A Morning of Joy

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

As promised, we had more food at church this Sunday. Following the service, our mission team served us a typical DR working lunch, including peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Food for volunteer workers, not tourists!

We also had some Dominican Republic treats unseen in this part of the world. Pineapple pop anyone? 

Coffee is one of the main exports of the DR. Our team got to tour a coffee plant during their stay and brought home this sample to show.

The lunch was nutritious and filling -- just what hard-working cement mixers, flingers and polishers need.  During the slide show after lunch, we learned a lot about the many uses of cement. We also learned how heavy and demanding it is to mix and apply!

Our team was putting the finishing touches on a cement brick house for a family in Pedregal. The indoor work protected them from sunburn while they developed more muscles. They found great joy in working with the family that will move into that house.

Joy was a constant theme running through the presentation. First, our team remarked on the joyful nature of their hosts. Despite living in what our culture would consider deep poverty, the people in Pedregal were joyful. They sang hymns as they worked. They welcomed guests and others with happy smiles. They praised God in all things.

Second, our team was held in the joy of the Lord, even while taking cold showers. The locals don't know why anyone needs hot water, but there are enough mission teams from North America visiting every year, that they decided to put in a hot water tank, just for them. Rev. Irwin and Diane, though, were in a room that wasn't plumbed for hot water, so they had to rejoice in cold water.

Many people at SPPC have sponsored a child in the DR, allowing them to attend university. The mission team brought back pictures of those sponsored children, including many university graduates. Joy, again, in seeing the fruits of those sponsorships. For every student who studied and graduated, the benefits extend to the entire family, town and country. 

In the months leading up to the mission trip, our congregation  medical supplies. I've posted about it previously on this blog. Well, in the end, the combined team members from Saanich Bible Fellowship and Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church carried half a ton of medicines, swabs, sheets, maternity kits and other supplies for the clinic. Only Joan was stopped by Customs but after a small delay and a consultation with a medical doctor in the airport, she, and all her medicines, were let through intact.

Our team members talked of the joy in Pedregal, but that joy was contagious. They brought it back with them. Our fellowship was full of smiles and hugs and happy greetings. The sermon, on Peter's miraculous escape from prison, and the power of prayer, and the enduring and growing church in our world, resounded with joy. If you missed it, check out the live-stream link at the top of this post.

I wish you a joyful week. May you have opportunity to spread the joy and peace and love of God in your daily walk.

Cake!

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

Last Sunday was Mother's Day, so SPPC celebrated with -- what else-- cake. It has been a while since we had cake after service so I was glad to get a piece. It was a white cake and very tasty.

Then, this Sunday, we celebrated Brian's birthday with a chocolate cake. 

It too, was very tasty. The chocolate in the icing was just right. Thank you, Brian, for sharing your cake.

Happy Birthday, Brian. 

 We won't have to wait long for another treat. Next Sunday, May 25 the mission team, who went to the Dominican Republic in March, will make a presentation to the congregation following the service. There will also be food.

On May 29, Friendship Coffee meets at 10:00 in the morning. There are always goodies to go with the coffee. This is a great time to bring a friend and enjoy some fellowship time.

Then, on June the 7th we'll enjoy a catered lunch to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the church building. For those who can't make it out on Saturday, there will be cake following the service on June 8.

Regular readers of this blog may think I obsess about cake, and maybe I do, but we have such beautiful cakes. The two featured at the top of this page are works of art, but look at this one.

 or this one.

Gorgeous!

Not only are out cakes beautiful and flavourful, they are a sign of hospitality. The early Christians made eating together part of their worship. 

At SPPC we invite all to share in the breaking of bread. Friend or stranger, all are welcome to come for a cup of coffe, a slice of cake, and a good conversation. Please come.

Of Local and Global

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

Peggy worked very hard, but only her eyebrow made the picture

We acted locally at SPPC this week by holding a cleaning bee. Our church is given a housecleaning every week, but once or twice a year we dig deep into the corners, dispose of clutter, and air the place out. On Friday a group of volunteers showed up at 10:00 am, took a look at the list of tasks, and set to work. 

Dusting and scrubbing were straightforward, but clearing clutter was harder. We were all afraid that the minute we threw something away, it would be needed the next day. In the end, just plain junk and out-dated materials went to garbage or recycle, while the things that "someone might want someday," were stored in logical places and "someone" was told where that was. When we have our next clean out, if those items haven't been used, they'll get tossed!

By noon, our church building was looking neat and tidy, with open shelf space for "stuff" we really need. 

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On the world stage this week the election of Leo XIV as the successor to the late Pope Francis dominated the news. The scene of jubilation and celebration in St. Peter's Square was in marked contrast to the wider world, where wars rage, famine spreads, and the divide between rich and poor widens.

While Pope Leo XIV does not wield the political power of prime ministers and presidents, as leader of over one billion Roman Catholics world wide, he does have influence.  How fitting, then, that his first words as Pope were "Peace be with you." He went on, in his first address   to say, ". . . I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.  Peace be with you!" 

Much has been made of this being the first American pontiff, but one should note that he has also spent much of his life as a missionary in Peru, and holds Peruvian citizenship.  He is also the first Augustinian Pope.

I was curious about the choice of name. As a life-long Protestant, I was only aware of Leo X, who was the Pope at the time of the Reformation. This was the Pope who encouraged the sale of indulgences in order to build St. Peter's Basillica. It was that sale of "forgiveness" that infuriated Martin Luther and changed history.

The first Leo was Pope in the fifth century. He was known as Leo the Great because he stood at the gates of Rome and persuaded Atila the Hun not to attack the city after he had laid waste to Northern Italy. The event is celebrated as a moment that shows peaceful agreements can be reached without violence. 

Pope Leo II, a respected scholar, had a very short papacy. He was known as a great singer, giving much of his time to perfecting the melodies used in Gregorian Chant. 

Leo III was beset by enemies and needed protection. He found it from Charlemagne. In gratitude he declared Charlemagne the Holy Roman Emperor.

At the time of  Leo IV’s election the Saracens sacked Rome. As Pope, Leo set about reinforcing the city's defences, repairing damaged structures and building a wall around Vatican hill.

Popes Leo V, VI, VII,  and VIII served during the dark ages. All them had very short papacies and were embroiled in power struggles that often ended with murder.

Leo IX was in power at the time of the schism between the Roman Catholic Church of the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church. In 1054 the leaders of both sides excommunicated the other. Nearly 1,000 years later, in 1965, Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I lifted both excommunications.

As mentioned above, Leo X presided during the Protestant Reformatoin.

Leo XI only held the post for twenty-six days. Leo XII was an ultra-conservative who barred Jews from owning property.

Leo XIII is considered the current pope's true antecedent. He is remembered as a bridge between the past and the present. He championed scientific advancement, advocated for the poor and defended workers rights to a living wage. Perhaps, as a sign of his modernity, he was the first pope to appear in film in 1896.

Those long ago men who held the papacy are figures of historical interest.  For most of us at SPPC, their accomplishments and failures are mere curiosities. But we should all wish the best for Leo XIV, and pray that his call for peace is heard throughout our troubled world. 

Routines

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

Phew! The election is over, Easter Sunday is past, the film makers are gone, and life at SPPC is settling back into routine. Worship on Sunday morning, Bible Study on Wednesday, choir practice on Thursdays, annual cleaning bee on Friday. How boring is that? 

Actually, according to various sites that popped up on my Google feed, routine is a prime element of a productive and satisfying life. One site recommended following these three routines every morning, before breakfast.

1. Make you bed. No, that's not your mother's voice ringing through your subconscious. According to some behavioural scientists, making your bed starts your day with a sense of accomplishment and well-being. A task completed. Not only that, a made up bed is tidy, and most humans function better in an uncluttered setting. So, less than three minutes in the morning to straighten your bedcovers and you've set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
2. Drink a Glass of Water. In other words, break your nighttime fast with a clean rinse containing no chemicals, no stimulants and no artificial ingredients. Save the caffeine for later in the day. A gentle awakening of your body's digestive system bodes well for good health.
3. Go for a walk. Fresh air, natural light and this most basic form of exercise set you up for mental alertness, a positive attitude and a gentle workout for your heart and lungs. 

So, according to the great "they" just taking twenty or thirty minutes (depending on the length of your walk) at the start of the day sets you up to becoming "healthy, wealthy and wise."

However, the above routine seems to overlook the spiritual side of being human. What if we used those twenty to thirty minutes to incorporate time with God? Here are some suggestions.

1. Thank God for a night's rest while you make your bed. Checking in with our Heavenly Father tunes our minds to His care.
2. Do a devotional while you drink that glass of water. It will take a little longer but the benefit of prayer and scripture far outweighs the loss of those few extra minutes. If you want some internet suggestions for devotionals and Bible reading plans, check out Linda's post here.
3. Look at the world, while you take your walk, and be grateful. God's creation is so wonderful, so extravagant, so beyond our imagining, it lifts our hearts and renews our spirits. Birdsong,
   
   
   brilliant blossoms, lush grass, towering trees, blue skies or gathering thunderheads, streams, lakes, or dew on a cobweb, all of these illuminate the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:19 . Even science agrees that practicing gratitude is a life-changer. As you walk, you might even sing, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Singing also has very positive effects on health and happiness, but that's for another blog. 

When we consider "routine", we often think "dull", but every area of our lives can be strengthened with routines. They can save us time, unlock creativity, strengthen healthy habits, reduce stress, and improve mental health. 

When we include time with God in our routine, we follow the example of David,(Psalm 5:3) Daniel,(Daniel 6:10) and Christ, Himself (Luke 4:16) We set ourselves on a daily path that includes God's gifts of joy and strength and comfort and salvation. 

Maybe church on Sunday, Bible study on Wednesday, choir on Thursday . . . is not so dull after all.