In John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany there is a Christmas pageant scene, during which John Wheelwright says ‘What an uninspiring role it is, to be Joseph – that hapless follower, that stand-in, that guy along for the ride.’

One would almost think Rembrandt agreed. While Mary is exhausted but bathed in light, Joseph is exhausted and in the shadows. Except for that hand of an angel upon his shoulder! 

This morning we will consider another dimension of the Christian life, and within the Church of Christ – ‘holiness’. What does it mean to ‘be’ holy? The character of Joseph will help us explore the challenge.

The doors will be open and our service of worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. (Please see the post under ‘Special Events’ in the column to the right for the protocols and shape of the service).

Due to an internet failure, there was no live-streaming of the service, but an audio recording is now available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEy41z3sqfRm8X_lLfKGUA

Have a look at the Order of Service, music notes and announcements.

Free parking is available Sunday mornings in the surface civic lot off Queen Street behind St. Andrew’s, and on the streets of the neighbourhood – please note that time-of-day restrictions north of Queen are not enforced on Sundays. For accessible entrance to the sanctuary, please use the ramp by the western-most door along Princess Street.

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‘Walking home from church with a hard working farmer who was a regular worshipper, the minister congratulated the man on being present each Sunday in the pew. ‘Oh I enjoy the Sunday service’ he replied. Just as the minister was experiencing what some call an ‘ego-inflation’, the farmer continued, ‘Sunday for me really is a day of rest. I work hard all week, and then I come to church on Sundays, and when you start the sermon, I put my feet up on the heating pipes under the pews, and think of nothing.’
(Holy Wit, compiled by the Rev. James A. Simpson: Edinburgh)

There is certainly great comfort in the Christian gospel but there is also great challenge, and this morning we hear the latter loud and clear from John the Baptist … and even more, as his pointing finger indicates, from Jesus the Christ (Luke 3:1-18).

Our theme this morning is the dimension of the Christian tradition and life known as ‘compassion’, the ‘sorrow for the suffering of others accompanied by an urge to help’ (Collins Dictionary). 

We will also be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion, to which is invited ‘all who love the Lord a little and yearn to love him more’. If you will be part of the congregation online, you are invited to prepare some bread and a cup for yourself. If you are able to be part of the congregation in the sanctuary, you can bring your own bread and juice, or receive a packaged personal unit as you enter.

The doors will be open and our service of worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. (Please see the post under ‘Special Events’ in the column to the right for the protocols and shape of the service). The service will also be live-streamed, active just after 10:20 a.m. with organ music for meditation, commencing with the Entry of the Scriptures at 10:30 a.m., found at https://youtu.be/aU9UPCw-23g

Once the service has ended, a recording will be available on our channel shortly after the live-streaming has ended – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEy41z3sqfRm8X_lLfKGUA 

Have a look at the Order of Service, music notes and announcements.

Free parking is available Sunday mornings in the surface civic lot off Queen Street behind St. Andrew’s, and on the streets of the neighbourhood – please note that time-of-day restrictions north of Queen are not enforced on Sundays. For accessible entrance to the sanctuary, please use the ramp by the western-most door along Princess Street.

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Here are a variety of different Advent opportunities for individuals and families, adults and children …

Online Daily Advent Emails 
a) scripture accompanied with works of art and music and wonderful notes of context and interpretation  http://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2020/
from the Centre for Christianity, Culture and the Arts (Biola University)
b) a word for reflection and prayer each day from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Join an international community in prayer to explore the mystery and wonder of Advent! https://adventword.org/en/home/
c) Visual Theological Commentary brings you three readings of scripture and three works of art each day with some words for exploration, https://thevcs.org/Advent2020 from King’s College London

Podcast ‘Understanding Christmas: Strange New World #1
A talk about understanding Christmas by beginning with an understanding
of the Bible, the world’s most influential, misunderstood book – ‘a podcast tailor-made for skeptics, believers, and everybody in between’. Hosted by Matthew Myer Boulton, who’s spent twenty years teaching the Bible and theology to students at Harvard Divinity School and elsewhere. https://www.saltproject.org/podcast-strange-new-world

Celebrating the Light with different Faith Traditions
https://presbyterian.ca/2020/11/23/celebrating-the-light-in-different-faith-traditions/

 

The first Sunday of Advent!

As a new church year begins, we journey to Christmas exploring different dimensions of the Christian life, each dimension illuminated by a different character of Christmas story. We begin with Mary and the dimension of contemplation.

A myriad of paintings have tried to capture something of the scene when the angel Gabriel came to the young woman Mary. The one that came to me this year is from a wonderful book that our family brings out each Christmas, with the words of the King James Authorized Version of the Bible illustrated by the amazing silhouette artist Jan Pienkowski. I love the way Mary, in the midst of her daily chores, is caught completely unawares by the  intrusion of the holy, yet stands upright, gazing directly into the eyes of the messenger from the Holy One. That gaze of Mary has been taken up by generations as now we contemplate the Holy One known in Jesus Christ.

The Order of Service, music notes and announcements and hymn file can be found towards the end of this post.

If you are unable to join us in the sanctuary, the Service of Worship will be live-streamed – organ music for meditation beginning around 10:20 a.m. with the Service beginning at 10:30 a.m. and can be joined at https://youtu.be/a5vTF9bwC-U

After the life-streaming, a recording of the service should appear on our channel for viewing thereafter  – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEy41z3sqfRm8X_lLfKGUA 

Free parking is available Sunday mornings in the surface civic lot off Queen Street behind St. Andrew’s, and on the streets of the neighbourhood – please note that time-of-day restrictions north of Queen are not enforced on Sundays. For accessible entrance to the sanctuary, please use the ramp by the western-most door along Princess Street.

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