This morning's scriptures presented two contrasting themes, the assurance of God's blessing despite the troubles and threats of life, and one of Christ's difficult saying about the end times. In Romans, Paul re-iterates that for God's sake he and other Christians faced death all day long and were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But despite this, he was convinced that nothing could separate them from the love of Christ. As Rev. Scott said in his sermon, "Even when there is treachery and brokenness, God's will is going on... All things work together though sometimes it is hard to see." How many of us have had experiences where complex and unforeseen events yielded a positive result that none of us could have imagined as we experienced the travails of life, seeing in that result the working of God beyond our own understanding?
In a second reading, we see Christ telling many parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, concluding that in the end the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous and throw the wicked into a blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. A harsh judgment and punishment of the unfaithful is not what we Christians always accept as consistent with God's love for humanity, preferring instead to focus on the salvation that faith brings. It is a sobering text, and one if accepted literally should move all of us to more sustained efforts to bring others into the Kingdom of God.
Rob R.
Bulletin cover image: Christ the Redeemer, Maratea, Italy. Photo: Luc D.
Reduced to a comma
Today’s sermon was preached by the Rev. Fred Demaray who took for his text “Reduced To A Comma”. Fred spent some time speaking of the Apostle’s Creed and putting it into some historical context for us. While it seemed to have undergone a number of changes over the course of time, the phrase “born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate” is what is currently read time and again as the Creed is spoken. And therein lies the dilemma of the comma. All of Jesus’ life, his teachings and his ministry are contained in that one grammatical mark, says Fred; if we can reduce Him to a comma perhaps we can then be persuaded to overlook him.
And that got me to thinking about how many of us allow our own lives to be reduced to a comma too, allow ourselves to be marked as a minor diminuendo note in the grand symphony of life. Allow ourselves and our private efforts to be overlooked and subsumed by the secular. Jesus calls us to service and to “service to the least of these”. But as Hymn 722 notes, Still your children wander homeless; still the hungry cry for bread; still the captives long for freedom; still in grief we mourn our dead. In emulating Jesus and offering food and drink to the helpless and hopeless amongst us, we are offering food and drink to Him. In spurning these opportunities, we are turning our backs on a life of lasting joy and comfort and consigning ourselves, along with the goats, to hell. Is this the everlasting life we want?
The cover picture today also gave me pause as our scriptural reading spoke about being on the right hand of God or on the left. The picture clearly presents Jesus as all-welcoming and inviting us all to a full and loving life. It is up to use to choose which hand we ultimately want to end up on. Fred asked the children how does it make you feel when someone says I love you? And because Jesus loves us, we have a different view of what life is all about; we are called to live in that comma. Jesus is Lord!
Laura M.
Sunday July 5
This morning, a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in July, was the Sunday on which our Church commemorated Canada Day this year. I felt very invigorated by this morning's service. I always love singing the second verse of the National Anthem as found in our hymnals, which serves as a reminder of just what our country means and can mean. A major theme of this morning's service was commissioning, with Aisling being commissioned to go to the Ukraine and Hungary on a mission trip as a youth leader, and with Karen's sermon focused on Jesus sending his disciples out to preach his gospel.
Karen also spoke powerfully about Jesus coming home to Nazareth and the resistances he faced being a prophet in his own country, which is a story from the bible I find it useful to ponder, especially on Canada Day, when we are thinking about our country: what are the implications of this to speaking and living the gospel within OUR own country? Lots of questions worth thinking about.
For me, also, the most moving moment was hearing my little son reading the Psalm aloud in church for the first time. He is only six, and it was very moving for me to hear his little voice saying "I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living". This line from Psalm 27 resonated with me in particular this week as I am contemplating in particular the land of Canada, and how to be part of ensuring the goodness of the Lord is manifested here, and it also resonated with me because, when an African American activist, Bree Newsome climbed the flagpole of the South Carolina statehouse last week and removed the Confederate Flag hanging there before being arrested, she said aloud this psalm, and her voice, quite calm, and even small, not unlike that we heard this morning, is captured on video at this link: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2015/06/28/i-believe-that-i-shall-see-the-goodness-of-the-lord-in-the-land-of-the-living/
Rebecca B.
Things that happen on the way...
This morning's reading in Mark (5:21-43) was action packed. I'd actually forgotten in the story of bringing Jarius' daughter back to life, that Jesus healed the woman with the bleeding disorder on the way. Karen started her sermon with a story of a flight attendant's simple act of kindness that she still remembers years later as a grown woman. I can imagine that stewardess had no idea that she affected a little child's life so deeply when she picked up her dropped doll and handed it back to her on the plane.
Jesus, on the other hand, seemed to recognize the importance of these acts of kindness. When the woman with the bleeding disorder touched him for healing, he singled her out and he asked "Who touched me?" It wasn't that he affected so many lives that one miracle blended into another - he saw each person as an individual soul. He called the newly healed woman daughter and he brought her into the circle of community, making sure she knew she was a special child of God.
Like Karen's benediction, I pray that we go into the week with eyes wide open to see those in our path, hearts open wide to receive them, and hands open wide to serve them. And I pray that we see the acts of love that are given to us by God through his people as well.
Photo: Donna Tomlinson on Flickr
Waters of Baptism - Sunday June 14
The artwork on the front of the Order of Worship depicted a violent storm and I couldn't help but wonder what would be different today about this familiar story of Jesus stilling the storm. As we witnessed the baptism of little Victor C. during the first part of the service, instead of the cries of the infant, there was a beauty and serenity during the entire Sacrament of Baptism. Karen said we should remember our own baptism and the connection with water continued in her prayer as we realized that we started in water in our mothers' wombs and through Baptism,we become members of the community of Christians.
The text for meditation was familiar, yet our Minister did an amazing job of bringing clarity to the incident in the boat, during the storm on the Sea of Galilee. "A ship is safe when it is in harbour. But ships were not meant to stay in harbour." We could almost feel the rocking of the boat and the fear of the disciples, while Jesus rested comfortably on a cushion. Then He awoke, rebuked the lack of faith in the disciples and stilled the storm.
And yes, we too are constantly buffeted by so many of life's storms --pains, illnesses, loss of employment, loss of loved ones, divorce and so many painful experiences... and we too lack the trust and the faith. Karen said, "Jesus is speaking to us-- Cant we put our trust in Him?"
The soothing words "Don't Be Afraid" resonated with me. These words are like a mantra - "Don't be afraid, Jesus can still the storm. Put your trust in Him.
At the end there was a feeling of tranquility. The scene on the cover was no longer threatening. Yes, ships are at their safest in a harbour but that's not they are built for. We may not know what tomorrow will bring but we sure know who holds tomorrow.
Indeed, it was good to be in the house of the Lord.
Beulah P.
Fed by the Crumbs
Image: Chris Chidsey on freeimages.com
Today was the day of Communion. This is the day when we break bread together and remember the last supper and the sacrifice of our Lord on our behalf. We take this time to share and celebrate the life and work of Jesus. When we gather to accept the gift of the bread (the body) and the wine (the blood) of our Saviour we do so together. Together people of faith and of the Bible. Together.
Who are we that are worthy to gather together and celebrate his life and work? Is it because we gather in a Church? Is it because we call ourselves Christians? Is it because we have learned, the Bible? Is it because we consume the bread and the wine?
Huda led the service this Sunday and spoke of Matthew 15:10-28.
This is the story of Jesus and the woman of Canaan who came to Jesus to ask for his help in healing her daughter from a demon. We are taken aback to hear to begin with, words of dismissal and scorn from Jesus directed to her. He speaks that he is the shepherd of “only the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. Yet the woman persists, we find that Jesus was telling a lesson to his disciples. It is faith that the woman brings.
‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.
We learn then from Huda’s sermon the answer to the earlier questions. It is not a Church, or because we call ourselves Christians, it is not because we read the Bible, nor eat the bread and wine.
No, it is trust and Faith in Jesus, the smallest and the greatest gift we are given.Together.
We are fed by the crumbs and need no more.
Noral R.
Sunday May 10
"Live your life in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called."
Karen repeated this a few times today. It made me think about how we, at St. Andrew's, live out our calling.
On Friday evening, four St. Andreans met on Piccadilly Avenue at one of the houses run by Daybreak Ecumenical Non-Profit Housing. We have been going to visit with the dozen or so women who live at Piccadilly for several years now, sometimes bringing dinner or board games, sometimes taking the women to visit the art gallery, go for a picnic, or see the ice sculptures on display during Winterlude. I see it as a ministry of presence.
On Friday, we had planned to share dessert together in the early evening, and then head over to Commissioners Park to see the tulips and then the fireworks over Dow's Lake.
I was really tired on Friday. It had been a long work week and I did not feel as if I had the energy to make polite conversation while wandering amongst tulips. I was slightly annoyed at myself that I had even agreed to this - Fridays are pretty important end-of-the-week rest and renewal time for me... but we wanted to see fireworks, so it had to be Friday.
To top it all off, only a few women from the house joined us for the evening. Frustration.
And yet, it was a wonderful evening. The flowers were beautiful, of course, and the fireworks excellent. And the two women who joined us seemed very appreciative. Although it was not my usual Friday night relaxing, it was still rejuvenating.
Like Karen said, as we participated in the body on Friday evening, striving to live out Jesus' ministry of compassion and love, we were gifted - with energy, patience, joy.
Sometimes (or perhaps often!) we are called to do things we don't want to do or don't think we can do. God equips us to build up God's kingdom, to be Christ's body here on earth. It's up to us, friends!
Laura S.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which is to look out Christ's compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now.
- Saint Teresa of Avila