Good day.

Can you believe this is already the last day of July?! Wow.  

People must be taking it easy in August – I have no events to tell you about. 

One reminder though…The information for the annual Lay Reader/Church Leader Conference is online. It’s free and will be offered via Zoom by the folks in the Thunder Bay-North Shore Deanery. You can get more info here:  https://www.dioceseofalgoma.com/2023/07/11/2023-lay-readers-church-leaders-conference-information-now-available/

Register simply by emailing Dr. Carol Knox:  carolknox3@gmail.com (Please provide Carol with your name, email address, parish, deanery, and role in the Church). 

A Liturgical Note For You: This coming Sunday is a Holy Day of the Anglican Church but it is also the day of Memorializing of the Apology (1993).  Although we do not celebrate other memorials or commemorations on a Holy Day, it would be appropriate to acknowledge this day of the apology of our then Primate, Michael Peers, to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada on behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada.You could include a petition in your intercessions during worship and possibly include – or conclude with – this prayer as well:

Creator God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. You have grounded us in your covenant love, and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened and guided to help one another grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life.  Amen. 

By the way, if acknowledging the Memorializing the Apology is particularly important to your congregation, you could plan for a separate worship service at some point on Sunday in order to do this. I would be happy to provide for you the “sentence” and the other prayers that are used in such a liturgy.

For Your Devotions:

Thursday, August 3rd is the Holy Day of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr (if you didn’t already observe the day in December), martyred in 36 CE. Stephen’s ministry was to the Greek-speaking Jews, some of whom opposed his proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah and arranged for him to be put on trial, claiming that he was blaspheming against Moses and Abraham. In a trial reminiscent of that of Jesus, Stephen was found guilty and was stoned to death in about 34 AD. For more information go to p.228 here: For All the Saints PDF

Sunday, August 6th is the Holy Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  Peter, James, and John were invited to accompany Jesus to the mountain top where they were astounded to see Christ’s glory revealed to them for a brief time. Something for you to think about: this amazing event occurs right after the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) record Jesus as telling them, “But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (Lk.9:27; see also Matt.16:28; Mk.9:1). Have a look at p.230 here for more information:   For All the Saints PDF

In the hope of Christ,

Susan