What’s left of Christmas?

What’s left of Christmas if you leave out Jesus coming to save men and women from sin and judgment? Not much.

The Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada and National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada demonstrate.

Abp of Melbourne’s Christmas message

Archbishop Philip Freier’s Christmas message in online in video form at the Diocese of Melbourne website.

Australian Church Record — December 2010 — now online

The latest edition of The Australian Church Record is now available as a free download from their website.

From the Editorial:

“At the present time, the ever-optimistic of our early baby boomer brethren can still be heard to say that this is a time of unprecedented change, as if what is going on still fits within the boomer rhetoric that any change is a good change. But what we are looking at right now is not change at all. It is collapse.

What we are witnessing is the death of a failed dream. What will come is a whole new world. As it rises from the ashes of the sixties ‘revolution against everything’, the gospel needs to be a part of the reconstruction.”

‘Christmas 2.0’ (updated)

Apparently created to showcase the services of a Portuguese web-design company, this three minute viral video could have several uses this Christmas! See it on YouTube.

Also available in Portuguese(!).

(h/t Bishop John Harrower.)

And here’s another ‘social networking’ version of the Christmas story – but with a more reflective tone – linked by Steve Kryger at Communicate Jesus.

‘It is the moment I was really reborn’

“On Sunday 31st of October six young adults joyfully declared their faith before the congregation of Holy Trinity and were baptised. It was a time of much rejoicing…”

– A brief but encouraging report from Holy Trinity Adelaide – in the Diocese of Adelaide’s Guardian for December 2010. (3MB PDF.)

Oak Hill College Commentary magazine Winter 2010-11

David Peterson will be heading back to Oak Hill College in London to give the annual School of Theology lectures in May. That’s just some of the news in Oak Hill’s latest Commentary magazine for Winter 2010/2011.

Lots of great articles. Download your copy – a 6MB PDF file – from the College website.

BBC Radio 4 to devote day of reading of King James Bible

“The Daily Telegraph reports that the BBC will devote nearly a whole day of Radio 4 to readings from the King James Bible to mark the 400th anniversary of its publication…”

– Report from EV News.

Anglican TV on the Vancouver appeal decision

Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV spoke with Cheryl Chang, Special Counsel to the Anglican Network in Canada, on the background to the latest ruling (which went against the ANiC parishes in Vancouver), and on the decision to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

See it here. Helpful background. (Runs for 18 minutes.)

TEC focus on ‘climate justice’

“The Episcopal-Anglican gathering coincided with the second week of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico… Although there were many environmental action groups on the ground in Cancun, the Episcopal-Anglican gathering was the only known religious gathering of its kind taking place at the same time…”

– Anglicans, Episcopalians issue statement on climate justice, form commitments.

Also, Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, has written a Christmas message about those who walk in darkness.

Vancouver churches to appeal to Supreme Court of Canada

This news release is just in from the Anglican Network in Canada:

“This is not the path any of us would have preferred; however, we initiated court proceedings when threats to replace trustees began to be carried out and when the Diocese caused banks to freeze two parishes’ bank accounts.”

Parishes initiate appeal to Supreme Court of Canada

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  12 December 2010

Vancouver, BC – After several weeks of consultation within the parishes, the Trustees of four Vancouver-area churches have instructed their legal counsel to file an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada of a BC Court of Appeal decision (November 15, 2010) which removed their right to use their church buildings.  Read more

Roger Nicole (1915–2010)

Yesterday, Ligioner Ministries posted an online appreciation of Dr Roger Nicole on his 95th birthday.

“Widely recognized as one of the great Reformed theologians of the last seventy years, we want to honor the 95th birthday of Dr. Roger R. Nicole. A native Swiss Reformed theologian with an M.A. from Sorbonne, a Th.D. from Gordon Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, Dr. Nicole has long been regarded as one of the preeminent theologians in America.”

Late this morning, Australian time, they posted an update: “We have learned that Dr. Nicole went home to be with the Lord tonight (Saturday) at 7:40pm.”

Justin Taylor has a tribute at Between Two Worlds.

The latest from Canberra & Goulburn

Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Stuart Robinson, has posted the latest Stutube – for December 2010.

The Lord’s Supper in Human Hands — Epilogue

Available now from The Australian Church Record.

“Sydney’s discussion of lay and diaconal administration of the Lord’s Supper has occurred for some forty years. After a related legal question was referred to it, the Appellate Tribunal handed down its opinion in August 2010. This legal opinion needs to be set within its proper context, and the biblical-theological discussion about the issue needs to continue.”

North West Australia prayer notes — Dec 2010 & Jan 2011

The latest Prayer Notes for the Diocese of North West Australia – and Bishop David Mulready’s Letter – are now available on their website.

Please be encouraged to use them to pray for those who serve Christ, and those who hear of him, in the North West.

Tending the Flock of God

“We gather in this Cathedral to ordain twelve persons as priests in the church of God at a time when there is sustained criticism of leadership in our culture. In both the corporate and political worlds leaders have been accused of looking after their own interests and being out of touch.

By way of contrast the readings at this service paint a radically different picture of what leadership should be like in the household of faith. The readings reflect on both the nature and manner of pastoral leadership…”

– Bishop Trevor Edwards preached this sermon at an ordination at St Saviour’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn last weekend.

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