Rites of Spring

 Link to live-streamed service here

In the spring gardeners return to the garden, cyclists return to the trails, and, at SPPC, folks return to Friendship coffee. This used to a regular event in our congregation but, like everything else, was upset by COVID-19. Last summer there were a few outdoor gatherings but we didn't return to visiting in the church building until late in the fall. There was a gathering for St. Patrick's Day in March, and, last Thursday, there was another, in what we hope will be a return to biweekly meetings.

I wasn't able to attend personally, but I've gathered reports from those who were there. During the hiatus there has been a change. The tables were made up of men and women instead of the segregated situation in the "before" times. There were fewer present and no one was knitting. Now that charities are accepting donations again, maybe the knitters will get out their needles in time for the next gathering.

 

Coming up this Saturday, April 30, is another rite of spring, a cleaning bee!

When the pandemic closed our doors, we ended our contract with a cleaning company. Instead, a few dedicated volunteers kept up with vacuuming and dusting and scrubbing the kitchen and bathrooms. On Sunday mornings the church is clean and inviting. 

But busy spiders make webs in hidden corners. Crumbs can slide under the fridge and stove. Windows are smeared by grubby fingers. Walls get marked by chairs and tables. Light fixtures trap flies. Blinds collect dust.

Hence our spring cleaning bee. Extra hands mean all the extra tasks can be accomplished. There is a list of individual chores posted on the utility closet door and there will be folks from the property committee to help lay out the tasks. 

The church has lots of cleaning supplies, but you might like to bring your own rubber gloves or any favourite tools, like a vacuum. Work begins at 10:00 am and continues until we are finished. 

There will be coffee and tea, elbow grease and laughter as we 

"sweep the Lord's house clean."

Easter 2022

 The link for this week's Good Friday service is here.

The link for Easter morning worship is here.

After two years without communal Easter celebrations, we were back in Cy Hampson Park for a "sunrise" service. 

The years have wrought some changes. We are all older, for one thing. For another, the tree where the bird sat is gone. I felt sad without our feathered songster for company, but then this little fellow showed up in another tree. God is generous.

The sun did "rise" but only for a brief moment through the cloud. 

At least it didn't rain.

We took our usual picture of the congregation. In fact, we took more than one. Your challenge is to find the differences between these two.

After the readings and singing and thanksgiving, we headed back to the church for breakfast and hot coffee. Thank you to those who stayed behind to prepare the warm welcome for the chilled worshippers. Happy Easter.

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Hallelujah!

Hosanna

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

 Despite hail stones in the   parking lot on Saturday and   snow on the Malahat Sunday,   Easter is coming. We began   Holy Week with Palm Sunday.   On this "high" Sunday, the   choir  presented a rousing   anthem, we celebrated the

 Lord's Supper and received two sisters-in-Christ into membership of the congregation. 

Declaration of Faith

Extending the right hand of fellowship.

Relaxing over a cup of coffee with a couple of Elders after the service.

Linda has been at work in the flower beds again. She asks if anyone has extra heather or lavender plants they could donate. If that is you, please see Linda on Sunday or leave a message in the church office.

Next Sunday we celebrate Easter with an early service (8:00 am) in Cy Hampson Park. We meet rain or shine so dig out your brollies or your sunscreen and join us for a 'sunrise' service.  Breakfast will follow at the church and then our regular Easter Sunday service at 10:00 am. Please join us as we raise our Hallelujah's to the Risen Lord.

One True Thing

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here

The idea for this blog came from a writers forum I follow. The author was discussing the difficulty of writing "truth" in an age of falsehood. At a time when cultural norms are being called into question and heroes are recast as villains, one is constantly having to weigh words and ideas, seeking to find truth in the plethora of competing voices beamed at us from every direction. The writer I'm referencing suggested, as an aid to sanity, that we write "one true thing," every day.

I found that an interesting concept so I've been writing down  one true thing every day. The first one was easy. 

• Jesus loves me.

• Then I got to Matt. 6: 21 "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also."

• Or Micah 6:8, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

• The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Ps 23:1

The Bible is full of "true things." It is also peppered with commandments. Consider the first one. Deut. 5:7 "I am the Lord, thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. " 

This one came to mind during our Bible Study discussion on Wednesday. The topic was simplicity and we ended up talking about "idols." These come in many forms, like health, or sport, or chocolate, or even the search for simplicity. Anything that we put before God in our lives, is breaking the first commandment.

Some idols seem benign, like social media, but anyone walking into traffic while having his eyes glued to a small screen, has put media before the beauty of creation, not to mention his own safety.

Wordle is a hugely popular word puzzle played on-line by millions of people. The originator of the game, perhaps aware of addictive behaviour, limited the game to only one word per day. Even so, there have been dozens of imitators so the safeguard of one a day does not really exist. I came across a new one for me the other day called Canuckle. Here the words all have a Canadian bias, like Inuit or canoe, or birch.

I find the exercise  of describing "one true thing" each day reassuring and calming, but I must remember not to turn the practice into an idol. Remembering God first will help us all discern truth from the whispering of temptation.

Upcoming at SPPC

April 10, Palm Sunday, 10:00 am. Communion and          reception of new members

April 15, Good Friday 10:00 am. Service of readings and music.

April 17, Easter Sunday 8:00 am. "Sunrise" service at Cy                       Hampson  Park

              9:00 am Breakfast at SPPC

             10:00 am Easter worship