wfn.org | [ELD] Online Advent calendars offer daily moment of reflection

[<mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

>Episcopal Life Daily
>December 2, 2009

>Episcopal Life Online is available at
>http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.

>Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - Online Advent calendars offer daily moment of reflection
* WORLD REPORT - Philippines and Canadian church groups demand massacre
probe
* WORLD REPORT - AUSTRALIA: Vatican vetoes use of Catholic church for
Anglican ordinations
* CALENDAR - Upcoming special events and services
* SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - December 6, 2009 - Second Sunday of Advent -
Year C
* DAYBOOK - December 3: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - Stones into Schools - Promoting Peace with Books, Not
Bombs, In Afghanistan and Pakistan

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

Online Advent calendars offer daily moment of reflection

>By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service] They may not be sprinkled with glitter or have
a piece of chocolate behind their doors, but this season's collection of
online Advent calendars offer the computer-bound an oasis of quiet
reflection in the midst of tracking online shopping bargains and YouTube
videos of cats in Santa hats.

The Advent calendar tradition began in the early 1800s in Germany as
Lutherans began physically counting down the days until Christmas. Some
people lit a candle each day, which may also have been the start of the
tradition of Advent wreaths. A German printer, Gerhard Lang, is said to
have created the first paper Advent calendars in 1908.

Full story: http://www.episcopal-life.org/79901_117485_ENG_HTM.htm

More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife

>_____________________

>WORLD REPORT

Philippines and Canadian church groups demand massacre probe

>By Maurice Malanes and Leanne Larmondin

[Ecumenical News International, Manila/Toronto] Religious leaders in the
Philippines have joined human rights groups in scrutinizing the trial of
suspects in the killings of more than 50 people in the south of the
country.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117480_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

AUSTRALIA: Vatican vetoes use of Catholic church for Anglican
ordinations

>By Kim Cain

[Ecumenical News International, Melbourne, Australia] An Anglican
ordination scheduled to take place in a Roman Catholic church in rural
Australia was moved at short notice to a Protestant church because the
Vatican refused to have women ordained in a Catholic building.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117482_ENG_HTM.htm

More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>CALENDAR

A round-up of upcoming special events, services, concerts and diocesan
conventions taking place throughout the Episcopal Church is available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/calendar.htm

>_____________________

>SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

December 6, 2009 - Second Sunday of Advent - Year C

(RCL) Baruch 5:1-9; Canticle 4 or 16; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

>By the Rev. Amy E. Richter

[Sermons That Work] "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"

What MapQuest had indicated was a real road was, in fact, a road under
construction. He should have known, the man sighed to himself. When he
had turned onto the road and left the main highway, there had been a
warning: "Proceed at Your Own Risk. Construction Ahead." But the sign
gave no information about how long the stretch of construction was.

Full reflection:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_117361_ENG_HTM.htm

More Spiritual Reflections:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

>On December 3, 2009...

* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

* Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer:

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm

* Today in History: On December 3, 1799, Hugh Stowell, hymnist and
priest, was born at Douglas, Isle of Man. On December 3, 1908, C.F.D.
(Charles Francis Digby) Moule, Anglican priest and New Testament
scholar, was born in Hangchow, China.

>_____________________

>CATALYST

"Stones into Schools - Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, In
Afghanistan and Pakistan" from Penguin Group, by Greg Mortenson, 420
pages, hardcover, c. 2009, $26.95

[Penguin Group] In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson
picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his
relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in
Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a
massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has
built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders and tribal
leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding Afghan warlords
and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban. He shares for
the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and
literacy, as well as touching on military matters, Islam, and women --
all woven together with the many rich personal stories of the people who
have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort.

Since the 2006 publication of Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson has traveled
across the U.S. and the world to share his vision with hundreds of
thousands of people. He has met with heads of state, top military
officials, and leading politicians who all seek his advice and insight.
The continued phenomenal success of Three Cups of Tea proves that there
is an eager and committed audience for Mortenson's work and message.

To order, please visit Episcopal Books and Resources online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, call 800.903.5544, or visit your
local Episcopal bookstore.