Ups and Downs

The link to this week's service is here.

The news from SPPC is a mixed bag this week. The good news is, our members are getting their vaccines. I saw in the newspaper that Blanche was one of the first. Kay got hers in the first week of March as well. I'm sure there are others. We often worry that our congregation is elderly, but when it comes to getting vaccinated, elderly is good.

The daffodils in the front beds of the church blooming happily. Nice to see a reward to Linda's hard work last summer and fall. Tore's been adding a few licks of paint here and there--a sure sign of spring.

On the sad front, Rosemary E. passed away this week. I first met her in a Lenten devotional circle. My but that woman could pray! It was my first time sitting in on the group and I was astounded at how Rosemary could talk to God like He was an old friend. Praise, supplication, intercession, adoration poured ceaselessly and confidently from her lips.

Later, in Bible Study class, I got to know her better. As well as being a prayer warrior, Rosemary was a keen student. On Wednesday mornings she'd show up with her workbook full of notes, the questions already researched and answered. If I was lucky enough to be in her small group, I could just crib the answer from her. Later she would take the lesson home and go through it all again with her husband. They liked to share books, with her reading aloud to him.

When her granddaughter, Josha, was in the Living Flame Choir, Rosemary was a faithful supporter. She'd turn out with a big smile on her face and a flowery hat on her head, bringing encouragement and gratitude.

Although none of us has been able to meet in person for the past year, I feel a sense of loss. I shall miss Rosemary's kindness, her steadfast faith, her cheerful attitude and her bright pink sweater. 

As per COVID rules, there will be no public funeral, but we keep Reynold, Josha and the whole family in our hearts.

Happy Spring

After our hard (for Victoria) winter, the sunshine this week has been a welcome relief. Hard to stay gloomy when the flowers bloom, the birds sing and the air is soft upon your face.  No wonder  hymn books are filled with hymns that praise God for the weather!
Here's a quick sample:
Birds are singing, woods are ringing... 
As Comes the Breath of Spring
When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries ...
Walk softly in springtime ...
In the bulb there is a flower . . .

Now, here's a challenge for you. Below are lines from hymns about nature, but not the first lines. Can you identify which hymn the lyric is from?  Most of them are very familiar. Looking it up on Google is cheating. If you feel like a winner, leave a comment in the comments section. Come back next week for the answers.
Here are the test questions. :-)

1. "...each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings . . ."
2. "...hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light..."
3. ... the birds their carols raise, the morning light the lily white . .."
4. "...our prairies and our mountains, Forest and fertile field, Our rivers, lakes and fountains To Thee shall tribute yield."
5. "...For the ploughing, sowing, reaping, Silent growth while men are sleeping..."
6. "...Like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden..."
7. "...Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea. Chanting bird and flowing fountain..."
8. "Frail as summer's flower we flourish, Blows the wind and it is gone..."
9. "Fair are the meadows, Fairer still the woodlands, Robed in the verdant garb of spring..."
10. "Like Thy dancing waves in sunlight, Make me glad and free, Like the straightness of the pine trees, Let me upright be."

In Romans 1:20, the Apostle Paul proclaims that creation itself reveals God, even to the heathen. How much more does He reveal Himself to the believer? Enjoy the flowers and give God the glory.

20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

Romans 1:20 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Evidence

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, Romans 1:20


These are the words of St. Paul to the early church in Rome. Surely spring in this part of the world bears witness to their truth.

A walk in the Butchart Gardens last week revealed a symphony of pink and blue and white in tulips, forget-me-nots and hyacinth. 

 Surprises lurked around every corner.  Who knew daffodils came in apricot, with ruffles? Certainly not the visitors from Edmonton who wondered why they saw people in shorts when they got off the plane.

This tiny trout lily, blooming under a rhododendron flaunted its subtle beauty amid the show-offs of the spring flower bed.

On a drive up-Island, dogwood and May trees gleamed white against the conifers.  

Bees buzz in the heather.

The apple blossoms in delicate pink and white shower the earth with petals and the air with sweet fragrance.

As a gardener I wage war on the dandelion, but who can truly hate a flower that looks like the sun and spreads its glory so freely in roadside and meadow, proclaiming to the world that spring has come.

 It invites children to "look for butter under your chin" when you hold the yellow face close to yours.  So generous is the dandelion that a whole schoolroom of children can weave bracelets and coronets without limiting the wild display.

On Good Friday a man from Beijing visited our church.  Coming from a smog-choked  city, he was awestruck by clear air and a blue sky.

Paul goes on to warn that those who "know the truth," as manifest in creation, yet disregard God "have no excuse,"  and will suffer the consequences of their actions.  Do not be among the deniers.  Look about, see the evidence of God's care and abundance.  Rejoice in His gifts.
  "All things bright and beautiful . . . the Lord God made them all."

SIGNS OF HOPE

Annual Congregation Meeting voted to increase allocation to Presbyterians Sharing.

Lenten Devotional

    The word lent comes from a twelfth century Old English word meaning spring.  Since our March lion shows no signs of turning to a spring lamb, it could be difficult to consider lent to mean spring this year, but there is another meaning, dating from the fourteenth century, referring to the forty days before Easter.   Even then the term is confusing because the forty days does not include Sundays.

     What is not confusing, is the devotional series held at 9:00 am weekday mornings in the sanctuary at SPPC.  The devotional time is very informal, two or three or six or eight or ten people gather to read from the Gospel of Matthew and the commentary in "The Story of the Cross" by Rev. Dr. Cecil Kirk.
      Lent has been less celebrated in the reformed and evangelical churches than in the "high" churches in Canada, but there is a growing observance of the season among protestants, and rightly so.  The death and resurrection of Jesus lies at the very heart of our faith.  What better way to prepare for Easter than by setting aside forty days for prayer, reflection, study, or other spiritual discipline?

      In checking the etymology of lent, I stumbled upon the expression lenten-faced, meaning lean and dismal.  The reference was dated in the sixteenth century and no doubt refers to a time woshippers were expected to be sober, sombre, and scowling, particularly during the time of lent.   Then is not now.  The folk who gather for a time of devotion at SPPC follow the account of Jesus' arrest, trial and crucifixion with sorrow and gratitude, not with frowns and scolding.
       Even the full title of Dr. Kirk's study, "A Series of Daily bible Readings for Lent and Easter," reminds us that we know the rest of the story.  Lent is a period of preparation, not an end in itself.  Our season of darkness ends at the cross, then bursts into light with the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
      We follow Christ to the cross, but we also follow the women to the tomb and find the stone is rolled away, we hear the angel proclaim that Jesus is risen and we are with them when they meet the risen Lord.  With the disciples we receive the great commission to "Go and make disciples of all nations," and the reassurance that "lo, I am with you always, even unto the ends of the earth."

For other Holy Week and Easter services check the church calendar