A couple of reminders for this week first:
Today – on Zoom – 1pm (yes, it’s nearly that time): free webinar offered by APLM on “Preparing for Matthew” – a preaching webinar led by Agnes Choi. Please email me (susan.montague2@gmail.com) if you’d like the link.
Today at the Trinity Centre, 4-5pm is our continuing exploration of contemplative prayer. Also, the Guild of St. Joseph breakfast is this Saturday, November 8, 9am at the Trinity Centre – everyone welcome – $10 donation requested.
Coming Soon:
Tuesday, November 11th, 11am at the GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste Marie is the Legion’s Remembrance Day ceremony. There are usually some speeches beforehand at the cenotaph in front of the courthouse on Queen St. and then people walk down to the GFL behind the parade.
Saturday, November 15th at St. Luke’s Cathedral and online: Part Two of the Pastoral Visitation Workshop. 9:30am – 4:30pm with lunch and breaks provided.
Sunday, November 16th at Holy Trinity, SSM: Grey Cup Watch Party! I’m making nachos 
6pm kick-off.
Wednesday, November 26th, 10am at Holy Trinity: The Annual ACW Corporate Eucharist followed by fellowship. Our church bakers will be making cinnamon buns so bring your toonies.
Thursday, November 27th, Holy Trinity, SSM, will be down at the Station Mall, 10am – 2pm selling all sorts of interesting things – edible and non-edible. If any other churches will be there, please let me know (susan.montague2@gmail.com) so that I can let others know.
Saturday, November 29, 11am-3pm at Holy Trinity, SSM: Snowflake Tea & Seasonal Market, just $12 and, yes, we’ll have those fancy sandwiches (among other food items).
A Liturgical Note For You:
Orthodoxy and Parties: There is a Connection…
In the entry below about Leo the Great, I mention that he was a defender of orthodoxy. Many people translate this as meaning “true faith” or “true beliefs” rather than its actual meaning of “true worship.” Worship is incredibly important in forming us in our faith. There is an ancient principle in the Church: “lex orandi, et lex credendi” (“the law of prayer is the law of faith”). The words we pray express what we believe and our prayer shapes how we live out our beliefs. To put it another way: We pray what we believe, we believe what we pray, and through our prayer we become what we pray. Poorly done worship services therefore, have little effect, no effect, and worse, often a negative effect on our formation and transformation into the likeness of Christ.
Using the word, “poorly” in reference to how our liturgies are carried out really begs the question, “What does it mean to ‘do’ a worship service ‘poorly’?” I could talk all day about this one…but, don’t worry, I won’t. Here are just a few thoughts to get you thinking on this.
Our worship is, at the same time, reverent yet joyful. Even during our most solemn worship services such as on Good Friday, there is an underlying foundation of deep joy since we have been reconciled with God – Christ has triumphed over the powers of the world. Our Sunday worship of Holy Eucharist is particularly joyful since we are celebrating this triumph known in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Each Sunday Eucharist is a “Feast of the Lord” and feasts are filled with joy. The word ‘feast’ originates from the word ‘festive’ as a matter of fact. When we gather around the table to share the bread and wine, we are partaking in the banquet of God’s kingdom as it is meant to be “on earth as in heaven.” Bishop N. T. Wright is fond of saying that everywhere Jesus went, a party popped up. Each Sunday Eucharist is our victory party with Jesus in the kingdom of God.
It is a shame that this knowledge and understanding of the early Church was lost over the centuries but it is most definitely being recovered. Deacons of the early Church often found it necessary to take on the role of “bouncer” because worship tended to get a little rowdy. Again, don’t worry, I’m not advocating for that wild a party. I do understand that generations before mine in mainstream churches were taught a different way of being during our liturgies and I do understand that letting go of what we were taught and what we have done for many years is difficult. However, the early Church exploded in numbers because of their understandings that have sadly slipped away over the years so I’m eager for us to regain the knowledge and way of being that fuelled their passionate hope and excitement. Remember, everywhere that Jesus went, a party popped up.
For Your Devotions
Monday, November 10th is the memorial of Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith who died in 461. Leo was the bishop of Rome from 440-461 and is best known for two things. The first is that he was an ardent defender of orthodoxy (i.e. true worship). He wrote against the heresy which said Christ only had one nature because his human nature was completely absorbed into his divine nature. We believe that Christ was fully human and fully divine at the same time which is what Leo wrote in his famous “Tome” used at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 to condemn the heresy. Stemming from this is the second thing for which Leo is known. He vigorously supported “papal supremacy”. Other bishops who supported this position had his tome declared as “the voice of Peter”. This was one of the causes of the strain and eventual split between the churches of East and West. For more info: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Leo-I
Tuesday, November 11th is the memorial of Martin, Bishop of Tours, died 397. Martin, against his will, was a soldier in the Roman army. While a soldier and a catechumen (learning the faith in order to be baptized), legend says Martin tore his cloak in half in order to share with a beggar. Martin dreamed that night that it was Christ who was clothed in the half cloak given to the beggar and, when Martin awoke, his cloak had been restored to wholeness. Martin petitioned the Roman emperor to leave the army saying that he was Christ’s soldier and not allowed to fight with weapons other than the word of God. He was charged with cowardice but offered to stand at the front of the battle line armed only with the sign of the cross. He was eventually allowed to leave the army. On Remembrance Day, as we remember all those who died or suffered harm during the conflicts of our world, I pray that humanity will embrace the way of God’s kingdom so that all swords will be beaten into plowshares and every spear be made into pruning shears (Is.2:4). More info on p.340 here: https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/ForAlltheSaints.pdf
Wednesday, November 12th is the commemoration of Charles Simeon, Church of England presbyter who died in 1836. “High Church” and “Evangelical” at the same time? Charles Simeon did it (and was criticized by people at both ends of the spectrum). He was educated at Cambridge and spent his entire ministry there as well. His influence is best summed up by this quotation from the Gregorian website…“The influence of Simeon and his friends was thus described by the historian William Edward Hartpole Lecky: ‘They gradually changed the whole spirit of the English Church. They infused into it a new fire and passion of devotion, kindled a spirit of fervent philanthropy, raised the standard of clerical duty, and completely altered the whole tone and tendency of the preaching of its ministers.’” We need more of all of that these days, for sure! For more information… http://prayer.forwardmovement.org/the_calendar_response.php?id=401112
Friday, November 14th is the commemoration of Samuel Seabury, the 1st Anglican Bishop in North America, died 1784. Seabury was a medical doctor and a priest at the same time – talk about busy! He was chosen by the clergy of Connecticut in 1783 to be their bishop but, at that time, the Law forbade the Archbishop of Canterbury to consecrate a ‘foreigner.’ To get around this little glitch, Seabury traveled to Scotland to be consecrated in the disestablished Episcopal Church in Scotland. To read more, check this out: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Seabury
In the joy of Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 