Author: The Rector

(Modified 2020-09-27: Added “An Act of Spiritual Reception”)

THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

10.00 a.m.  Morning Prayer

10.30 a.m.  Holy Communion

Godly Play in the Children’s Worship Centre (ages 3 – 6 years.) Today’s story is ‘The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep’ Psalm 23:1-4, Luke 15:3-6. Leaders: Ginny L, Nicte R-L.

Faith Quest (ages 7-13) Faith Quest kids (ages 7-13) continue the Armour of God rotation with a Divine Diversions workshop. Leader: Len G Shepherd: Heidi D  Memory verse: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  Ephesians 6:10-11

7.00 p.m. Evening Prayer and Rector’s Class: Understanding Myself – A Human Being.

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WORSHIP GUIDELINES. As we gather together to worship at St. Mary’s, please note the following:

When you enter  the church please use the side aisles to go to your pew.

When you leave the church please go down the center aisle.  We are asking those sitting in the pews on the north side of the church to exit first and go out the 15^th Avenue door.  Then those sitting in the pews on the south side of the church to exit and go out the Montague Street door.

If you would like to join in with singing you must wear a mask.  The exception to this is for leaders of the service who are required to have an increased distance between themselves and the congregation.

Please go up the center aisle if you are going for communion.  There is hand sanitizer at the front of the pews for you to use.  Please return to your pew by the side aisles.

We realize there are many guidelines that have been put in place which we are required to follow in order to have an in person worship service.  We pray it will not detract from your desire to be here and worship the Lord.  We appreciate you helping us to follow these rules.  May God bless you today and every day for His mercies are new every morning.

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL RECEPTION for THOSE UNABLE TO RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP p.584) teaches us if we repent of our sins, and believe that Jesus Christ suffered death upon the Cross and rose again for us, and giving thanks to Him for the forgiveness of our sins and all the benefits we receive thereby, we may partake of His Body and Blood to our soul’s health, even though we do not receive the sacrament with our mouths. The prayer following may be used at the Holy Communion for those with health concerns who do not receive the sacrament.

Dear Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul. And since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself to you, together with all your faithful people gathered around every altar of your Church, and I embrace you with all the affections of my heart, soul, and mind. Come Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart in the fullness of your strength; be my wisdom and guide me in right pathways; conform my life and actions to the image of your holiness; never permit me to be separated from you, and, in the power of your gracious might, rule over every hostile power that threatens or disturbs the growth of your kingdom, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

THE RECTOR’S CLASS: Understanding myself: A Human Being. Self understanding is a fundamental human task. Understanding who we are depends in part  on understanding how God has made us. Join us this Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. for Evening Prayer and the Rector’s Class where we will explore how it is that God has put us together with body,  heart, soul, and mind, and how God intended each to function in a healthy way, and how and why we find ourselves in a state of “dis-ease.”

HOLY DAY. September 29th  is The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels.  This is the day  the Church invites to consider the essential spiritual nature of  the struggle and conflict in which find ourselves, a struggle in which we are not alone, but supported and defended through the ministry of angels. Angels are not figments of our imagination, but very real and powerful spiritual entities and powers that are part of the structure and order of creation established by God for our salvation. Join us this Tuesday at 5.30 p.m. for shortened Evening Prayer and celebration of the Holy Communion.  

PARISH BIBLE STUDY on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians begins this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.  via Zoom and will run  for 8 weeks. All are welcome! Please contact Henry F to find out how to join in. 

BABY SHOWER. All ladies of St. Mary’s are invited to Karen M’s baby shower on Saturday October-3-2020 at 2:30 PM @ St Mary’s! Steve and Karen are expecting their baby in November, and Karen’s sister Christina will host the shower. Anyone interested in attending can contact Christina.

FOREVER IN MOTION Seniors Exercise Group has resumed on Tuesday mornings  at  10:30 am at St. Mary’s upper hall.  

HELP REQUESTED. In order to conform to COVID protocols, we need one extra person each Sunday to assist with set up and sanitizing and also take down in both our Faith Quest and Worship Centre areas. Please click on this link below to sign up:  https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/8050d4ca4af2ea02-covid19/79947221

REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP UPDATE. To date St. Mary’s has raised $34,862.29 of the $40,000 needed for the sponsorship for a refugee family of six (6) applicants and dependents.  We continue fundraising efforts through collection of cans and bottles. You may go to SARCAN and enter an account name St. Mary’s Anglican and password Cans for Sudan. We also accept donations through e-transfer to giving@stmarysregina.ca  Please include ‘South Sudanese Refugee Family Sponsorship” in the message. No password is required. Those who prefer to donate through cheque may send their financial support to St. Mary Anglican Church, 3337 – 15th Ave. Regina SK S4T 1T3, with a memo line “South Sudanese Family Sponsorship.”

Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has our application and confirmed eligibility of our application. The refugee family will come to Regina after they pass the interviews, and medical screening, etc. which currently  has been suspended because of COVID.

Once the refugee family arrives in Regina, we will need volunteers to receive the family at the airport, search for rental apartments and arrange for moving in, donations of clothing, cooking utensils and furniture, and emotional and practical support as they settle in. Please contact Nathaniel if you are able to help.

Welcoming and loving strangers is a precious gift from the Lord, our God (Leviticus 19: 33-34). Your prayers, hospitality and generosity are highly appreciated.  

– Nathaniel

WORSHIP THIS WEEK AT ST MARY’S

Monday to Friday

• 8.30 a.m. Morning Prayer
• 5.30 p.m. Evening Prayer

Tuesday

• 5.45 p.m. Holy Communion for St. Michael and All Angels.

THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

10.00 a.m.  Morning Prayer

10.30 a.m.  Holy Communion

Godly Play in the Children’s Worship Centre (ages  3 – 6 years.) 

Orientation to the Worship Centre “Getting Ready To Be With God, Talking to God, Listening to God. Listening to One of God’s Stories: “The Light” John 8:12.

Faith Quest (ages 7-13) Faith Quest kids (ages 7-13) start the year with a King’s Theatre workshop in The Armour of God rotation.  Leader: Kate B.  Shepherd: Heidi D.     

Memory verse:  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  Ephesians 6:10-11.

7.00 p.m.       Evening Prayer and Rector’s Class 

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WORSHIP GUIDELINES. If this is your first Sunday back, please review our guidelines. Please note that mask must be worn when singing!

 HELP REQUESTED. In order to conform to COVID protocols, we need one extra person each Sunday to assist with set up and sanitizing and also take down in both our Faith Quest and Worship Centre areas. Please click on this link below to sign up:  https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/8050d4ca4af2ea02-covid19/79947221

NOTE TO PARENTS: Children will not begin in the worship service in the nave, but are to proceed to their program area no earlier than 10.15 a.m. You will be required to answer questions and sign a declaration at  your child’s program area before they will be allowed to participate. Thank you for your cooperation.  There will be no FaithQuest lessons on Oct 4, November 1, Dec. 6 and 27.

THURSDAY MORNING WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY will not be meeting in person this fall in favor of telephone study pairings. Please speak to Judy P. if interested. 

RECTOR’S CLASS. Claude will be teaching a class after evening prayer on Sunday evenings for newcomers to St. Mary’s, adults preparing for baptism, and anyone interested in the topic! Tonight’s class: “Who is Jesus?”

PARISH BIBLE STUDY. Henry will be leading an eight week Bible study on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians starting the end of September. Times and places (Zoom?) to be determined. Please contact Henry if interested. 

BABY SHOWER. All ladies of St. Mary’s are invited to Karen M’s baby shower on Saturday October-3-2020 at 2:30 PM @ St Mary’s! Steve and Karen are expecting their baby in November, and Karen’s sister Christina will host the shower. Anyone interested in attending can contact Christina.

HOLY DAY. On Monday there will be a celebration of the Holy Communion following shorted Evening Prayer beginning at 5.30 p.m.  in honour of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. The Lord is Glorious in His Saints: O come let us worship!

WORSHIP THIS WEEK AT ST MARY’S

Monday

• 5.45 p.m. Holy Communion for St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist (Holy Day)

Monday to Friday

• 8.30 a.m. Morning Prayer
• 5.30 p.m. Evening Prayer

 Dear St. Mary’s Family,

Last Sunday morning a congregation of 21 people were present for the Holy Communion at St. Mary’s, and another 11 were present for Evening Prayer that evening. Seven  people gathered on Tuesday evening to celebrate with me and receive a teaching on  The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and I was glad to be joined by someone most days last week for Morning Prayer. 

This is often the way it is in the Church, where two or three are gathered… But in fact, where two or three are gathered,  the whole Church is there, as we acknowledge in the Te Deum:

To thee all Angels cry aloud, the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee;
The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee;
The noble army of Martyrs praise thee;
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee,
The Father, of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

There are two words that came to mind this week in the midst of these uncertain and anxious times. The one was “stability” and the other was “sobriety.”  We need to maintain our stability, according to the words of St. Paul, “Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” ( 2 Corinthians 15. 58). And we also need to maintain our sobriety, as in “and grant O most merciful Father for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life.” ( The General Confession). The reference to sobriety here has to do not so much with not getting drunk on alcohol, as it does not being overwhelmed and overcome by our afflictive emotions, as in  anger, worry, fear, anxiety, etc.  A colleague said to me this weak, “I am so tired of angry and critical people!”

So what does it mean for us abound in the work of the Lord, and maintain our stability and sobriety? Our historic and traditional practice has been to pray the Morning and Evening Prayer.

Starting this week, Morning Prayer will be offered daily at 8.30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m. Those whose schedules allow it, are invited and encouraged to come. 

There are three special occasions in our calendar this week. On Monday we will celebrate Holy Cross Day with Holy Communion following a shortened Evening Prayer, and on Wednesday and Friday this week we will observe the “Autumn Ember Days” with a focus on praying for the Bishops , Priests, and Deacons of the Church on Wednesday, and praying for the Agriculture and Industries of our land on Friday.  

This Sunday we are having a short Family Service at 10.30 a.m. and weather permitting, we will walk down to the park and the end of Montague Street to visit, and if so desired to eat  bag lunch.

Starting next Sunday I will be offering a class following Evening Prayer, designed especially for our candidates preparing for Baptism, but which will be open to one and all. Then topic of our first class class: Who is Jesus Christ?

Blessings to you all for your Lord’s Day worship!

Claude

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WORSHIP THIS WEEK AT ST MARY’S

Sunday	10:30 AM Family Service 7:00 PM Evening Prayer
Monday to Friday	8:30 AM Morning Prayer 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Monday	5:45 PM Holy Communion for Holy Cross Day