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“Light and Hope. Hold onto them against the darkness.” Diana Butler Bass

I love a stormy morning when I can snuggle in with my candles and tea and watch the first season’s snow swirling outside my window. There’s a stillness that brings solace to my soul.  The trees are heavily laden with the white stuff as they join me in welcoming in the new season of Advent in the church.  As writer Kate Bowler says there’s no champagne popping or resolution making but this is a Happy New Year for our church.  Happy New year Trinity! A new liturgical calendar begins- Cycle A. 

Advent is a season of Holy expectation – four weeks leading up to Christmas. It’s a time when we pause, listen, and make room in our lives for Christ to come to us again- to be born anew in our hearts.  In a season filled with noise, busyness and worry – Advent invites us to slow down, to breathe and to prepare to celebrate the birth of the Christ child in Bethlehem so very long ago.  But, it’s more than that.  The Spirit of Love in this human child remains fully alive.  Advent reminds us to reawaken our awareness of this mystical presence and to welcome Christ in those who show up in our everyday lives.  In her Advent book Night Visions, Jan Richardson writes “those who welcomed Jesus- the angels, the shepherds, the Magi, greeted him joyfully with their songs, their presence, their gifts.” 

However, we have a more difficult time welcoming Christ into our midst, especially when he arrives in the guise of one who seems radically different from us or gets under our skin or who angers us or who confronts us with parts of ourselves we don’t want to see.  The story of Jesus’ birth is more than one of nostalgia. It’s about the here and now. Today. How we choose to show up in the world. It’s a radical, life changing story when we realize that WE are to give birth to his Spirit.  Mark Nepo says “what we call God is the life-force born and breathing in each of us.” 

The celebration of Jesus’ birth is meant to remind each and everyone of us of the dignity and divinity of humanity. More importantly, it’s a call for us to bring hope and light to the darkness that surrounds us and peace to the people with whom we interact and embrace. In the words of a 17th century priest Angelus Silesius “if Christ were born a thousand times in Galilee it would be in vain until he were born in thee, in me.”

So, now let us ready ourselves for our journey to Bethlehem once again. Let us light our candles of promise- candles of hope, peace, joy and love. And let us open wide the manger of our hearts to allow the Spirit of that Christ child, the Spirit of Love, to be born anew “in thee, in me.”

Trinity has a list of special services to accompany us on this spiritual journey- see What’s new on the home page.

I would also like you to note a service designed for those for whom this is not the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a service to explore and validate all your emotional feelings, especially ones of grieving and loss.  Loss takes many forms- not only the death of a loved one but the loss of a dream, a job, a relationship, a way of life, disappointment, loss of good health. This Comfort and Hope service is Thursday December 18th at 7 pm here at Trinity United Church. Please pass this along to anybody you know who could benefit from a word of encouragement and hope in their time of sadness.

If you are needing extra help over this Advent and Christmas season Guardian Care Solutions may be just the gift you’re looking for.  This healthcare staffing company was started by a member here at Trinity- John Bosco Tumukunde Ampaire.  That’s a mouthful! John is working tirelessly to make his way in a new world and finding ways to help others too.  If you need a PSW or a RN or RPN or simply someone to help out with the daily chores of everyday living- contact John at 437-663-7947. Or email Admin@guardiancaresolutions.ca.  You can visit John at his website www.guardiancaresolutions.ca   This service is available outside the Huntsville area- anywhere in Ontario.  John is a member of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce and his business is licensed, insured, WSIB covered and fully certified.

Coming up in the life and faith of Trinity this week: December 1st– 7th

Wednesday morning 9 am- Men of Trinity

Wednesday afternoon 1-3 Knitting Group

Thursday morning 10 Christmas Mug up with the Minister- Games and Prizes too- Ho Ho Ho!

Fundscrip orders due next week!  Great for those hard to buy people on your Christmas list.

Finally, a sleigh full of gratitude to all our Christmas Elves who have decked out halls- both inside and out- with the boughs and lights of festive holly! 

What a delightful way to welcome people “home” for the Christmas season. Thank you!

Well, it’s time to warm up my tea… maybe even dig out my winter boots and take a stroll in this winter wonderland that lies before me. 

Advent Blessings,
Companions on this spiritual path,
Rev. D 

Community News and Events

Advent & Christmas Services

Dec 1, 2025

“Oh, Come all ye faithful and ye not so faithful too!”

 Special Advent and Christmas Services

The First Sunday of Advent- Sunday November 30th, 2025

This is our Sunday of “Hope”. Today we are lighting the candle of hope in our Advent wreath.

The Second Sunday in Advent- Sunday December 7th, 2025

Today we are lighting our candle of Peace in our Advent Wreath.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with peace in our hearts.

It is also White Gift Sunday– warm articles of clothing for our harsh winter weather and gift cards are all graciously and gratefully received.

Our Service of Comfort and Hope- Thursday December 18th 7 pm

Christmas is often a season of sadness and loneliness for many people. Come and join us for this service of quiet reflection and memories.

The Third Sunday in Advent- Sunday December 14th, 2025

Time to break out your annual Christmas sweaters and attire!

As we continue to make our way to Bethlehem, we will light our candle of joy. The closer we get to Christmas the brighter the light on our Advent wreath becomes.

We will also be remembering our loved ones who are no longer with us this Christmas as we place our special ornaments on our “Think of Me” Tree May our good memories encourage us and fill us with hope and healing.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent or Christmas Sunday- December 21st, 2025

This is a wonderful Sunday of celebration. Often, it’s Christmas celebration for many people who will not be around for Christmas Eve services. Holy Communion will be served this morning.

Christmas Eve Services- December 24th, 2025- 5 pm

Merry Christmas!

“Love came down that first Christmas.”

May the love of the Christ child shine brightly in the mangers of our hearts spreading warmth and light in us, in this congregation and throughout our communities.

Special treats for our young children- symbolizing Jesus’ birthday cake- the one whose birthday we are celebrating at Christmas.

Candlelight and Carols Christmas Eve Service 7 pm.

A quieter more reflective service- as we celebrate the birth of the Christ child in our hearts.

Christmas Blessing:

Go now in peace.
May the love that made the starts be your guiding light.
May the love revealed in Jesus be your hope and inspiration;
And may the love of the ever-present Spirit- give you courage, joy and hope- now and forever more.  Amen.

December 28th, 2025

This end of the year service will be a Taize worship service will be led by Kyung-A Lee.

This is a simple, meditative form of service with generous silence and repetitive sung prayers.

Christmas Blessings from our house to yours! Rev D

“God’s presence is found in love made visible through touch.”

Coming up at Trinity!

Oct 24, 2025

Chuck’s Coffee House is back on Saturday, November 8th at 7 pm. $10 at the door, no ticket required. Everyone is welcome!

Trinity’s Frosty Fair will be held on Saturday, November 22! A chicken pot pie lunch will be served at 12 noon and 12:45 pm. There will be baked goodies and other treats to take home. Mark your calendar!

White Gift Sunday is December 7, 2025. Your gift (gift cards are great!) are welcomed and will be distributed in early December. Thank you for your goodwill and generosity!

From the Minister’s Study – Dec. 2, 2024

From the Minister’s Study – Dec. 2, 2024

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Blessed Advent Greetings, everyone!

My Christmas music is playing in the background, my tea needs to be warmed up, and we are now entering the liturgical season of Advent—the four weeks preceding the birth of Jesus. It’s often referred to as the new year for the church. Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter—a time of preparation, reflection, and waiting.

Waiting is exactly what so many people did yesterday as Advent was ushered in with our first winter wallop! Some of us got a better wallop than others. I am told Bracebridge had nearly four feet! Here at my place, I figure we had a little more than a foot of the white stuff. While it may look like a true winter wonderland, it was more of a nightmare for those stranded on the highways at the height of the storm. It was heartening to see the human spirit rise to the occasion as people came out of their homes to help the stranded drivers on the highways. I am relieved that things are slowly but surely returning to normal today.

Because the power was out in Huntsville yesterday, church had to be cancelled. Our phone tree was activated, but clearly, there are a few branches that are in need of our attention. Unfortunately, we had a dozen or more faithful souls who made it to the church only to be told that church was cancelled due to no electricity. Rest assured that the powers to be are on it and working diligently to ensure these problems are solved before the next time our communication tree is put into motion. Please let Lynda Arnold know if you did not get a call. Thank you to Colleen and Larry Mitchell for being our gracious hosts who had to be the bearers of this less-than-desirable news. Your stocking will be extra full this year- Ho Ho Ho! And a big shout out to Judy Hall, who was already shovelling the pathways before 7 am.

This coming Sunday- December 8th- our White Gifts will be received, and Holy Communion will be going ahead as was planned for this past Sunday. We will be lighting two Advent candles. The candles of peace and hope. Hope, especially when life is filled with uncertainty and division, may feel like a hard thing to hold onto. But true hope- the kind Advent calls us to- is not shallow optimism. Rev. Cameron Trimble says “it’s a theological declaration, rooted in the reality of this broken world and God’s promises to love us into wholeness.” Hope is the assurance that, even in the darkest night, the light will come. Rev. Cameron says hope is not a denial of the pain we carry or the brokenness we see. It’s a refusal to let that brokenness have the last world. What are some of the challenges making it harder for you to hold hope right now? Where are you being called to act on behalf of hope, creating a more just and generous world? Let’s take a moment out of our day and make a prayer for hope.

God of Advent,
You see the brokenness of this world,
And You meet us in the midst of it with love and promise.
Help us to pay witness to the suffering and to be a healing presence of hope.
Strengthen us to act with compassion and to trust in Your abiding presence.
May the light of this Advent season guide us
And remind us that, even in the darkness, You are near. Amen.
Together, let us embrace this Advent season with eyes wide open and hearts ready to receive whatever comes. May we hold onto a hope that holds space for all that needs to be repaired while believing in a love that one day will make everything right.

With Christmas a little less than a month away, our Christmas Elves have been busy decking our halls with boughs of holly! A warm shout out to Jim Schiedel, Gord and Jane Booker, Lynda Arnold and Sheila Petch. Thank you for your time and gift of creativity in transforming our sanctuary for both our Advent and Christmas seasons. You will see it all this coming Sunday morning! “Hopefully!”

Speaking of Christmas season, Santa Claus came to town on Friday night and our Christmas Elves welcomed him and all the parade goers with piping hot cups of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and a candy cane to go! A tip of our cup to Barb and Rob Dalziel, Annie and Norm Mino, Pat Crawford and double duty elves Gord and Jane Booker.

Sally McClelland sent along a Christmas Kindness calendar today which she posted on Facebook. Because I know there are some of you who do not “do” Facebook I have decided to include it in this Advent newsletter. I am renaming it “the be good to one another” calendar!

Birthday wishes this week going out to Nancy Waxl, Colleen Mitchell, Grant Wager and Ethel Robinson who is celebrating her birthday on December 4th. Happy birthday from all your friends here at Trinity United Church and here’s to another trip around the sun!

In our Prayer Circle this week, please keep David and Thelma Beaudry, Rick and Sandra Wearing, Wanda Tizzard, Lynn Montgomery, and Caroline O’Driscoll in your healing meditations and prayers. If you have somebody you would like included in our community prayers just let myself of Suzy at the office know and we will do just that.
And for those of you who ordered those delicious meat pies from Lynne Doyle- you can pick them up in church this coming Sunday too. 25 dollars each. They sold out quickly and a second batch had to be made! Fabulous fundraiser!
Hoping to see you in church this coming Sunday- After all, Tis the season! Come feel the joy as we await the birth of the Spirit of Christ in the mangers of our hearts once again.
Christmas is waiting to be born in you, in me, in everybody!
Advent Blessings and warm cozy hugs from my home to yours,
Rev. D

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