Backflow

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

 The link for the Celebration of Life service for Joan MacDonald is here.

This week we welcomed Rev. Arnold Alksne to the pulpit. He is a familiar face to the congregation, having filled in for Rev. Irwin on other occasions. 

His sermon, "Soul Food" had us all hungering for a fresh tomato sandwich. No tomatoes at church but there were plums and apples on offer in the narthex. 

    Having an "in" with the property committee at SPPC, I'm kept up to date on the hidden workings of our plant. This
week it was backflow valves on the irrigation system and the hot

water tank. Apparently the CRD has changed their rules and some of our plumbing no longer complies. 

    Backflow valves are very important safeguards for ourselves and our community. They are used to keep contaminated water from flowing back into the regional water works when our system is undergoing maintenance. 

    The box for the existing plumbing on our irrigation system was too small to include the new backflow valve so one of your elders dug a parallel hole. He got a cold shower when the pick hit the water line, but all is now repaired and up to code.

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    Then it was on to the hot water tank. No showers in this case but the supplies closet in the kitchen had to be cleared out and the shelves removed. 

    Everything is now back in place, and we have the proper tags to satisfy the CRD. The bottom shelf will have to be altered to accommodate the new pipes. Or we may find that we don't need as much stuff now that there is one less shelf to put it on.

    I'm sure there is a metaphor for Christian life in there somewhere--maintenance, purity, contamination. Just as we remain vigilant to keep our church property in good repair, we should remain vigilant to keep our thoughts and actions free of contamination. 

    The Sunday morning sermon and the Gospel of Mark noted the evil that dwells in human hearts -- sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. Mark 7: 21-22

    Given our sinful nature we all need a "backflow" valve. Prayer, scripture, worship --all help to stop sin from controlling our lives and keep the spring of Living Water flowing.

    And if we slip, if our defences fail, we have the promise of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.Ephesians 2:8 As Dorothy sang on Sunday morning, "Though it makes Him sad to see the way we live/He'll always say, 'I forgive'."

    

Sunday Highlights

It may be the dog days of summer, but we had a lively time at church this week, thanks to the Raven Baroque.  We are  blessed that Larry knows so many musicians who are willing to share their talent with the congregation.
They played the prelude and offertory and postlude and also enlivened the hymns with their accompaniment.  An extra surprise was the addition of violin and woodwind to the solo anthem.
 Our guest minister for the day, Rev. Barbara Young, declared herself well-pleased to be at SPPC on this particular day.

As it's summer, we had creative play for the children.  The session included learning the action song, Zaccheus; a colouring/drawing contest; chalk designs on the parking lot pavement then ended with a vigorous game of hop-scotch. We were a little short of stones for the hop-scotch so we used plum pits.

And speaking of plums, the trees are overflowing.  The congregation was treated to a few flats of purple goodness.

There was a note in the announcements that the Sidney/Lions Food Bank is in need.  This would be a good time for all those with bountiful gardens to contribute some fresh fruit and vegetables.

See Luke 3: 10-11