Good day,

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!   One of our very own in the Diocese of Algoma will soon be travelling to Madagascar as the Anglican Missionary working with the children at the orphanage and school first started decades ago by Mary Sherwood. Below is a letter with more information.  Please spread this news far and wide!!

Monday evening Zoom Bible Studies continue…7pm. Please contact me for the link if you don’t have it or you’ve “misplaced” it. susan.montague2@gmail.com

Lenten Lunches ongoing as well – Wednesday, 12-1pm at Emmaus (1634 Wellington St. E in the Soo).  

It’s time again: Clocks go forward this Saturday evening before you go to bed for the night. 

A Liturgical Note For You: This came up in one of the weekly bible studies so I thought I’d send the information to everyone.

“The Word of the Lord”

Have you ever wondered why we do NOT say, “THIS is the Word of the Lord” after a reading? We simply say, “The Word of the Lord.”  The saying comes from the Hebrew word דבר (dabar). Dabar is a very complicated word but I’ll try to explain. It is often translated as “to speak” but it goes beyond speaking certain words. Dabar surpasses usual knowledge (intuition, memory, experience) and describes something that everyone can understand and take to heart without having to accumulate years of experience and mental muscle memory. According to the Abarim Publications Biblical Dictionary: “it allows years, decades, centuries and millennia of human experience to be compressed into data (concrete units of information), and to rise above the mind that produced it and settle into a mind that hasn’t. Our word דבר (dabar) specifically refers to the careful definition of anything that allows that item / situation / feeling to be discussed or even remotely experienced by people that have no intrinsic relation to it (but see Genesis 2:20, then 2:23, Judges 13:18, Isaiah 43:1 and so on)” https://www.abarim-publications.com/Dictionary/d/d-b-r.html 

What that means is, the Word of God being spoken by the person standing at the lectern during the worship service is not the only Word of God being spoken in our hearts and minds. That’s why we don’t use the limiting word, “this”.  The Spirit of God takes the words being spoken and uses them to speak to us in ways that we may not even be aware of. This is why we also say, “The Gospel of Christ” and not, “This is the Gospel of Christ.”  By the way, just for interest’s sake, to say, “The Word of the Lord” in Hebrew would be “Dibre Elohim” (the “I” is pronounced “ee” as in “sheep”, “e” is pronounced like the “e” in “bed”, and the “o” is pronounced like the “o” in “ghost”).  

For Your Devotions:

Thursday, March 7th is the memorial of Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202. In a time when Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, they stood firm in their faith. I’ve read accounts of their deaths on a number of occasions and, each time I do, I feel humbled and amazed by their bravery and dignity and trust in God as they faced horrific deaths. One such account (much of it in Perpetua’s own words) is here:   http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/117.html

Friday, March 8th is the commemoration of Edward King, Bishop of Lincoln, Educator and Pastor, died 1910. Edward is known for his commitment to pastoral care and the personal example he set for everyone around him, particularly his students. He believed that preaching was only effective if rooted in the personal care – through prayer and visitation – of every parishioner. Here is part of what he wrote: “If you are to preach, you must make up your minds that you are sent, and sent by God. Without the gift of love, you will never be a preacher.”  To read more:   http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/118.html

Saturday, March 9th is the memorial of Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop, Teacher of the Faith, died about 395. Gregory was one of the three Cappadocian Fathers which also included his brother, Basil the Great, and his friend, Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory and the others were instrumental in arguing against the Arians (who believed Jesus was a creature subordinate to God and thus, not God). In so doing, they established the place of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity as well. Gregory is well-known for his mystical writings in which he emphasizes that the spiritual life is not one of static perfection but one of constant progress. For more:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Gregory-of-Nyssa

In the hope of Christ,

Susan