Good day,

This Saturday, October 26 is the deanery council meeting, 9:30am “welcome” and 10am start at Holy Trinity (i.e. the Trinity Centre), SSM.

All Saints’ Day (Nov.1) Holy Eucharist: 7pm at Holy Trinity, SSM. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you again how important this day is, but I will anyway.   All Saints is one of just seven Principal Feasts observed by the Church over the course of the year (Christmas and Easter are two others).  Although some congregations will choose to observe All Saints on the Sunday following November 1st, I can’t stress enough that this is to be in addition to its observance on the fixed date. You wouldn’t think of moving Christmas to the Sunday following December 25th and not celebrate it on the 25th itself. Let’s show the world that being the Church is important. 

Advent Bible Studies on Zoom every Wednesday, 7pm, beginning November 20 and going through until December 18.

Advent Retreat, November 23, 9am – noon at Holy Trinity, SSM.

A Liturgical Note For You: Praying Before the Sermon?

Have you ever wondered why some people will say a prayer right before they preach their sermon during worship while others do not? Well, saying a prayer is actually a hold over from many, many years ago when the congregations experienced, “We now interrupt this worship service to bring you the week’s important liturgical announcements.” After the Gospel was proclaimed, the congregation stood and recited the Creed together and then sat to hear “what Holy-days and what days of Fasting, Abstinence, and Solemn Prayer are to be observed during the week, and publish Banns of Marriage and such other communications as are enjoined by lawful authority” (p.72 of the BCP). After all of that, the sermon was finally preached. The Gospel and the Sermon were miles apart and the people needed to be re-centred with a prayer. This is not the way the liturgy is arranged in the BAS (for very good reason!) yet some people persist in saying the prayer before their sermon anyway. Liturgical scholars, who know this was not done in the early church, thought, “Wow, this is silly.” We like to announce that we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts and minds of the people listening to God’s Word, but then we squash the voice of the Holy Spirit with our own voices. So, now, liturgically speaking, saying a prayer in between the Gospel and sermon is not only unnecessary, it gets in the way. I have often spoken about the transformational power of our liturgies to form us as God’s kingdom people but we really do need to pay attention to – and get rid of – practices that malform us. Let the people hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

For Your Devotions:

Wednesday, October 23rd is the memorial of James of Jerusalem. There are a few by the name of James in the New Testament. This one is the brother of Jesus. Despite his earlier misgivings about Jesus’ ministry, James became hugely important to the young Christian Church and was martyred in about 62 AD for confessing his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. He was thrown off one of the parapets of the Temple and then stoned to finish the job. His martyrdom made it into historical accounts other than the Bible! http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf

Saturday, October 26th is the commemoration of Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, who died in 899.  Alfred had wanted to become a monk but, with the successive deaths of the heirs to the throne ahead of him, he became king of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain instead. After defeating the invading Danish army, Alfred made a deal with their leader – “swear allegiance to Christ and be baptized and I’ll let you keep some land.”  Deal!  Alfred turned his efforts to repairing the cultural damage done to his people by the ravages of war and is the only English monarch to be called, “Great.”  For more info… http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/60.html

In the joy of Christ,

Susan