Advent: Longing for the Promise

David Schnasa Jacobsen

When I was a little child, I didn’t get much about Advent. The gift-giving opulence of a North American Christmas loomed large in my mind and was certainly my focus as I breezed through Advent. As a child, Christmas bounty was the only thing really

on my mind.

Underneath, though, a small truth was lurking there, one that only became clear as I got older. Although I had no clue, I did understand something important about Advent and that is longing.  Yes, longing! Implicit in longing is a deep desire for something not yet here. And that longing is more than just a feeling. Longing has a quiet power to reorient us to realities not yet present but surely on the horizon. As I settle into retirement in KW where I once lived out my vocation as a theological educator at the seminary, I have to say that longing reminds me that I am still that child, and still very much alive. I sometimes even welcome the longing as precious evidence of keeping connected to my humanity.

The genius of Luther’s theology is, to my mind, an Advent godsend. The engine of living Christian faith for Luther is nothing other than the divine promise. Promise reaches all the way back from the horizon to help us be the human beings we really are in relation to God and God’s world. God’s promise is clearly crucial for faith because the essence of promise is that it’s not so much a possession but a relationship capable of sustaining me through anything from small problems to wrenching change. God’s promise is also crucial for Christians as we aim to engage the world God loves so much. That longing we feel sometimes plagues us when we put ourselves out there for preserving God’s good creation, reconciling with indigenous communities over promises not kept, or reaching out to newcomers to Canada—that longing is actually our secret friend. When we feel like we’re at our wit’s end, promise is capable of reaching back to us in a way sufficient to spark longing

in us all over again.

The problem is that promises are strange things. They don’t blot out disappointment and frankly all the promise in the world doesn’t erase pain for us or anyone else. Luther was certainly aware of this and advised believers to hold on to God’s promises in the face of death and hell. Now, that frankly sounds to me just a little too Medieval to me. But Luther’s language harbors within it a deep truth, just like longing does in Advent. Promise is something in Advent that we, yes receive gratefully in longing, but also hold up back to God in the face of real, painful struggles. And that just is what it is. It’s part of our humanity lived with fragility before the God of promise.

When I moved back to Canada in early 2024, I was simultaneously facing the fact about the end of my career and its many perks. I had deeply hoped for many years that my academic career would conclude with me returning to my alma mater as a seasoned scholar. Sadly, for me, that never happened. I retired from the university that I once thought would be my next-to-last rung up the ladder. I thought that my vocation was a little like baseball: a way to celebrate coming home. What surprised me, though, in the early winter of 2024, was what greeted me on my return to Canada when I was reckoning like that with my own life. When Cindy and I came back to Canada after thirteen years absence, not a few of our Canadian friends greeted us with the words “welcome home.” What an unexpected surprise! What a gift! And one which could not have been recognized without a little longing of Advent.  So, what do you know? Perhaps longing and belonging were even closer than I first thought.

Let me then close by giving a modest Advent blessing to you, people of Mount Zion: may you find yourself this Advent captivated by God’s promise. And may you also embrace the deep longing that Advent can still now engender in you.

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​Advent Services using Holden Evening Prayer will be held on Wednesdays, Dec 10 and 17.

 

Music Notes for the Season

After an uplifting service to celebrate the feast of Christ the King, we look ahead to the season of Advent. 

A few weeks ago, the service featured a rousing version of "All Hail the Power of Jesus "Name", suggested by Leo and Pastor Philip who both sang that particular tune growing up in India and Africa.

We have borrowed some handbells (thanks Joyce!) to enhance our Advent choir pieces. 

On Christmas Eve we will be joined by cellist Cynthia Steele. I know she will bring us some lovely music to enrich our service.

Pauline will be with me on Christmas morning to play some well-loved Christmas carols. 

Sarah

 

Christmas Poinsettias

White poinsettias will be ordered to enhance our chancel for our Christmas services.  If you wish to sponsor a plant, see the signup sheet in the narthex or call Margaret in the office at 519-886-5820 or email at mtzion@mzlc.ca. The 10”pots cost $35.00 and the 6” pots cost $13.00.  Please designate your payment as “Flowers” on your envelope.

You are welcome to pick up your flowers immediately after the Christmas Day service.

Thank you for your support.  Susan Brubacher

 

German Christmas Service

Readings and Carols in the German Language are featured in Mount Zion’s Annual German Christmas Service to be held on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 4 pm. Pastor Peter Kuhnert will lead the service, which will feature special music by vocal and instrumental performers, followed by refreshments. 

Advent und Weihnachts Lieder,  mit Schriftverlesung, Samstag, der 20. Dez., 2025, 16:00 Uhr

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Mitten Tree 2025

New this year, donations to the 2025 Mitten Tree will be distributed to the Anishinaabeg Outreach Centre and also to A Better Tent City. The need is great for both organizations.

The Mount Zion family and friends have always been generous with donations, and we are again seeking donations of socks, mittens, gloves, hats, gently used items, and hygiene products. Handmade items have always been a special treat.

We will be collecting items until Sunday, December 14th, when they will be delivered.

Thank you again for thinking of others. Joan and Jacquelyn Sweitzer

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Those in our prayers

Unbind those who are burdened by illness, injury, or grief, especially Dennis, Barb, Matt, Sislyn, Marylin, Sandra, Julien, George, Betty, Rosalyn, Thelma, Helen, the Stewart family,  Thelma's family grieving the death of her sister Linda and Wanda and David Murison grieving the death of Wanda's father in Nova Scotia.​

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News from Justice Through Service

Friends of Creation Challenge Goal -- progress

Through contributions from our members and some received from visitors at the climate vigil, we have now reached $800 of our $5,000 goal!  At $50 per acre (or $25 per half acre!) this corresponds to restoring 16 acres of farmland in the Lake Chad Basin.   We encourage everyone to donate to this important project as you are able.

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Mount Zion hosts Climate Emergency Vigil

On Sunday, November 16, Mount Zion hosted a Climate Emergency Vigil of Faith Climate Justice (FCJ) Waterloo Region, the first of these vigils to be held in a place of worship.   FCJ organizers Isaiah Ritzmann and Henriëtte Thompson began the vigil with remarks about the climate emergency and COP30, then underway in Belém, Brazil.   Pastor Marie Besong gave a very well-received presentation entitled Our Shared Responsibility: Acting Together For Climate Justice, with particular emphasis on the impact of climate change in Cameroon, including the Lake Chad Basin.  Candles were lit as the Sanctuary was darkened for a period of reflection and meditation, with Pauline Finch providing music on the flute.   A big “thank you” to all who helped to organize and host this event, and those who attended. 

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Food Card Ministry

Thank you to those who contribute faithfully to this ministry.  As we move into winter, please continue to remember the people on our Food Card list and their families.  Mary Thompson

 

Reminder to Committee and Working Groups

Please have your reports for the Annual Report to Margaret by Jan 16

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Financial Update - November 2025

A note from Finance!

Results for the past eleven months are now $4,694 worse than plan, primarily due to heavy expenses resulting from unfavourable weather impacts.

The Ministry and Mission (current) account has accumulated a year-to-date deficit of $52,673. Support from member contributions and higher rental income have offset the higher expenses.

 

With your help, we can decrease this deficit by year's end.

 

 Additional Comments:

• Member's regular gifts $202,143 are ($5,382) worse than plan.

• Rental Income from parking & facility of $62,376 is $5,484 better than plan.

• Other income of $11,218 is $2,443 better than plan

• Disbursements of $328,410 are $7,239 over the plan. The main spending issue was heavy snow removal and salt costs, which exceeded the plan by $8,500. Some of this negative variance was offset by lower staffing expenses.  Read the full report here

Richard Brubacher, Treasurer and Chair of Finance

 

A request from Public Health

The Public Health Agency of Canada has been in touch this fall to invite faith communities to join the public awareness initiative to prevent the spread of measles. Thus far in 2025 over 5,000 cases of measles have been reported in Canada resulting in two deaths, whereas the total of reported cases for all of 2024 was only 285. Please read and share the information found here with your faith community. Thank you for your leadership.

 

​Reimagining Mount Zion Update

​Leadership Workshop

​Thirty-five members of Mount Zion took part in a Leadership Workshop on November 15. Facilitator Karen Bjerland walked us through two leadership styles, transactional and transformative, noting that one ensures stability and order, while the other nurtures vision and energy. Participants broke into small groups and came up with many ideas and suggestions. We listened and learned together. Council has reviewed these suggestions and chosen a few to follow up on immediately and others that will take some time. Watch for  initiatives in the New Year.  Karen Gastmeier

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​Mount Zion Kitchen

​What are Mrs. Bell and Patrick stirring in that huge pot? I think it was that delicious Beef Barley Soup we served on November 6. 

​Our last meal delivery for 2025 will be Thursday, December 11, and begin on January 8/26. December 4 is Split Pea Soup, and December 11 is BBQ Chicken. Thank you to all our volunteers and drivers for their great help this year. A big thank you to Cobbs Bread for donating our buns and to DISTRO for delivering them to us. Thanks to everyone who ordered meals so we could continue our outreach ministry to Better Tent City on Ardelt. We can't forget Mrs Bell for her hard work in cooking our delicious meals!   Jane Schlegel 

 

Gifts from the Heart - 2025 Christmas Catalogue

​Give Gifts from the Heart this Christmas! Canadian Lutheran World Relief’s new Gifts from the Heart catalogue has something to inspire and delight anyone on your list this year. It’s full of meaningful, tangible gifts that will touch your loved ones and share God’s love with the world! In order to beat any delays due to possible postal strikes, we encourage everyone to get their gift orders in immediately and, if possible, to make their donations online at clwr.org/gfth or over the phone at 1-800-661-2597 (Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm CST). And don’t forget to enter our colouring contest open to all ages, details can be found at clwr.org/colourcontest! To view the full catalogue of gifts CLICK HERE

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Goodbye Recycling Shelf – You did us Proud!

After decades of service the Mount Zion cloakroom recycling depot is being retired

Sometime during the early 2000s, when municipal recycling was making it easier to divert many things from landfill, some forward-thinking folks at Mount Zion were concerned about items that could not go in our residential blue bins — like those compact “curly” fluorescent lightbulbs (now we use LEDs) and those pesky non-rechargeable batteries that seemed to pile up everywhere in our homes and offices.

Back then, there were very few places in Waterloo Region, or anywhere else, where these small but hazardous items could be conveniently dropped off for safe disposal.

An easy and effective way to keep them out of the trash, where their slow breakdown would release dangerous toxins into the soil and groundwater, was to create gathering places where volunteers could regularly take an entire community’s non-recyclables to a designated depot or hazardous waste facility.  

That’s what Mount Zion and a few other environmentally conscious congregations did; and that’s how the familiar Blue Bin Shelf in our cloakroom became a fixture for so many years.

Gathering places like ours helped bridge the gap between municipalities and larger governments realizing that we had a domestic hazardous waste problem on our hands, and the slow growth of local places to take common items like used batteries and lightbulbs.

Now in 2025, there are more than 60 places in Kitchener-Waterloo alone to take used batteries, and they’re no longer hidden away in maze-like industrial parks. Your neighbourhood hardware, grocery, automotive, business supply and many other retail outlets gladly accept them for safe disposal.

Like other congregations who set up collection stations, over the years Mount Zion’s hard-working Blue Bin Shelf also became a home for used eyeglasses, aluminum pop can tabs, postage stamps, milk bags and other items that various organizations collected to raise funds for charitable work.

But with the steady increase in online transactions, it has become far more efficient to donate digitally, so most of them gradually disappeared.

A notable exception has been the international need for eyeglasses, which continues to grow every year. It is very rare now to find an optometrist or optician who doesn’t accept unbroken glasses and cases, which are sent to vision care programs all over the world. Many people simply leave their previous specs behind when they pick up their new prescription eyewear.

Lost and Found items also found their way onto the shelves. They will get a new and more visible home so that all are eventually Found.

When our shelf unit was recently cleared, it produced some impressive statistics. Two full shopping bags of used batteries tipped the scales at 43.5 pounds (19.73 kg) and approximately 100 pairs of glasses, with around five-dozen cases, weighed in at 8.5 pounds (3.9 kg). There was also a handful of dead lightbulbs.

Thanks to Ontario Seed Home Hardware in Uptown Waterloo for accepting hundreds of mostly AA batteries, and to the Highland-Westmount branch of Hakim Optical in Kitchener for taking two very full bags of spectacles. The lightbulbs were dropped off anonymously at Canadian Tire.

But even more thanks go out to all of the Mount Zion people who cared enough to keep dangerous stuff out of landfill by bringing batteries to church, and who cared enough about giving the gift of clear sight to people in developing countries by bringing their unneeded glasses to church as well.

And how can we not mention those dedicated folks who periodically gathered everything up over the years and ensured it was all safely taken care of, so we could fill the bins all over again?

The shelf and its bins have now been emptied for the last time and will go on to be repurposed in other parts of our building. Recycling ahead of the trend? We’ve got this.

— Pauline Finch (Justice through Service Committee)

 

What you can do to keep a good thing going —

Check out these local sites for battery disposal:

https://locations.call2recycle.ca/on/kitchener/

https://locations.call2recycle.ca/on/waterloo/

 

​​​Lunch and Learn

On the last Sunday of most months, you are invited to take part in a Lunch and Learn held after the service. At our last event, Pastor Philip prepared what has become a fan favourite, Lemon Butter Chicken.Many have asked for the recipe.  Great food and great discussion!!! The next one will be on January 25.

LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN

yield: 8 SERVINGS prep time: 10 MINUTES cook time: 40 MINUTES total time: 50 MINUTES

Easy crisp-tender chicken with the creamiest lemon butter sauce ever – you’ll want to forget the chicken and drink the sauce instead!

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Season chicken thighs with paprika, salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; drain excess fat and set aside.

4. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, lemon juice and thyme.

5. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, stir in spinach, and simmer until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.

6. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.

7. Serve immediately.

 

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