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.

WCRC joins declaration to overcome Reformation divisions

Wonderful news from World Communion of Reformed Churches recently!

From the article: The World Communion of Reformed Churches has formally joined an ecumenical statement with Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists aiming to overcome divisions between Protestants and Roman Catholics from the time of the Protestant Reformation.

“Today we are not only signing a statement, we are building a church together,” said the Rev. Najla Kassab from Lebanon in her sermon at the service in the Stadtkirche, where Luther used to preach.

Pope Francis, in a message read by Bishop Farrell, described the ceremony as “an eloquent sign of our commitment to walking together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, on a journey from conflict to communion, from division to reconciliation.”

Read the full item here.

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.

Moderator calls for prayer

As the fires rage in British Columbia, the moderator, the Rev. Peter Bush, invites the people of The Presbyterian Church in Canada to pray.

God of mercy,

We pray for the people of the British Columbia interior impacted by these fires—Williams Lake, Cache Creek, Ashcroft Indian Reserve, 100 Mile House—and other places impacted but whose names we do not know.

In mercy, look down upon those who have lost property, we cannot imagine what it is to lose everything in a fire.

In mercy, look down upon those who have left everything behind and do not know if they will have anything to return to, we cannot imagine what that feels like.

In mercy, look down upon those who are driving out through smoke and danger.

We pray for firefighters—we are astounded by their courage, their skill, and their stamina. Keep them safe in extraordinarily dangerous situations. Be with their family and friends, who support them and worry about them.

We pray government officials and emergency planners that they would have wisdom, patience, and calm while all around them there is chaos and uncertainty.

We thank you for communities like Prince George and Kamloops and others that are welcoming evacuees from the fire, give the leaders and citizens of these communities caring hearts, welcoming smiles, and good spirits to show hospitality to the thousands who are arriving on their doorsteps.

God of the weather, we ask for rain with no lightning and cooler weather with no wind.

We bring before you all those connected with the Presbyterian Church’s Cariboo Ministry who are impacted by this fire, and all those Presbyterians who may have the opportunity to show hospitality—let them know that they are loved and prayed for by your church.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

—The Rev. Peter Bush, Moderator of the 143rd General Assembly

For updates from Rev. Shannon Bell-Wyminga (Cariboo Region), visit presbyterian.ca.

As wildfires remain active in British Columbia, please pray for affected communities and first responders. Donations may be made to PWS&D in support of physical and emotional recovery for those impacted by the fires. Mail a cheque to the office, give through your church, donate online, or call 1-800-619-7301. Please mark donations for “BC Fires.” Learn more at WeRespond.ca/bc-wildfires.

 

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.