I love the Advent Season - and perhaps the first Sunday is my favourite of all. The lighting of the candle of hope is always very moving for me. It is a time to focus forward, to feel and to know the promise of Advent. By looking toward the future, perhaps we are able to slough off the fetters of the past, and the anxieties of the present.
Reverend Johnston's sermon was entitled "Preparation!" The exclamation point is his, not mine, and I believe to emphasize that the preparing to be ready is as important as the being ready. This is surely comforting - knowing that for all our faults and shortcomings, the work of preparation is our supreme task as Christians.
Following the text of Matthew 24, Reverend Johnston challenged us to change our perspective - to be future-centred, not past-focused. The future described in this passage in Matthew is the Rapture - the Second Coming of Lord Jesus Christ on Earth. It is this future event for which we light the candle of hope, and toward which we look.
The troubling part of this passage for me is the 50% of the people who are not taken. "Are they unworthy?", I think. "Am I unworthy?", I selfishly think. Of course, there is no certain answer to these questions, but there is hope. And there is the work of preparation which may make us more ready to be taken into the glory of the Rapture. This work, clearly, is more difficult than the promise in buying an "R4R" mousepad or t-shirt! But it is the work of preparing our hearts and lives to be acceptable and pleasing to God, and in living out the promise and the hope of the Advent Season that we come to be closer to Christ.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 21
As a confirmed goer to the 9:30 service, it's always a pleasure to experience the fuller service of 11:00. the choir, the children, the fuller congregation - everything! This morning was particularly moving as it was a time for the whole congregation to come together to profess publicly to each other our commitment to Christian life together and to St. Andrew's Ottawa in particular.
I enjoyed the choir being closer to the congregation and I especially enjoyed the Moses story as depicted by the children. I never imagined Moses saying "Holy Smoke", but I'm sure but it was certainly fitting to describe the voice of God coming out of a burning yet not consumed burning bush.
Reverend Johnston pointed out that we identify with the bush, the bush who was going about its earthly business doing whatever a bush does, until one day God needed that bush and acted through it. Apparently, we too are going about our business always at hand to be the conduit for God. It made me wonder if this is really the case. Are we, or at least, am I open enough to be of use to God. Would I be be watching TV when God came? Would I be working? Would I be answering email, texting, playing a video game, even asleep? perhaps God used the bush because, as a bush, it didn't have the luxury of distractions. perhaps i ouht to take some time to be more open, more attuned and more aware, less distracted, less busy, for God to work through me. And this, I think is one lesson of Covenant Sunday - being aware that we as a congregation need to make some time, devote some talent, divert some treasure for His work, through St. Andrews and the Presbyterian ministry.
On a practical note, I've been doing the PAR contributions for 2 years now, and it is so easy. It also makes the option of sleeping in on a Sunday morning less guilt-inducing knowing that the contribution goes to work, even if I don't go to church!
Geoffrey
I enjoyed the choir being closer to the congregation and I especially enjoyed the Moses story as depicted by the children. I never imagined Moses saying "Holy Smoke", but I'm sure but it was certainly fitting to describe the voice of God coming out of a burning yet not consumed burning bush.
Reverend Johnston pointed out that we identify with the bush, the bush who was going about its earthly business doing whatever a bush does, until one day God needed that bush and acted through it. Apparently, we too are going about our business always at hand to be the conduit for God. It made me wonder if this is really the case. Are we, or at least, am I open enough to be of use to God. Would I be be watching TV when God came? Would I be working? Would I be answering email, texting, playing a video game, even asleep? perhaps God used the bush because, as a bush, it didn't have the luxury of distractions. perhaps i ouht to take some time to be more open, more attuned and more aware, less distracted, less busy, for God to work through me. And this, I think is one lesson of Covenant Sunday - being aware that we as a congregation need to make some time, devote some talent, divert some treasure for His work, through St. Andrews and the Presbyterian ministry.
On a practical note, I've been doing the PAR contributions for 2 years now, and it is so easy. It also makes the option of sleeping in on a Sunday morning less guilt-inducing knowing that the contribution goes to work, even if I don't go to church!
Geoffrey
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, November 14
Music in the worship service is a powerful force. The excellent singing by the choir in the opening and closing hymns, Praise, my soul, the King of heaven and Great is thy faithness, rose and touched me. What is it in the hymn God of the sparrow, God of the whale that is so moving? The simplicity of the words and music? It brought tears to my eyes.
It was wonderful to have The St Andrew’s Hand Bell choir perform. Beyond all Praising was very respectfully played.
Faithfulness was the theme of the sermon. Faithfulness in marriage is our greatest good; it is of the essence.
Margaret M.
It was wonderful to have The St Andrew’s Hand Bell choir perform. Beyond all Praising was very respectfully played.
Faithfulness was the theme of the sermon. Faithfulness in marriage is our greatest good; it is of the essence.
Margaret M.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, November 7
Every Sunday at St Andrews is a special Sunday however today was extra special as everyone there heard through the children’s story the importance of saying thank you to the countless men and women who have fought and in many cases even gave their life that we might have a free country in which to live. How moving to hear those young voice in unison thanking our veterans and service people of today.
There were 2 lines from the sermon that caught my attention more than the others.
“Every human life is a creation of God”.
“War for a Christian is never good, it is even considered failure”.
How much value do we as Christians, place on human kind? Do we look at War as failure of God’s will? If we were true to each and every commandment, how do we justify the atrocities of war? Love your neighbour, Thou Shalt not Kill and on it goes
O day of Peace that dimly shines!
Let each of us take time on this Remembrance Day to not only pause to give thanks but also to pray to God and ask him for strength and wisdom to honour this commandment, “Thou Shalt not murder/kill. As the lament of the bagpipes calls us to a place of remembrance, so may our time of prayer draw us to a time of closeness with God that he may guide us in the way he would have us go.
- Grant P.
There were 2 lines from the sermon that caught my attention more than the others.
“Every human life is a creation of God”.
“War for a Christian is never good, it is even considered failure”.
How much value do we as Christians, place on human kind? Do we look at War as failure of God’s will? If we were true to each and every commandment, how do we justify the atrocities of war? Love your neighbour, Thou Shalt not Kill and on it goes
O day of Peace that dimly shines!
Let each of us take time on this Remembrance Day to not only pause to give thanks but also to pray to God and ask him for strength and wisdom to honour this commandment, “Thou Shalt not murder/kill. As the lament of the bagpipes calls us to a place of remembrance, so may our time of prayer draw us to a time of closeness with God that he may guide us in the way he would have us go.
- Grant P.
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