Little Deeds of Kindness

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

This Sunday we welcomed Pastor George Hodgson to the pulpit -- again. Pastor George has shared his time, his wisdom, and his humour with SPPC so often we think of him more as a favourite uncle than as a visiting pastor. 

His sermon on Sunday focussed on the little errors we make through life -- and the excuses we use to justify them -- that lead us away from God. An unkind word, a rude joke, a turning away from someone in need--little by little these actions separate us from God and from our neighbours. Little by little they erode the Kingdom of God on earth.

We can all relate to Pastor George's theme. 

But what if we turn it around and look at little deeds of kindness?

Twice last week strangers invited me to step ahead in the check out line as I had only one item and they had a basketful. I promise I had not made the suggestion or even looked meaningfully at their piled high grocery carts and the single package in my hands. 

As a result of those small kindnesses, we all shared a smile and a laugh. I felt connected to my community and I was inspired to give another driver a break and let them nose into traffic ahead of me. Kindness begets kindness.

I had two visits with friends over the week. With one I talked books, with another sewing. Nothing profound. Nothing to change the world, but a tiny effort that cemented and enhanced existing relationships, and brought joy into my life.

At Butchart Garden's I listened to a concert and learned that one of the instrumentalists runs a mentorship program for young musicians. What a gift she has bestowed on those youngsters -- a gift they will carry for the rest of their lives. By building up others, she creates a community of good will.

Also, at Butchart's I watched a toddler's delight as he danced with his father on the beautiful lawn. What a privileged to witness such joy -- a refreshing change from the anger so often manifested on social media. Praise God for fathers who dance with their children.

Most surprisingly, at the same concert, I chatted with a stranger, extolling the delights of gardens in Victoria, only to learn that his mother and my husband had sailed on the same immigrant ship seventy-odd years ago. Who is my neighbour? 

In the parable of the Good Samaritan as related in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asks that question of a teacher of the Law. The answer is "the one who showed mercy." Luke 10:37 I checked various translations and found "compassion" and "kindness" as well as "mercy." But, the important line is what Jesus says next - "Go and do likewise."

Thank you Pastor George of reminding us of the awful consequences of little errors. On the other side of the coin, small acts of harmony and mercy - point the way to the awesome Kingdom. 

Little Drops of Water  

        by Julia Carney

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the beauteous land.

                                                So the little moments,                                                       Humble though they be,

    Make the mighty ages,

Of eternity.

So our little errors

Lead the soul away

From the paths of virtue,

Far in sin to stray.

Little seeds of mercy

Sown by youthful hands

Grow to bless the needy

Here, and in all lands.

Little deeds of kindness

Little words of love,

Make our earth an Eden,

Like the heaven above.

Celebrations

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

Thanks to Pam Day for this week's post.

O Canada, what a week of celebrations!

 

Canada’s Soccer Team gained a victory over South Africa on Sunday, with much rejoicing and renewed hope for their next game against Morocco. [Not a win, but still an achievement.]

And of course we all celebrated Canada’s Birthday on the 1^st July.

But, for me, the most enjoyable celebration happened between those very public events, it was Elizabeth Small's 94^th  birthday.

Now Elizabeth only recently moved into Resthaven Lodge after living in the home her late husband built, so you can imagine that it has been a real struggle for her and her family to deal with the changes this brings, the dislocation and deep sadness that comes with the feeling that her “normal” life is over.

But thanks be to God, Elizabeth is a blessed child of a loving God and she has a strong faith, a wonderful supportive family, her best friend Joan, and many others too.

This 94^th birthday gave us all a golden opportunity to make it a memorable one and cement some “happy times” into her strange new life, and Joan and I set about doing just that. Feeling the love!

It started off with a 1 hour ride in a Triobike Taxi around the streets of Sidney with her best friend Joan. They had a blast! Doing the “Royal Wave” to passers-by and chatting to Jon their driver. Elizabeth thought that was just fine, but it was only the beginning! 

Birthday ride

A surprise party was set up with her Cousin Jennifer, and friends Sally, Josephine, Hilda, Carol, Norma, Joan and myself and later Janet M and Darlene  stopped by.

The party was complete with party hats, tooters, balloons and of course a wonderful cake thanks to Darlene.  Once the delicious cake had been consumed there were cards and gifts to open, and much to Elizabeth’s delight, lots of chocolate!

It was a truly festive day, but even good things
must come to an end. I was amazed at Elizabeth’s stamina – but Joan tells me that she crashed after the party ended, not surprising it had been a long and exciting day for sure.

Let’s hope this gave a new perspective to Elizabeth, and opened up the possibilities for a good life at Resthaven with more happier days to follow. And if the only thing that Elizabeth remembers tomorrow is the warm happy feeling of being loved by many, that will be just fine too.

Ah! Summer

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

We hit the summer solstice last week and have arrived at the lazy days of summer. At least, we hope they will be lazy. Gardeners, farmers, travel agents, camp counsellors, life guards and park rangers will be extra busy over the next two months, but for most of us, the rhythm of life slows once school is out.

At SPPC we held our last study session on Wednesday, finishing off the Book of Ephesians as presented by Tim Mackie on the Bible Project. This was a very intensive study, spanning 35 episodes to cover just six pages of scripture. We delved deep! Class dismissed until the fall.

You may have noticed that the choir has dispensed with our heavy gowns during the month of June. That was a signal. We have now sung our last anthem until September. Over the summer this small group of dedicated servants gets a rest -- sort of. Our organist will still lead the music every

Sunday and individual members of the choir will offer their gifts. But, for two months, no choir practice on Thursday nights.

To celebrate, the choir and guests treated themselves to dinner out at the Waddling Dog following our last practice on Thursday night. 

Our special drive for the Sidney Food Bank continues until July 12. We collect for the Food Bank all year long but twice a year we make it the focus of our mission work. As well as food and cash, the Food Bank has made a special request for personal hygiene products and school snacks, including peanut butter. 😀 Donations can be dropped off at the church. There are collection bins in the narthex.

Hanging basket prize in food bank draw

The sermon on Sunday reflected on Psalm 122, which contains these lines: 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. 

 

There is a very grand setting to these words by Hubert Parry and sung at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. You can listen to it here. It was also used at the thanksgiving services for her Golden and Platinum jubilees, and again at the coronation of King Charles III. For a simpler version with guitar try this one. It riffs on the play on words of "Shalom" (peace) and Jerusalem (Hebrew includes word shalom in the name of the city.)

However you sing it or say it, a prayer for peace is a fitting kick-off to summer. 

now that's lazy!

Happy Father's Day

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

Sunday was Father's Day so SPPC celebrated with cake. That's cake two weeks in a row. The coffee hour was well attended. 

Every year we ask a "dad" to cut the cake. This year's choice was Wayne. He did a mighty fine job. There were no complaints about "my piece is smaller than yours."  Thanks Wayne for serving the congregation.

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The twenty-first was also a Communion Sunday, a fitting reminder that no sacrifice is too great for our Heavenly Father. How blessed are we that His love is offered so freely to His children.

 Some families use Sunday as a day to call home and talk to dad. We can call "home" any time, anywhere and Our Father will answer, but there is something special about calling on Sunday morning. It is a bit like being on a party line (remember those?) -- we can all listen in to the many conversations, and experience the love of God and the fellowship of family together.

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Rev. Irwin has started a series of sermons for the summer season, based on the Psalms of Ascent, (Psalms 120-134) In ancient times, every Jewish male was required to attend the temple in Jerusalem three times a year for major religious festivals. These psalms (songs) were used by the travellers to accompany their journey, a reminder that they were a pilgrim people walking with God. They weren't exactly marching songs, but I expect the singing helped to encourage and cheer the pilgrims on their way.

On Sunday, Psalm 121 (Unto the Hills) informed the sermon. This well-loved passage has been set to music in many forms. On Sunday we used the hymn version found in our Book of Praise, set to the tune Sandon, a plain 4/4 melody with a range of less than an octave, eminently singable by a congregation.

The poetry of the psalm is so powerful it has been used by many composers, from chant to choral anthems, to folksy hymns and jazz renditions, to name a few.

A much more elaborate setting for some verses can be found in Felix Mendelssohn's great oratorio, Elijah. A trio of treble voices begins the passage with "Lift Thine Eyes," followed by a full chorus of "He watching over Israel,"  Not arranged for congregational singing.😀

Whatever the musical style, the psalm brings comfort and assurance to the listener. Dr. Cecil Kirk, late of this congregation wrote:

. . . As Christians we remember how God watches over us on our pilgrimage through time, journeying on our way to the eternal city. . . God guards the soul, the inner citadel of each of us which is the seat of human happiness or misery. . .God has promised that He will see us right through to the end of the journey. He will be there when night falls and we go into the darkness: He will be there to meet us when morning breaks and the shadows flee away. "the Lord shall keep thee, henceforth, yea, for evermore."

We've been promised a series of summer sermons on fifteen psalms, but, if you're looking for a summer reading list, there are one hundred and fifty of them in your Bible.  Certainly more familiar reading than last summer's series on the Book of Revelation!

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Don't forget the food bank. For the rest of this month and into July, we are making an extra effort to stock the food bank shelves. Summer is a time of plenty for those of us with gardens, but it is a time of stress for the food bank, as regular donors go on holiday and school children need more lunches at home. Bring your offerings of food or cash and place them in the bins in the narthex.

Highlights of the Week

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

Congratulations to Abigail! On June 4th, she was promoted from Leading Cadet to Master Cadet. We are so pleased to see her developing her leadership skills within the cadets, an organization she truly loves. Well done, to the "congregation's baby."  

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On Monday, our faithful volunteers served up the Sunshine Lunch. The Hawaiian theme signified summer. Even though there was rain outside, there was plenty of sunshine inside.

                                                                

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On Saturday we laid to rest one of our congregants.  There were tears and laughter as we remembered a long life, well-lived. Our brother-in-Christ was a stalwart supporter of SPPC and we will miss his presence among us. We pray for comfort and peace for his family. "Grief is the price we pay for love." But though we grieve the loss of an earthly companion, we rejoice in our hope in the Resurrection. 

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On Sunday we welcomed Rev. Irwin home back General Assembly. He got home in time to have cake on Sunday morning. At the same time we bid farewell to one of our elders, Elizabeth. She is heading to Alberta to be closer to family. I don't know if "celebrated" is the right word when someone moves away but we give thanks for her presence in our congregation over the past number of years and we wish her well in her new home. We also thank her for the excuse to have cake! 

A Peaceful Place

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

This week Rev. Irwin is at General Assembly in Toronto. Please remember this highest court of our denomination in your prayers. To tune in to the Assembly, you can use this link.

We were happy to welcome the Rev. G. Grant Wilson to our pulpit. His theme was transformation.

Last week we held a small interment service in the Garden of Remembrance at the north-west corner of the church. As we witnessed the placing of the ashes of our brother in Christ, sang a hymn and listened to scripture and a few memories, it struck me that this little corner of our property is a very special place. 

It moves between the built structure of our church and the natural beauty of the forest. A few cultivated plants mark the front edge while the back merges into the woods. 

Benches on both sides invite the visitor - or mourner- to rest. A gazebo adds a note of whimsy.

    

Because this little corner of our property is a "Garden of Remembrance" and not a cemetery it is intended for the interment of members and adherents of the congregation. There are no markers in the garden itself. Instead, a plaque on the wall of the church records the names and dates of the deceased. Flowers may be placed in the containers against the church wall.

Family and loved ones often come here to rest and meditate and remember. 

There are times when I think the world is too much with us. We are bombarded on every side by news of disaster or outrage, or misinformation, or demands for our attention and our time.  I consider our Garden of Remembrance a refuge, a place of calm, where we can sit quietly, listen to birdsong, hear the wind in the trees and seek peace for our souls. 

To echo the Sunday sermon, here is a quiet place, a place to listen for the still, small voice, a place for transformation.

Rinse and Repeat

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

Another Friendship Coffee event happened last week. It had one of the biggest turn outs since we resumed this ministry following the COVID-19 shutdown. 

Sylvia celebrated a big birthday and the group sang for her

I've written about Friendship Coffee on this blog for some fifteen years. What a testament to the need for community within and without SPPC, and to the faithfulness of those who make it possible.

Men's table  2014

Women's table 2014

There have been changes in that time. They used to meet in the Ross Lounge, and there was a men's table and a women's table. Apparently the men "fixed" all that was wrong in the world, while the women knit baby layettes for the hospital foundation and for distribution in war-torn parts of the world. Hazel was a prodigious  knitter who produced nearly 2000 of these knitted dolls for children who had no other toy.

As the photos at the top of this post show, Friendship Coffee in the post-COVID era takes place in Molloy Hall and the tables are co-ed. The knitters have left their needles at home and the "aid" focus is on the Ukraine. The friendship is still warm, the coffee and cookies are delicious and newcomers are welcome.

Sunday marked the end of our clothing drive for the Mustard Seed Church. Every fall, for years, we have conducted a "dry socks" campaign for those whose feet are wet and cold. This spring, we've added a clothing drive. 

 We collected more than 13 large bags, 15 small bags and two suitcases full of clothes. The last of the donations came in on Sunday morning, just before service.  

They were really heavy!

Used clothes in plastic bags don't make the most beautiful picture, but they make a beautiful contribution to the lives of those without housing or a place to do laundry. 

These donations are more than just old clothes. They are an offering to the people of God from the people of God. They were placed in the sanctuary and blessed as part of our offering time. We pray the gift will ease the days for someone in need.