Let's Party

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

Q. What happens when you throw a party and the guest of honour does a "no show?" 

A. You blow out the candles and eat the cake!

That's what happened at Bible Study this week. One of our members had a birthday on that day, so we organized a cake, candles, card and pretty house plant to congratulate her on another year. 

And what happened? She skipped Bible Study that morning.  Sometimes "surprise" backfires.

Even without birthdays or cakes, our Bible Study is a jolly gathering. We start with a video from The Bible Project with Tim Mackie, but discussion can wonder far afield. On Wednesday, after we ate the cake, we ended up talking about Robin Hood. Hero or villain? After all, "thou shalt not steal," but were Robin and his merry men stealing or were they merely returning goods, stolen from the poor by the wealthy, and returning them to the rightful owners? The discussion continues, whether we have cake or not.

At the same time, Norma and Linda were having their own party, clearing out the cupboards in the hall. Apparently there is stuff in there since the establishment of our building. Why does SPPC have two bags full of florist marbles?

On Thursday lots of people came to the party, otherwise known as Friendship Coffee. Discussions around the tables here can range from gardening to travel to taxes. What is constant is the building of camaraderie. Friendship coffee may be one of the longest running programs at SPPC, a measure of its value to the congregation and the community.

On Friday the worship committee met. This is not supposed to be a party, but inevitably there is laughter. After all, we want our worship to be joyful. It is a small committee, but there is opportunity for congregational input. A list on the bulletin board invites members to nominate favourite hymns to be included in the services at the appropriate time. I promise you, all requests are considered.

On Saturday, Tore cut the grass, after fixing the lawnmower. That's a party of one but it is a task joyfully undertaken to bring beauty to our grounds and to honour our physical place in the community.

Like every week in the life of SPPC, the past week held sadness as we learned of the passing of two of our members. But, because Christ conquered death, we can temper our sadness with joy. Our beloved brothers are free of pain and weakness. Our Lord has called them home to a party beyond our imagining. We hold their families in our prayers.

Choosing Hymns

As well as maintaining this blog, I'm on the worship committee for SPPC. It's a fun committee - we talk about music. Mainly, we choose hymns for the worship service. Hymns are chosen for a variety of reasons. Primarily we want the words to support the theme of the service, but also hymns as a call to worship, hymns for sending out, hymns for children. We want some rousers and some more contemplative music. We like to include old favourites, (there's a hymn request sheet in the narthex) and newer hymns. We can't please all of the people all of the time, but we try to include variety in every service. Sometimes we'll opt for a familiar tune if the words fit the service very well but the melody is awkward. Discussions can be lively, but they are always good-humoured. 
The work has certainly deepened my awareness of the hymns in our hymnbook, and from other sources. I like some of the newer hymns with their lively choruses, but wonder if they'll stand the test of time. Some of the older ones in our hymn book feel dated and the language convoluted. But some hymns are timeless and powerful, like our "sending out" hymn on Sunday.
Here's a commentary on it  by Dr. Cecil Kirk, late of our congregation.

Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go

There are few hymns which deal with the theme of work, but this is one of them and Wesley approaches the subject in a thoroughly Biblical way.  For Christian people, these words address the matters of the spirit in which we should approach our daily tasks and the difference our faith will make as we do our work.
Immediately we are disabused of the idea that faith and work can be divorced from one another. Sunday worship and weekday work belong together. They must not be separated as though one is spiritual and the other secular. Work is an essential element in the divine plan for human life. God Himself is the supreme worker. He created the world; He made each human being in His own image and He gave each of us the creative instinct which allows us to find fulfilment in our daily work. Nor must we forget that Jesus worked as a village carpenter before going out on His teaching ministry and, no doubt, the lessons He learned there stood Him in good stead as He worked with people. As we go out to our daily labour, we go "in Thy name." That will give us a different perspective. God, in his wisdom "hath assigned" that work to us and so we ask Him to "let me cheerfully fulfil (it)" and to acknowledge Him, not only in what we do but also in what we think and say.
Whatever work we do, it brings its own temptation. Two such temptations are specifically mentioned - overanxiety and greed. Those who occupy positions of responsibility know the danger of the former. Care robs us of our peace of mind and chokes our spiritual life. "The gilded baits of worldly love," refers to love of the world and love of money; both are forms of idolatry which would replace the love of God. So we must be on our guard against these temptations, maintaining our loyalty to Jesus Christ. Not only must we be vigilant but we should "every moment watch and pray", keeping our eyes fixed on "things eternal" instead of becoming absorbed in the transient things of this world.
Just as in worship, we remember God's presence and seek His glory, so too, we must do likewise in our work. Nothing can remain hidden from the sight of God (Heb.4,13). The motto of the school the author attended, translated, was "Work is itself a pleasure." Work is not meant to be drudgery. We should delight to use the skills God has given us in His "bounteous grace." Unfortunately, not everyone has employment that allows this. Perhaps that is why Wesley concludes his hymn with a plea for the ability to "run my course with even joy and closely walk with Thee to heaven." We look for something that will be constant, not given to sudden swings in either direction. But, above all, we ask for the companionship of the Lord himself on the road of life. There is no better friend and there is no better destination.

Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42King James Version (KJV)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

The story of Mary and Martha is especially interesting to church women.  For many years, congregations have looked to the women in their number to manage the kitchen, serve the dinners, raise money through bake sales and rummage sales, send care packages to overseas missions, and polish the silver.  It wasn't until 1967 that the Presbyterian Church in Canada began to ordain women.

But while women have assumed more teaching roles in the church, they still run the kitchen and the bake sales too.  

We had our own version of the Mary/Martha paradox last Tuesday.  Fifteen women showed up in the kitchen to give it a good scrub.  Every drawer, every shelf, the stoves, the fridge, the floor, the counters, cupboards and tables were all scrubbed down to hospital standards. 
 At the same time, four other women gathered in the minister's office to plan for worship over the summer months.

In Luke's account, Jesus said that Mary chose the better part. But in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul reminds us that --

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

So, thank you to all the women of SPPC, the Marys and the Marthas and those who wear both labels.