Tuesday, October 27

If you are like me, some things in life within your control are truly predictable. Whether I am barbequing my famous hamburgers outside my backdoor or driving with Debbie to Harvey’s – it is a “lock” that I will have only mustard and 4 slices of dill pickles on my burger. Hold everything else!

The Anglican lectionary for Tuesday, Oct. 27^th designates a well-known reading from Luke 13:18-21, dealing with two short but powerful parables from our Lord that describe the kingdom of God using two food elements – mustard seeds and yeast. While I am a fan of mustard, I have not actually seen mustard seeds, although recalling Joanne Warman’s sermon of not too long ago, I understand that they are very, very tiny. I am also not a bread maker, but I have seen yeast and know of its key role in important role in baking. But let’s turn the page in our thinking here to how Jesus was using both ingredients as powerful similes to enlighten those listening to Him in this parable-rich portion of Luke’s gospel. In my NRSV version of the Bible, I am amazed how the two parables in today’s reading, a mere eighty-three words in total, are so succinctly presented by our Lord to teach his original listeners, and indeed us today, about how to think about God’s kingdom.

In Jesus’ day, sinapis nigra or “black mustard” was considered a shrub that commonly grew to a height of four feet, but on occasion could sprout to a tree-like height of twelve-to-fifteen feet. The emphasis here is on the transition from the planting of something (i.e. the Word of God) that yields something of substantial size (i.e. a world-wide community of faith). From a rag-tag group of disciples who answered Jesus’ call to “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19), the Pew Research Centre (2015) estimated that there were 2.3 billion Christians of all ages living in the world.

In today’s Gospel reading, the planted seed did become a tree. The tree is a symbolic “connection” between Heaven and Earth found in several Old Testament references including Ezekiel 17:23. The branches of this tree in Luke’s gospel account allowed the birds of the air to build nests. There have been various interpretations of the meaning of the birds here – some not so flattering. However, I tend to align my interpretation of these nesting birds to those groups of believers – sometimes described as nations, both ancient and modern – in the Kingdom of God and followers of Christ. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts, there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world today – a staggering number of nests requiring a substantial number of branches – all an outgrowth or a tiny mustard seed.

On the heels of this parable, Jesus tells his followers another story of how they may consider the Kingdom of God – to be like leaven or yeast (Luke 24:20-21). Here again, we see the dynamic transition of something small to a much larger entity. Dr. Ralph Wilson (2020) reminds us that in Jesus’ day, women would save a little bit of one day’s dough, and keep it moist until the next morning when they would mix it into the dough for next day’s bread. As the yeast began to metabolize the sugars in the dough, it formed carbon dioxide that puffed into tiny gas pockets all throughout the dough. The gas can’t escape because of the elastic gluten in the flour, so these pockets of gas stay in the loaf. When the loaf finally goes into the oven, the gas expands even more as the temperature rises, until the dough finally bakes, holding the shape of those tiny gas pockets, now filled with air. And as the bread rises, the size increases many-fold. The tiny lump of yeast produces a large loaf of bread. Again, we see Jesus’ reference to the Kingdom of God transitioning from small beginnings to large endings.

The late American theologian James Montgomery Boice has left us five things in the Parable of the Leaven to think about the working out of the Kingdom of God in today’s world. our present age. Each of these lessons stems from the nature of yeast.

1. The kingdom of God may have small beginnings, but it will increase. Yeast is microscopic in size, and only a little is kneaded into the dough. Yet, given time, the yeast will spread through all the dough. In the same way, Jesus’ domain started with twelve men in an obscure corner of Galilee, but it has spread throughout the world. The gospel makes progress.
2. The kingdom of God exerts its influence from within, not from without. Yeast makes dough rise from within. God first changes the heart of a person, and that internal change has external manifestations. The gospel influence in a culture works the same way: Christians within a culture act as agents of change, slowly transforming that culture from within.
3. The effect of the kingdom of God will be comprehensive. Just as yeast works until the dough has completely risen, the ultimate benefit of the kingdom of God will be worldwide. (Psalm 72:19).
4. Although the kingdom of God works invisibly, its effect is evident to all. Yeast does its job slowly, secretly and silently, but no one can deny its effect on bread. The same is true of the work of grace in our hearts.
5. The nature of yeast is to grow and to change whatever it contacts. When we accept Christ, His grace grows in our hearts and changes us from the inside out.

Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(Source: https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/going-church/lords-prayer)

Your Invitation (10am):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82864420929

Dial by your location
+1 647 374 4685 Toronto Area (Long distance charges may apply)
+1 647 558 0588 Toronto Area (Long distance charges may apply)

Meeting ID: 828 6442 0929
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcDeO5Wx6v

Announcements

• Jammin’ in the Name of the Lord
• Bad Girls of the Bible
• In-Person Worship: What to Expect
  
• Welcoming the Rev. Jennifer Schick

Welcome
Greeting
Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
People: And also with you.

Celebrant: Almighty God,
People: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Glory to God
Celebrant: Glory to God in the highest,
People: and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Kyrie Eleison
Celebrant: Lord, have mercy.
People: Christ, have mercy.
Celebrant: Lord, have mercy

Collect for the Day
Celebrant: Let us pray.
People: Lord God our redeemer, who heard the cry of your people and sent your servant Moses to lead them out of slavery, free us from the tyranny of sin and death, and by the leading of your Spirit bring us to our promised land; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Hymn: Hail to the Lord’s Anointed (vs. 1, 2 & 4) #101
(for personal viewing: R.O.V. Canto di Lode, Rotterdam)

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,
great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
his reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free;
to take away transgression,
and rule in equity.

He shall come down like showers
upon the fruitful earth;
and love, joy, hope, like flowers,
spring in His path to birth:
Before Him on the mountains
shall peace, the herald, go;
and righteousness, in fountains,
from hill to valley flow.

O’er every foe victorious
he on His throne shall rest,
from age to age more glorious,
all-blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never
his covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever,
that name to us is love.

The Word

A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians (Chapter 2: 1-8)
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17
Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born,
from age to age you are God. You turn us back to the dust and say, “Go back, O child of earth.”
For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night.
You sweep us away like a dream; we fade away suddenly like the grass.
In the morning it is green and flourishes; in the evening it is dried up and withered.
Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? be gracious to your servants.
Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us and the years in which we suffered adversity.
Show your servants your works and your splendour to their children.
May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us;
prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.

 

Hymn: Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us #564
(for personal viewing: The Seraphic Voices Of Toronto) 

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
o’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
for we have no help but thee;
yet possessing every blessing,
if our God our Father be.

Saviour, breathe forgiveness o’er us:
all our weakness thou dost know;
thou didst tread this earth before us,
thou didst feel its keenest woe;
lone and dreary, faint and weary,
through the desert thou didst go.

Spirit of our God, descending,
fill our hearts with heavenly joy,
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cloy:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
nothing can our peace destroy.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

Reader: The Lord be with you
People: And also with you.
Reader: The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
People: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”‘? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22: 34-46)

Reader: The Gospel of Christ
People: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Stewardship Moment
Thank you for your continued faithfulness in stewardship.  Continue to drop off or mail your offertory envelopes to the church. If you haven’t yet, please consider becoming a pre-authorized giver or making a habit of donating online at the end of each Sunday service.

Sermon
Lord, we thank you for the gift of your Word and as we think on these things, open our hearts and our minds to hear you. Amen.

For the last several weeks in the Gospel readings, we’ve encountered these instances in Jesus’s ministry in which he confronts religious authorities and challenges the accepted norms. We have seen Jesus asking pointed questions and offering riddle-like parables, in order to lead his listeners to a better understanding of his purpose and identity. Previously this fall I’ve preached on Jesus’s verbal jousting – once when he tested Peter and the disciples with the question “who do you say that I am,” and then more recently when Jesus pushed the Pharisees to decipher the parable of the two sons in the vineyard. The Gospel reading this morning gives us the great commandments, but they too are presented in the context of yet another Q&A session.

In this encounter the Pharisees are still attempting to corner Jesus, either into saying something that shows his willingness to conform, or failing that, into saying something that will justify arresting him. But compared to previous encounters, the opening question is not especially challenging; in terms of testing Jesus, it seems less of a trick question than a check of whether Jesus would toe the line. “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” the lawyer asks. This is a pretty straight-forward question—the kind of question you used to get in school where the answer can be cited right from the textbook. And surprisingly, to this straight-forward question, Jesus offers a seemingly non-controversial answer.

He replies, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.” Far from sounding provocative and subversive, this answer would have been acceptable and biblically sound to the Pharisees, whose authority was based in the interpretation of the Jewish law. Jesus is quoting the first part of the Jewish Shema prayer, that is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This is Deuteronomy 6: 4-5. It’s also a command repeated in Deuteronomy 11:13: “to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” All of which builds on the first of the Ten Commandments as found in Exodus 20—“You shall have no other gods before me.” If this were Pharisee debate club, it would have sounded as if Jesus had done his homework.

There is little reason for the Pharisees to take exception with Jesus on the primacy of this commandment. Like I said, it was the law that was known to them. A textbook answer. Jesus adds a second part to his answer: “This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’” This is more than the lawyer asked for, but it’s not particularly incendiary either. Jesus is citing Mosaic law as we find it expressed in Leviticus 19:18: “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself.” So, this is another answer well within the Pharisees’ understanding of religious texts. The various laws laid out in Leviticus are in fact quite specific on how one goes about being a good neighbour: don’t harvest their fields bare, don’t defraud them; don’t steal from or deal falsely with them; don’t judge your neighbour unfairly; don’t do anything that endangers their life; don’t hate your neighbour in your heart; and so on.

So, we can imagine after this exchange the Pharisees are satisfied with this answer and perhaps nodding in agreement. Jesus has replied to them in a way that was acceptable to their system of ideas. Nothing heretical going on here.

Now, if you are waiting for Jesus to turn things around on the Pharisees and take this in a new direction, you’re not going to be disappointed. The other shoe is about to drop. But let’s pause for a moment and talk about what it actually means to love God with all your might, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

The difficulty in following these two great commandments is that we are burdened with many understandings of the word “love.” We are very free and easy in our use of the term. I love chocolate. I love my children. I love my husband. If you’re a Cole Porter fan, you might “love Paris in springtime.” If you remember Eddie Rabbitt from the 80s, you might “love a rainy night.” We may think of love in terms of a desire or a yearning or simply feeling good about something; it can be strong emotion or a casual affection or a passive mood. Very often it is self-indulgent. But what Jesus is talking about is something much more substantive, selfless, and demanding. To love God with all one’s heart and soul and mind is to choose to obey God and respond to his presence in your life. It is love that manifests in an active response to God’s will for us and for the world. It is more like loving-obedience or loving-kindness, a combined measure of agape and action. As another preacher has said, “Biblical love is something we do.”

And by slinging these two commandments together— “This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it”— Jesus is telling us that loving God is to love our neighbour, and loving our neighbour is a way of loving God. So, that definitely takes it up a notch. Sure I am pleasant towards my neighbour. I am careful to obey the rules of good behavior and not break any laws, whether they be municipal bylaws or criminal laws. I obviously won’t defraud him or endanger him, and I won’t poison his invasive wisteria plant. But isn’t that the bare minimum? Will I care for him and treat him as well as I do myself? Do I love the neighbour whose tastes and lifestyle are different from my own? Do I love that neighbour as much as I love my fun neighbour with whom I have a lot in common? If I am honest with you and with myself, the answer is likely no. The kind of love Jesus is talking about isn’t just fondness or courtesy. It’s hard work caring more for another’s needs than our own. But lest you think it’s an impossible task, just think of the stories coming out of this pandemic: folks lining the streets in the cars for a socially distant “welcome home” to sick neighbours; frontline care workers facilitating facetime calls from hospitals wards; teens delivering food or running errands for vulnerable elderly relatives; children painting encouraging messages on rocks or pasting signs in front windows; healthy individuals in the UK volunteering to be infected with the virus for the first human trials of possible vaccines. Simply wearing a mask is an act of loving-kindness, and one that is happening on a global scale.

So, let’s go back to that second shoe I was talking about. Returning to the Gospel narrative for today, we find that the tough guy from Nazareth has a question in return for the Pharisees: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” The answer “The son of David” is a standard, widely accepted answer. Textbook even. It reflects the existing and fundamental belief that the anticipated Saviour, the Messiah, would be a descendent of David. But Jesus asks this question, and points out the logical flaw in the answer, to expose the limitedness of the Pharisees’ understanding – both in terms of how to observe the great commandments and also in terms of whose son the Messiah is. The Pharisees are technically correct. They have the textbook answer, but it falls short of grasping the greater truth.

Remember in his sermon on the mountain top, Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” He also warned the listeners, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, the letter of the law, being righteous, or on the right side of the Mosaic judgments, isn’t enough. And Jesus question “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” points directly to what else is required of us. While loving God and one’s neighbour are indeed the first and second most important commandments, understanding who Jesus is, is the third part of the equation and an important takeaway from this conversation with the Pharisees. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law.

The fact is we aren’t very good at keeping the great commandment to love God with all our heart and soul and strength. Sometimes we’re distracted by other idols. We’re impatient with God, or closed off, or we do things that don’t honour or bless God. It’s the same when it comes to loving our neighbours or strangers, especially when it means putting aside our own comfort or our own biases or going beyond mere lip service. The sheer magnitude of these two commandments makes living up to them a lifelong effort and one we are likely to fail at from time to time. But the point is, our hope is not in our own righteousness alone, but in salvation in the shape of a God who took human form for our sakes. It depends on believing in a Saviour, who is of God and from God, and who died that we might live.

And the amazing thing is, not only does Jesus sanctify and redeem us when we fall short of the great commandments, but he also provides the greatest example of them. Jesus demonstrated loving-obedience to God and likewise loving-compassion to us right through to the cross. Thanks be to God for that.

The Nicene Creed
Celebrant: Let us confess our faith, as we say,
All: We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the People
Leader: Lord in your mercy;
Response: Hear our prayer. 

Confession and Absolution
Celebrant: Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Silence is kept.

Celebrant: Most merciful God,
All: we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace
Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.

Eucharistic Prayer #3
Celebrant: The Lord be with you
All: And also with you.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them to the Lord
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Celebrant: Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who for our sins was lifted high upon the cross, that he might draw the whole world to himself. By his suffering and death, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who put their trust in him. Therefore with all the host of heaven who gather around your throne and the Lamb, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.

All: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Celebrant: We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “ Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.” Therefore, Father, according to his command,

All: we remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming in glory;

Celebrant: and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.  Amen

The Lord’s Prayer
Celebrant: And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
All:  Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant: We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
All: We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

Celebrant: The gifts of God for the People of God.
All: Thanks be to God.

The Communion
All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. (2x)
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Prayer after Communion
God of constant love, you have guided your people in all times and ages. May we who offer you our praise today always be ready to follow where you lead; we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Doxology
Celebrant: Glory to God,
All: whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Blessing
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be amongst you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Hymn: God, Whose Almighty Word  (vs. 1, 2 & 4)  #560
(for personal viewing: North Stoneham and Bassett Parish, Southampton)

God, whose almighty Word
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight:
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel-day
sheds not its glorious ray,
let there be light!

Saviour who came to bring
on your redeeming wing
healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight to the inly blind,
now for all humankind
let there be light!

Gracious and holy Three,
glorious Trinity,
wisdom, love, might,
boundless as ocean’s tide
rolling in fullest pride:
through the world far and wide
let there be light!

The Dismissal
Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

_____________________________________

Those Assisting with Today’s Worship

Celebrant: The Rev. Geoff Lloyd
Preacher: Arleane Ralph
Organist: Adriaan Bakker
Cantors: Jody Bristow (live);  Amanda Marsh (recorded)
Prayers of the People: Marilyn Csihas
Reader: Iain Dewar
Psalmist: Gary Gannon
Bell Ringer: Phyllis Pharo
Chancel Guild: Chancel Guild Members
Sidespeople: Janet Finlay, Jim Finlay, Eleanor Stevenson,
John Travers, Shauna Van Hoof, Jeff Schrader
In-Church Videographer: Jeff Schrader
Digital Vergers: Tim Ralph, Erin Ralph

A donation has been made to the Preservation Fund by Sheila Robson
in memory of Harold and May Robson.

A donation has been made to the Deacon’s Cupboard by Rob Collins
in memory of Bob and Helen Collins.

Kathy Allam would like to thank everyone for all the generous food
and monetary donations to the Deacon’s Cupboard.

____________________________________

All Saints acknowledges being on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island,
the Iroquoian-speaking Wendat, and the 1923 Williams Treaties First Nations.

Thursday, October 22

I am sure you remember High School English class and the dreaded Shakespeare unit.  I must confess that the bard and I did not see eye to eye.  I even went to Stratford on a school trip and saw a play.  Loved the theatre but snoozed through the play.

Having said that, there are phrases from his plays that I remember to this day, and today’s thought will focus on one of them.  “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”  This phrase is the beginning of a monologue delivered by the melancholy character named Jaques in Act 2 of the play As You Like It.

As a drama student in my college years, I knew that when I was on stage, my course was laid out in the script. I could not change what my character did or said  (especially if I wanted to pass the course).

But what about life?  Do we not have free will?  Is our life laid out without hope of change?

Predestination is the doctrine that some or all events are predetermined by God.  Everything that happens has already been determined by God.  This doctrine has been mainly associated with John Calvin.

If you believe in predestination, then that phrase from Shakespeare makes perfect sense.  But there is one important doctrine that is missing in this phrase.  The doctrine of grace.  Grace is that free, unmerited favour of God shown in the salvation of us sinners and the blessings he bestows on us.

Yes, genetically we are all predestined for certain things – the size of your nose or feet, certain chronic diseases, your natural hair colour, or your eye colour.  God is not picking and choosing who he wants to save.  We are all predestined for salvation.  We just need to accept it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son to condemn the world but that through him the whole world might be saved.  John 3:16-17

Prayer

God, thank you for loving us.  Thank you that you for wanting us.  Help us to live our lives as your beloved children.  May we share this good news in all that we do and say. Amen.

 

October 20, 2020

October 18^th is always a very special day in the church when we celebrate the ministry of St. Luke, The Evangelist. Not only is he celebrated for his writing of The Gospel according to St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, but he was also a companion of St. Paul on his Missionary Journeys, famously seen by Paul, as described in Acts 16:9

During the night Paul had a vision; there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’

We know this was Luke, as the narrative in the book changes from “they” to “we” immediately after the vision. Luke became part of the missionary team and took part in Paul’s Second and Third Missionary Journeys and accompanied him to Rome, where he stayed during Paul’s captivity. St. Luke was unmarried, wrote his Gospel in Greece, and died at the age of 84 in Boeotia.

Luke’s Gospel is written in Greek and its outstanding characteristic is its insistence on the life, death and teachings of Christ as a message of UNIVERSAL SALVATION addressed to all, not only the Jews – hence, it is by far my favourite Gospel. Passages which are only found in his Gospel stress Jesus’s kindness and human understanding, e.g., the Parable of The Prodigal Son (15:11-32), his words to the women of Jerusalem (23:27-31), the promise to the thief while on the Cross (23:43), his care for outcasts and an austere devotion to poverty (6:20 and 16:19-31 – the Parable of Dives and Lazarus). There are also a remarkable number of references to women we don’t find in the other Gospels, e.g., Elizabeth (1:5-66), the widow of Nain (7:11-17), and the woman in the crowd who blessed Christ’s mother (11:27), while it is Mary, not Joseph, who plays the principal part in the Birth of Jesus. Traditionally, it is thought that Mary was a prime source for his Gospel and, as Reverend Jennifer Schick arrives as our priest, let us give thanks to God for the role of women in Christ’s life and the Church and, with Luke, celebrate their contribution down the centuries and in the present day.

St. Luke is the patron of doctors and artists because he was a doctor of medicine by profession and an artist of note whose most famous painting is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. He is believed to have died on this day and his relics were translated in 356 to Constantinople (Istanbul), where they lie in the Church of the Apostles.

Our prayer for today is the Collect for St. Luke’s Day:

Almighty God, you called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel,  to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: by the grace of the Spirit, and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your Church the same love and power to heal; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.