Sunday, May 1

It was a "home-coming" with a difference, being greeted by May showers and a chilly 6 degrees temperature, after "snow-birding" in the south.  But the warmth of our church family and friends, the apparent greeting of the huge doors, the familiar pews, those stately pillars, all  reinforced the feeling that indeed, it is good to be back home.

And  to be part of this service of Affirmation of Baptism and Profession of Faith of six of our youth,  several  of whom I have known for years, was indeed a high-point. How touching it was, as we welcomed them as new members to our congregation, through confirmation of their faith. This  powerful moment would most likely remain with them always and they would be able to draw strength from it.

Then, as I listened intently to Rev. Dr. Sandy Scott's sermon entitled "Blessings and Joy" I couldn't agree with him more that we too must be a blessing to those with whom we come in contact. The Hymn "May God's love be fixed on you" was appropriately a hymn of the blessing  of the congregation on these young people who at this crucial age declared their affirmation  of God's covenant made to them at Baptism.

 Ah! What a joy it was to be in the house of the Lord!

 Beulah P.

O Sing to the Lord a New Song

Musical Appreciation Sunday caused me to reflect a little on the role that music plays in supporting religious services. I hope it is not too presumptuous of a non-musician to comment on music!  I welcome any comments.
 
At an Orthodox church that I visited in Greece a few years ago, some local men chanted together throughout the service.  There was no singing per se, nor instrumental accompaniment.  One man might join the group, another might leave; the chanting was always evolving and remarkably seamless.  Not understanding a word, I just sat under the icons in the candlelight and incense and listened and breathed and admired.  The chanting created a calming backdrop to a fairly intense sensory experience.  The overall effect was one of heightened spirituality, even mysticism. 
 
A visit to a Christian church in rural West Africa was also a sensory feast. The choir's smocks were bright pink and they sang rousing, gospel-type songs of faith and celebration. I confess to a little pew dancing! The kinship I felt to complete strangers as we sang together in the heat of that vibrant little church was wondrous. I experienced the music that day as an offer of joyous salvation.  Sermon, what sermon?  It was all about the music for me.

In March I attended my daughter's church in British Columbia.  The venue was humble and this small but diverse community managed without a choir or organ. There was a piano, though, and the pianist led us through some popular folk songs.  As I stood with my daughter to sing those simple tunes, it occurred to me that the songs' mildly counter-culture messages had been well chosen to support the sermon.  The officiant had spoken of non-traditional ways by which we could seek and experience spirituality. One answer, my friends, is "Blowin’ in the Wind", but all of the folk songs underlined the sermon very well.
 
I once attended a service at a large evangelical church that had a flourishing young adult group.  On the day that I visited, some young guitarists from the congregation were performing.  Their modern Christian rock music was unfamiliar to me, but I sang along anyway, following the words that they had projected on a screen. Obviously enjoying themselves, this cohort seemed firmly connected to their church through music.  Their pleasure and enthusiasm were lovely to see.
 
We at St. Andrew’s are truly blessed to have our Director of Music, our Guilbault-Thérien organ and our Choir to lead us in traditional hymns.  We enjoy regular performances from our St. Andrew’s Ringers and our Kids’ Choir, as well as an occasional pianist, flautist, trumpeter and guest choir (such as today's adorable First Baptist Children's Choir).

Our hymns of course reflect the overall direction of the sermon but, at a deeper level, all the music we are privileged to experience in a place of such beauty elevates and inspires us, making us even more receptive to God’s word.  A heartfelt thank you to all of our musicians and their leaders.  You lift us up.

Joan R.

Please pass the red crayon.

Today's sermon about "passing the red crayon" was quite intriguing to listen to, and resonated with my current ruminations on a number of issues, including the tragic circumstances of Attiwapiskat, as well as the decline in overall church attendance across mainline denominations in western countries documented in, among other places, an article in this month's Presbyterian Record

The Bible reading about the disabled panhandler who was cured by Christ's disciples was particularly evocative of thoughts about the place of St. Andrew's as the only privately-owned building in this section of Wellington street, bearing as it does the particular statue that marks it out front. 

I have no clear conclusions from this as yet: certainly, there are difficult circumstances facing the church as we contemplate reconciliation with Canada's aboriginal peoples while facing our own vulnerability to changing times.  Change is coming; change is here.  It was a significant reminder that the scriptures speak not just to their authors' times but to our times, much as the art Karen described in her kids' grade two classroom, speaks to us

Rebecca B.

Thoughts from a Sunday Service

Rembrandt, Supper at Emmaus

Rembrandt, Supper at Emmaus

The service began with reference to a painting by Rembrandt, entitled 'Supper at Emmaus'.

The Rev. Jan Steyn took the reading from Luke 24: 13-34 and related the themes of 'chronos' and 'kairos'. The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos.  Kairos is that moment in time - an alarm rings, a drop of water falls a terrorist attack occurs.  Everyone could relate to that moment at the Scots Kirk in Paris. There were moments that everyone replayed in their mind.

The Rembrandt also showed the moment with Jesus breaking bread with the disciples and their recognition of who was doing this act.  They had already missed a kairos moment when they met Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

Remember these kairos moments - God is with you.

Jeanie H.
April 3, 2016
Paris

On the road to reconciliation

(Author's note: This is a long one, friends, but I think it is important. So go make yourself a cup of tea and settle in...)

As Karen alluded to in her sermon this morning, St. Andrew's hosted a dialogue on reconciliation last Wednesday. The evening's event followed a press conference by church leaders earlier in the day where they responded to one of the calls to action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission last year.

It was a wonderful evening with some amazing moments. As someone who spends a lot of time making music in the sanctuary, I was particularly moved by the Indigenous singing and drumming. To hear that music fill our sanctuary, to feel it wash over me... I'm not sure, but I imagine that the experiences of Indigenous music and prayer in the St. Andrew's sanctuary have been few and far between.

For me, finding reconciliation between the churches and Indigenous peoples - particularly residential school survivors - fits Karen's description of something that sometimes makes me want to throw up my hands. I am quickly overwhelmed when I think of the harmful legacy of our church's relationship with Indigenous people. We have apologized,  but where do we go from here? That is the difficult question, and one that could easily make us want to turn around and walk away - just as the disciples did when they headed for Emmaus. Forget this business... I'm out.

The statement that the churches made committed us to use the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation. And on Wednesday night, we considered what that actually means. Some talked about including the declaration as part of preparing people for baptism, confirmation and ordination. Others said they acknowledge, at the beginning of worship, the traditional Indigenous land on which they find themselves.

This question of land led me to think about how St. Andrew's could move further toward reconciliation. We are proud of the land on which our building sits, I think - we have been there for almost 200 years, the only bit of Wellington St. not owned by the federal government. And that is a powerful place to be. But I think this history that we tell is incomplete. What was the story of the land before Thomas MacKay? I think it is important that we explore this, that we hear the story of our land from the perspective of the Algonquin people. This could be a meaningful symbol of our commitment to reconciliation. It would likely change us, our story, and how we move forward toward right relationships with our Indigenous sisters and brothers.

We have already come a long way in this journey, and Jesus has always been beside us. A big step was taken last week, and Jesus was there then too. And he continues to walk with us, even when we don't know exactly what we're doing, even when we make mistakes, even when the road is long. Jesus is risen, and he is with us. Alleluia.

Come to us, beloved Stranger, as you came that Easter day.
Walk with us to our Emmaus, for we need you still today.
Come to us when we are broken, when our dearest hopes are lost,
Speak to us the prophets' message you fulfilled upon the cross.
Stay with us and give us blessing, that our hopes again may rise.
Offer us your broken body; open our unseeing eyes.
Come to us, God's love embodied; touch our hearts with burning flame.
Risen Christ, once dead, now living, come to us through joy, through pain.
We would never fail to see you as you walk with us each day.
As a friend and not a stranger you would join us on our way.
Help us trust that through your mercy we can doubt and fear transcend,
and to others be a blessing. Keep us faithful till life's end!
Edith Sinclair Downing

Laura S.

Easter Sunday

Christ is risen...he is risen indeed!  So many lessons are to be learned from our journey during Holy Week and the most important is, of course, today's lesson.  Christ is risen!

It was a great joy to see everyone today, coming together and celebrating such a wondrous event. The service was dedicated to expressing our profound thankfulness for such sacrifice and resurrection.  Rev. Dimock put a very human aspect to her sermon today in relating the story of Paul Lederer and his experiences during a critical time in his life.  She told of the power of touch in our lives, touch both literal and figurative.  The touch that heals, the touch that brings us back to our humanness and to life, the touch of a mother caressing her child's brow with both love and healing.  Throughout Jesus' ministry, He constantly reached out to touch us and to bring us to God's love.  This is the touch that calls us to light and to life.  Remember this and in the busyness of daily life, reflect on how we each can reach out to touch other's lives and bring the same sense of joy to them.

Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

Laura M.