Remembrance Sunday

Photo: Elizabeth P.

O God Our Help in Ages past, our Hope for Ages to come, the opening words of our first hymn on Remembrance Sunday, as the parade of veterans processed behind the Holy Word of God. These men, and women, led by Mr. Lamont, and Mr. Stewart, showed me the faces of answered prayers. As we lifted up these words, in praise and petition to God, I thought about those who sang them before us, petitioning God to bring peace, salvation, and the end of conflict. As I watched these men and women process into the sanctuary I saw how they, and those that came before them are the answer to prayer for peace, that through their service, they were the angles of God in our world, in the pursuit of peace

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. These are the words of the Act of Remembrance, words we hear each year as we gather to remember our veterans from conflicts gone by, and conflicts alive in the world today. As I reflect, I think about the covenant we renew each time we recite these words, we are committing to remembering those who fought, and died so that we might have freedom and security in our own land, but it’s more than that, in the Act of Remembrance we are also committing to the continued fight for the renewal of peace in our world, lest the death of those who came before us be in vain.

Remembrance Sunday reminds us to take time out of our lives to not only remember those who fought and died in the many conflicts our world has seen, but also to give thanks to God, who preserves this country in peace and security, it reminds us also to be committed to the pursuit of peace in our time, and forever. I remember a number of years ago writing an article in opposition to the White Poppy movement, and I advocated that the poppy we wear on our chests, do not glorify wars, or the conflict, they do not glorify the victor, nor do they condemn those who lost, but rather they glorify the dead, who gave themselves for our sake, and for the sake of our countries, the poppy also provides a reminder to those who came home, who suffer a pain which is arguably worse than death, and those who survived their lost loved ones, those who have died are free, and walk with God, but those who survive must learn to live again.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, my message today is simple, remember and give thanks to the Lord our God, for the veterans who died, but do the same for those who survived and for their families. Friends, we cannot be content with the pain and conflict in our world, we must be ready to respond, ready to support, and ready to defend onward Christian Soldiers marching as to war, Brothers and Sisters we are treading where the saints have trod, as the old hymn goes. Let us go forward, and fight for the causes of peace, in the name of Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Alex F.

November 1, 2015

All Saints Day I.  Wassily Kandinsky, 1911. Lenbachhaus Gallery, Munich
 

OK, so I heard the story of Lazarus a lot when I was a child in Sunday School and again as an adult in church as part of Jesus’ teachings.  And today when Peter read us the story again (John 11:32-44) it was all very familiar until he read out the last line of the passage which says “unbind him and let him go”.  Suddenly a tiny light shone in my brain.  One of those ah-ha moments for sure.

Then when Karen started speaking about All Saint’s Day as being a day to remember and give thanks for the lives of the saints, our parents, our teachers, our children, our siblings…anyone who has loved you and influenced you, it all started to make sense.  She asked what is the truth that bothers you the most? What is it about this climax to Jesus’ ministry that speaks to this great separation from loved ones that death represents?  What depths of agony and sorrow are contained within both Mary’s and Martha’s charge to Christ that “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” In spite of subsequent events in the story and the depth of faith they showed, this cry still resonates within us.  But then she related a story about one of her mentors who suddenly mused in mid-lecture that those whom we call dead are the only ones who are truly alive in Christ.  What a celebratory thought that is.

But what is it that holds us back from the best this life has to offer?  Fear and insecurity are the ties that bind us to being less than our best selves and living to our fullest potential.  So Karen encouraged us all to accept Christ’s invitation to come and see, to loosen the bonds of anguish or anger or sorrow or fear so that we are free to live a life of unbounded joy.  Jesus invites us to love our God with all our hearts, all our minds, all our soul and all of our strength.  In this way, we can shake off the shrouds binding us to a mortal life only and let us go forward in the hope of the resurrection.

Laura M.

Sunday October 18

The word this morning was shared by Rev. Ian MacDonald and what wonderful words of reflection on the last Sunday before Canadians go to the polls. He gave the context of this verse, set in a time when the early church was small and persecuted by the Roman Empire.

The church had no distinction on nationality, race, and gender. In fact everything else is washed away when we become one in Christ Jesus by the seemingly simple act of Baptism. I sat in the pews and pondered what it means for all our labels to be washed away. In those days, candidates for baptism were immersed into the water facing west, spun around and raised facing the rising sun in the east. This act of rising from the water signifies a new beginning. The burial of the old life and the resurrection to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. We therefore are no longer Jew or Greek, Canadian or American, Aboriginals or Settlers, Conservative or Liberals or New Democrats. We are all one, God's chosen people. Baptismal blessing takes away the class system and economic exploitation of our society. Neither slave nor free. The first will be the last and the last will be the first. Neither boss nor employee. Baptismal blessing takes away the division of gender.

We are loved not because of the shape of our bodies but because of the souls that live within those bodies. We are loved not because we are daughters or sons, but because we are children of God. This is the mystery of the sacrament and celebration of baptism. 

 We live in a time where we are free to worship, and we must not treat baptism like a tame event. Instead we should treat it like a life-long process of transformation that it is. Baptism is front and center in our lives as Christians. It reminds us of how we came to be children of God and how we should live our lives. Baptism is not about self, it is not about individuals, it is about the continuous renewal of the people of God.

So on this eve of election, as we prepare to elect our leaders tomorrow. Let’s take a moment to pray for our leaders. Let’s pray for leaders who will create a better world and a just society. Let’s pledge to live renewed – rising in the morning and living afresh like God’s children.

Koko A.

Refugee Settlement

A couple of weeks ago a bulletin insert and a short piece in St Andrew’s In Action advised the congregation about ways to support Syrian refugees in the midst of this humanitarian crisis. Since then, our application to sponsor the A. family of three has been accepted by the federal government and forwarded to our embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, for processing. And most recently, the family was interviewed by Canadian officials, and they were told they can now expect to be interviewed again for security purposes and for a medical check.

It is anticipated that this particular sponsorship application process will move quickly given the government’s recent emphasis on processing refugee cases from Syria. While it is difficult to predict the future with accuracy, it is quite likely that the A. family will arrive before this Christmas. In these circumstances it is important to look again at our financial support for this sponsorship through our Millennium Refugee Support Fund. If you have been thinking about financial support for the A. family sponsorship, now is the time to act. I hope you will give this important outreach ministry your prayerful consideration.

If you'd like to help, here are some items we'll be needing to help welcome our family to Canada.

Parents age 30's & child 5 years

Household Furnishings
Bedroom
Queen & Single Beds
Dresser
Bedside Tables
Queen Sheets
Single Children Sheets
Blankets Queen & Single

Dining Room
Sideboard
Tablecloth
Place mats (4-6)
Living Room
Sofas (double & single)
Coffee table, Side tables (2)
T.V. & T.V. stand

Kitchen
Toaster, Kettle
Set of Dishes (plates, bowls, mugs/cups) (4-6)
Cutlery set (for 4-6)
Set of Glasses (6-8)
Serving dishes (Corningware like)
Set of Pots & Pans
Serving spoons

Bathroom
Towels, Bath mats
Bath set – toothbrush holder, soap dish, cups etc.
Toilet brush set, Shower curtain

Clothing
Winter coat & clothing for Mother (size 8)
Winter coat & clothing for Father (medium)
Winter coat & clothing for Daughter (5 years old)

If you have questions or offerings please call Barbara S. via 613-232-9042

Thanks,

Peter L & Barbara S.

Thanksgiving Sunday

In today's sermon, Karen talked about how we begin the day, and how we see our role in it.  She re-told a children's story about a rooster who had thought it was his proclaiming the day by crowing that made the sun rise, and about his journey to realizing that it was his calling not to make the sun rise but to announce its coming. 

This was linked to Moses' sermon which comprises the book of Deuteronomy, his last words upon the closing of his journey with his people to the promised land, after forty years in the wilderness, a sermon of instruction for how to begin a new life in a new land, a land he would never see.   On this Thanksgiving Sunday, approaching my fortieth birthday this year, I am intrigued by the notion of forty years in the wilderness, and the metaphorical as well as literal meanings that may have in the bible story.  And, as the summer draws to its close with the harvest, I am thinking about journeys through the seasons as well as through life. 

Journeys through life are journeys through social roles, and our place in the human drama changes over time: the Thanksgiving holiday makes me think of times I enjoyed turkey around my family's table as a young girl, and as a teenager, as a young bride, then a mother of young children, and now, heading in to mid-life.  I recently read Cheryl Strayed's book Wild and am reflecting on connecting points between the author's solo journey through the deserts and mountains of the Pacific Crest Trail and the trek of Moses with his people through the holy land, and even my own life course.  All involve stories of challenging travel, of epiphanies as well as hardships, of loss as well as of miracles, of moving through life's roles with gratitude and acceptance. ... which brings me back to thanksgiving.

Happy thanksgiving all!

Rebecca B.
 

A Word About Worship

From our quarterly newsletter, St. Andrew's in Action. This is the first of four short articles, each one focussing on one of the four different stages we move through as we worship.

The assurance of forgiveness: are you wondering what this is? There have been a few changes to the order of worship this fall, and in addition to moving the place of the prayers of intercession there is this new piece in the service.

The assurance of forgiveness or pardon as some churches call it, is an element that is found in the worship services of many Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, following the opening prayers.

In the Presbyterian and Reformed Church traditions, worship is often shaped through four movements. The first of which is our approach to God. As we are gathered in together, we sing an opening hymn of praise and then incline ourselves in a prayer that is often two fold in its nature, blending together praise for who God is with confession. The nature of this confession is often both personal and communal as we acknowledge before God the way we as individuals and communities have turned from the ways of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit among us. When I craft these prayers for our worship together, the words I use often include, we are here, we are listening, we are sorry and please forgive us. The Lord’s Prayer often follows these prayers of approach and then we have the assurance of forgiveness.

This assurance is itself one of the proclamatory moments of the worship service. Taken (sometimes directly and verbatim) from the Scriptures, it is a simple statement assuring us of the Good News that in Jesus Christ we have been, as the old hymn says, ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven.

This completes the first movement of our worship, now we are ready to hear God’s word for us today and I will write more about that next time.

-    Rev. Dr. Karen Dimock

Break!

Image by Sarowen on Flickr

Karen gave us a lot of images about communion today. In being the "eucharist", it is a sign of thanksgiving. In being "communion", it is something in which we are bound together (particularly wonderful to think about on World Communion Sunday). In the "breaking of the bread", we are reminded of the words Jesus spoke to those closest to him. In "mass", we think about mission - how we are sent out to be the presence of Christ in the world.

It is this last one that resonated most clearly with me today. As Karen pointed out, we are bombarded these days with consumerism, with feelings of inadequacy, with prioritizing the things we buy/wear/drive as the most important things that define us. By being obsessed with these things, we are, like the church in Corinth, showing contempt for the body of Christ.

Communion serves to remind us of what is important, to ground us, to remind us of where our lives should be centred. In the midst of so much greed and selfishness, we are brought back to the communion table to be reminded of love, kindness, and generosity. We are reminded that that is the way we should be living.

In our younger (and more irreverent!) days, my brothers and I would joke from the pews that the elders being sent out to distribute the communion elements were like a football team at the end of a pep talk. It is like the minister says "Ready? Break!" and the elders disperse amongst the congregation. I thought of that again this morning, but not just in terms of the elders. All of us who shared in that bread and wine today - at St. Andrew's and around God's earth. We have received our pep talk, we have been reminded of our mission in this world. Now it is up to us to go out and be the body of Christ. Ready? Break!

Laura S.