Advent 4, 2021

 Link for this week's streamed service is here

This week we light the candle of Love in our Advent wreath. 

With the secularization of Christmas in the public sphere, I wonder if love get's short shrift. We hear talk of peace and joy. All kinds of organizations raise money for charity. We set up dazzling displays of lights. I went to Butchart Garden's this week and the decorations are spectacular. They make children's eyes grow round with wonder and a treat of hot chocolate fills hungry tummies. But does Love dwell in these bedecked attractions? Does Love fill hungry hearts?

Perhaps because I'm a farm girl, or perhaps because these words have been set to music, I'm particularly fond of this poem.

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.

“Now they are all on their knees,”

An elder said as we sat in a flock

By the embers in hearthside ease.

                                      -- from The Oxen by Thomas Hardy

The image of the animals kneeling in the stable to honour the Infant Christ resonates with me. My own, hard-working, eminently practical father made a point of checking the cattle in the barn at midnight on Christmas Eve. A memory I hold close in my heart. 

As a teenager I joined with a group of friends to go carolling through town before the service at my church. It was a magical time. In memory there was always a gentle snow falling. We sang only for the joy of it, seeking out shut-in folk that we knew of, regardless of any church affiliation. It was a very small town.

At those times my heart was bursting with love, for my friends, my family, and for the night. The church service always ended with the scene at the Manger in Bethlehem. How silently, how silently/the wondrous gift is given/ So God imparts to human hearts/ The blessings of His heaven.

Those moments of silence and reverence were mountain peaks in my faith journey. The music, the night, the fellowship and the Baby in a manger filled me with a sense of God's deep, deep love for us. In subsequent years when I've felt discouraged or doubted my faith, those memories draw me back.  Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine;/Love was born at Christmas/Star and angels gave the sign.

At SPPC we hold a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. We sing carols of joy and hope and peace, but the high moment of the worship is Silent Night, Holy Night, when the candles are lit and a tiny flame passes from worshipper to worshipper. This is a moment of reverence, a moment to feel God's love, incarnate in a Baby, a moment to feed hungry souls with the extravagance of our Father's love, a moment to make firm the foundation of our faith.

Amid all the Christmas hoopla of Santa Claus and twinkling lights, of Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman, of wrapping and baking and visiting, set aside a moment to gather at the Manger and worship the Saviour, Infant Holy, Infant lowly.

Ed. Note:  Boxing Day is my self-declared "reading my new books" day. Since the 26th falls on a Sunday, This will be the last post on this blog for 2021. See you in 2022.

Advent 3, 2021

 The link for this week's streamed service is here

Advent three is when we light the candle of joy. With snow on the higher elevations, overflowing ditches, and a slippery parking lot, we look for joy.

We found it, inside at SPPC on Sunday morning. The sanctuary looks lovely with the flowers and candles and Christmas tree. We were had a larger-than-usual congregation too. Maybe they came seeking joy, or maybe they heard there was food. In any case, we had an uplifting worship service and a delicious pot-luck lunch afterwards.

There was plenty of food so all were welcome even if they forgot to bring a dish.

Here is our hard-working clerk of session getting a moment of rest. She sang the solo at worship, too.

The dessert table always gets a special look.

The sermon topic was "living water." At lunch, tea and coffee were in demand.

When all were fed, the clean-up began. Thank you to the faithful crew who always show up in the kitchen.

Speaking of joy

• Happy birthday this week to Gerald, Carla and Irma.

• Session met on Wed. faithfully carrying out the work of the congregation amid the uncertainty caused by the virus

• Jesus is Lord congregation meets joyfully in our sanctuary on Sundays and Fridays.

• Larry's wife is safely home from Ireland.

• There will be a Friendship Coffee in the church this Thurs. Dec. 16. Attendees must provide Proof of Vaccination. Call the church for more details. 250 656-2241

Before COVID changed everything, we often heard complaints of the busy-ness of Christmas and a wish for simpler things. 
During this second Christmas in the Covid era, may you find simple joys fill your days as we await the birth of Christ, our source of all joy.

Advent 2, 2021

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

 

 Just before the church was decorated for Christmas, Friendship Coffee returned to the building. This very popular fellowship event was held outdoors in the Rose Garden in Sidney during the summer months, but that option doesn't work in winter weather.

    Nearly 30 people gathered in the hall/sanctuary at the usual time on a Thursday morning to visit and catch up on "life." The gathering operated under the Public Health "planned event" guidelines which meant everyone present had to show proof of vaccination. Cards were scanned at the door.

    Rather than the usual serve yourself routine, coffee and goodies were brought to the tables and carefully served out by masked servers. Great goodies, by the way. The organizers noted that most people stayed at one table instead of moving about as we did in pre-COVID times but the fellowship was lively and deeply desired. 

    The only hitch in the proceedings was getting folks to leave. It speaks to the hunger we have for fellowship that the gathering ran well past the allotted time and, in the end, the last stragglers had to be "encouraged" out the door.

    Provided we don't get new restrictions in the next few weeks, a second coffee morning will be held on Dec. 16. More details will be available as we get closer to the date.

• Don't forget, we are collecting for White Gift until Dec. 12. 
• Donations for the Food Bank are extra important during the Christmas season. Boxes are in the narthex.
• Gerald celebrates his birthday on Dec. 13

Signs of the times:

 A server will seat you shortly. Thank you for your patience.   If you've run out of patience please fill in an application. We're hiring.

 

The world is short staffed. Be nice to the ones who show up!

The above greetings posted in restaurant doorways speak to the general grumpiness of the population, worn out with nearly two years of pandemic restrictions. Probably not the best way to approach Christmas but perhaps a tiny hint of life for the Israelites under Roman occupation. Into that world of fear and injustice and pain, was born a "Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel."

    As an antidote to our fretfulness, the Times-Colonist published a story about a family rescued from the landslides on Highway 7 at the height of our first storm. There were about 250 cars on that stretch of road, trapped between two slide zones. One van with a family of five was caught in the mud and sent down an embankment, rolling over several times before coming to rest against a couple of trees. Among the people stuck on that stretch of road were medical professionals, a military reservist, and many people of good will. They banded together to rescue the passengers in that van, get them up a 30 foot embankment, and carry the severely injured teenager across the debris field to an ambulance waiting on the other side. 

It is a story of high drama, extreme danger, heroism, and the best of humanity. If you haven't read the story already, here is a link. heroic rescue

On this second week of Advent, let us reflect on the peace candle. Peace in the sense of shalom, peace that allows us to look at each other through the eyes of heaven, to recognize, in the stranger, a brother or sister, a child of God. 

May you all live in the light of hope and peace in the coming days. 

Advent One

 The link for this week's streamed service is here

When our church was closed for worship in March of 2020, I doubt any of us expected the closure and subsequent restrictions to last for nearly two years. But here we are, at the beginning of Advent in the second year of the COVID 19 pandemic. We give thanks that our congregation is allowed to gather together even with some restrictions.

Advent, the bringing of light. In these dark days of flood and storm and fear and loss, Light, the Babe in the Manger is still coming. Hallelujah!

In celebration of the season, the church has been decorated with lights, wreaths of evergreen, candles and flowers. 

O Come, O come, Emmanuel 

A Light to lighten the darkness.

The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

To do poor sinners good.

Donation baskets for White Gift are in the narthex.

Thanks to all who brought flowers and all who turned up to decorate the sanctuary and those who took pictures to share on the blog. Special thanks to Tore for the outdoor decorations. 

If you want to make a donation to our flood-stricken neighbours, you can make it through Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church, just mark your envelope.

 The link for this week's streamed worship service is here

The week just passed was all about the weather and it looks as though the coming days hold more of the same. The church property got very wet, with the water about two inches shy of breaching the door by the kitchen. 

The ditches were full and our sign at the roundabout looked like it was standing in a lake.

I live on a hill so watched a rushing stream go through our driveway and wash down the sidewalk, but no flooding to speak of. 

Not everyone in our congregation was so lucky. Janet is dealing with wet carpets and soggy drywall in her basement, while Larry has emptied out buckets of water from his. Anyone who lived on Chalet Road or West Saanich Road had to look for alternative routes.  All in all, compared to the mainland, we got away lightly.

This coming week will see the return of Friendship Coffee to the church building, on Thursday morning. If you're coming, you must meet the public health guidelines for vaccination and wear a mask when moving about. Please call the church office 250 656-2241 for more information and to let us know if you plan to attend. 

On Friday, we'll decorate the church for Christmas. Yes, Christmas is that close! If you want to help with that please call Alice at 250 656-7090.

As we move into Advent we are asking for extra donations for the Sidney/Lions Foodbank. Let's fill those bins in the narthex.

Also, Nov. 28 to Dec. 12 the pastoral care committee is collecting for White Gift Sunday. Small gifts suitable for shut-in members of the congregation are welcome, as is money. There is a basket and collection box in the narthex.

Just a heads up for the next Sunday lunch. It will be held on Dec. 12 after worship. The Thanksgiving gathering was so well received, the Session decided we needed to "break bread together," during Advent as well.

For weeks it has been a scramble to find something for this blog. Good to see church activities ramping up again. Please stay safe and exercise caution so that we can continue to come together for worship and fellowship and service. 

Stay dry if you can and say a prayer for all those in our province who have lost homes and livestock, and for families who lost loved ones in the landslides.

Romans 12:12 GNT
 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.

An Abundance of Grace

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

This week we had an interment of a former member of SPPC in the Garden of Remembrance. The weather was grey and wet, the grass soggy but the stories and memories of Grace Dodds were undampened. Her family and friends were fond of calling her "Amazing Grace." Her husband used to whistle around the house and his favourite tune was Amazing Grace. They were married for 72 years.

Grace loved to sing. As an air force wife she lived in many communities across Canada, and joining a church or community choir brought her many friends and made her feel at home wherever they lived. When they resided in Summerside, PEI, she sang with the Don Messer Jubilee singers on occasion. A highlight of her musical life was singing a duet with Marg Osburne at a wedding. 

Over the years Grace worked in many jobs, taught music, worked as a nanny, started a preschool in her home and later, at the request of the commanding officer, on the base in Cold Lake, Alberta. For fun, she and Viv bowled and went square dancing. 

By the time I knew her at SPPC, her singing days were waning, but she was a stalwart supporter of the senior choir and of the Living Flame Choir. She also baked for the Blue Bus. Even at 94 she made oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chip cookies because the kids in the program really liked them.

Perhaps that was the key to her long and happy life--Grace was 100 years and 8 months old when she passed away--doing for others. My own mom used to say, "if you're feeling low, do something for someone else." Maybe that's why Grace always had a smile on her face and a song in her heart. She was doing for someone else.

Grace was a great one for memorizing scripture, including the whole of the Book of John. And so, dear Grace, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14: 1-3

Remembrance Sunday

 The link for this week's streamed worship is  here 

Remembrance Sunday and All Saints Sunday coincided this year. At SPPC we began the service with the Act of Remembrance, laying the wreath, sing the national anthem. Compared to services at the cenotaph it is a small commemoration, but at least we were able to be there in person.

This Remembrance Day, Thursday, the community service will take place at the cenotaph in Sidney but attendance by the general public is discouraged, due to concerns about COVID 19.  However, it will be filmed and my be watched on Mary Winspear video feed. At the time of writing, there was no direct link to the service on the their website, but here is their youtube link.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYlAI0v2LVBmsx7vwgDrvUg

  

 Year after year, as our World War veterans age and pass away the pledge of "at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them," takes on a special poignancy. 

    The line is taken from the poem, "For The Fallen" by Laurence Binyon. Written at the end of the Great War, 1914-1918, and born of his experience as a worker in a field hospital, it is a heartfelt tribute to lost friends. 

    No doubt Binyon believed this "war to end all wars" would free future generations from the sorrow of armed conflict. Sadly, history has proved that premise false. Men and women in uniform continue to sacrifice their lives in the name of humanity. For Canada, those who died in the war in Afghanistan are the latest addition to our memorials. As citizens of a free country we should never take that sacrifice lightly.

    Powerful as Binyon's poem is, we also have the authority of scripture to guide and comfort us.

John 15:13 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

John 14:27 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Matthew 5:4 

“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

While we honour those who have sacrificed for home and country, for family and friends, and for peace, we must not forget that Christ, our Redeemer, paid the ultimate price for the whole world. 

John 3:16

 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Biblical Weather

 The link to this week's livestreamed worship service is here

What a wild weather week we have had. The photo at left was taken on Monday when the Tai Chi group was exercising in the parking lot.  They look like they're trying to hold back the wind.

I heard a newscaster refer to the storms raging across Canada last week as "biblical," as in horrendous, fierce, frightening, uncontrolled, terrifying. Just as "Act of God" means catastrophic to insurance companies, "biblical" weather references "really bad."

Looking at these examples of scripture it's easy to understand the term. 

Isaiah 29:6 - Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Jer. 10:13
“When He thunders, the waters in the heavens are in turmoil, and He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses.”

Job 37: 3, 6, 10-12
“He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.”

“He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”
“The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; He scatters his lightning through them. At His direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever He commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water His earth and show His love.”

Yet, as I marvelled at the eerie light cast by the sun through a black storm cloud, I had to ask if "really bad," was a fair assessment of Biblical weather. Consider these examples.

Leviticus 26:4 - Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Psalm 107:28-31 Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, the Lord brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm and its waves quieted down.

Song of Songs 2:11-12
 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. 

Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

The newscaster who referred to a "biblical downpour" meant terrifying and uncontrolled. Yet here, with the disciples in the boat, Jesus "rebuked" the wind. The Master is in control of even the wind and the waves. 

The Heavens are telling the Glory of God

O Give Thanks

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

One of the activities at the Thanksgiving lunch on Oct. 10 was to complete a thankfulness card. Those cards are now posted on the rolling divider in the hall. I had a look at the answers and found both the expected and the unexpected listed.

Among the expected replies were "friends and family." Healthy relationships must rate high for all of us all the time. Among the less usual replies was someone who was grateful for "the scientists who worked on the vaccines."

Here is a note from someone grateful for the freedom to worship and the wonderful meal.

Along the same lines, another post included a thank you to the people who prepared the meal and allowing the guests to just "sit and enjoy."

Here's a lovely list, thankful for Jesus, my garden, my wife, friends, SPPC. Interesting that garden came before wife. You'll note the card is not signed, perhaps to protect the (innocent) writer. Nice to know that SPPC made the list. Since COVID turned us all into stay-at-home gardeners it's no surprise that the beauty, comfort and challenge of a garden should make the gratitude file.

"God, family, friends, music, career, health, living in paradise and my freedom!"  Such big concepts to sum up on a little card. Thank you to the author of this one for noticing so many of the gifts we take for granted.

I would like to add books, to all the gratitude listed here. While living in pandemic restrictions, there is nothing like a good book to take the reader away from the constraints of lockdown and into another world. 

My book club just read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Talk about lockdown! The protagonist of the story is a Russian count under house arrest in The Metropol Hotel in Moscow following the Bolshevik revolution. The book is packed with story, historical fact, witty dialogue, interesting characters and philosophy. I could read it several times and still find something new, but the one thing that stood out to me on the first reading was the way our hero behaved. He is a "gentleman" and follows that code of conduct regardless of his circumstances. Even his enemies recognize this "former person" as a gentleman of character and principle. 

As I read about the many tiny acts that marked our Russian Count as a gentleman, I was reminded of John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples: if ye have love one for another.” 

Those thankfulness cards, a small thing, point to us as followers of Jesus. This week, keep an eye out for behaviours, large or small, in yourself or others, that distinguish us a Christian people.

Hymn: We are One in the Spirit

Church Member part II

 The link for our streamed service this week is here

Linda being a servant

Continuing - I Am a Church Member By Thomas Rainer

 

I have set myself the task of discussing the Pledges that Thomas Rainer has given us in his book I Am a Church Member.  Previously, we looked at what it means to be a functioning and unifying member of a church community.  This week we will look at what it means to be a servant, the responsibility to pray for our church leaders as well as our responsibility to our family and church membership.

 

Rainer’s premise is that even though we like the churches we belong to, we are there to serve others, to give and to sacrifice.  The church is not there to cater to our wishes, we are to be the servant rather than the one who wants to be served.   The word servant occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament and the word serve, fifty-eight.   Jesus said we are to be last of all and servant of all.  What does this mean in real terms?  It means we will not always get things our way.  We are to be obedient and put others first. 

 

The next task we are given is to pray for our church leaders.  Our ministers need prayer for their sermons, we should pray to God to give wisdom, insight and words to preach.  Their families need our prayers, as they face the expectations and pressures of being the minister’s family.  Rainer suggest that as a church member you should pray for the minister for at least five minutes a day.  Not too much to ask when you consider that his work is never ending, and his days are filled with constant demands for his time.   

 

The last two pledges Rainer wants to look at are helping our family members be contributing church members and for us to cherish our church membership as a gift.  Not all members of a family have accepted the gift of salvation.  However, we are to pray for them and by demonstrating our respect and love for the church we are living Christ’s example.  In my own family, I find that I am always being asked what I am doing “up at the church and what was the sermon about today”, opportunities to witness about Jesus.  Writing this blog leads to questions and opportunities!

 

Now that our communities are beginning to open up after COVID, we are looking at what we like about the before times and our now times.  I want my church to be a place of love and celebration.  Of finding the best way to serve each other and our community.  A place to grow in the love of Christ.  For me, this book has given me new tools and energy to be an active church member.

Ed. Note: My thanks to Linda Cliff for the blog this week. As well as including prayer in her daily life, she reads the Bible faithfully. Recently she completed Loving Jesus More Bible reading plan from @YouVersion!

Check it out here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2021

 The link for this week's streamed service is here

With thanks to Janet for all the photos.

The decorating committee for the sanctuary on Thanksgiving had promised themselves to keep it simple. However, when the harvest was brought in, it was generous, so the table decorations are twice the size that was intended. When God is bountiful, we could not be miserly.

Thanks to everyone who contributed the fruits of the garden, orchard and field.

One of the items on our gratitude list at SPPC is the return of worship without restrictions. On this high Sunday, we sang the great hymns of harvest, had the choir in attendance, and then gathered for lunch. What a joy to be "church" once again. 

Many thanks to the willing hands who prepared and served our delicious lunch.

Looks like there is plenty with some left over.

What a beautiful tray of treats.

May you and yours be blessed with love and friendship and may you know the grace of God on this Thanksgiving weekend.