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.

Made in God's image

The scriptural centre piece of today's service was The Great Commissioning spoken by Jesus: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Great Commissioning speaks to our obligation to be outward looking and to engage with the world.  That obligation was highlighted by two important events this morning.  We enjoyed the visit of Dr. George Sabra from the Near East School of Theology in Beirut.  The situation of Christians throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria has been much on our minds.  Several years ago St. Andrew's undertook a special Summer Appeal for funds to help our brothers and sisters in Homs Syria.   As well, we are just completing the refugee sponsorship of a family of Iraqi Christians, and are about to sponsor a family of Syrian Christians now living in refuge in Beirut. 

We also marked the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools.  An impressive parade of native and non-native people passed by on Wellington Street as we rang our church bell in support.  During a six week series on aboriginal issues this past winter at St. Andrew's, we heard time and again that the way to reconcile with our aboriginal brothers and sisters is simply to be open to them and to listen to what they have to say.  This week in Ottawa presents the best possible listening opportunity for all of us.
In her sermon, Karen said that "God is self-giving love poured out for the other."  We thank Christ for giving us his Church where, working together, we can meet our responsibility to be engaged with the world and express our own love.  And we thank God for our Church bell, that recalls for us the famous poem by John Donne, "For Whom the Bell Tolls."   May we always remember at St. Andrew's that when those outside our walls are in need, it tolls for us.

Rob R.
 

Truth & Reconcilliation Commission of Canada

The TRC is holding its closing events in Ottawa,
May 31-June 3, 2015.

This is an important moment in the history of our nation and denomination.

For more than 120 years, tens of thousands of Aboriginal children were sent to Indian Residential Schools funded by the federal government and run by the churches. They were taken from their families and communities in order to be stripped of language, cultural identity and traditions. Canada’s attempt to wipe out Aboriginal cultures failed. But it left an urgent need for reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.

All gatherings are held at the Delta Ottawa, unless otherwise indicated. Open to the public and admission is free.

If you would like more information on the TRC or the events scheduled please click here or check out the website www.trc.ca

Prayer for the morning

Holy One, thank you for the ability to begin my day in prayer.
Guide my path today.
No matter what happens, help me to feel that I belong to you,
and bring me home to you at the end of the day.

Amen

from Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion. Westminster John Knox Press, 2014 (used with permission).

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
 

10th Anniversary of St. Andrew's Church Bell

When our present church was erected in 1873 on the site of the first stone church, the steeple was built to accommodate a bell.  However for the next 127 years the steeple stood strong but silent as money raised by the church (especially the Ladies' Aid Society) went to the urgent needs of the poor in the city. It was not until 2005, that two families in the church donated for the purchase of the bell, as well as to cover the substantial installation costs.

More details on the history of the St. Andrew's Church Bell are available in the June 2010 St. Andrew's in Action.

Mystery

This morning, Huda began by drawing us into the satisfaction of reading, guessing, and finally being told a solution for the mystery genre as entertainment. And led us into the wonder of the mystery of God's grace and gifts to us. Have we come to the solution of the mystery of faith? Do we need to completely understand this mystery to be faithful along our paths as Christians?

Through our study of God's word given to us in the Bible, we work to fully understand the mystery of grace. As a reforming people, will we reach definitive solutions? Perhaps not, but by accepting the promise of the Resurrection, our faith assures us that there is a defined solution, even though we cannot flip to the back page for the complete wrap up.

Throughout our lives, we are called to be still so that glimpses of the wondrous solution are clear for even a fleeting moment. We are called into community to share our stories and experiences to help one another grow in faith. And we are called to know that the mystery of God is a precious gift.

Billie S.