Pray as You Go

 

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

 

flowers from Aitkin Family

 

 

“Pray as You Go” is a daily prayer website created by the Jesuits in 2006.  This application has been designed to go with you where you go to help you pray whenever you find time.

 The style of prayer used in the App is based on the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola.  The content is different every day, and follows a basic format.  The sessions last approximately fifteen minutes and combine music, scripture and questions for reflection.  The music ranges from classical hymns, chants and contemporary pieces.  

The aim of Pray as You Go is to help you become more aware of God’s presence in your life, listen and reflect on God’s work and grow in your relationship with God.  There is also the option within the App to pick different prayer tools and reflections which are perfect if you have more time.

Why you should try this App.  When I downloaded the App I was having difficulty being still.  My mind was always racing and it was hard to settle.  The daily prayer starts with a calming picture and music.   As I continued to use this tool I found that I craved the quiet it brought to me at the start of my devotions.  The scripture is read each week by different people with different accents and I found this calming as well.  Recently, at Bible Study we began studying the Celebration of Discipline by Richard J Foster.   During our first session, we looked at Meditation which is something I did not think was part of my spiritual practice. Was I surprised when I realized that the Pray as You Go App was having me sit and meditate on the Word each day!  Also when the daily program finished I find sitting and praying on what I have heard is a natural outcome.

 This App is available free for Apple or Android devices.  You can use it on your phone which reinforces the pray as you go feature or on your tablet.  This App can be used as another tool to enrich your prayer life.  Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. 

 

by

Linda Cliff

Ed. Note: If you missed the first session of Bible Study but would still like to participate you can join any time. If you want some help to catch up, this video might be useful.

In the Year of . . .

The link for this week's streamed service is here

According to the lectionary, we are now in the third week after Epiphany. Or, if you count time by recent history, we are now in the 98th week of the COVID-19 Pandemic. But, most importantly, we are in the two thousand and twenty-second year of our Lord. I find it reassuring to use the "year of our Lord" designation when current events seem overwhelming. Whatever is happening moment by moment, our times are still with the Lord.

So in this week in the year of our Lord, 2022, here's what's happening at SPPC.

• On Saturday, Jan. 22 there was a memorial service for Norma Joan Aitkin. The link for her service is here. Norma was a long-time member of our congregation. I knew her best through the Wednesday morning Bible Study where she was a regular participant and a cheerful presence. 

• 
  Joan reminds us that, as of Feb. 1, milk cartons are included in B.C.'s recycling program. She asks that you give the cartons a good rinse before dropping them into the church recycle bin. Each one is worth a dime toward our Dominican Republic mission fund.

• On Wednesday at 10:00 am or 7:00 pm we will resume Bible Study. It has been 98 weeks since our last session! The study will be different from others we have done. This time we will be doing a book study of The Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. The book is available at the Christian Book and Music Store in Victoria. Electronic copies can by ordered at
  amazon, https://www.amazon.ca/Celebration-Discipline-Special-Anniversary-Richard-ebook/dp/B07CRKXMB7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=                                                      or at Chapters/Indigo books https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/celebration-of-discipline-special-anniversary/9780062843555-item.html?ikwid=Richard+Foster&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=18#algoliaQueryId=1c84225346cef5f639e6c86185f075af

I've missed our church newsletter and Blanche's sense of humour. If you feel the same way, here are a few church bulletin bloopers to give you a smile.

• The sermon this morning: Jesus walks on Water.                             The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.

• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

• Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

• Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the Church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

• Low self esteem support group will meet Thursday at 7pm. Please use the back door.

As the pandemic stretches on, it is easy to be discouraged, to think only of this time. The Bible speaks to us, reminds us that we live "in the year of our Lord."

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope

Psalm 31:14-15 ESV / 

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

Genesis 1:1 ESV /

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Hebrews 13:8 ESV / 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Joy

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

Finding a topic for this week's blog has been a struggle. This page was designed to report on activities at the church, but, as we all know, activities at the church are limited due to the pandemic. So, I thought and prayed and cudgelled my empty brain. As the deadline approached I noticed that "joy" kept coming into my conscience.

Dotted about my house are mementos of my birthday. Nothing like having your date announced in the church letter to bring lots of good wishes. So I have flowers and gifts and cards displayed in prominent places to remind me of the joy of life, of friendship, of family, and congregation. In the midst of fog and rain, joy pokes holes* in the gloom. BTW, say happy birthday to Valerie this week.

Then I was listening to the radio and the announcer spoke of a musician he greatly admired. He talked of her solid technique, her imaginative artistry, her beautiful sound, but what made her memorable and exciting for him was the joy she brought to her music. There's that word again.

Rev. Irwin plans to begin Bible study in the near future and, keener that I am, I've already bought the book, Celebration of Discipline, the path to spiritual growth, by Richard J. Foster. Discipline sounds like a hard task, a heavy undertaking, a joyless endeavour. Yet, the second page of the introduction has this sentence. "Joy is the keynote of all the Disciplines."

C.S. Lewis titled his autobiography Surprised by Joy. In it he relates how he passed from Atheism to Christianity. Joy was a constant in his Christian life.

I just realized that the title of this week's solo was "Song of Joy," by John Ness Beck and based on Psalm 40.

So, while I struggled to find something to say this week, I had only to open my eyes and my ears and my heart to be surprised by joy. I wish the same revelation for you over the next seven days.

*Robert Louis Stevenson as quoted by Rev. Irwin.

We're Still Here

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

As we begin the third year of the pandemic many of us are feeling discouraged, disconnected and downright cantankerous. Today's post is a cheerful reminder that the church, both the larger church in the world, and our own congregation at SPPC are still here. Still offering comfort and hope to all comers. Still proclaiming the Word. Still helping our neighbours.

With gathering restrictions in place it may be harder to recognize the church you knew before March 2020 so here is an update on what's happening.

• Worship:  The capacity of our expanded sanctuary is 400. Under provincial guidelines we can accommodate 50%, or 200 people at a worship service. We are no where near that limit on a regular Sunday, so if you want to attend in person, please come. We may ask you to show proof of vaccination. If you prefer to stay home, you can still listen to the service on the link provided above.
• Session: The governing board of our congregation met last week to carry on with the ongoing management of our building and our work. 
• Worship committee met on Friday to plan worship for the next number of Sundays. With no choir in attendance on Sundays we are trying to choose familiar hymns and invite you all to sing "lustily and with good courage" either in the sanctuary or in your home.
• Friendship Coffee: There was a Christmas meeting of this popular event. We expect to hold another soon.
• Compassionate Warehouse: We are still collecting items for CW. Please call the church office 250 656-2241 to confirm the items you want to donate are acceptable at this time. The organization has had to be very choosy as transportation is an issue. Still, hand tools, hardware, children's clothing, linens and  non-breakable kitchen supplies are welcome.
• Bottle recycling: The round bin at the front of the church keeps filling up with bottles for recycling and Joan keeps emptying it out and cashing them in for dollars. Amazingly, since the great disruption of 2020, she has collected nearly $2200.00 for our mission to the Dominican Republic.
  
  
  
• Soup sales: With all the snow and cold weather it is not surprising that sales of homemade soup are popular with the congregation. Darlene stirs the pot and Joan, our own Eveready bunny, distributes the orders. Last week she hand-delivered 100 orders. The proceeds from these sales go to local mission needs.
• Pastoral Care: members of this team keep tabs on our sick and shut-in members, ensuring they receive birthday cards, Christmas boxes, fresh flowers and visits (when permitted.)
• The Prayer Chain: the members of this group receive requests for prayers and quietly and faithfully raise those requests to God. The number of pray-ers is eight. The number being prayed for fluctuates and is currently around 15. Anyone who would like to become part of the prayer chain can contact Alice at 250 656-7090.
  
  
  

This is partial list of formal groups in the church. Of course, many individuals from the minister to the music director to the A/V operators to the snow shovellers keep our congregation functioning. Thanks to every single one of them.

So be of good heart, don't give way to discouragement, remember these words from Isaiah

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Happy New Year

 The link to this week's streamed service is here

  

 Many of us had hoped that 2021 was going to see the end of the pandemic, but here we are, beginning 2022 with yet another wave and more warnings from public health officers. With Omicron we have to put ourselves in a different mind set. With previous variations the goal was to keep the case count low. With Omicron, exposure is inevitable, according to Dr. Henry. Now the goal is to keep hospitalizations low. The question of the year -- is it safe yet?

    This virus is a test of our patience, our perseverance and our ability to live with the unknown. Uncertainty is anathema to the human psyche. In a 1927 essay, the legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft wrote that “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Decades of research have borne out his thesis. With this pandemic, the entire world is coping with uncertainty and "Uncertainty acts like rocket fuel for worry."   

 One of the New Year's hymns in our Book of Praise lifts gratitude and praise to God as an antidote to fear and uncertainty. 

At Thy feet our God and Father,
Who hast blest us all our days,
We with grateful hearts would gather
To begin the year with praise:

Dr. Kirk, late of this congregation, has written an essay on this hymn where we proclaim the certainty of God's love and His blessings on us all.

The three stanzas of this hymn reflect a kaleidoscope of our human life. The first refers to what has been as we cast our thoughts back over the year that has gone; the second emphasizes the importance of God's love to us in the present; and the third turns our thoughts to the future, the close of this life and the beginning of eternity.

As we contemplate the year that has ended we can see how God has been at work in our lives in many ways. As He promised ( Ps. 119, 105; John 8:12) He has provided light for our path. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step, what we have to do in the coming hour or the coming day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. But not only has He provided illumination for our steps, God has also provided in His love, for our physical needs, granting us our daily bread.

God's great love for us has been demonstrated in its most wonderful form in His sending Hi Son, Jesus Christ, into our world to die for us on the Cross. Confronted with such love, we ourselves are forced to response in love by surrendering our lives to Christ. And when we do so, we have the joy of knowing that Jesus becomes not only our Saviour but also our Friend who accompanies us along the road of life, guiding us as we journey along and acting as our guard against all the enemies and foes who lie in wait to attack us.

If Christ accompanies us on the road of life, there is no need to fear the future because each day will be brightened by His presence. If Christ accompanies us, we need not be concerned about the burdens of life because He will be bearing them with us. If Christ accompanies us, we need not fear death, because we know that He has overcome death and our future is secure in the home He has prepared for us. And so we will trust Him to provide the strength we need to serve Him day by day and we will look forward with expectation to the greater joy of sharing His glory in His kingdom. 

It is human nature to worry, to fear the unknown. The antidote to worry is trust. Let us put our trust in God and greet 2022 with hope and glad hearts.