SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
June 9, 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.
What is the essential message which the Church proclaims in and through her liturgical worship? The essense of the message is contained in today’s Epistle lesson where St. John writes, “ And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” ( 1 John 3.23). The belief, the recognition concerning Jesus Christ as the revelation of the love of God is the starting point of the Christian life. That we should catch a glimpse of that revelation and be refreshed and elevated by it, is the first point of our liturgical celebrations, wherein we are invited to “eat the bread” of the kingdom of God. But as we hear in today’s Gospel lesson, many of those invited to the dinner banquet, couldn’t be bothered or were otherwise occupied, as a consequence of which the owner of the house instructed his servants to invite poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame to come and “taste of his dinner.” In this season of Trinity we are invited to “taste and see how good the Lord is,” to be nourished in our faith, and to find ourselves transformed into lovers of God and our brother. This love doesn’t just happen, and is not simply a matter of feeling. It is a commandment, which is fulfilled in the laying down our lives for each other in the Church. In this way God lives in us and we in Him.
THE LESSON: 1 John 3:13-24
Do not wonder, brethren, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 14:15-24
One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.” So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” And the slave said, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.”’
PARISH LIFE NOTES
SASKATOON BERRY FESTIVAL. It’s time to start planning for our Saskatoon Berry Festival which will take place on July 20th, 2024. We need 3 or 4 people to volunteer to be part of an organizing committee. Please contact the church office or Andrew if you are willing to help out with the planning, and stay tuned for announcements about how you can help out on the day with the coffee house, kids activities, market, set-up and clean-up etc.
In the meantime, think about how you can reach out to your friends, family and community to not only sell some berries and pie, but to bring them on the day to participate in a loving and welcoming Christian community, and how you can advance our advertising efforts so we can reach the largest possible number of people.
For this year’s festival, we intend to offer an expanded market that will include home baking, preserves, and possibly handicrafts – depending what people are able to offer. Please keep the berry festival in mind over the next few weeks as you start to can and bake with early summer produce.
Finally, please pray that God will bless this festival, bless this church, and that through us He will bless and heal our community, our city and our country.
ALMIGHTY Father, who hast watered our fields with the dew of heaven, and poured out upon us the former and the latter rain, according to our need, and hast reserved unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest: We bless and praise thee that, in love to thy children, thou hast at this season bestowed upon us such an abundant supply for all our necessities. Grant that we may never be destitute of those better gifts which nourish and enrich the soul. Pour down, we beseech thee, upon us thy heavenly grace, and endue us with the gifts of thy Holy Spirit, that we may bring forth abundant fruits to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE NEXT EDITION OF THE GRAPEVINE will be available on June 16th. Submissions are due by JUNE 12th and should be sent to: Lorna or Shelley.
SEEKING GOOD CONDITION CAMERA AND BABY BAGS OR SIMILAR:
Rev Dell Bornowsky and Rev Christine Burton are making ‘go bags’ for new Qu’Appelle clergy and postulants. The bags will contain chalice, paten, Eucharistic elements, anointing oils, and a few other bits. This makes it easier for clergy to attend to folks in hospitals and homes with everything they might need. Experience has shown that black camera bags and baby bottle bags are a good size, and particularly good if they have shoulder straps. Smaller bags (eg lens cases, pocket camera cases) can be kitted out with items that can be left behind in the case of isolation patients. If you have bags that might be suitable, please contact Rev Christine at 306-540-7903 (ph or text), or at christinemburton1@gmail and she will arrange to pick up.
WORSHIP THIS WEEK
Morning Prayer: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.
Evening Prayer: Wednesday at 5.30 p.m.