The King of Glory - who is this?

It was a pleasure to hear Alex Fels preach again this morning - strong clear voice, strong faith. His message for the children made me think of the song, ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’. This is our Father’s world. Let us do right in it.

Through the words of Psalm 24 Alex invited us to enter the world of the Psalmist. ‘The earth is the Lord’s’. We live as servants in his kingdom following his example and living out the spirit of the Psalm. Somewhere I read, ‘Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth. It is good to give. As Alex said hope for the future shapes the here and now (and what we do in it). Let us live out the words of the Psalm in our actions each day as we serve others.

Jeanie H.

Taking the ordinary to the extraordinary!

There are so many of life’s wonders that because we live with and in Christ, we are blessed to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. We need to sit in awe of God’s creation and the path that he has illuminated for us by giving us his only begotten Son. The marvels of his work are plenty and it was demonstrated with the children sitting around Huda looking at all of her special bibles. It is with child-like wonder we can hold onto to look to the world around us, witness the sweetness of the honeycomb and thank God for His creation.

Another awe-inspiring power of God is through His callings. I truly believe that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and while we might not know it we must listen for his word to provide us direction. I was called back to my faith after many years away. When I journeyed back to church and began to grow further with Jesus Christ, there was another St. Andrean who was always there and has supported my deepening faith – Alex, my church brother. How extraordinary is it that God has called Alex, he has heard the calling, and he will start his studies this fall towards ordained ministry? Today listening to him preach was one of life’s moments where you just sit back and say “praise be to God.”

They more than gold, yea, much fine gold,
to be desired are:
Than honey, honey from the comb
that droppeth, sweet far.

Psalm 19:10, from the Scottish Psalter of 1650

Colleen G.

Living generously

"Generously" is one of my favourite words. There's no fear in generosity, and no holding back. This morning we heard about the story of the Good Samaritan, and it felt like generosity and being generous was all over the service.

It started with the representative from The Open Table, explaining the generosity of the congregations in providing a taste of home for students throughout the school year by providing meals and fellowship. (Jonathan's t-shirt even said it: Live Generously) Then in the Scripture reading, the lawyer was talking with Jesus about what it takes to inherit eternal life, and Jesus was generous in his response: No tricks here, you got it right, Lawyer: To love God and love your neighbour. (Easy to say, a bit harder to do, we're soon to learn!)

But we read that the lawyer wanted more and asked "who is my neighbour?" and got a story in response. A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, got attacked by bandits, was robbed and beaten and left to die. Karen reminded us that the Priest and the Levite who did not help the wounded man were trapped between loving God and loving their neighbour. They served in the temple and they'd be unclean, unable to serve, if they touched this half dead man. They may have told themselves they were passing him by for the greater good - to continue their service to God and their fellow Jews.

But the Samaritan gave of himself generously. He didn't just bandage him up and leave him, he "was moved with pity." He brought him to an inn, he paid for his care, and he offered to come back and settle any debts. What resonated with me especially this morning was Karen's suggestion that the Kingdom of Heaven seems so much more tangible in the presence of this generosity. A beautiful thought to take with me throughout the week.

Rev. Karen dismissed us with a benediction similar to Jesus' own, to "Go, and do likewise." We were instructed to see Jesus in those around us, and to allow Jesus to be seen through ourselves. What a calling to live generously!

Maureen R.

Sunday July 16

'We're not grateful because we’re happy, we’re happy because we’re grateful”.  These words from Huda’s children’s story really struck a cord with me.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life, to let stress overwhelm us and make us unhappy, and to forget to be grateful for the good things in our lives. 

Listening to Karen’s story about the woman who was ill but still found so much to say thank you for made me stop and think.  Do I remember to say thank you enough in my prayers?  Do I remember to show appreciation to God for all the good things he’s blessed me with?  Listening to today’s sermon I realized that so many of my prayers are requests for help and there are far fewer “thank you”s than there should be.   When good things happen, like the nine men in today’s lesson, I often forget to stop and feel gratitude, and to say thank you to God.  When Karen had us stop and think about the good things that happened to us in the past month and to remember things we had to feel grateful for I was reminded that there are so many ways in which Jesus meets us here where we live.  The co-worker who provides sympathy and support on a bad day, the neighbour who surprises you with produce from his garden, a child’s laughter, a perfect sunny Saturday full of birdsong and buzzing insects, ripe strawberries … 

When I left church this morning the world seemed a brighter place than it had when I arrived.  Although nothing had changed, everything had changed.  I realized that God’s world is always here with us and can always be found if we remember to look through the lens of gratitude. 

Melanie A.

For the Beauty of the Earth

Each week we discuss the sermon or lessons but oft forget the music that is very much part of our praise.

This week I would reflect upon some of the hymns we sang and the true value of the words of our music as part of the service.

One of the standout hymns was number 631, Jesus hands were kind hands.

We start by remembering the truth of Jesus and the kind hands and healing work of his hands. We rejoice at the strength of those hands, helping those who have fallen and blessing and keeping the children small. Such gentleness and yet such strength.

How do we honour and keep this faith?
We ask the following

Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you;
make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do;
let me watch you, Jesus, till I'm gentle too,
till my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.
Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you

Can there be more hopeful request?

My favourite of the day was 434, For the Beauty of the Earth

On such a day as today can there be better praise and thanks than

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,

We oft forget as we revel in the day that this land is brought to you by God.

Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light,

Can there be a better way to celebrate that which is given than by seeking the glory of that given?

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild, [Refrain]

For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God's grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven.
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

May we relish the music and words of the day together on Sunday to reflect, rejoice and recommit to that which we believe, lets us remember and say thank you for the words or the lessons, teaching of the sermons and blessings of the music.

Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

Noral R.

Bent Out of Shape

“When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ”

— Luke 13:13

How do you see the world? The woman in the synagogue likely saw only Jesus’ feet. She was freed from her physical affliction but we all know people who live difficult lives and whose spirits are crippled.

Many people carry these heavy burdens which can hunch them over with a loss of hope. God noticed this woman in the synagogue. As Rev. Karen stated that is how God works - with compassion. Perhaps our challenge this summer will be to seek out those who are weighed down with life’s burdens, recognize this and offer compassion. It may be hard for someone to shed their emotional armour and reach out to others.

Let us hope we see the world as Jesus did, recognize those who are burdened and offer a healing hand.

Jeanie H.

Resurrection/Rebirth/Renewal

God is in this place, continuing to form and re-form all creation.
The Holy Spirit is in this place, infusing us with new hope and energy.

This first Sunday after Pentecost was dedicated to resurrection and renewal.

Our reading was from 1st Corinthians 15:50-58.  With Jesus the perishable is made imperishable the mortal made immortal. In a twinkling of an eye we will all be changed. It is such that each time we speak of him we are renewed, resurrected in our faith.

Today was however the ultimate renewal of our faith family the addition of a new member. For it is that growth that adds to what we are and changes and renews who we are. It is our tradition when a new member joins to join them as they renew the covenant with God of their Baptism.
From the prayer of question.
In that covenant God gives us new life.
When we stand as one and welcome our new member we swear to God our support, guidance and nurture.
Then we together renew our vows by reaffirmation of our faith in reciting the Apostles Creed.
Thus with each new member we invite a resurrection of Jesus and of our faith as we make larger our family in faith.

With trepidation and some awe that I watch each new member take that tentative step in to their new church home. Yet by that very trepidation we are all renewed in our first steps when we became members, our faith strong and our hopes renewed.

The cycle of renewal of a Church is the most blessed thing we have where the continuity of our faith is reaffirmed not just for the hereafter but for the here and now. The chain of belief held together as each new link is formed. As we look to 150 years of Confederation, 500 years of reformation and next year 190 years of Christian witness at this site we can look proudly at the chain of renewal that started with the first member and adds to the strength of that chain with each new link that comes from each new member.

Let us celebrate that continuity and strength. Let us thank God for the resurrection of faith with each renewal of our membership.

Noral R.