Around Town: Merry Christmas!, Blue Christmas, Dunsmuir House . . .

Merry Christmas everyone. Following is the December 25 reading from A Year With C.S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works, which Margaret and I have managed to (almost) complete – with considerable pleasure, albeit also with catch-up sessions. (Is it wrong to read 11 daily readings in one day?)

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.

Just as every natural event is the manifestation at a particular place and moment of Nature’s total character, so every particular Christian miracle manifests at a particular place and moment the character and significance of the Incarnation.

There is no question in Christianity of arbitrary interferences just scattered about. It relates not a series of disconnected raids on Nature but the various steps of a strategically coherent invasion – an invasion which intends complete conquest and ‘occupation’. The fitness, and therefore credibility, of the particular miracles depends on their relation to the Grand Miracle; all discussion of them in isolation from it is futile.

The fitness or credibility of the Grand Miracle itself cannot, obviously, be judged by the same standard. And let us admit at once that it is very difficult to find a standard by which it can be judged. If the thing happened, it was the central event in the history of the Earth – the very thing that the whole story has been about. . . .

It is easier to argue, on historical grounds, that the Incarnation actually occurred than to show, on philosophical grounds, the probability of its occurrence. The historical difficulty of giving for the life, sayings and influence of Jesus any explanation that is not harder than the Christian explanation, is very great.

The discrepancy between the depth and sanity and (let me add) shrewdness of His moral teaching and the rampant megalomania which must lie behind His theological teaching unless He is indeed God, has never been satisfactorily got over.

– From Miracles

I’ll take a break over Christmas; probably back with my weekly update January 9. So Happy New Year as well!

Blue Christmas

Christmas, 1884
– George MacDonald

Though in my heart no Christmas glee,
Though my song-bird be dumb,
Jesus, it is enough for me
That thou art come.

What though the loved be scattered far,
Few at the board appear,
In thee, O Lord, they gathered are,
And thou art here.

And if our hearts be low with lack,
They are not therefore numb;
Not always will thy day come back—
Thyself will come!

Found in a new version of My Little King: George MacDonald’s Christmas Stories and Songs published by Englewood Books.

MacDonald may have captured some elements of the ‘Blue Christmas’ events taking place at several churches this year. Tenth Church describes its gathering like this: 

We are hosting a Blue Christmas service for anyone who is grieving or experiencing loss. As we journey towards the longest night of the year, and the long dark nights surround us, we cry out, how long, O Lord, must your people grieve? 

In this season of Advent, as we prepare for Emmanuel, we remember that Christ meets us in the midst of our sorrow and grief. As we fall apart in our loss and suffering, we remember that Christ is lower still. It is Christ Himself who is the light in the darkness.  

This Blue Christmas service is a reflective and contemplative worship gathering where we are invited to bring our lament, confusion, disappointment, discomfort and anxiety.

Through Scripture, song and prayer, we will seek the hope that is in Christ, and the strength to carry on.

Psalms 34:18 reminds us, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

Here are some Blue Christmas events still to come:

• Dec 19: Tenth Church, Vancouver
• Dec 19: Como Lake United Church, Coquitlam
• Dec 20: First United Church, Vancouver
• Dec 20: St. Andrew’s United Church, North Vancouver
• Dec 21: Vancouver Chinese Presbyterian Church

Dunsmuir House

An iconic building that began its life as a prominent downtown hotel and for years served as the Salvation Army’s home for men will soon be demolished.

Vancouver City Council decided December 18, based on strong advice from staff – and clearly with considerable regret – that the building is too far gone to be saved.

A December 11 report from the City Building Inspector to Vancouver City Council stated:

This report recommends that Council adopt a resolution declaring that a vacant, dilapidated building on the property located at 500 Dunsmuir Street (the “Property”) is a danger to public safety. The resolution will help ensure that the danger is remediated, and enable the City to recover any costs it may incur in remediating the Property. . . .

The Property contains a 167-unit single room accommodation building built as a hotel in 1909. The building is commonly known as Dunsmuir House and has been vacant since 2013. The Property is owned by 500 Dunsmuir Property Ltd [the Holborn Group]. The building is listed on the Heritage Registry, but is not otherwise subject to heritage protection. . . .

During recent inspections of the building, including by the City Building Inspector, significant rotting and deterioration of framing members, pigeon-guano inches deep in places, fallen plaster and broken windows were observed. Water was seen dripping from framing members in numerous locations and the sprinkler and fire alarm systems appeared to be inoperable. The observed conditions suggest the building has not been adequately maintained since it was vacated.

An in-depth article by Jen St. Denis in The Tyee earlier this year provided valuable background:

The imposing brick building at Dunsmuir and Richards has been many things: a hotel, a muster point for merchant seamen, housing for returning veterans, a refuge for low-income men, a gathering place for the thrifty and the down-and-out, a student hostel and a homeless shelter.

But for the past decade, this prominent Vancouver heritage building at 500 Dunsmuir St. has sat vacant as its current owner and the city go back and forth over how the block can be redeveloped. . . .

The building was purchased by the government during the Second World War to house naval personnel and then returning soldiers. The government sold it to the Salvation Army in 1949.

St. Denis wrote:

With its fancy dining room converted to a cafeteria, Dunsmuir House provided a gathering space for single, low-income men, many of whom lived permanently in the 168-room hotel, where drugs and alcohol were forbidden.

In a 1956 Province article, the building was described as a “refuge of hope” for “men whose lives have been bitten by tragedy. They come to friendly Dunsmuir House when their jobs have been lost, when their lives are devoid of hope.”

Religious services, regular meals and assistance getting back into the workforce were some of the services provided by the 25 Salvation Army staff who ran the building. In the 1950s, many of the residents were new immigrants, according to the recollections of a longtime bookkeeper in a 1975 Province article.

The Salvation Army moved out of Dunsmuir House two decades ago. This is from their Belkin House site:

More than 75 years ago The Salvation Army opened Dunsmuir House (located at 500 Dunsmuir) for men in the heart of Vancouver and began its journey to be a transforming influence in the community.

In September 2004, we moved to a new location (555 Homer), which was built as a multi-service centre, and renamed Belkin House.

This state-of-the-art facility provides a home to the homeless and those who are at risk of homelessness. It’s a place of healing where men women and children fight against homelessness, hunger and despair.

Belkin House reaches out to help people whose lives are battered and broken. Our innovative and unique programs are offered to help residents become well, whole and healed.

Another Salvation Army building is nearing completion not far away, at 130 East Cordova Street. VanMar Constructors Inc. tweeted December 11:

This project will provide 46 affordable rental homes, 70 supportive homes, 134 permanent shelter beds and 50 correctional beds – a total of 300 beds for people living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The Salvation Army Harbour Light non-market housing / mixed use project is expected to be completed next summer.

Events & Jobs

Events are listed below, but there is also an Events page and a Jobs page on the Church for Vancouver site.

Dec 2024

1525: Reform & Revolution – December 12, 2024 - February 21, 2025 at 12:00 am
Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol – December 12, 2024 - December 24, 2024 at All Day
The Hobbit – December 12, 2024 - December 21, 2024 at All Day
Christmas Presence 2024 (seven shows) – December 15, 2024 - December 23, 2024 at All Day
Regent Bookstore Christmas Sale – December 16, 2024 - December 20, 2024 at 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Community Christmas Dinner (2 sittings) – December 19, 2024 at 11:45 am - 2:00 pm
Blue Christmas – December 19, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Christmas Tales, featuring Bez Gospel Choir (2 shows) – December 20, 2024 - December 21, 2024 at All Day
Blue Christmas Service – December 20, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
West Coast Symphony: A Winter's Eve – December 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Vancouver Cantata Singers: The 21st Christmas Reprise at Holy Rosary Cathedral – December 21, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Christmas Pipe Organ Concert with audience singing – December 21, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Vancouver Cantata Singers: The 21st Christmas Reprise at Sanctuary on 6th – December 21, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Early Music Vancouver: Festive Cantatas: Bach & Zelenka – Vancouver – December 22, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Contemplative Taizé – December 22, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Juste Chanter Gospel Choir: Christmas Gospel Choir – December 22, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – December 24, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Worship Invasion New Year's Eve Praise Party! – December 31, 2024 at 9:00 pm - 11:45 pm