This Sunday is the 6th of December and while that may just be a date on the calendar marking the end of a "shopping week," for many people it will have a different context.
I was a seminary student in 1989 and dean of the theological residence in Montreal. It was exam week and I was studying with fellow students when the phone began to ring, and continued to ring for most of the evening. Many parents were calling me to see if their daughters were safe.
Turning on the TV, we began to hear the terrors happening at the University of Montreal where one young man gunned down 14 women.
All Saints Anglican Church
This was an unprovoked act leaving only sorrow, grief and fear for all.
But there is another story to be told and remembered on this day - but it's a story of joy and gift-giving.
The story is told of a young man named Nicholas who was quite wealthy. One day while travelling through a village he overheard a sad tale of a father who could not afford a dowry for any of his three daughters. They would be forced to fend for themselves.
So that night Nicholas slipped three gold coins through the window and they fell into the stockings of the three girls. Such a gift brought new life and possibilities to them all. This was an unprovoked act leaving joy and possibilities.
Each and every day is a new possibility for new life - let's make this one count for the glory of God.
