Affirming

Leaside United – Advent 4 – Love

December 23, 2019

Mary is a conundrum! Most often when we think about Mary – if we think about her at all! – we imagine a sweet young thing, all gentle and mild, obedient and subservient.But in this Sunday’s reading, The Magnificat, she is none of those things. Rather, she is a fierce and passionate social justice warrior. She celebrates a God who has “scattered the proud, brought down the powerful, lifted up the lowly, fed the hungry, and sent the rich empty away”. So much for the “sweet young thing”! That’s Sunday morning.
Come back on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm for the Longest Night Service, a quiet service of readings, music, silence and candle-lighting.

And Tuesday, of course, is Christmas Eve, with two services to choose from: a rambunctious All Ages Service at 4 pm, and a much more sedate service of Carols, Candlelight and Communion at 8 pm.

I hope to see you soon. And often.
Rev. Warren McDougall

Like to read the scripture ahead? If you like to look at the scripture reading ahead of time, this Sunday’s reading is: Luke 1: 46-56

Papa Panov’s Special Christmas – Pageant

December 21, 2019

Leaside United Church sends a huge thank you to the cast and crew for the spectacular presentation of Papa Panov’s Special Christmas. It left us with a wonderful feeling of hope and charity. Special thanks goes to Natalie Jahn and Mary Murrill for coordinating an excellent production!

Enjoy these fantastic photos from the Pageant taken by our volunteer photographer, Murray Fenner:

Leaside United – Advent 3 – Joy

December 16, 2019

Well, it’s certainly beginning to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas, to quote a popular Christmas song. This week I attended the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s “Holiday Pops” concert featuring Canadian opera star Measha Brueggergosman. (You know you’re getting old when you start attending Wednesday matinees – which is great because you can then have dinner at 4:30 pm and be home and ready for bed by 6!)

A week ago last Thursday was the annual Christmas Tea, a very important and popular ministry of the Pastoral Care committee. Sunday night was the annual Carols by Candlelight – what an amazing event. I was never more proud to be your minister at LUC than I was on Sunday night. What a wonderful gift to the whole community!

And this Sunday in the worship service will be the (also) annual Pageant. Natalie, along with other volunteers, will present a delightful play called “Papa Panov’s Special Christmas”, adapted from a short story by Leo Tolstoy. In this story, Papa Panov learns that the best way to celebrate Jesus’ birth is by following his example.

See you on Sunday!
Rev. Warren McDougall