Category Archives: Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Letters from the Dean

2018 Thanksgiving Pastoral Letter

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Thanksgiving 2018Thanksgiving 2018

Dear Friends,

Harvest Thanksgiving presents us with the opportunity to give thanks especially for the fruits of the earth in seasonal abundance now.

In our society, the work of agriculture and the production of food has generally been delegated to those with specific gift and talent for such things. Some of us have a backyard garden which helps us to keep in touch with the mystery and miracle of nature as we nurture and watch the earth yield fruit. In a culture of specialization, our resources are most used to do what we do best, relying on a portion of what is ours to be used to compensate those who work to fulfill our need for food.

This detachment of our hands-on involvement with the very natural task of food supply should not stand in the way of our remembering from where the gifts we enjoy truly come. The text of the refrain of a familiar hymn reminds:

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love.

Living in one of the richest of nations, too often we take for granted that food is plentiful in our land. The fortunate are reminded as tables are laden: it is not only the work of human hands, directly or indirectly, that places food there. Without the generosity of God's provision, we would be hungry. The "... good gifts around us are sent from heaven above ..." The hymn uses straight forward logic to state "... then thank the Lord ..." Christians are challenged in text and tune to remember, indeed, to "praise God from whom all blessings flow."

I hope and pray you make use of this time to renew and refresh the relationships of family and friends and may your thanksgiving bring you blessing.

Sincerely yours in Christ,Give online

 

 

 

Geoffrey Hall (The Very Rev’d)
Dean of Fredericton

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Easter 2018 Pastoral Letter

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He Is Risen

Lent 2018

Dear Friends in Christ,

The season of Lent, with its "lent"hening days, reminds us of the coming of wondrous gifts of springtime when the earth returns to vitality after a life-limiting winter. The winter season is the harshest and most difficult in our climate and most of us are quite ready to see the return of spring. These cyclical seasonal realities symbolize the truths of the seasons of our lives. The Christian seasonal calendar also follows similar pulses and reveals shades of meaning as we journey through joys and sorrows, life and death, the natural elements of existence.

Lent is a serious, solemn time representing the hardships of life. It especially turns us to thinking of the sacrifice and discipline required to live righteously (in "right relationship"). As we travel towards the events of Holy Week, we are encouraged to remember the cost of discipleship. Easter reminds us of the reward of that discipline and the gift of new life God holds in store for those who will accept it.

One of the best places to observe the thoughts and beliefs of our culture is the automobile bumper sticker. Here we often find encapsulated expressions of the everyday thinking of secular society. On the back of one car I saw, "Life is hard, then you die." What a depressing representation of human existence. No hope. Nothing beyond what the limits of human powers of mind and body can distinguish. It does, of course, reveal a certain truth, yet from a Christian perspective, and uncomplete one. Life IS hard. There is mourning and many aspects of living bring us great sorrow. As we or our loved ones battle illness, as we mourn the death of those close to us, as we struggle against all the forces that try to take away our life, we can say with certainty — "Life is hard." That is why we need the message of Scripture, God's Word to us. A broader perspective from a distance reveals a higher more optimistic view of our existence.

"Life's hard, then you die ... THEN YOU REALLY LIVE!" Its only after facing the reality of death that we are freed to live as God would have us live. When we die to our sin and all that holds us from being in right relationship with God and each other, we experience the joy and fulfillment Resurrection brings. St. Paul puts it this way, "Death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:54) This was the truth communicated by the events of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Death and hardship are the door through which we gain a closer relationship with the Creator, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are invited to share in the victory and the joys of new life to the extent that we are willing to put to death in ourselves that which destroys life. "Alleluia, Christ is Risen" summarizes the Christian perspective of our existence. At Easter we celebrate the joyful result of walking through death to the life God wishes to give to us.

You are invited to join in the Christian symbolic walk through Holy Week to the joy of Easter Resurrection. A schedule of worship is enclosed for your convenience. If you are unable to be present to make your Communion because of illness, please phone the Cathedral Office to arrange for the Sacrament to be brought to you.

Have a joyful Eastertide!

 

 

 

Geoffrey Hall, Dean of Fredericton

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2017 Christmas Pastoral Letter

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Late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail, the incarnate deity,
pleased as one of us to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Christmas 2017

Dear friends,

For many, December is one of the busiest of months. Expectations run high with the promise that this year, the seasonal celebration will be the best ever. We want to celebrate, in fact we should. What happens when we see that we might not meet all of those expectations? Maybe most of all, our own?

Perhaps there’s always need to roll back the expectation meter and take a fresh look at what Christmas, and the Advent that leads us there, is really all about. We might be shocked to discover just how easy maneuvering Christmas should be after all.

The truths we enjoy and remember at Christmas should be straight forward: God enters into our experience. God is not far away. God visited this world in the person of Jesus Christ some two thousand years ago. In Jesus, we often say, “heaven was wedded to earth.” The boundary between the divine and what is of the earth became very thin indeed. “Christ is the image of the unseen God …” (Colossians 1:15)

Many have difficulty to believe God could inhabit the earth in such a way. That virgin birth, what’s up with that? And many celebrate Christmas anyway. It is the revealing of a message that God cared enough about us to become one of us. Christmas has extended itself far beyond the Church and the Faith where it began. The approach taken by the Church for centuries is to recognize that God is in all things and that even the secularism of a culture can still be touched with truth revealed. Santa, parties, cards, cookies and caroling can all contribute to our devotion without becoming themselves the object of our worship. Let’s be ever mindful of whom we offer our worship.

Truth in a person. Jesus is the very Word of God incarnate and to him every word of scripture points. The Godhead, veiled in flesh. The incarnate deity, pleased as one of us to dwell. All things will one day find their fulfilment in him and we look to the day when we are with him in the place of eternal joy and light. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all people.” (John 1:4)

May your home be a place of comfort and joy as you take heart in that revelation received long ago but still today. And may the very presence of God, be with you and with those for whom you care this season and beyond.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

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Geoffrey
Dean of Fredericton

 

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Christmas Worship 2017

Fourth Sunday of Advent (24 Dec)
10:00 a.m.

Christmas Eve (24 Dec)
4:00 p.m. (contemporary)
8:00 p.m. (11:45 style)
11:00 p.m. (traditional)

Christmas Day(25 Dec)
10:00 a.m.

First Sunday after Christmas (31 Dec)
8:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11:45 a.m.

New Years Day (01 Jan)
11:00 a.m.

Please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450 8500
to schedule a Home Communion.

2017 Thanksgiving Pastoral Letter

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Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton NB
Thanksgiving 2017

Dear Friends,

Listening to the news over the last several months is not for the faint of heart. Wildfires to the west, flooding in Central Canada, the impact of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Caribbean and the southern United States, perhaps even a personal tragedy or hardship – all easily prompt the question: What is God doing here?

The question is not new. The People of God in the Church of God, the nation of Israel and the Hebrew people before them often asked that question. In the midst of the hardships of life, how can we be assured we worship a loving, caring God? Why would an all-powerful God allow bad things happen to good people? Human logic takes us quickly to the conclusion that either God is not all-powerful or we are not “good” people. Sometimes we’re even tempted to believe, if God for a day, we could do the better job.

Scripture invites us to an alternative perspective. We live in a creation fallen from perfection. God didn’t make it that way, it went its own way. While God wills the best for us and for all that was made, for a return to perfection we must patiently wait. God’s people are reminded throughout the Old and New Testaments that what is required of us is thanksgiving. Even in the face of disaster, there is much for which to be thankful. “Give thanks always and in everything,” St. Paul tells churches in his letters to them.

I sometimes find myself feeling a bit guilty that we live in a little corner of the world mostly blessed by temperate weather, beautiful landscape and abundance. We have much for which to be thankful. Still, personal tragedy strikes, we are acquainted with illness and grief, people not so far away are without work, shelter or food. In the midst of the bad, God calls those who are his to a humility and an attitude that makes them lights in a world often far too dark. We live not fearful of scarcity but rather celebrate the abundance. God does provide.

You’re invited to gather with us at Christ Church Cathedral as we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay our vows to the Most High. On the weekend of Sunday, 08 October 2017, we’ll follow the normal schedule of worship times. If you are unable to join us but wish to make Communion where you are, please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500.

Have a blessed thanksgiving.

 

 

 

Geoffrey Hall (The Very Rev’d)
Dean of Fredericton

GMH

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2017 Easter Pastoral Letter

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Lent 2017

Dear Friends,

Easter is “late.” It is not by accident that its date changes each year, always keeping us guessing for the next. The vernal equinox governs the date (as it does the Passover), Easter being the Sunday after the first full moon after 20 March, or the fourth full moon of the year. Various artists depict Jesus in the garden on the night before his crucifixion and often a glorious full moon sets the background. It’s yet another reminder that the God of the universe chose to enter the flesh and blood of a very real world. Jesus Christ is as much human as he is God.

On the Eve of the Crucifixion, Jesus’ intense prayer is described by the Gospel writers as sweat on his brow “like drops of blood falling to the ground.” The pain of garden betrayal unfolds. The religious, political and societal systems all plot against him and his fate is sealed. Jesus is sentenced by the authorities to death.

Listening closely on Good Friday, we’ll hear hard nails pierce soft flesh of the Saviour’s hands and feet. We’ll hear the cry of desperation of a man forsaken by the God he intimately called “Father.” He gasps for a last breath and it is finished. His body removed and put to rest in another garden tomb. The world has spoken. Jesus is dead.

The purpose of all of this, of course, is to remind us of the most important of facts we know of this man called Messiah. Jesus came to earth as one of us. Jesus is as much human as he is God. He is as much like us as he is not. It is that similarity – that closeness of nature – that makes it possible for him to do for humanity something that countless centuries of gods could never do. He saves us from our sins. He saves us from ourselves. Through his death, he has paid the price, bridging the gap between God and his people. The world has counted its years for the last two millennia measured by the coming of the Christ – AD, in Medieval Latin “anno Domini” (the year of our Lord) or CE (the Christian era).

The Resurrection of Jesus marks more than a new beginning in time. It also marks the beginning of life in a world often marked by darkness and despair. Christians live into a hope that would not be possible if Christ had not defeated death for ever. We have the privilege, through faith, to live the risen life and to look forward to the world of the life to come. Eternity is a long, long time, and God created us in his image to live in it and, with him forever.

Once again we’ll mark the journey to the Cross at Christ Church Cathedral through the days of Holy Week and join together at Easter to proclaim the message: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! A schedule of worship is HERE. Those wishing to have the sacrament at home, please contact the cathedral office. Please also note the Easter Sunday schedule change.

In Christ,

 

 

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Geoffrey Hall, Dean of Fredericton

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2016 Christmas Pastoral

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Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing

Advent 2016
Fredericton NB

Dear Friends,

Yet again we approach the season in which we celebrate a most central doctrine of belief — the God of the universe came to earth in the flesh of Jesus Christ the Son. The truth of that reality is essential to our living the Christian life in the midst of a world with ever increasing secular values.

It may be of use, as Christians, to take to heart the somewhat familiar and possibly over-used slogan, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Even those most conscientious in faith need to be reminded of that simple fact. We are pushed and pulled in our living environment to begin Christmas celebration, even before the Advent Season of preparation begins, and to end it abruptly late in the evening of Christmas Day. Christmas Day can almost be an anti-climax to the festivities of the season enjoyed in our society.

If we remember the true meaning of the season, we will note with interest and particularity that Jesus was born on Christmas Day and that his coming in time and history changed the world and the way we live in it forever. The fact that God would have such concern for his creation that he himself would take the initiative to enter it in a physical form is almost beyond the possibilities of the imagination. This is the truth that originally made cause for rejoicing and Christians have traditionally taken time to adequately prepare and give serious thought to how they would appropriately mark one more Christmas in their own lives and those of their families. The trimmings we display and the gifts we give are to be symbols of the joy in our hearts placed there by the mystery of the gift of the Incarnation of God among us. Through the symbols and celebration, the observance of that Incarnation continues even two millennia after the original event. If we look intently and prayerfully at our own lives we can see the reality of Incarnation there. Indeed, Jesus IS the reason for the season.

This year the Cathedral will celebrate the reason for the season through corporate worship and the preparation for it. The schedule outlines specific times. You are encouraged, as usual, to make your Communion during this season. If it is impossible to be present due to illness or other cause, please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500 <office at christchurchcathedral.com> to make an appointment and schedule a visit with home Communion during this Christmastide.

It is my hope and prayer that you will receive the comfort and joy of Christmas. Have a blessed season!

Faithfully yours,

geoffrey

Geoffrey Hall
Dean of Fredericton

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2016 Thanksgiving Pastoral

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Dear Friends in Christ,

“A wandering Aramean was my ancestor …” Deuteronomy 26:5

Those words are found in a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Deuteronomy, appointed to be read at Harvest Thanksgiving this year (Deuteronomy 26:1-11). They may mean little to most of us, but for the People of God from whom we inherit an ancient faith, they were central to corporate expressions of thanksgiving at the time of Passover. Discussions about accurate translation and interpretation are centuries old, including questions about to which “Aramean” the writer is actually referring? and, is the Hebrew word preceding it best translated “wandering” or “destroying?” One observation about the message is clear. From where we have come is important. We inherit who we are and even what we have and, in looking back, we gain a fresh appreciation for what we now claim as our own.

dean_hall1The times in which we live can be identified, in more ways than we can count, some of the best any human society has ever known in the history of the world. While “the best of times” surely needs qualification, for most, new technology, instant communication and the wealth enjoyed by a first world society grants a standard of living far beyond what any of our ancestors could have ever imagined. In an age of entitlement, even those of us who have little are rich in comparison to those who have gone before. But for all that gain, all that progress, all the advancement, isn’t it a fact that the “true riches” remain exactly the same?

There is no substitute for sitting at table with family or friends. Nothing can replace the health we so often take so much for granted. Each day is a gift. A future and an eternal weight of glory awaits those of faith – something that money simply cannot buy. As we focus on giving thanks for the material, Jesus taught about “true bread which comes down from heaven.” He made the preposterous claim that he was, in fact, that bread. Giving thanks for the bounty of this season is but a symbol of our being thankful for the true riches – a sign of thanksgiving for the true bread.

I pray you identify the presence of Christ in your encounters with those close to you in this season and that you find yourself able to give “humble and hearty thanks for his goodness and loving kindness.” You’re invited to gather with the Cathedral family on Sunday, 09 October 2016, as we set the table and offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving at our normal times of worship:

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist – Book of Common Prayer
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist – Book of Common Prayer
11:45 a.m. Come Worship Eucharist (contemporary)

Please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500 <[email protected]> if you cannot be with us and wish to request Communion where you are.

Yours most sincerely,

geoffrey

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Geoffrey, Dean of Fredericton

2016 Easter Pastoral Letter

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Lent 2016

Dear Friends In Christ,

With the dawn of Easter the Christian Church once again realizes anew the greatest joy of faith. The preparation of Lent and the horror of Holy Week breaks with the celebration of new life — the Saviour is risen!

We celebrate the newness of life at Easter. Jesus’ Resurrection is the climax of the Christian year and represents the way God would have us be. It is the rising again of our Lord that is the foundation of faith giving meaning to our past and hope for our future as individuals and as the People of God.

At Christ Church Cathedral, we join in celebration with the whole Church of the Risen Christ at this most important time. The schedule of worship and other events for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter follows or check our Calendar.

Passion/Palm Sunday  (20 March)
8:00 a.m. Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist
10:00 a.m. Liturgy of the Palms, Holy Eucharist and Dramatic Passion
11:45 a.m. Blessing of Palms and Come Worship Eucharist

Monday
5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist *

Tuesday
5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist *

Wednesday
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist *
7:30 p.m. Tenebrae – Liturgy of Shadows (Traditional)

Maundy Thursday
11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Renewal of Ministry Vows and Blessing of Oils
5:45 p.m. Maundy Thursday Shared Meal (Memorial Hall) Please sign up
7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist and the Stripping of the Sanctuary

Good Friday
10:00 a.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion

Easter Eve
8:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter

Easter Day
10:30 a.m. Holy Baptism and Eucharist

* The 5:30 p.m. Eucharist on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy week will be preceded by said evening prayer beginning at 5:00 p.m.. Please feel free to enter and join in the saying of the Office as you arrive.

My hope and prayer is that during this holy time you find blessing and meaning in walking the way of the Cross, more conscious of time with family and friends and, making this season a true celebration of the joy of our salvation and the Resurrection that brings life to the world.

Sincerely and faithfully yours,

geoffrey

 

 

 

Geoffrey Hall (The Very Rev’d), Dean of Fredericton

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2015 Christmas Pastoral Letter

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Advent 2015

Dear Friends,

Christian Faith is unique among the religions of the world. It was Martin Luther who once offered a short and precise summary of the uniqueness of the Christian Faith when he said, “We find the heart and will of the Father in Christ.”

To the world Christmas has become a very important season. For society-at-large it is a time of good will and gifting, a time of good cheer 15_christmas_titleand togetherness. The Church recognizes these elements of the season and links them firmly with the “reason for the season” — Jesus. Could there possibly be a better reason to celebrate the joys and merriment of the Christmas Season than the birth of the one whose title appears in its very name — the Christ.

Why is Christ and Christmas important to Christians?

“We find the heart and will of the Father in Christ.” The appearance of Christ in the world removes the veil that exists between us and the Divine nature of God and reveals the very heart of God. “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being …” (Hebrews 1:3)

He is not identical with God but he and the Father are one. In Jesus there is not just a certain likeness to God but rather in Jesus, is the love of God. One in will, one in heart, one in purpose. Where Christ is, there is God; and where Christ is active, there God is active also.

What better reason to express the attitudes of the season — “peace on earth, happy holidays, good will among all?” Jesus has offered us the assurance that God is merciful and kind and has love for us beyond all measure. His very Spirit has entered into our experience and become flesh! God himself has come and dwelt among us in order to show us his heart.

At the Cathedral we will once again celebrate the great mystery of the Incarnation and as a family, break bread in remembrance of him and our salvation through him. You are invited to make your Christmas Communion with the Lord and Saviour and with the members of his community of believers at one of the scheduled service times. If you are unable to be present at the Table of the Lord because of illness or some other cause and would like the Sacrament at home, please phone the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500 to make arrangements. A schedule for the Season is HERE.

Have a happy and blessed Christmas!

Geoffrey Hall, Dean of Fredericton

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