Service Schedule for Lent, Holy Week and Beyond
For a list of all services for Lent and beyond, please check the Activities page.
“And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves,
but for him who died and was raised for them.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;* even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,* we know him no longer in that way.
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new!”
-2 Corinthians 5:15-17 NRSV
As I sit at my desk, I look out and dream about the possibility of spring. It may only be the middle of February and yet I can see puddles everywhere! The sky is a clear deep blue and the sun warms your face when you look up. Even the air has that tinge of “spring freshness” to it. You just have to make sure to concentrate on the freshness and not the smell of whatever was hidden under the snow. The days are becoming longer and longer and the sun climbs ever higher in the sky. The long wait for spring surely cannot be that far away. Amazingly spring with its promise, its expectation, its newness, its hope is a lot like the presence of God. Just when you least expect it, God pops up to shake us awake. Just when we can’t take the dark days any longer, God pours out strength and courage, the determination to get through another day. And yet as I continue to write this to you, the clouds have gathered and hail is bouncing off the church roof! Once again that is God for you: always offering hope, sometimes having to wait, living with expectation, but in time God always, always delivers.
During Lent, the time of waiting and expectation, we at St. Paul’s have many wonderful things to draw you into the beauty and mystery of the season: from exploring the work of the Holy Spirit in modern day healing to exploring the Passover through a Sedar meal, to living our Easter faith through humour on the Sunday after Easter. God is always active in a call and response dance that humanity has engaged in with the divine since the dawn of time. God is good and we are God’s people.
Promises made and promises kept. Thanks be to God.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Feb 21st, 2012
Sex, Love Poetry and the Bible
Genesis 1:26-31
Psalm 139 (VU p. 861) Section 3 & 4
1 Corinthians 15:35-49
Mark 12:28-34
Song of Songs (aka Song of Solomon)
Let us pray…God of resurrection, incarnation and love, help us to love all parts of our selves. Help us that each part of our being: our mind, body, spirit, will become dedicated to the love that you have shown us in the message and life of Jesus the Christ. May we be open to your word of renewal and transformation. Amen.
| I will never forget that day way back in grade six. We had a class that invited different religious leaders into our class room to talk with the students. I remember the class because it was the first time that I had a Bible in hands. I have to admit I wasn’t all that interested in what was being talked about so I began to leaf through the Bible. Somewhere near the beginning some words caught my attention. |  1616 The Fall of Man by Hendrik Goltz |
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Feb 21st, 2012
Healed and Cured: What’s the Difference?
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30 (VU pg. 757)
Mark 1:40-45
Let us pray…Healing and rejuvenating God, as we hear your words for us today. May it give us true healing. May your promise of love and commitment bring us a joy and a hope and that will mend our hearts and turn our actions in an animated prayer to you. In Christ’s holy name. Amen.
In my family we had a number of different cures for various ailments. Perhaps you still have some tried and true cures that you have handed down in your family for generations. Maybe great Aunt Ruth’s recipe for curing a cold, Uncle Bob’s sure fire way to get your hair growing on your head again or Cousin May’s concoction for guaranteeing the gender of your unborn baby.
Our Spiritual Journey
Please click the image below to download a slideshow which offers just a small glimpse into the spiritual journey we have all taken together at St. Paul’s.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Feb 14th, 2012
Tired Christians
Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147 (VU pgs. 868-869 Part 1)
Mark 1:29-39
Let us pray. God of mercy and compassion, as we hear your words of liberty and life, help us to live the message that you bring us. Open the scriptures to us and may we find in them renewal, wholeness and joy. With Christ as our strength and our shield. Amen.
Ok, I have a little quiz for you. I wonder if anyone knows where these lines come from.
Till I’m six feet under
I won’t need a bed
Gonna live while I’m alive
I’ll sleep when I’m dead
Till they roll me over
And lay my bones to rest
Gonna live while I’m alive
I’ll sleep when I’m dead
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 21th, 2011
Christmas?! Bah, Humbug!
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:24-27
Luke 2:8-20
Let us pray…God of mystery and new life, in this season of awaiting your light in the world, help us to stay strong. May your promises of newness and love sustain us now and throughout the year. May we never lose hope in the promise of the resurrection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
This is the time of year when everyone seems to be celebrating. The malls have been celebrating since Back to School in September and kicked it up to ludicrous just after Halloween. For the last four weeks churches have been proclaiming: peace, hope, love and joy. The hymns even get in on the festivities with tunes like “Hark the Herald, Go Tell it on the Mountain” and “Joy to the World.”
But as many of us know, Christmas is not all those things for everyone. For some this time of year has them feeling more like, “Christmas? Bah humbug!”
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 18th, 2011
The Empire Strikes Back
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126 (VU p. 850 refrain 1)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Ever present God, as we pray, as we hear your words of wisdom and truth, the words come alive to us in new ways. May the promises of hope, peace, joy and love be truly felt today and throughout the year. May we take your Christmas message with us into our community and into our families. Amen.
How many of you every had a Mom or Dad that told you, “Never, ever, under no circumstance to ever put your tongue on a piece of cold metal in the winter?” How many of you listened? You probably did it anyway.
How many of you eat an apple a day. Remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” How many of you do it? It is such a simple thing to do and it can’t hurt and probably does a lot of good.
Reflections from the Minister’s Study – Dec 4th, 2011
Baby + Manger = ?
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
God of Hope, we begin our Advent waiting time today knowing that you are with us every moment. In every task we do, in every breath we take, your love is with us, yesterday, today and always. We thank you, God. Amen.
Every year a very predictable part of the season will begin. It is not the endless Musac pumped into the stores, or the Christmas trees that went on sale at Costco during back to school. Oh no. The thing that will make its way onto our morning newspapers, magazines and the Discovery Channel is the discussion of whether Jesus was born in a manager, on December 25th? There will be questions of whether there was a star, shepherds and Magi from the East? Every year the secular world seems to become enthralled with the Christmas story. So what I will be attempting over this Advent season is to provide some food for thought and perhaps more importantly to encourage you to ask what you believe and what your belief, might mean for you and for the world.
Advent Christmas Letter from Rev. Carla
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon
his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
-Isaiah 9:6 NRSV
As I type this letter to you, Eastern Ontario has just experienced its first major snow fall of the year. The roads are quiet, the squirrels seem to have taken a break from their frantic search for anything edible and the grass and leaves that had not been raked up, are now covered with a blanket of clean, blemish free snow. Back in my retail days this was the kind of weather we prayed for. Snow meant shoppers were put in the festive mood. Snow meant the corridors of the malls would be filled with bustling people with list in hand, hurrying on to the next item on their list. But as I ponder what Advent means for me this year, I wonder how I will keep the season in my spirit. Will I read a book, listen to music, or bake some cookies? But packed around these activities there will be also be professional and personal lists of things to do in the coming weeks. I have to confess that it will not be easy to keep the Christ child in front of me at all times.
Perhaps with all the meals that need to be prepared, the cards addressed, and stamps licked, the best thing that we can do is to take some time each day to remember why we mark Christmas the way we do. It’s not because the empire of commercialism says so, not because our parents did it and we should too, not because everyone else is doing it, but because the deeper meaning of love, sharing and celebrating is what is at the heart of the Christmas story. The baby born thousands of years ago symbolized that God had entered into this world in a very different way. The way of Jesus would be of joy, love, sharing and celebrating. Jesus’ Way is one of hope and freedom. So maybe this year, as we go about our traditions, and our customs that we have always done, perhaps we could remember that Jesus is celebrating with us and that Jesus is the honoured guest at our feast. That the reason why we share with others at this time of year, perhaps more than at any other, is that God shared the ultimate gift with us, Himself. Surely that is reason enough to celebrate.
May the wonder of the shepherds,
the generosity of the wise men
and the compassion of Mary,
be in us and flow from us,
this Christmas and always.
Rev. Carla Van Delen
St. Paul’s United Church, Richmond, Ontario
