Trinity 18 September 29, 2024 – Bulletin

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

September 29, 2024

THE FATHER IS MY HOPE; THE SON IS MY REFUGE; 
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MY PROTECTION.
ALL HOLY TRINITY, GLORY TO THEE!

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

GETTING READY FOR SUNDAY: PREVIEW OF THE READINGS.

In today’s Gospel lesson, the Lord gives us the Summary of the Law of Moses which we know so well from the service of Holy Communion  in The Book of Common Prayer. This Summary of the Law of Moses is the foundation for our worship and spiritual life, and contains the whole meaning of out lives. But , as Jesus pointed out to the scribe, the Law is unable to establish the kingdom of God within  and among us. This kingdom , in which the power of sin, death, and the devil has been defeated, is something we receive through the death and resurrection of the God/Man Jesus Christ. It’s why Jesus immediately directs our attention to the premier Messianic Psalm,  Psalm 110, where we discover that the Messiah , Jesus, is David’s “Son” with respect to His humanity, and David’s “Lord” with respect to His divinity, and thus our Savior! In our Epistle reading, St. Paul shows how it is that we are sustained in spiritual life and holiness by our union with Jesus Christ. 

THE LESSON : 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE GOSPEL : Mark 12:28-37

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’  Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question. While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.’”

David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’ And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

NO MORNING PRAYER on Tuesday this week, as Canon Claude is attending clergy conference in Moose Jaw.

ICON PRINT OF THE MYSTICAL SUPPER from Symeon van Donkelaar at Red Earth Icons arrived at St. Mary’s this week,  and will be hung in the Lower Hall as part of the beautification project. Following the service today, Canon Claude will be giving a talk explaining the icon and it’s hidden  scriptural, liturgical and spiritual meaning!

THE RECTOR’S BOOK STUDY

Have you ever referred to God as “the Man upstairs”? Most Western Christians living in a secular society have unwittingly relegated God and all things spiritual to the “second story” of the universe: a realm we cannot reach except through death. The effect of this is to banish God, along with the saints and angels, from our everyday lives.

In Everywhere Present, popular blogger and podcaster Fr. Stephen Freeman makes a compelling case for bringing God down from this imaginary second storey and becoming aware of His living and active presence in our lives here and now. Learning to practice your Christian faith in a one-storey universe will change your life-and make possible the living, intimate relationship with God you’ve always dreamed of. 

This short 100 page book is divided into the following chapters:

  • Chapter 1: The Shape of the Universe.
  • Chapter 2: Sitting in a Cave art Mar Saba
  • Chapter 3: We Live in an Altar.
  • Chapter 4: The God Who Is Not There.
  • Chapter 5: Christian Atheism
  • Chapter 6: The Shape of the One Story Universe
  • Chapter 7: The Hallway at the End of the World
  • Chapter 8: A Room with a View
  • Chapter 9: The Literal Truth
  • Chapter 10: The Mystery of Persons
  • Chapter 11: A Life of Careful Devotion.

Times and Dates: t.b.a. 

Cost: $22.00 Everyone is welcome. Please speak to or contact Canon Claude if interested.

WORSHIP THIS WEEK

Morning Prayer: Wednesday to Friday at 8.30 a.m.

Evening Prayer: Wednesday at 5.30 p.m.

Holy Communion: Wednesday at 9.30 a.m.