
2. Advent candles - Usually, we did it on the Sunday evenings of Advent. The more "bling bling" in an advent candle the better, like the little angels that go around. Turn out all the lights that you can safely get away with. Let everyone eat in the living room for once. Light the appropriate number of candles and sing songs. Read them a story that can be divided into four parts (or five, with the last one on Christmas Eve). Before kids are older and busier, you can do this almost every night; there are several books that work for this, and a few Advent Calendars available that come with stories for every day. Heck, you can write your own story every day! Or poem.
3. Skating in Bowness Park (there are lights and bonfires during evenings in December) or Olympic Plaza (there are events there on some December weekend nights, and there tends to be "seasonal music" played over the sound system).
4. Family sport days at City of Calgary Leisure Centres or Talisman Centre - taking someone else's kids to these might make a great gift, too. These usually involve getting wet.
5. Public Library Christmas-theme story events - see your local one in the Library listing booklet. These can book up fast, unfortunately.
6. The City of Calgary Arts Centres - Wildflower and North Mount Pleasant put on Christmas-themed arts and craft sessions for kids only and for kids with adults; the "family" ones are a great way to bond with sons, daughters, neices, nephews.
7. Again with the City of Calgary, the December Bird Count will occur the morning of Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, but they ask that you pre-register. You can also have your own bird count on Christmas Day, this is a tradition in some places.
8. An idea from Gifts from the Heart (see introductory post): hold a baby shower for Baby Jesus, with gifts of real baby items,and donate them to a transition house, shelter, etc.
Comment: this would work very well with a reading of the story about Papa Panov's Christmas by Leo Tolstoy; there seem to be a lot of versions of this great story on the internet, here's one: www.devon.gov.uk/dcs/re/papa/index.html
9. Gifts from the Heart also has a lot of suggestions about ways kids and families can raise money for charity or volunteer together; Sports oriented families, for example, can help with Special Olympics events or donate gently used equipment.
Visits to seniors'homes can be arranged fairly easily. There is an Inn from the Cold here at Hillhurst on Dec. 15, which may be the volunteer opportunity you are looking for.
Does anyone have specific ideas in the Calgary area?
Gifts (etc.) to Buy
1. Items that people need anyway – If a plain pair of socks seems boring, give a “special” pair of socks. Giving items that the recipient needs anyway lightens the impact on the environment. You can make an item extra-special by purchasing a luxurious version or by making it yourself.
2. Local craft fairs – Shopping at local craft shows help local artists and can reduce the environmental costs of long-distance transportation. Buying functional pieces means that the gift plays both artistic and functional roles.
Here are some that we know about in the Calgary area:
The Arusha Centre is holding a Calgary Dollars Holiday Market on Wednesday, Dec. 12 from 7 to 9 pm at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association, 1320 - 5 Ave. N.W. (just down the street from the church). For more information, here is the poster:
http://arusha.org/event/8878
The Ploughshares Peace Fair is on November 17, 2007 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at St. David’s United Church, 3303 Capitol Hill Cres. NW. For more information please visit http://www.ploughsharescalgary.ca/. Crafts & fair trade articles will be available.
Looking for a unique and affordable gift for a loved one this Christmas? Come to L’Arche Calgary’s Annual Christmas Sale on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 from 11:00 am – 3:30 pm. Sale items include paintings, aprons, Christmas cards, and various arts and crafts made in the Day Program. [Note: l'Arche was formed by Jean Vanier, who was mentioned in John's sermon on Nov. 4].
3. Fair-trade and organic products – The “fair trade” label on products suggests that producers (primarily from less wealthy countries) have been paid a fair price for their product. In Canada many of us love to indulge in chocolate and coffee – buying free-trade organic options makes these pleasures a little less “guilty” because it guarantees that producers are fairly paid, allowing them to re-invest in their land . These products can be purchased at many places, including
Ten Thousand Villages (220 Crowchild Trail NW)
also, check for where various items are available at:
members.shaw.ca/calgarynosweat/fairtrade_nosweat_list.htm
The Centre for Public Interest Accounting at the Haskayne School of Business (U of C) is putting on Fair Trade Week 2007 with major events from Nov. 20 to Nov. 24.
Check out their fairly traded market day - support fair trade vendors as they expose diverse and rich products coming from all over the world.
Sat, Nov. 24, 2007
10am to 4pm
Westgate Community Hall
4943 - 8th Ave. S.W.
Here's the page for their whole list of Fair Trade Week activities:
www.ucalgary.ca/cpia/web/future_events.html
And speaking of Fair Trade and Organic products, we can't forget the United Church's own WonderCafe Fair Trade Organic Coffee; it's really a promotion for the Wondercafe website, along with mugs, t-shirts, disposable cups and sleeves, but for the right person, it could be just the thing: www.emergingspirit.ca/~emerging/wondercafe_products
4. You can reduce waste from wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and tape by opting for gift bags, tea towels or nice boxes, which are eco-friendly. Wrap gifts in newspaper, maps, scarves or interesting clothing.
5. Older folks - Don't sweat the presents for them. In my experience, they really want to spend time with you more than anything. Pictures with them and the kids sent later seem to be big hits as well as their favorite foods. It's good for the kids to be along on these visits, ultimately everyone gets something out of it; the kids get a sense of Christmas being more than "more stuff" and the older folks get - just what they wished for, your presence. (This suggestion is doubled up in the "Gifts to Make" section, too.)
6. Wider giving in someone's name/honour - see the "Wider Giving" section for a list of donations that can be made in various ways; some of these are very concrete, such as buying goats, mosquito nets, etc. and allow you to give friend/relative a card which announces the item you have bought on their behalf.
Crafts and Gifts to Make
From last year's list.......
1. Service - Certificates for supper at a restaurant, a spa treatment, a music lesson, etc can be lighter environmentally and can help local entrepreneurs. Offering services yourself (such as landscaping, washing windows or shoveling snow) is also a great option.
2. Plants - I put this is "Gifts to Make" because it's this is especially good if the plants are native outdoor varieties, so you need to do some prep; You may have to give a gift certificate this time of year but then you can offer to plant it in the spring! (Easter would be perfect if the weather is right).
3. Tickle trunk – Make a tickle trunk with an old trunk or suitcase filled with used clothing, hats and jewelry. This is a great opportunity to express your own creativity - you can decorate the trunk or suitcase and you can add homemade items. You can continually add new props for subsequent birthdays and holidays.
4. Stories – Write a story for children on your list and illustrate it yourself. You can have lots of fun with the illustrations – use outlines so that children can colour them, create “dot-to-dot” images, etc. Children will like your hand-drawn images (even if you draw like me!) but if you prefer you can make collages or download clipart & images from the internet. See the "Family and Community Activity" section for Story Night ideas to showcase these......
5. Bountiful baskets – Fill a basket of homemade and/or purchased items. Great homemade options include baking, homemade candies or preserves and cookie mix.
6. A calendar for family with everyone's photos and birthdays. Grandparents love these.
7. Books on tape are great if you have two or three people on your list that will enjoy the same book, it only costs time! Grandchildren, neices and nephews love these.
8. A hand made recipe book including a compilation of recipes from your family, and your friends' families. If you do not have time to complete this for this year, you can start collecting recipes now for next year!
9. Make a puppet (hand-or finger- sized) from a sock or glove.
10. Bake your favourite holiday treat and pack in a recycled tin.
11. Paint an empty wine bottle with non-toxic paint and fill with olive oil. Top with an oil pour spout that can be found at a gourmet cooking shop.
12. Make a birdseed ball. (If you start to feed birds, you need to keep feeding them for the rest of the winter)
13. Start a stamp collection for a child with the stamps that you receive from Christmas cards.
14. Baking or cooking kit with non-perishable ingredients mixed and a recipe for final preparation; stay tuned for some actual recipes here!!
15. See the "Family and Community Activity" section for things you can do with kids - if you do these with your kids, the activities are the gift of your time (and possibly some sports equipment, entry fees, etc.) If you're doing them with someone else's kids, well, it's a gift of time, attention and fun for the kids and - some time for their parent(s), too.
16. Older folks - Don't sweat the presents for them. In my experience, they really want to spend time with you more than anything. Pictures with them and the kids sent later seem to be big hits as well as their favorite foods. It's good for the kids to be along on these visits, ultimately everyone gets something out of it; the kids get a sense of Christmas being more than "more stuff" and the older folks get - just what they wished for, your presence. (This suggestion is doubled up in the "Gifts to Buy" section, too.)
Movies/Books/Music
Books
There are some terrific children's books around for Christmas, and more are being published all the time.
I'll start with The House of Wooden Santas by Kevin Major. Kids from 8 to 11 might be the best audience for this one although younger kids would get something out of it, too. The cool thing about this book is that it's got a chapter for every day of December, so for kids who have time to hear a chapter every evening it's a great Advent ritual. Here's a synopsis: Jesse and his mother face the challenges of making a new life in a small town. But it's hard. Jesse has no friends, and his mother's carved wooden Santas aren't selling. Will there even be a Christmas? Jesse wonders. But before the season is out, Jesse and his mom discover the true spirit of Christmas.
Some themes in the book are: diversity(especially among different generations), change, depression, hope, giving people (including yourself) a second chance.
A story for everyone (mentioned also in the family activities post) is Leo Tolstoy's story about Papa Panov; unless you read Russian, you will have to choose from among many translations; there are some lovely editions in the library and in bookstores; here's one of several versions from the internet:
www.devon.gov.uk/dcs/re/papa/index.html
You may want to check an excellent-looking book called Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful by Virginia Brucker, who is based in BC. It was published in Canada in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
There are chapters on Christmas and divorce, Christmas and illness and bereavement, ideas for long-distance parenting and grandparenting, as well as recipes and child-friendly craft ideas.
Yes, there's a website: www.webelieve.ca.
Movies
Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) is a 2005 film about the World War I Christmas truce of December 1914, which is available on DVD; best for Junior High or older children and adults. There's even a Wikipedia entry on it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyeux_Noël
The Long Walk Home stars Whoopie Goldberg in the only role in which she ever played a "servant" character; it is a dramatization of the bus boycotts in the US South, and the Black woman who wouldn't sit at the back of the bus. A few significant scenes in this movie take place at Christmas. In the Christmas scenes, the material opulence and spiritual poverty of the white employers' Christmas is contrasted with the material poverty and spiritual strength of the servant's family, although the latter is clearly fragile in the face of many challenges. There's sort of a child's eye view used, but the movie would be most meaningful to adults and children who are mature enough to understand concepts like racism. It's really very uplifting, but you might need Kleenex!
