Rector's Message
March 15, 2026
Onward From Darkness to Light
Dear beloved in Christ,
As we journey together through this Lenten season, we do so at a very dark time in the history of our world. It is a time of great upheaval and uncertainty. Unanticipated and unforeseen changes in global relationships have brought with them the upheaval of national economies, and the upheaval of the lives of so many individuals and families now grappling to adjust to these changing circumstances. The current wars now raging in eastern Europe, northeast Africa, the Middle East and beyond, have added further uncertainty to the future of our human relationships, and raised important questions about what that future will look like. As individuals and nations, we have become more polarized and entrenched in our views. We seem more inclined to talk past or over each other rather than to each other. These are certainly dark times. Yet, this is not the first time in history when believers around the world have found themselves caught in the midst of such circumstances; journeying through the tumultuous geopolitical realities, in contexts of war, and having to navigate the complexities of human relationships. And so, what might the examples from our Christian history suggest we are to do?
The hymn, The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended, I believe, offers some insights for our fitting and appropriate response. In particular, the second verse says, "We thank thee that thy church unsleeping, while earth rolls onward into light, through all the world her watch is keeping, and rests not now by day or night." By faith we know that these dark times and seasons in which we now live are rolling onward from darkness into the light of God's present and coming kingdom. As it does, I believe that we – as the body of Christ – are called to keep watch; that is, to endure in the continual offering of prayer and worship to the God who has, in fact, overcome the world! Let us continue to pray earnestly for our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also for our world, and let us truly love and serve one another in tangible ways with the love with which God has first loved and served us.
As we gather on the evening of April 4th for the annual Easter vigil this year, the service will begin with the kindling of the new light; a symbolic reminder of how the light of Christ dispels the darkness of our world. I pray that you will join us at Christ Church Brampton, as you are able, as we enter into Holy Week with its culmination at Easter. I pray that as we celebrate this 50-day season together we may allow the light of Christ to shine more brightly in our lives, so that we may proclaim not only Christ's death, but more significantly his Resurrection, until he comes again. Alleluia!
Fr. Theadore
