New Year’s Eve
Gretta begins with different versions of the calendar – Gregorian – Christian. New Year’s Eve is traditionally the point on the calendar when we resolve to make change. We do so collectively through things like the UN Millennium Development Goals which aim for changes by 2015. These are goals that extend beyond the span of a year and require a cooperative effort. Or consider the war in Iraq. But what about change on the personal level? How do we rewire those deeply embedded behaviours that we don’t even think about? We don’t succeed in making changes through annual resolutions, nor even through daily reminders, but through second-by-second attention to our behaviours. Gretta draws a comparison between addiction and our current lifestyle dependency. We can change behaviours that impact upon the world through the same techniques that people apply to addictions. So, as we face 2007, Gretta encourages us to make the changes we want to live, and to be the difference we want to see.
Christmas Eve - Midnight Service
The focus of the service is on the lighting of the advent candels. They represent hope, peace, joy and love. The lighting of each candle is accompanied by readings and reflection. Readings include an excerpt from an article, “Beyond Hope,” by Derek Jensen, the poem, “Barter,” by Sara Teasdale, and a quotation by Mitsugi Saotome.
December 24, 2006
Gretta speaks about stories we tell each other that instruct us about how best to make choices for our living. We find contemporary examples with television shows like The Office, or All In The Family. Archie Bunker serves as a foil for the good choices of his daughter, Gloria. Similarly, fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood provide cautions for our children. Today we anticipate a celebration which has been handed down to us through ancient stories, sometimes through hymns like the Huron Carol, sometimes through novels like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As we move forward, we have to retell the story with new words. We use the spiritual, Go Tell It On The Mountain, as an example, taking the original energy, and adapting it to a new understanding of the nativity story.
Blue Christmas
December 20, 2006. On the eve of the shortest day of the year, West Hill held its annual Blue Christmas service. For some people, the Christmas bustle and the incessant demand to smile and “be of good cheer” can be overwhelming. We often forget about stille nacht - silent night - a place of calm. For those whose pain makes Christmas difficult, West Hill offers such a place of calm through a service of candle-lighting. It returns us to the primary Christmas message - the promise of healing in a broken world.
This service is also special for its music - all composed and played by Scott Kearns.