Smelling the Roses

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

Happy Anniversary to Rev. Irwin and Diane on Thursday, Aug. 1.

This week was the monthly Friendship Coffee meeting. Normally, we hold it in the hall at the church, but this time we met in the rose garden beside the Sidney library. That tradition started with COVID when indoor meetings were not allowed. The rose garden visit proved so popular, our hosts have maintained the tradition during the good weather months.

The lovely weather -- warm but not too hot -- seemed to bring out the loveliness in the folk gathered in a corner of the garden. In the church, we have two host couples, the Lawrences and the Krahns. 

Outdoors bins of cookies appeared from many households.

 The rule is "bring your own coffee" but urns and paper cups were there for sharing.

  

 

When I arrived there were about twenty-five people present but within the hour there must have been close to forty. A stroll among the flowers and a leisurely chat with friends proved an irresistable combination.  

Of course, this fluffy little dog drew chuckles and pats from everyone present. 

It was a lovely morning with a real summertime vibe.

He hath made everything beautiful in its time. Eccl. 3:11

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Gn 8:11

And God saw everything that He had made and, behold, it was very good. . . Gn 1:31

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, regoice. Phil. 4:4 

Fun in the Sun

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

Thanks to Janet for this week's blog.

School's out and summer is here but we (SPPC) don’t close down and go on holiday. 
We even met a new friend all the way from Luxembourg! Win, Eileen’s sister who is visiting for a little time joined us along with Eileen’s daughter, Pamela.

So, what better way than to spend the day than playing a round of mini golf and having lunch with friends? That's what happened on Thursday, 13^th July 2023.

 On a beautiful sunny day, eleven of the us got together at Island View Mini Golf.

We split into 2 groups to play but we just played for fun, no score cards.

However, Barbara, Abigail and Janet all got a ‘hole in one’ in team 2!

It took 2 hours to play 18 holes with lots of laughs along the way.

This was followed by lunch at White Spot where we were joined with Pam, Elizabeth and Norma.

What a happy time we all had, the sun was shining, blue sky above and just a joy to be out in God’s creation and to spend time together with friends.

Next year, why not join us, you’ll be glad you did!

Want to know more about us at SPPC? Then join us on Sunday mornings @10:00 am for worship and then for a time of fellowship following the service, we’d love to meet you!

 

To God who makes all lovely things, how happy must our praises be, Each day a new surprise He brings, to make us glad His world to see.

He made the people that I meet, the many people great and small,
In home and school, and down the street, and He made me to love                                                 them all.

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Speaking of fun in the sun, the Thursday morning Friendship Coffee in the rose garden in Sidney, was another opportunity for spending time with friends. The weather and the roses made this a special time.

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Finally, if you like your fellowship time with a side of music, come to the church on Saturday evening, 7:00 pm for an orchestral concert.

July 29 String Quartets Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven

The quartet concerts draw on Haydn's set of six quartets, Opus 50, which he wrote in response to six quartets Mozart sent to him. Beethoven's Opus 18 quartets were his effort to establish himself against Mozart and Haydn as the heir to their chamber music dominance.

Admission is by donation with a portion of the proceeds going to the Sidney/Lions Food bank.

Lots of free parking.

The Rose Garden

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

Come, and I will show you what is beautiful. It is a rose fully blown. See how she sits upon her mossy stem, the queen of flowers. Her leaves glow like fire. The air is filled with her sweet odour. She is the delight of every eye.
– John Keble*  The Creator

Something about roses touches the human heart. Poets have extolled them for centuries. Think of Robbie Burns and his famous "My Love is Like a Red, Red, Rose.  

Here's a lesser known poem by Christina Rossetti, but with the same admiration for the flower. 

Love is like a rose
by Christina Georgina Rossetti**

Hope is like a harebell trembling from its birth,
Love is like a rose the joy of all the earth;
Faith is like a lily lifted high and white,
Love is like a lovely rose the world’s delight;
Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth,
But the rose with all its thorns excels them both.

 In scripture, we find references to the rose of Sharon in the Song of Solomon 2:1 as a metaphor for the divine love of God for His people. This rose is sometimes interpreted to mean Christ and the Church.  

Over time, the church has assigned sacred meanings to roses. The lovely fragrance of a rose is thought to mean that angels are near during prayer and meditation. 

The red rose is a symbol of martyrdom, representing the blood of those who have been persecuted for Christ's sake. 

Some stained glass windows in old churches depict a wreath of roses around the heads of saints as an illustration of Christian joy.

Interesting that joy and suffering are both represented in the same bloom.

The calyx of the rose comes from the same Latin root as cup or chalice and is used to symbolize the cup used in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 

The sepals of the rose protect the flower and have been used to symbolize the grace of God, poured from heaven. Grace that sanctifies and enables the Christian to withstand trials and temptations. 

White roses signify innocence and purity. When used in Christian weddings, pristine white roses are used to represent the pureness of  love between bride and groom. 

Purity is also mentioned in the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

On Thursday of this week, weather permitting, Friendship Coffee will be held in the rose garden beside the library in Sidney. As we gather in that beautiful spot to enjoy a cuppa and a goodie, let the roses remind us of God's generosity in creation. Maybe we'll breathe in the scent and think of the presence of angels.

We can see the red rose and give thanks for the martyrs and Christian joy. 

May the white rose remind us of the message to the Philippians:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Sitting amongst the roses thinking of whatsover things are lovely, should be a given. 

* John Keble's hymns are included in our Book of Praise at #91, #413, #548, (New Every Morning)#553, #557.

** Christina Rosetti wrote the well-loved Christmas hymn, In the Bleak Mid-Winter found at  #121 in our Book of Praise. She also wrote, #138 and #410