Author: The Rector

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Easter 4, 2023 – Bulletin

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

April 30, 2023

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA!

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.

THE LESSON: 1 Peter 2:11-17

Beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 16:16-24

‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.’ Then some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean by saying to us, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”; and “Because I am going to the Father”?’ They said, ‘What does he mean by this “a little while”? We do not know what he is talking about.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, ‘Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

VESTRY meeting will take place after the service today.

ST. MARY’S OUTREACH AT THE CATHEDRAL VILLAGE ARTS FESTIVAL.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (May 23-26)

  • 7:00 p.m. ART AS VISION: IN LIFE, WORSHIP, AND THE STUDIO.
    Over this three-evening lecture series, artist and iconographer Symeon van Donkelaarwill explore the theme of art through concentric circles centred on the artist’s perception of reality. Beginning with the common elements that inform modern art, we will move on to the more specific role of sacred liturgical art before ending the series with a look at the personal aspects that ground Symeon’s studio work at Red Earth Icons. 
  • 8.30 p.m.  COMPLINE BY CANDLELIGHT.
    The ancient monastic service of Compline, chanted according to ancient tones, has been described as “a place of succour for a soul in disarray…we need not choose our thoughts. The words are aligned like a rope for us to cling to.” (Sr. Monica in “Call the Midwife”)

Saturday , May 27

  • 10.00 – 5:00 p.m. ST. MARY’S BOOTH AT THE STREET FAIR.
  • 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. “SIGNS AND WONDERS CHURCH TOURS”
    Guided tours open the eyes to see how the interior architecture, stained glass windows, wood carving, and symbolic furnishings of this traditional Anglican Church mediate spiritual reality.  
  • 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. “BEESWAX CANDLE – DIPPING”
    In this all age activity we will delight in the beauty, warmth and scent of 100% beeswax candles to take home.
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Palm Sunday, 2023 – Bulletin

Palm Sunday

April 2, 2023

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY FOREVER!

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

PARISH LIFE NOTES

BLESSINGS AND THANKS to our palm-cross folding crew – John and Roberta, Hilary, Sharon, and Alan – who met on Friday morning in preparation  for our service today!

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Lent 5, 2023 – Bulletin

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT- PASSION SUNDAY 

March 26, 2023

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY FOREVER!

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

PREVIEW OF SUNDAY’S READINGS.

The last two weeks of Lent are known as Passiontide, where the focus of our worship, prayer, and meditation is on the suffering and death of  our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. In our lesson today from the Letter to the Hebrews, the mystery and necessity of Christ’s Passion is presented with reference to the pattern of worship set out in the Law of Moses. 

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Lent 4, 2023 – Bulletin

Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 19, 2023

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY FOREVER!

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

PREVIEW OF SUNDAY’S READINGS

In our Epistle lesson for today, St. Paul underlines the gift that is our ours through baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection: adoption as children of God and the heirs of the promise which serves as a motivation to “cast out”  from our lives all the sin that enslaves, and become spiritually free.

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Lent 2, 2023 – Bulletin

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

March 5, 2023

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY FOREVER!

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

PREVIEW OF SUNDAY’S READINGS

THE LESSON: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

IN our Epistle lesson St. Paul holds out a vision for Lent as a time for spiritual growth, and holiness and wholeness of life. Here St. Paul lifts up chastity as the virtue opposed to sexual lust and immorality. But chastity, properly understood, is the virtue opposed to sloth or laziness wherein we experience the brokenness of our vision of life and a scattering and breakdown of our spiritual energies (of which lust is a prime example)and which we seek to recover through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  

Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity;  that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like heathen who do not know God; that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you. For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 15:21-28

In this Gospel lesson we encounter a woman who shows us what it means to preserve in faith and prayer in Lent and in so doing attain victory over the demonic powers that oppress us.  

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ 23 But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ 24 He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ 26 He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ 27 She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ 28 Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

PRAYER PILGRIMMAGE WITH JESUS group meets after church today.

REFUGEE COMMITTEE meets after church today.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

CUTHBERT: A MYSTICAL SHORT FILM FOR NOW.

Join us this Wednesday after evening prayer to watch and reflect on a short film by Oliver Murray, a recent convert to Christianity, on St. Cuthbert, the celebrated  7th century monk, hermit and wonderworker in the Kingdom of Northumbria, The film not only lifts up St. Cuthbert as an example of someone who “fought and conquered  in the fight:” against the world, the flesh, and the devil, but offers us a fresh  and compelling vision of the Christian faith which is able to confront the secular materialism of our age.    

LENTEN LECTIONARY STUDIES with Men’s Group on Wednesday at 9.30 a.m. and Women’s Group Thursday at 10.00 a.m.

WORSHIP THIS WEEK

Morning Prayer

  • Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8:30 am
  • Wednesday at 9.00 a.m.

Evening Prayer 

  • Wednesday at 5:30 pm. followed by a light supper & discussion in the Upper Hall. 

Lenten Study groups

  • Men’s Group – Wednesdays at 9.30 following Morning Prayer (fasting breakfast included!)
  • Women’s Group – Thursdays at 10.00 a.m.