Fr. Scott led our Holy Communion Service on this Third Sunday in Lent. His sermon expanded on The Gospel lesson from Luke 11 in which Jesus cast out a demon from a person. Some of the witnesses accuse Jesus of casting out the demon in the name of Beelzebub but Jesus points out the absurdity of their accusation. In his sermon, Fr. Scott points out no one at that time had any doubts that the demon existed. However, today many people struggle with the idea that demons and evil exist. Demons are created creatures able to cause all kinds of trouble in our lives. While Satan has lost the war, he and his demons are trying to take as many people with them as possible. Fr. Scott reviewed the seven deadly sins and the seven virtues we can use to fight them. We need to remember that while evil is real, we can trust in our Baptism which has infused our soul with God's Grace and in the Eucharist where we receive Jesus Christ along with his hard won Grace. He closed with the Prayer to St. Michael:
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Fr. Scott's complete sermon can be found at the following link at the 22 min 45 second mark.
Thank you Fr. Scott for that wonderful sermon!
Maryl, Audree, and Anne - three generations of beautiful, smiling ladies!
And great news, Maryl and Fr. Scott move into their new apartment closer to the church this week! And more good news, Anne and Jon have sold their current home and found a new home! Lots of prayers for successful moves!
The good news continues... Rose Marie, Carol, and Ming are working on some special music for our Easter service.
Thank you Ming for playing every Sunday! Thank you Rose Marie and Carol for what will be a beautiful addition to our service!
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Fr. Scott held our Sunday School class about the Liturgy of the Word (the first part of the Holy Communion service) upstairs in the Nave. During the first part of the Holy Communion service, the emphasis is on learning which includes reciting the law, reading scripture, listening to the sermon, praying the collects for the day, and reciting the creed. Fr. Scott reviewed the order of the processional and the history of the different parts of the service, reminding us that many parts of our service trace back 2000 years. In general, as Anglicans, we kneel to pray, sit to listen (learn), and stand to praise. Thank you, Fr. Scott for the very informative lesson!
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Lynn and Daryl led our weekly Lenten Stations of the Cross service this past Friday. They used a booklet one their sons used as a child at a parochial school. The readings and prayers were simplified for young children but very beautiful and moving. Thank you, Lynn and Daryl for leading the service and sharing the lovely booklet!
Lynn is holding up the original booklet...
After service we headed down stairs for a light dinner. Mike and Claudia brought homemade tomato soup and sandwiches. Thank you, Mike and Claudia for the wonderful food!
Scott and Sue will be leading our next Stations of the Cross service on Friday, March 12 at 5 pm. Rosalind is bringing soup and Rose Marie is bringing sandwiches for a light dinner after service.
The fourteen Stations of the Cross allow us to walk with Jesus Christ during His final day before the Crucifixion using fourteen scripture readings interspersed with prayer. Each station represents one event that happened along the way. We can join in with early Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem who walked the Via Dolorosa, which is the path walked by Jesus to Mount Calvary. Come join us in this ancient tradition remembering Christ's Passion.
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Sue continues to lead our weekly online prayer group on Tuesday at 11:30. Thank you so much Sue for taking the time each week to lead our prayers! If you have a special prayer request but cannot join us, please send your request to Sue. Please contact Rosalind if you would like to join us on Discord.
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Our next Mission Committee Meeting is coming up this Sunday, March 14 after services.
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For Easter we will be decorating our altar with Easter Lilies. Please let Earl or Rose Marie know if you would like to purchase an Easter Lily in memory of a loved one. Please provide the number of lilies you wish to purchase along with the names of your loved ones. Rose Marie is currently pricing the lilies - last year the cost was $6 a piece.
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