Good day,

I’m actually in Toronto this morning, on my way back to Algoma after attending the National Worship Conference in Regina. I was very impressed with the amount of wisdom, intelligence, and talent in the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada as well as in the spattering of representatives from the United States. It was a very life-giving experience. This conference is every two years and is something you may want to consider attending when it rolls around again.

On a different note, we mourn the loss of Dr. Canon David Gould. Many of you will know Dr. Gould much better than I, but since arriving in Algoma, I have known him to be extremely faithful, compassionate, and generous as he lived life in God’s kingdom. Lives such as Dr. Gould’s are the lives that hasten the perfection of God’s kingdom. I have wonderful memories of Dr. Gould proclaiming the Gospel during worship at the Pathways Retirement Residence. Here, and then at Mapleview, he would close his eyes and join in the words of our worship and sing with joy the familiar hymns. We trust he will continue to sing with the communion of saints around the throne of the Lamb. 

Stuff-a-Stocking! This is to raise money towards the purchase of Christmas gifts for struggling families in our area. The families targeted for this particular ministry are those served by the Lunches for Learning program run by St. Vincent Place. Why are we doing this now? The Advent season is heavily burdened by a lot of different requests for money and gifts as we approach Christmas. The Stuff-a-Stocking campaign is asking for donations – whatever you can help with – now when we are not feeling pinched by a lot of “asks”.  

This campaign is in no way meant to replace the wonderful ministries of our local churches during the Advent and Christmas seasons of our calendar. 

Every dollar counts and the Algoma Angels appreciate anything you may give. You can start this fundraiser at any point…collecting coins, bills, tim cards, etc. on a Sunday morning during your fellowship time. The campaign will end on Sunday, August 25 – Christmas in August.  Please let me know if you have money you’d like me to collect afterward. (susan.montague2@gmail.com)

Bread of Life: Throughout August, we will hear from the Gospel According to John in which Jesus is named repeatedly as the “bread of life”.  Please join me in being the bread of life for others in need as we collect sandwich toppings for our food banks so that hungry people can top their bread with life-giving food. The suggested schedule is: Sunday, Aug.4: Jam; Sunday, Aug.11: Peanut Butter; Sunday, Aug.18: margarine/butter; and Sunday, Aug.25: canned meat (tuna, ham, chicken, etc.). 

A Liturgical Note For You:

We have two Holy Days this week but the liturgical colours are different – one is white and one is red. James’ day is red since he was martyred. Mary Magdalene’s day is white. A quick reminder of the significance of these colours:

Red: This is the color of heat, passion, love, life and life-giving energy, and for this very reason red became the symbol of the resurrection – the victory of life over death. The Anglican Church also associates red with the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life.”  But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torments, and the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs (like Stephen) are depicted in red clothing on icons.  

White: White is the symbol of the heavenly realm and God’s divine light. This is the color of cleanliness, holiness and simplicity. On icons and frescoes, saints and righteous people are usually depicted clothed in white as righteous ones – people who were good, honest, and lived by “the Truth.” In the same manner, white was used in the swaddling bands of babies, the shrouds of the dead and the robes of angels. Only righteous souls were depicted as wearing white. For these reasons, white is the colour used for baptismal robes. Among other significances, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ at our baptism. White is also the colour used at funerals, connecting this to our baptism and the victory we gained in Christ through the baptismal mystery.

Also…Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? The short answer is “no”.  The longer answer explains why it came to be widely accepted that she was, indeed, a prostitute. Here we have an example of how so-called biblical knowledge becomes ingrained in the minds of society when it is actually not biblical knowledge. This is why it is so important for Christians to spend time in study of the bible with a knowledgeable leader. This mischaracterization of Mary Magdalene began way back in 591 when one man – Pope Gregory – said she was. He was in a powerful position and it was presumed he was correct. He was, afterall, the one with access to the scriptures…

For Your Devotions:

Monday, July 22nd is the Holy Day of St. Mary Magdalene. She is one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples. In fact, in the tradition of the Eastern Church, Mary Magdalene is regarded as the equal of an apostle.  According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus cured her of seven demons.  All four Gospel writers tell of her unwavering devotion to Jesus in staying with him while he hung on the cross and name Mary Magdalene as one of the women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning. Both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John say she was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. Mary of Magdala was a devout and loyal follower of Jesus. She likely had money and influence since she is known as Mary of Magdala – or Mary Magdalene – rather than simply Mary. She was probably one of the wealthy women on whom Jesus and the other disciples depended for financial support as they travelled about the countryside. For more information:   https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Mary-Magdalene

Thursday, July 25th is the Holy Day of St. James the Apostle.  James, his brother John (the sons of Zebedee), and Peter were the three disciples in Jesus’ inner circle. They witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration and went off alone with him in the Garden of Gethsemane.  James is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament (Acts 12:2) – he was beheaded at the order of King Herod in 44 AD. For more information: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-James-son-of-Zebedee

Friday, July 26th is the commemoration of Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Although she is not mentioned in the canonical gospels, Anne is mentioned as Mary’s mother in some of the apocrypha (such as the Gospel of James) and in the Qur’an.  There are numerous fascinating stories about this woman including that Mary was born from a virgin birth just as Jesus was. For more information see p.224 here: https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/ForAlltheSaints.pdf  

In the joy of Christ,

Susan