Salute the Happy Morn

 

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

The link for the live-streamed Christmas Eve service is here

Ed. Note: Thanks to our clerk of session for this Christmas morning post.

My Favourite Christmas Hymn is, "Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn".

Here is the story of how it became so special to me.

 

One of my loveliest Christmas memories took place in the late 1960's when I was the assistant house mother at Dr. Barnardo's in Canterbury.

It was Christmas Eve and so the house parents, who were Anglicans, took the older children to the early Christmas Eve service at the Cathedral while I stayed home with the younger ones and got them off to bed. 

When the other children arrived home, they got themselves off to bed and I was then free to go to the Methodist Church that I attended at that time, for the 11:00 pm service.

It was a beautiful service and it was timed so that the last hymn was sung just after midnight (now Christmas morning) & that hymn was, "Christians AwakeSalute the Happy Morn."

It just felt right to me at that time and really touched my heart.

After all our Christmas greetings to one another, we came out of church and it had just begun to snow, it was almost magical and as I walked home alone, through the now quiet city streets, that just a few hours earlier had been all of a bustle with shoppers buying last minute gifts, up through the city's West Gate, there was a really quiet peace. I can't explain it but all seemed right with the world, right at that moment, it was Christmas and Christ was born!

The words of this hymn are very meaningful to me and still fill my heart with hope, peace, joy and love, a real hymn of praise for Christ's birth.

 

Advent 3 2023

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

Advent Three celebrates joy. We've certainly had lots of joy around SPPC lately. 

The Sunshine Lunch on Monday brought joy to the served and the servers. There were silly hats, carols, good food and lots of laughter. 

On Friday, Janet and Joan hosted a tea for the folks in their elders' districts. Not sure who they catered for, but there was more food than we could eat -- although we all made a valiant effort. 

There was a silly game that kept everyone laughing, we sang carols and had a great party. There were even gifts.

Explain the rules

Whose turn is it?

Silly Hats

 

checking the list

Sunday was white gift Sunday. When I was a kid, we used to wrap canned goods in white tissue paper and place it on the table with the offering plate. The idea was that the gifts were anonymous and went into hampers for those who were having a hard time making ends meet. Anonymity was meant to remove any embarrassment on the part of the giver or the receiver. There was always great excitement as the children of the congregation trooped to the front of the church with their offerings.

Things are a bit different now. Food banks and the like have taken on the role of helping those in need of groceries. White gift at SPPC is now directed at members of our own congregation, many of whom live in care facilities or are on special diets. So, no cans of soup or chocolate bars. Instead, this year, we collected toonies. The Pastoral Care Committee then purchased poinsettias and small gifts appropriate to each person on the list. There is still much excitement about bringing joy to others.

The Mission and Outreach Committee held a bake sale on Sunday as well. The approximately $600.00 raised will be shared between the Session discretionary fund (local missions) and the House Upon the Rock in the Dominican Republic.  This event brings joy to the bakers who donate, to the buyers who snap up the goodies, and to those who benefit from the mission funds. 

Speaking of joy, Christmas Day is almost upon us. Please join us at Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church for any or all of our Christmas services.

Dec. 24, 10:00 am. Advent Four - Sunday morning worship.          Dec. 24, 7:00 pm. Carols and Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, Dec. 25, 10:30 am Christmas Morning service with lots and lots of carols. 

In this last week before the "Big Day" may you give and receive much joy, in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Joy to the World  

Second week of Advent 2023

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

In this second week of Advent, we raise up the gift of peace. Given the headlines, it would seem there is no peace to be found in our world. As an antidote I'm sharing a few encounters I've had recently. 

Everyone knows Canada Post is swamped at this time of year. The line-ups are long. Clients are impatient. Stress is at a yearly high. Yet, on my visit, I met a friendly, cheerful, helpful clerk who showed me the least expensive way to send parcels to Ontario, then she gave me the secret of avoiding a long line-up. 

From there I went to a store to return an article. The till did not want to perform the operation. First one, then another clerk punched buttons and glowered at the dictates from the machine until, finally, they were able to do the necessary functions. My article was returned and I received a refund. From start to finish, no one yelled, no one cussed, and no one threw the balky machine out the door. We all parted on good terms.

In the grocery store on Friday late afternoon, the line-ups were once again long and customers impatient. The cashier on the till smiled, wished everyone a nice day, and refrained from answering ill-humour with a cranky comment.

I've learned to limit my exposure to the news. Instead, I give thanks for these hard-working people who show me the way of peace. I've done my best to pass it on. 

Speaking of passing it on, Sunday we learned the results from our latest drive for the food bank.  We raised about one thousand dollars in cash donations and five overflowing boxes of goods.

They are now out the door, spreading hope and peace to those in need. Our congregation contributes to the food bank year round, but just for a bit of fun we held a draw among the donors. Brian and Meta won this lovely poinsettia. Merry Christmas to you. Enjoy the cheery colour.

Also on Sunday, we had a guest in the music department. Susanne Clark, from Calgary is visiting her mother and brought along her flute. Thank you Susanne for enhancing our worship.

In keeping with the seasonal gift giving, we have a new-to-us fridge/freezer in the kitchen, thanks to a community donor.

Because one good turn deserves another, we have passed along some Christmas wreaths we no longer use to the Salvation Army. Thanks Pam for sprucing them up so beautifully, and thanks to Susanne for finding them a new home.

Whew! Life is busy, especially at SPPC. We have more events coming up, including a bake sale next Sunday. If you haven't had time to mix up some cookies, we've got you covered. Peace.

Christmas is Coming

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

And . . . all at once Advent is here and the rush toward Christmas is upon us. To begin, we decorated the church. Many thanks to Pam and her Friday crew for making the Christmas spirit visible at SPPC. 

Laying out the master plan

worker bees

Preparing a spot

for Hazel's 

knitted nativity.

        

The finishing touches.

Don't forget the outside.

Then, on the first Sunday of Advent we enjoyed the familiar carols and heard a message of hope. 

Bearing witness to hope, after service we joined Josh and Emily for a baby shower/lunch. We shared in their excitement and happiness. Celebrating love and family in the approach to Christmas felt very right. 

Thank you, Emily and Josh, for sharing these precious moments of your life with the congregation. 

 A baby needs grandparents, too.

Just as this family waits and prepares for a new life, Advent is a season of waiting and preparing. It is easy to get caught in the excitement of presents and baking and trees and concerts and goodness knows how many other distractions coming our way, but take a quiet moment here and there to be still and prepare your heart for the coming of Christ.

The first Sunday of Advent celebrates hope. Let us remember that God sent His Son to bring us hope, even in the darkest times. When the noise of the world is loud and harsh, let us reflect on Hope in the time of Advent.

Concerts

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

Thanks to Jim for this report.

Today I want to tell you about two fabulous choirs, one that I saw in Cuxhaven, Germany and the other coming right here in Sidney, B.C. on Saturday, December 16, 2023

On Friday, August 11, 2023 I flew from Vancouver, B.C. to Hamburg, Germany, arriving in Hamburg on Saturday evening, German time.

At the airport to meet me was my special German family, (Mark, his wife Riikka and their two children, Eva (11) and Johan (9). Marc's father spent a year living with us as an exchange student from August 1995 to July 1996. I stayed with them in their house in the town of Stadde (near Hamburg) for six days.

On Sunday, August 13 we all went to Cuxhaven to hear a choir concert on a dock there. Cuxhaven is located at the mouth of the Elbe River and the North Sea. What a treat. The choir sang in German and English. As you can see by the pictures, the concert took place on a dock. 

The choir with Johan and Eva, who call me CGD (Canadian Granddad.)

The choir at Cuxhaven pictured below.

Fishing boat arriving on the dock opposite, with the day's catch

Although you weren't with me in Germany, here is a chance to hear another great choir, "The Victoria Police Choir." On Saturday December 16,2023, they will be performing at St. Paul's United Church, 2410 Malaview Ave, Sidney, BC on the corner of 5th. street and Malaview Ave. north of Beacon St., a short drive from the church.

Doors open at 1:30 PM with the concert from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Noel, a member of our congregation, will be singing.
Tickets are $20.00 seniors and $25.00 adults - worth every penny. They can be purchased for cash at Tanners Bookstore, Beacon Ave., Sidney. You can also contact me
@ 416-303-2224. and I will get them for you. I hope to see you there.
Jim Dallimore

**********

 Last week we interrupted our study of Proverbs to discuss the background to the war between Israel and Hamas. Rev. Irwin gave a fascinating talk on the history of the area from Abraham through to 1948. During those thousands of years, the area saw immigration and conquest from many, many empires that invaded the land. Some set up vassal kingdoms, some left the people alone, some expelled the leadership to other areas of whatever empire was in power. Over five thousand years of history, the land of present day Israel was claimed by Egypt, Assyria, the Philistines, Babylon, Greece (Macedonian under Alexander the Great), Rome, the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain. The history of the Holy Land is a story of conquest, subjugation and rebellion, over thousands of years.

The session ran past our usual time, but no one left. In fact, people stayed behind with more questions. There was no easy answer suggested in the discussion, but a more complete understanding of the geography and history of the region can help to clarify current events. 

Thank you to Rev. Irwin for a thorough and understandable lesson in history.

This week, we revert to the study of Proverbs--Living Wisely. 

Love and Laughter

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

We are not into Advent yet, but SPPC has had a full calendar of social events in November.

To begin, a Sunshine Lunch was held on the first Monday. This get-together is much appreciated by all who attend. Eating alone day after day is wearisome. Thanks to Joan and her helpers, this lunch brings a little sunshine into the day.

And, since Joan is key to this ministry, it is only fitting that she received birthday cake and balloons in honour of her own day

   

Then, for no particular reason, the Fellowship Committee decided to hold a Beetle Drive on Thursday morning. For the uninitiated a Beetle Drive is a silly game where the roll of a dice determines how you draw a beetle. In our case we needed a 6 to draw the body, a 5 to draw the head and 36 sixes to get in all the legs. I threw endless threes when I needed a six, then once I was ready to add the legs I threw endless sixes. Go figure.
In the end, Bin Sie was the grand winner. Tore got a prize for neatest and Eileen had loser written on her sheet. You can see all the lopsided beetles in the narthex. Whatever the dice said, we laughed a lot and cheered when Bin Sie finally put an end to our frustration.

winner                 neatest                       loser 

Last Sunday we shared laughter but not so much fun as we said good-bye to one of our longtime members. Kay is leaving the Saanich Peninsula and going back to her prairie roots. She said she's looking forward to a breath of fresh air. 

So, it wasn't a celebration of Kay's leaving but of her long association and many friendships at SPPC. Of course, we had cake.

a token of affection

Then it was Sunday again and we must have more cake. This time, we celebrated Ann's 90th birthday. To make the day extra special, Ann read the scriptures during the morning worship, before cutting her cake.

Now, if you managed to miss all the goodies from the past couple of weeks, you have another chance this Thursday, when Friendship Coffee meets at 10:00 am. Come and bring a friend, or make a friend, or meet a friend. The coffee's hot, the goodies  plentiful and there will be laughter.

For Such a Time

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

Every year on Remembrance Day we stand in solemn silence and vow "to remember them." We read the names of those who fell in past wars. We grieve for the families left behind, for the potential left unfulfilled. We look at history and promise ourselves never to let that happen again.

Yet, this year, 2023, the ceremony feels different. Wars are raging around the world and two of them, one in Europe, one in the Middle East, feel especially close to us. As a land of immigrants many of our fellow citizens have direct ties with these troubled parts of the world. The wars feel personal and present. They are not tales in a movie or a history book. They are real and they are now and they are horrific.

As we "remember them," how do we face the news with its unending reel of carnage and sorrow and death? 

Can we recite "lest we forget" while bombs and blood and hate explode in our world? It would seem we have forgotten. Forgotten that our forebears went to war to secure peace for their children and succeeding generations.

How do we make our "Act of Remembrance" meaningful in the face of today's headlines?

A couple of week's ago, our choir sang an anthem, "For Such a Time as This."  The title comes from the Book of Esther, but the poetry is ageless, and offers guidance for our time.

For such a time as this, we are called to service,
For such a time as this, we care called to grace,
For such a time as this, we are called to worship,

This is the day that God has made,

And at such a time, we are called to praise.

For such a time as this, we are called to purpose

For such a time as this, we are called to care,

For such a time as this we are called to worship.

For everything there is a season 

And a time when God's purpose is fulfilled.

May heaven always find us faithful

Always find us grateful

When God's call to service is revealed.

For such a time as this we are called to mission

For such a time as this we are called to work.

This is the day that God has made,

And at such a time, we are called to praise.

                                   by Joseph Martin

Service, mission, work, praise, grace, gratitude -- these qualities we can cultivate and practice, even in the face of war. Our "Remembrance" is made meaningful by the lives we live after November 11. We honour those who sacrificed for us, by holding high the values of grace and gratitude. We laud our fallen by offering our service to others, by working to build peace in the world.

For Esther, "such a time" was when her people were threatened with extermination. For us, "such a time" is now. Upheavals in world order, disquieting cultural change, stress in our financial lives, are top of mind. Problems that seem overwhelming, beyond our abilities to solve. Yet, we are called to care, to praise, to worship, -- we can do those things. 

Sunday's Presbyterian Devotional was titled "Small Things," and reminded us that God cares about the small things, like sparrows. Every day, we can all do small things to further the Kingdom of God on earth, and to honour those who gave up their todays to give us  better tomorrows.