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Announcements

• Advent Oasis on Zoom [beginning Dec 2]
• In-Person Worship: What to Expect
  

Welcome

Welcome to the Rev. Jennifer Schick (Pauline Reid, Chair of the Parish Selection Committee)

Lighting of the First Advent Candle
(Joanne Warman)

Celebrant: Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. Each candle has a meaning. The first candle is Hope.

The Candle is lit.

All: God of Hope, you are the light of the world.  As we prepare for your arrival let us be reminded of your wonderful plan of salvation. May the light of your love always shine in our hearts and bring us hope in all seasons.  Through Jesus Christ, the hope of the nations.  Amen.

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,
All: 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,
All: 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.
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility, that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen

Hymn: Jesus Came, the Heavens Adoring   (vs. 1,3 & 4)  #97
(for personal viewing: Hi-Fi Hymnbook)

Jesus came, the heavens adoring,
came with peace from realms on high.
Jesus came for our redemption,
lowly came on earth to die;
Alleluia, Alleluia!
came in deep humility.

Jesus comes to hearts rejoicing,
Bringing news of sins forgiven.
Jesus comes in sounds of gladness,
Leading souls redeemed to heaven.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Now the gate of death is riven.

Jesus comes on clouds triumphant,
when the heavens shall pass away.
Jesus comes again in glory:
let us then our homage pay,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
till the dawn of endless day.

A Reading from the Isaiah (Chapter 64: 1-9)
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

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

Psalm 80: 1-7, 16-18

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength and come to help us.
Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
You have made us the derision of our neighbours, and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.
And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your name.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Hymn: How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord (vs. 1, 2 & 4)  #466
(for personal viewing: Steve Hohnstadt)  

How Clear is our vocation, Lord,
when once we heed your call:
to live according to your word,
and daily learn, refreshed, restored,
that you are Lord of all,
and will not let us fall.

But if, forgetful, we should find
your yoke is hard to bear;
if worldly pressures fray the mind
and love itself cannot unwind
its tangled skein of care:
our inward life repair.

In what you give us, Lord, to do,
together or alone,
in old routines or ventures new,
may we not cease to look to you,
the cross you hung upon,
all you endeavoured done.

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 Mark
People: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13: 24-37)

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

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.

What a blessing it is to be here with you today.  Advent is typically a season of waiting, but I know that my arrival means for some of you that the time of waiting is done.  Your new priest has arrived!

Yet what the season of advent makes us aware of is that no matter how much striving or working towards something we’ve done – we have never fully arrived.  The moment we arrive at a destination we discover how much there is to explore, to sink our teeth into, to experience, how much more there is to live into.

Advent is the start of something, rather than its completion.  It’s a new beginning absolutely, but it’s a new beginning with expectations of something even better to come.

I love the season of Advent.  Our family tradition is to wait until we light that first candle of Advent before we deck our halls, and bring out the Christmas tree and start playing Christmas music.   I know many others start much before that – and that in this year in particular for some it is the joy they need, and that others more traditionally wait until Christmas eve, but for me Advent begins the anticipation for Christmas with all its accoutrements.

And for that reason, the joy of season comes for me, not just on the day of Christmas itself – but in the anticipation for all that the day will bring.  The events surrounding the day, the traditions, the services, the gatherings of friends and family.

When it comes to Advent and Christmas – I tend to be a “Joy to the World” type person.  The Lord is coming, let us lift up our voices and sing and rejoice and repeat the sounding joy of the season.

Yet this year in particular, Advent is taking on a new meaning, not just for me, but for many.  As the things we may love most about the season may not happen this year.  There will be no parties, no big feasts with extended family and friends, we cannot sing in public, for those in the big cities there will be no in person Christmas shopping, for kids – there is no sitting on Santa’s knee this year.  Everything needs to be done from a distance, safely and securely.  As our Prime Minister has stated – “A normal Christmas, quite frankly, is out of the question,”

That being said, this year the hymn that resonates most deeply for me is “In the Bleak Mid-Winter”.  Apologies to those of you for whom this is one of your favourite hymns – but to me it’s no joy to the world.  As Christmas hymns go I’ve always found it somewhat slow, and drawn out and dare I say it a little bleak.

Listen to the lyrics:  “In the bleak mid-Winter, Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone.” Is that not in part, like us this year.  Immobile, with the winds of uncertainty blowing all around us, what is normally life-giving, frozen in time? Yet the lesson in this hymn, as in all of life, is not to get caught up in its memorable opening stanza’s or refrains but to bear with it to the end. For though the day starts cold and gloomy, we hear the next verse read “that heaven cannot hold him, Nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away, When he comes to reign.”

This hope for Christ to come down to reign, matches nicely our reading in Isaiah – as we heard: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence– as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil.”

Is this not our prayer today in our world too?  O God, come down and help us!  Show us some movement, light a fire under us, help us get back to a time of warmth and connection with others and you again.  Break through the heavens O good Lord.  And the wonderful thing about prayer is that God who hears our prayers, answers them. As the prayer is uttered, in Isaiah, the prayer is answered –

“You did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.  From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.  You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways.”

Yet as people remember the goodness of the Lord, they also face the reality that they had thought that they had previously arrived.  For Isaiah the prophet is speaking to a people who believed for a time, that they had come to the place where all was well, where they were in charge, where they no longer needed God.  And it was fine for a while, until it wasn’t. When times got tough – the people returned to God and remembered.  They remembered that God had come down before, and that God might come down again.  In humility the people repented and asked God to mold them and make them anew.  “We are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”  And they asked God to remember them and to reign over them.

In the season of Advent – we are invited to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord.  To be like the people in Isaiah’s time and acknowledge where God has broken through in our lives in the past, and confess the times, individually and corporately where we have believed that we didn’t need God, that we were beyond God, that we had arrived.

If the virus has taught us nothing else,  it has taught us that all the science and modern miracles we have achieved on our own were not enough to protect us from everything.  We still need God to break through and help us.

During Advent we acknowledge that as God has come, and God will come again.  In the bleak midwinter of our waiting, we are invited to keep alert; for we do not know when that time will be. And as we wait we are given the instructions from our Lord to do the work we have been asked to do, which is to follow the directions of our Lord. To love God and to love our neighbour too.

I know that the world’s scientists and leaders are working day and night to find a vaccine, and to roll out the distribution plan, but in the meantime, it is meaningful that the best thing we can do is to sacrifice ourselves for others.  To pare back and scale down on the things that many of us love most, as a way to care of one another. To sacrifice oneself is a key teaching in our scripture, by doing so we follow in the footsteps of our Lord, who not only sacrificed himself on Calvary but took this giant risk in coming down from heaven to be incarnate and made man.  To join with us, not only in our joys but also in our sufferings.

This year as we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord it will definitely be a more muted Advent and Christmas season than we have had in the past.  But perhaps of all the accoutrements of the season, we can prepare what matters most – our hearts.

As in the bleak mid-winter hymn ends

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.

Our liturgical year, our hymns, our faith – all tell us that there is virtue in times of waiting, and that even in the bleakest of times – there is always something to learn and to find hope in.

Thanks be to God.  Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed
Celebrant: Let us confess our faith, as we say,
All: I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. 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.

Announcements

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. 

Prayer over the Gifts

Celebrant: God of love and power, your word stirs within us the expectation of the coming of your Son.  Accept all we offer you this day, and sustain us with your promise of eternal life.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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: God of promise, you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.
All: Happy are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.

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 for whom we wait, you have fed us with the bread of eternal life. Keep us ever watchful, that we may be ready to stand before the Son of man.  We ask this in the name of Christ the 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: Herald! Sound the Note of Judgement  (vs.  1,2 & 4)   #111
(for personal viewing: couldn’t find this hymn selection, so instead
here’s the Fairfield County Children’s Choir singing “Be a Candle of Hope”)

Herald! sound the note of judgment,
warning note of right and wrong,
turning us from sin and sadness,
till once more we sing the song.
Refrain:
Sound the trumpet! Tell the message:
Christ, the Savior king, is come!

Herald! sound the note of gladness!
tell the news that Christ is here;
make a pathway through the desert
for the one who brings God near.
Refrain:
Sound the trumpet! Tell the message:
Christ, the Savior king, is come!

Herald! sound the note of triumph!
Christ has come to share our life,
Bringing God’s own love and power,
granting victory in our strife.
Refrain:
Sound the trumpet! Tell the message:
Christ, the Savior king, is come!

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

_____________________________________

Those Assisting with Today’s Worship

Celebrant & Preacher: The Rev. Jennifer Schick
Assistant Clergy: The Rev. Geoff Lloyd
Crucifer: Gary Gannon
Organist: Adriaan Bakker
Cantors: Julia Goss
Prayers of the People: Arleane Ralph
Reader: Greg Carter
Psalmist: Gail Holland
Bell Ringer: Jacky Bramma
Chancel Guild: Chancel Guild Members
Sidespeople: Karen Carter, Patty Clift, Waneta Dennis,
Mark DeSousa, Claire DeSousa, Dianne Lloyd
Digital Vergers: Karen Carter, Tim Ralph

____________________________________

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, November 26

In Advent, we turn towards the light, the shining star, and the incarnation of God among us. Those who are seeking Jesus in a time of darkness, those who are tuning into church at Christmas, perhaps out of habit or a sense of duty, are once more turning to see what God has done and to witness what a difference God might make in their lives. Let us take this time, amidst the daily turmoils that divert our attention and the news reports that turn our heads, to focus on our own orientation towards God and to be ready to invite others into that habit, the habit of turning to God, of having his face shine upon us, and of knowing that we are so loved.The prayer of the day is an alternate version of Psalm 80: 1-7 from Nan Merrill’s Psalms for Praying:

Tuesday, November 24

One month from today will be December 24th – Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve marks the end of Advent. Advent will begin this Sunday, November 29th. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in the Christian calendar. I googled the word “advent” and found two definitions – both from a Latin word. The first is the Latin word adventus and means “coming” while the second word is advenio which means “to come to.”

Advent is the time we wait for the birth of Christ. The word “wait” when used as a verb indicates that one is eager for something to happen. This year All Saints will to begin this season of waiting with a new priest. How exciting to begin this Advent journey with Jennifer. It will be different than in years past but the destination will still be the same – a manger in Bethlehem.

Waiting is probably one of my least favourite things. I do not like waiting in lines to check out at the grocery store or wait at the doctor’s office to be seen (which has now turned into waiting for the doctor to phone). It is easy to get impatient but then we miss the moments that can take place while waiting. Of course, at the moment, it is a little more difficult to have a conversation, but while waiting in line you can have a conversation with somebody who needs to hear a friendly voice. While waiting for that telephone call, perhaps you could say a prayer for the one who will be calling.

Advent is about waiting but is also a time to reflect. Don’t be in such a rush for Christmas to get here that you miss out on Advent. Make an advent wreath. Make an advent calendar. Read a series of devotions especially written for Advent. There are many resources to be found on google.

We also can use this time to give a little extra – to the food bank or our Christmas hamper program, for example. Send out Christmas cards to those who are lonely and phone them as well. Reach out to family members you may not have been in contact with over this year.

Beginning on December 2nd until December 23 you will have the opportunity to “zoom” an Advent worship – a short weekly devotional on each of the four themes of advent – hope, joy, peace and love.

May this coming advent truly be a time of eagerly waiting for Christ’s coming.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, as we draw near to Advent prepare our hearts to wait.
Give us a spirit of calmness no matter what is going on around us.
As we draw closer to the time of the coming of the child in the manager make us grateful and show us ways to serve you. Amen

November 19, 2020

How do geese know to fly south in winter?

To be ready to migrate in the autumn, geese start preparing in midsummer. Babies born in the spring are mostly grown up by then. Adult geese grow a new set of plumage after shedding their old feathers (a process called molting) – mostly over the golf courses I play on! They need flight and body feathers to be in good condition for the long flight ahead and to insulate their bodies from the winter cold. For a few weeks during this process, geese can’t fly at all, and they stay out of the water to avoid predators. Geese have a clock in their brain which measures how much sunlight there is each day. The days grow shorter during the late summer and early autumn and that’s how geese know it’s time to get ready for the journey south.

Families join together in larger flocks and then those flocks join with other flocks, showing they’re ready to migrate by honking loudly and pointing their bills towards the sky. Then they’re off! They fly south by day or by night, depending on factors like weather conditions or brightness of the moon. They navigate based on experience, using landmarks including rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges and celestial cues such as the sun and stars. They have a physical compass in their head that allows them to tell north and south by detecting the earth’s magnetic field. All of this enables the geese to remember their migration routes, teaching their kids as they go in their V formation (the kids fly towards the back of the V in the slipstream of the adults in order not to use as much energy as their stronger parents – hence the formation).All this preparation, all this using the natural signs God has provided for them and their guidance and care for their children enables the geese to reach the promised land of the warm south to escape the rigors and harshness of the northern winter.

Doesn’t all this remind us of our journey through the rigors and harshness of this life to land in the promised land of heaven with Jesus? We’ve prepared ourselves with lives of love and care, shedding not feathers but the ways of this secular world. We’ve joined up with large flocks not of geese but of fellow Christians and we’ve all used the landmarks of bible, worship and fellowship to guide us on our way towards our Heavenly Father. This coming Sunday we celebrate the reign of Christ, not just in the heavenly realms but also in this world in the hearts and good works of Christians around the world. Like the geese, may we be prepared to travel to the promised land and join our Lord and Saviour and our loved ones who have preceded us there.

Prayer:

Father, we thank for your perfect creation and particularly the geese we see all around us. What wonders you have made for us in them. As we approach once again the time of Advent, anticipating the arrival of Christ in this world, we praise you for sending Him to us to provide the essential landmarks on our journey towards the promised land where Our Saviour Christ reigns with You in glory. Amen.

Tuesday, November 17

Every Sunday morning, at our house, we start up our various devices and “open” All Saints for digital worship. In the early spring, we as a congregation were worshipping entirely online through the first wave and shutdown of the pandemic.  At Pentecost, Father Geoff was able to re-enter the chancel, and he presided from there (with Adriaan and Amanda providing musical support) for the rest of us on Zoom. In September, in-church worship was allowed, and we integrated that live celebration into the concurrent zoom worship.  Thanks to Jeff S’s in-church videography, Amanda and Adriaan’s continued provision of recorded hymns, the careful choreography of deacons, readers, cantors, and intercessors, and a whole lot of unseen prep work, we have retained and continued to build on the intimacy and energy of the online worship (which incidentally still serves the lion’s share of the congregation).

The Zoom cohort has developed its own rhythms and traditions — the happy search for familiar names and faces as the service begins, the visual sign of the peace with waves and grins and digital reactions, and the ‘Amens,’ ‘TBTGs’ and other expressions of praise in the chat feature. We have all also developed a happy tolerance for the awkward and unexpected … microphones on when they should be off or vice versa, impromptu tours of the breezeway or balcony stairs, Fr. Geoff vanishing memorably from the Ascension service, cameo appearances by cats and dogs and inflatable turkeys, and the open-mic chaos and fellowship at the end of the service. Each Sunday has seen a new evolution and growth in our comfort levels and capacity.

The picture included here is from this past Sunday as Erin and I served a digital vergers for the Zoom service. The laptop screen in the foreground on the left is the zoom service in progress. In the far, background (through the open doorway), you can see Erin’s laptop glowing in the dining room. But in this picture you see a third laptop (you can just make out Joanne in the pulpit and Fr. Geoff seated in the chancel). I was joyfully watching this laptop because it was showing me a test version of live footage from service from the church using the newly installed projector, internet, and hardwired sound.

The technical differences between what Erin and I were doing and what I was seeing on the third laptop is not something you need to understand. What’s important is that we are evolving again and not just in response to the pandemic, but also in response to what church will be like post-pandemic. We are equipped now to provide live worship to people who cannot physically enter our building (for whatever reason) and to offer a conduit for people to participate in our service without actually being here. That is, to actively participate if they wish, not just passively watch and consume.

Imagine weddings or baptisms someday, where Grandma or Uncle Afshin can join in from Calgary or Chichester and not only see the service, but also add their voice as a reader or sponsor. Imagine guests from across the country or around world being able to preach for us without having to come to Whitby. Imagine those members of our parish who love to read or lead prayers not having to stop just they can’t physically leave their homes. Imagine the young adults of our parish family who are living away for the first time being able to occasionally zoom in and see and be seen sharing the peace with the folks who helped nurture and form their faith.

On Sunday, even as I was imagining all that and watching the monitors and snapping this picture, I was also listening to Joanne’s homily on the Parable of the Talents, and my heart was racing with joy. In case you missed it, Joanne’s message was this: “what God requires is not success but faithfulness.” She went on to say “We are not always successful, but we can’t let fear keep us from trying.” And I was suddenly so proud of all of us at All Saints for how we’ve been trying and supporting and giving and forgiving throughout this process. I am so proud and grateful now that so many people have contributed and will contribute their talents (monetary or otherwise) to the effort, even if it hasn’t been easy or flawless.

On Sunday morning next, we will unveil the next evolution in our online ministry. Whether you are in church or on your phone or laptop, you are going to experience some more changes. We’ll probably end up troubleshooting some of the same old problems and we’re likely to discover some new ones, but most importantly we will be faithful.

And if we are locked down in the near future and when Christmas services aren’t the way they always have been, we needn’t worry. We are equipped in more ways than one to love and honour our God and share the good news of Christ the King with the world.  In person, digitally, one or more laptops at a time, shutdown or not, we are – as Joanne also said on Sunday – “programmed to work, to use our talents to glorify God, serve the common good, and further God’s kingdom.”

Looking forward to “seeing you” next Sunday!

Prayer for Sunday Worship:

Mighty God, everything you do reveals your glory and majesty. Open our eyes to see what you are doing in our lives. We marvel at your good gifts and your wise provision. Your acts are amazing, Lord. We cannot comprehend the number of blessings you pour out on us from day to day. As we gather around your name, we pray that you would fill our hearts, our minds and our souls. Transform us, Lord, and make us more like you.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

– from “15 Best Opening Prayers,” uncredited, ConnectUs, 2018