2nd Sunday of Lent February 28, 2021
Services in church continue to be cancelled for Covid protection
THE GATHERING OF THE CHURCH
The 2nd Sunday of Lent,
28th February 2021
St. Andrew by-the-Lake
Toronto Islands
www.standrewbythelake.com
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Priest- David Howells 416-890-4578
Church Office – 416-203-0873
Warden - Bella Beazer 416-203-4142
Warden – Jane Davidson-Neville 416-203- 8564
Deputy Warden & Synod Rep – Julia Weldon Tait
Deputy Warden - Nancy Kendrew
Outreach Chair – Graham Mudge 416-203-3556
Treasurer/Bookings – Joyce Rogers 416-203-0987
Musicians--
Roger Sharp, Julia Weldon Tait,
& Jane Davidson-Neville
Music selected by Jane Davidson-Neville
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THE GATHERING OF THE CHURCH
We acknowledge the Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, and Mississauga Nations upon whose traditional territory our church stands and the homes of many of us. We pray that what has been wrongly taken may be restored: lands, language, trust, and culture.
Amen
The Collect
God of the covenant,
in the glory of the cross
your Son embraced the power of death
and broke its hold over your people.
In this time of repentance,
draw all people to yourself,
that we who confess Jesus as Lord
may put aside the deeds of death
and accept the life of your kingdom. Amen.
- Opening Hymn ‘Return to God’ (Gather hymnal)
Refrain: Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy; come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
v.1: Now the time of Grace has come, the day of salvation; come and learn now the way of our God. Refrain
v.2: I will take your heart of stone and place a heart within you, heart of compassion and love. Refrain
v.3: If you break the chains of oppression, if you set the prisoner free; if you share your bread with the hungry, give protection to the lost; give a shelter to the homeless, clothe the naked in your midst, then your light shall break forth like the dawn. Refrain
1st Reading Paul’s Letter to the church in Rome (4:13-25)
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") --in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness."
Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,
but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Psalm 22: ‘My God, my God’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOQmVmJqNKw
Refrain: My God, my God, O why have you abandoned me?
v1: All who see me laugh at me, they mock me and they shake their heads: ‘He relied on the Lord, let the Lord be his refuge.’ Refrain
v2: As dogs around me, they circle me about. Wounded me and pierced me, I can number all my bones Refrain
v.3: My clothing they divided, for my garments casting lots, O Lord, do not desert me, but hasten to my aid. Refrain
v.4: I will praise you to my people, and proclaim you in their midst, O fear the Lord, my people, give glory to God’s name. Refrain
THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark (Mark 8:31-38.)
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Reflections on the readings
The Journey of Lent Lent 2. February 28 2021
Before I came to St Andrew’s in July 2019, Lucy and I had walked a pilgrimage from Lindisfarne, a holy island on the East coast of North England, crossing both the country and the border with Scotland to arrive in Iona, the Holy Island of the North West. 576km walked in the month of May
I have talked about this before, and I bring it up again because the connections between walking on foot pilgrimages, pilgrimages of heart and soul, pilgrimages of social and political truth seeking and the Lenten inner pilgrimage are strong.
Generally people embark on a pilgrimage for lots of positive reasons, with a sense of “doing the right thing”, and the belief that they will make a difference or “bring about change”.
My experience of the pilgrimage we made was mostly memories of hurt knees, hurt feet, steady rain and steep hills.
Then just below that are the memories of people we met along the way; farmers, walkers, people in a hostel, members of Iona Abbey and other folks. Memories of Joanna and Phil who looked after us so gracefully.
Then there are memories of astonishing beauty, contradictions in the history of great cruelty by the English towards the Scots. Theft of land, of language and of culture. Racial colonialism. I wanted to blow up the grand homes and rebuild the humble shepherds’ ruins.
Of all of these stories can be told. But that is like complaining about a lack of coffee in Lent.
The real point of a pilgrimage is to step out on a journey that you may not be able to complete.
It is to set off unsure of your strength or your ability
It is to be beyond your “comfort zone” and your preparations.
It is to make an offering of perseverance, trust in God’s Spirit walking unseen beside you, and trust in the person you are walking with. Often my trust came through gritted teeth.
To trust is to be “at risk”.
Lent is, at its best, a time to be at risk, and therefore, to need to trust.
When you give something up for Lent, it is a “fast”. It may be from meat or motorised transport, or from complaining, or from pointless TV watching. Fasting is doing without something that you know you use as a crutch, or a pillow. It is offering that period of need and discomfort to God. It is about making space and looking for Christ’s presence in the gap that is vacant.
Doing this for a day is easy. For a week is tough. For 40 days is ...... demanding!....or/and rewarding?
We have been encouraged to think about “Black History Month”.
As a white privileged male of a certain age I don’t really want to do this.
It is hard. It probably won’t change any one’s life. It will make me feel guilty, and helpless. I might feel anger or shame. I am likely to make mistakes, misunderstandings. I may give up half way through.
In a pilgrimage you give up normal life and location to do something that opens space for God to speak to you.
In Lent you open space by putting one thing down in order to be able to hold something else, and whether it is food or TV or sleeping in, it is the space that matters.
At the end of our training Lent, comes the telling of the Lenten Journey of Jesus. Holy Week
The signs of the journey are all the way through the Gospels, like arrows showing the way. The Journey gets underway when there is a clash between Jesus’s understanding of faithfully living in God’s way and that of the religious teachers.
Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Rome is teaching that when you have a nice set of rules that you allow to run your life, the religious rules of Judiasm, it’s like sleepwalking through life. It’s only when you seriously break them that you get punished, and stir from sleep, until you pay your sin off with a sacrifice.
Paul says Rules that come from Laws lead to Enforcement and punishment.
He then says that Promises between you and God come from a living relationship. And when it gets damaged, that leads to Grace.
Paul shows you that Faith allows you to Hope. And Hope allows you to gain Courage. And Courage helps you to step out and do something that aligns with your Faith.
What is the worst that can happen?
The worst that can happen is death on a cross. But the resurrection of Jesus shows that death is not the end, the finality. It is the doorway to a full life with God through a new life beyond death.
Jesus said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
Mark Ch 8
You don’t walk a pilgrimage to get fit, or to see nice countryside. Actually you’ll probably end up with damaged feet and memories of falling rain.
You walk to be broken down, wall by wall, stone by stone, until God can get past your defenses and touch your heart.
You don’t give things up in Lent to lose weight or learn a new skill. You make yourself poorer, less free to chose, more likely to curse your decisions for Lent.
But... if you can keep going, even in a small thing like 30 minutes of silence a day in God’s presence, no agendas. If I can read just one article on Black History and understand it........ If we can do these things we have made a small doorway for God’s love to lead us, not by our wisdom, but by trust in God’s love.
And God leads us into simplicity of living, into the risk of stability in love, into the trust in Christ’s whispers.
Reflection Music ‘Elijah’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtAZHimTghE
Elijah, O Elijah. A child of God, what have we done to you? What have we done?
Elijah, O Elijah. I say your name, so many others too. They all have names. Elijah, they say in other times, people could fly away; people could fly.
Elijah, spread wide your gentle arms, rise o’er this troubled world. And fly away. And fly away.
Elijah, O Elijah. A child of God, what have we done to you? What will we do? What will we do?
Song written by Bill Hartley to honour Elijah McClain; arranged for SATB choir by Peter Amidon
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us pray for ourselves and each other, and for those that we do not know, but who you know, God.
In this month remember those who find the doors of our society locked against them, those who feel they are not equal because of the colour of their skin. Pray for those who have privileged lives without knowing who pays. Pray to be shown how to bring justice, even if only by a first trickle.
We remember those we know who are sick in body mind or spirit, especially Donna, Michael, Penny, Enid, Freda, Anne and Craig and family, Charlotte, Rose, Gail, Peter
We pray for those who are close to death or who have passed through death, remembering Ron, Joey, Jack, Mick, Paulette, Bev, Farima, Fred,
We remember those we know who are sick in body mind or spirit, especially Donna, Michael, Penny, Enid, Freda, Anne and Craig and family, Charlotte, Rose, Gail, Peter
We pray for those who are close to death or who have passed through death, remembering Ron, Joey, Jack, Mick, Paulette, Bev, Farima, Fred,
In the diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for the Mission to Seafarers, and its ministry of pastoral and practical care to seafarers from around the world;
for the Church of the Nativity, Malvern, its after-school, summer camp and youth programs, Seniors’ Community Lunch, and support for the local Indigenous community, Malvern Coalition and TAIBU Community Health Centre;
and for the Church of Our Saviour, Don Mills, its partnership with the Common Table community garden, ongoing support of the Flemingdon Park Ministry, Haven Toronto men's drop-in centre, Sistering women's shelter, and for Moorelands Community Services baby layette program.
Here take a few moments to ponder who you are carrying in love and care.....
All of our longings and our fears, our hopes and our desires we bring to you. Hear our prayers, gracious God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Final Hymn #179: ‘Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6g3W0zt77A
v.1: Tree of life and awesome mystery, in your death we are reborn; though you die in all of history, still you rise with every morn, still you rise with every morn.
v.2: Seed that dies to rise in glory, may we see ourselves in you; If we learn to live your story we may die to rise anew, we may die to rise anew.
v.3: We remember truth once spoken, love passed on through act and word; every person lost and broken wears the body of our Lord, wears the body of our Lord.
Adoremus te, Christe. Adoremus te Christe. Adoremus te Christe, Adoremus Christe.
v.4: Gentle Jesus, mighty spirit, come inflame our hearts anew. We may all your joy inherit if we bear the cross with you, if we bear the cross with you.
v.5: Christ, you lead and we shall follow, stumbling though our steps may be; one with you in joy and sorrow, we the river, you the sea, we the river, you the sea.
v.6b) From the dawning of creation you have loved us as your own; stay with us through all temptation, make us turn to you alone, make us turn to you alone.
Adoremus te, Christe. We adore you, O Christ.
What will you chose to affirm in yourself this Lent
What will you ask God to help you to put away from your soul?
What do you feel Jesus is ready to heal in you?
What blessing do you ask God give you?
Now go in peace, and at peace.
NOTICES
Here are several ways you can support your church:
The Collection Plate
I didn’t appreciate the value of the Sunday collection plate until Covid 19 prevented us from using one. A new pattern of giving developed as we moved through months of church closure and we have succeeded in adapting with different ways of giving. Will we ever go back to the old way?
Here are ways that you are using. Thank you.
PAR - Pre-Authorized Remittance. You direct your bank to deposit your donation into the church account on the 20th of each month. To apply contact Joyce Rogers at standrewbookings@gmail.com
E-Transfer - Use email: standrewbookings@gmail.com
Canada Helps – Visit the church website www.standrewbythelake.com, go to the Home Page and click on the Donate button.
Welcome Back!
To Marian Lye, our long-serving former warden, returned from Costa Rica and now at home in her Island home.
Not Back Yet!
Charlotte and Graham Mudge have been granted an extension to stay in New Zealand for until Augut 25th. Covid 19 still plays havoc with our Parish! We do look forward to their return once summer is in progress.
Lent Madness has begun!
If you haven’t heard about ‘Lent Madness’, now is the time. Sign up and you will receive wise and witty emails every day, throughout Lent, as we move towards the Golden Halo. Here’s a link that will explain the process:
https://www.lentmadness.org/about/