St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Regina, Saskatchewan
THE ORDER OF SERVICE FOR MORNING PRAYER
According to The Book of Common Prayer
Sentences of Scripture.
The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him.
The Minister,
Continue reading “Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity – September 20, 2020”As Christians, we believe that through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son Jesus Christ, and sending of the Holy Spirit, God has established his heavenly kingdom, which is his reign and rule, on this earth and in our midst, thus fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Unto us a child is born, into us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders.” (Isaiah 9.6)
That is something in these politically turbulent and indeed chaotic times, and in the upcoming election season, we do well to remember. The government of this world rests upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ. God rules in the kingdoms of men, a kingdom which operates according to an alternative politics, known as “forgiveness” and “ humble service,” and an alternative economics called “gift” or “grace.” Our Christian calling consists into bearing witness to this kingdom, into which we have been baptized as active participants.
Continue reading “Sermon on Matthew 20.10-16 (Trinity 15, 2020)”
We have come together in the name of Christ
To offer our praise and thanksgiving
To hear and receive God’s holy
To pray for the needs of the world
And to seek the forgiveness of our sins
That by the power of the Holy Spirit
We may give ourselves to the service of God
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Trinity 14, Sept 13, 2020
Canon Claude Schroeder
Sermon on Matt. 18. 21-35
Peter came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often am I to forgive?”
Peter’s question to Jesus in our lesson today follows on naturally from the instruction Jesus gave his disciples in last week’s lesson: “ If a fellow member of the church sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained a brother.” (Matthew 18. 15)
This is the real test of Christian community. And it’s when, out of love, we go and speak to the person who has wronged us, and engage in the hard work of reconciliation, and restore the relationship. We do so not only for the sake of the relationship, but for the sake of our Christian brother or sister.
Continue reading “Forgiveness”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
| 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 |
THE ORDER OF SERVICE FOR MORNING PRAYER
According to The Book of Common Prayer
The idea that people should “self-isolate” or “social distance ” is something that not only runs contrary to the social nature of human beings, created for relationship with God and with one another, in community, but also runs entirely contrary to the understanding of the New Testament that salvation, our healing from the infection and wounding of sin, and our rescue from the power of death, is communal experience.
We may sin alone, but we are saved together.
This is what makes this season of “self-isolation” and “social distancing” doubly painful for Christians. Today as we celebrate the Holy Communion at St. Mary’s for the first time in six months, we are painfully aware of those who are not and cannot be with us.
Continue reading “Sermon for Trinity 13 – September 6, 2020”Dear St. Mary’s Family,
Tomorrow (Sunday, September 6, 2020) at 10.30 I will be celebrating the Holy Communion at St. Mary’s for the first time in six months, very much mindful of those who are unable to come. My sermon tomorrow will focus on the precious gift that is our Christian fellowship, and the responsibility that we all share in safeguarding that gift: Matthew 18. 15-20.
Sunday mornings are going to look, sound, and feel very different. Every other pew has been roped off to conform to the social distancing guidelines. Family groups may sit together. We are allowed to have as many as 60 people present in the service. Masks are encouraged but not mandatory, except when there is congregational singing. I will be standing at the chancel steps wearing a mask to administer the Holy Communion in one kind only (bread). We will not be sharing any food and drink following the service. For all these changes to the look, sound, and feel of things, the heart of the matter remains the same: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2.2) We need to take to heart that our fellowship and union with Christ and one another is fundamentally a spiritual, and not a human or psychological reality. Our various urges, feelings, wants, desires and experiences are not what bind us together, but rather the Word and Spirit of Jesus Christ that shows and proves itself in orderly, humble service to one another. As St. Paul wrote, and as we will hear tomorrow, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” ( Romans 13. 8)
A service of Morning Prayer with hymns and sermon is still available for those unable to come on Sunday mornings.
Blessings on your Lord’s Day worship!
Claude +
| Sunday | 10:00AM 10:30AM 7:00PM | Morning Prayer Holy Communion Evening Prayer |
| Tuesday – Friday | 8:30AM | Morning Prayer |
| Tuesday | 5:30PM | Evening Prayer for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
St. Mary’s Children’s Program . “Kingdom. Grace and Judgment” – The Parables of Jesus at 2820 Wascana St. from 10.30 until Noon. Today’s Lesson: Parable of the Great Banquet (Let there be Art. The children and you will create two invitations. Leader: Kate B.
Updated “In Person Worship Guidelines” are available on St. Mary’s web-site.
Faithquest and Worship Centre will begin September 20th. Parents are asked to take their children to these programs before church and go and get them after church. Children who attend Faith Quest and Worship Center are to stay in the area of their program and are not to come upstairs into the sanctuary.
The Nursery will not be open at this time.
THE ORDER OF SERVICE FOR MORNING PRAYER
According to The Book of Common Prayer
Continue reading “THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY – August 30, 2020”Sermon for St. Mary’s Anglican
Date: August 30, 2020
Scriptures: Jeremiah 15:15-21, Psalm 26:1-8, Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16: 21-28
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts together, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
My Wound Incurable
A number of years ago now I saw the movie Field of Dreams and was intrigued by the story it told about Ray, an Iowa corn farmer with only a limited number of acres. One day when Ray was out on the tractor he heard a voice that told him he should build a baseball diamond in the middle of his field. Uncertain, afraid and yet feeling strangely compelled to do so, Ray began ploughing under the young corn and marking out a ball diamond being assured by that same, strange voice which said: “If you build it, they will come!”
Continue reading “My Wound Incurable”