Saint George's Anglican Church

Sexagesima                                        February 7. 2010

8:00 A.M. - HOLY EUCHARIST                            

Introit Psalm: 44:24-27                                     p. 386

Collect for Purity                                                          p. 67

Collect & Epistle                                                          p. 134

Gradual Psalm: 17: 6-9                                                 p. 347

Gospel                                                                         p. 135

9:15 A.M. – MORNING PRAYER

First Lesson: Genesis 27:1-40 (page 23 in pew Bible)

Psalm 42, 43                                                                p. 383

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 6: 12-end (page 169 in pew Bible)

10:00 A.M. - HOLY EUCHARIST

Introit Psalm: (sung)

Children’s Talk

Hymn 384 (Richmond)

Collect for Purity                                                          p. 67

Summary of the Law                                                     p. 69

Collect & Epistle                                                          p. 134

Gradual Psalm: 17: 6-9                                                 p. 347

Holy Gospel                                                                 p. 135

Nicene Creed:                                                              p. 71

Hymn before Homily: 103 (Albano)

Homily

Offertory Hymn: 473 St. Bees)

Intercession

Confession, Absolution                                     p. 77

Thanksgiving                                                                 p. 78

Consecration                                                                p. 82

Hymns during Communion:       236 (Dolomite Chant)

247 (Eisenach)             249 (Hamburg)

Lord’s Prayer                                                               p. 85

Gloria                                                                           p. 86

Recessional Hymn: 427 (Monk’s Gate)

            Please join us for coffee and tea in the Hall.

5:00 P.M. EVENING PRAYER

First Lesson: Genesis 37 (page 34 in pew Bible)

Psalm 81

Second Lesson: Luke 10:25-37 (page 71 in pew Bible)

The Sanctuary Lamp burns this week to the Glory of God

and in Loving Memory of William & Georgie Black

 and Verna Robert.

A donation has been received to the glory of God and in loving memory of Don and Gwen Wilkins by their family.

“Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,

and let light eternal shine upon them”

John Moffat    Herb Swazey

Dan MacDonald    Ronald King      

 This Week in the Parish

The Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer will be prayed in the Chapel at 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday – Friday, respectively. In addition:

Monday          Supper and Annual Meeting    6:00, 7:00 P.M.

Tuesday           Bible Study at the Rectory        10:00 A.M.

                        Willing Workers                       2:00 P,M.        

                        Reading Group             7:00 P.M.

Wednesday      Grief Share                               7:00 P.M.

Thursday          Holy Eucharist                          10:00 A.M.

Saturday           St. Michael’s Club                 10:00 A.M.                                

The Parish Annual Meeting is tomorrow. If you are able to join us at 5 P.M. for Evening Prayer we would love to have you. A supper of lasagna and garlic bread will be served in the hall immediately following Evening Prayer and the meeting will start at 7 P.M.

Saint Michael’s Club Next Saturday for children aged 4-12.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – February 16^th from 4:30-6:00 P.M. Free will offering. Volunteers are needed to help with set up, serving and cleaning. If you can help please call the church office.

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MAGMA presents a Concert for Haiti Enjoy Entertainment from Around the World as well as Local Talent Feb 10th –Wednesday 6:30pm to 8:30 pm at Central United Church. Cash Donations taken at the door with all proceeds going to Haiti Relief.

Found: a beige, mohair scarf by the Hall door. Please call the Office.

To God’s glory, $1392.00 has been received in our offerings over the past two weeks for Haiti Relief via the Primates’ World Relief and Development Fund. Further donations will gladly be forwarded for this purpose. Please mark the amount on your Sunday envelope for ‘Haiti’ or for ‘PWRDF’.Thank you, and let us continue in our prayers as well.

No noodles barred! Our Scouts have issued a ‘Pasta Challenge’ to all Scouting and Guiding Groups in our area to see who can amass the greatest weight of noodles, and they need our continued help, please! The deadline for donations is Sunday, Feb. 28. Any and all pasta can be left in the Church entry. Following the weigh-in it will be given to local food banks. Thank you all and thanks to our Scouts!

Craft donations for Camp Brookwood have been coming in with great enthusiasm. Thank you very much! We are close to our quota now for egg cartons and meat trays. Next Sunday has been set for the closing date to receive them. Other craft supplies (paints, brushes, etc.) are still needed. Thank you for all your help!

Sexagesima Sunday, February 7^th, 2010

Ash Wednesday, a Major Fast Day in the Church, is February 17^th. Celebrations of the Holy Communion with the Penitential Rite and the Imposition of Ashes will be held at 10:00 A.M. at the Peoples’ Park Tower/ Camden Terrace Chapel, and at 7:00 P.M. at St. George’s, in the main Church.

(For more in formation, see the Prayer Book: p.xiii and pp.611-615) 

The Rector’s Corner

Success

How should a Christian define success? What does a ‘good’ Church look like? Some would say that success is obvious: regular promotions in the workplace; a comfortable salary; lots of friends; a little get-a-way vacation whenever its needed; a flat screen T.V.; a membership at the local golf and country club; a job that allows you freedom and flexibility; a solid investment portfolio.

And for the Church: a big Congregation with lots of young people; sermons by power point; a new building with all the bells and whistles; up-beat music with a great sound system and special lights; a ministry team to cover all the bases.

It may very well be that these are signs of success. However, they should not be taken for success automatically. The thing is, we must remember Who has set the standard. Christian success will be measured by Christ our coming Judge and King. And what did He say on this topic?

To a rich, young man who wanted to know what good thing he needed to do to have eternal life, Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come follow Me.” (St. Matthew 19.22)

Did Jesus mean that to follow Him we must necessarily give everything away? Did He say anything else? Yes, He said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (St. Luke 9.23-25)

Of course, Jesus not only spoke about taking up the cross, He was actually nailed to it. And, He not only spoke of dying to self and selfish desires, He truly died to save us. By His Sacrifice, He told us what we need to understand about God’s measure of success. How does He define success? By Charity which proves itself in acts of mercy and sacrifice, done for the glory of God, and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Afterall, how can we call ourselves ‘followers of Christ’ if we only follow Him in our thoughts or words? As the hymn, ‘When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,’ teaches us: ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.’

So the Lord Jesus calls us away from the world and our worldly possessions. He calls us, as He did His apostles, to leave our worldly desires and ambitions, and to follow Him. “Ye cannot serve God and mammon,” He tells us (St. Matthew 9.24). He does that so that we might see clearly what is important and everlasting. He does it so that we might learn to depend completely on Him, and so that we might begin to understand the essence of His Perfect Love. You see, we cannot be truly happy without Him. It is only with and by and in His holy Love that we can find real meaning, purpose and freedom. Why? because Jesus Christ alone, Who is the manifestation of God’s Love, has delivered us from the power of our sinful, selfish loves by His Death and Resurrection.

As we prepare for the Annual Meeting tomorrow night, let us consider the past year in the light of God’s definition of success. Let us ask Him to show us how, as individuals and as a parish, we can better imitate our Blessed Lord. And, let us use His measure, rather than the world’s, as we plan for this new year.

In our Church life, home life, work life, school life, social life – even at the center of our activities recreationally: at the rink, on Facebook, in emails – Jesus calls us. He calls us to follow Him and to strive for His success. How? By taking up the Cross. By loving our neighbours as ourselves. 

So, success for the Christian will involve waiting and watching for God’s timing; planting and not always reaping; patiently suffering and quietly bearing one another’s burdens. Faithfulness in these things, by God’s grace, will be the mark of our success.   

Help us, O Lord, we pray Thee, for the glory of your Holy Name.