Saint Faith's was privileged to have the Rev'd Peter Smyth, the Anglican Chaplain at the Mission to Seafarers, as our preacher at the 10.00 a.m. Eucharist on Sunday, the 28th of May 2017. Peter reflected on his ministry in the context of the day's readings from Isaiah, 1 Peter and John.
You can listen to Peter's sermon by clicking here.
Blessings,
Richard+
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Friday, May 26, 2017
The Abyss of Love: Thoughts on John 17.1-11 (RCL Easter 7A)
The
Abyss of Love
Thoughts
on John 17.1-11
RCL
Easter 7A
28
May 2017
Saint
Faith's Anglican Church
Vancouver
BC
17.1 When Jesus
finished saying these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the
time has come. Glorify your Son, so that
the Son can glorify you. 2
You gave him authority over everyone so that he could give eternal life to
everyone you gave him. 3 This
is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
sent. 4 I have glorified you
on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your
presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.
6 “I have revealed
your name to the people you gave me from this world. They were yours and you
gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from
you. 8 This is because I gave
them the words that you gave me, and they received them. They truly understood
that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 “[I am] praying
for them. [I am] not praying for the
world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 Everything that is mine is
yours and everything that is yours is mine; I have been glorified in them. 11 [I am] no longer in the world, but
they are in the world, even as [I am] coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them in your name,
the name you gave me, that they will be one just as we are one." (John 17.1-11 in Common English Bible)
In
the mid-nineteenth century a rising theologian at King's College London
published a collection of essays that led to his dismissal from the
College. What drew the ire of some
influential members of the Church of England was the careful distinction he
made between the words 'everlasting' and 'eternal'.
This
theologian's name was Frederick Denison Maurice and he was a thorough disciple
of John the evangelist. Maurice pointed
out that 'everlasting' is a quantitative adjective meaning 'without end' or
'unending duration'. 'Eternal', on the
other hand, is a qualitative adjective meaning 'beyond time' or 'timeless'.
'Everlasting'
is the adjective you and I use when we are involved in an unpleasant experience
of some sort or another. We cannot see
any end and we may even fall into a degree of despair. 'Eternal', on the other hand, is the
adjective we use when we find ourselves experiencing something joyful,
something that speaks to our very soul.
We may even say, 'Time just flew by.'
In
Maurice's mind too many of his contemporaries were threatening people
'everlasting punishment' if they failed to live up to various moral standards
of behaviour, such as deference to one's social superiors. Maurice believed that they should be
encouraging people with the promises of God's 'eternal love', so that they
could become who they really as God intended them to be. He wrote
"I
ask no one to pronounce, for I dare not pronounce myself, what are the real
possibilities of resistance in a human being to the loving will of God. There are times when they seem to me ---
thinking of myself more than others --- almost infinite. But I know that there is something which must
be infinite. I am obliged to believe in
an abyss of love which is deeper than the abyss of death: I dare not lose faith in that love. I sink into death, eternal death, if I
do. I must feel that this love is
encompassing the universe. More about it
I cannot know. But God knows. I leave myself and all to Him." Theological Essays, 4th ed. (1881),
405-406
This
past week a young man walked into a public space and detonated a bomb which
killed more than twenty people, most of whom were as young as the bomber
himself. At the end of the week ten
armed men stopped a bus in the Egyptian desert, boarded it and gunned down a
number of Christians who were on their way to a monastery in the desert. While we await the conclusion of the
investigation in Manchester and the actions of the Egyptian government, there
is one thing that can be said. This
young man in Manchester and the attackers in Egypt had fallen into an abyss of
eternal death created by a false and cruel imitation of genuine Islam, a faith
that teaches submission to God, Allah, who is compassionate, who is merciful
and who is forgiving.
The
abyss of love in which Maurice trusted and the abyss of death into which those
I have mentioned fell are not future states of being. These are abysses that are before us in our
everyday lives. They are choices we face
at many points in our workplaces, our homes and our neighbourhoods. The eternal life that Jesus speaks of in
today's gospel is " . . . a life shaped by the knowledge of God as
revealed in Jesus" (The New Interpreter's Study Bible). It is a quality of life revealed in how the
disciples of Jesus live their lives in a world often obsessed with paths that
lead only to the abyss of eternal death:
racism, religious persecution, terrorism and the de-humanization of
those considered to be 'different' or 'heretical' or 'infidels'.
We
know that we live in a society where there are voices that advocate paths other
than the one we now walk with Jesus of Nazareth. But these voices are out of tune with the
song of love God has put into our hearts as followers of Christ. These are times when the disciples of Christ
need to raise our voices and sing our song in harmony with our sisters and
brothers of every nation and race, of every time and place.
We
need to sing confidently to draw our neighbours and others from the edges of
the abyss of death to which some folk seem drawn as a moth is drawn to an open
flame. We sing our song each time we do
justice in an unjust world, each time we show kindness in an unkind world, each
time we walk humbly with God in an often arrogant and selfish consumer-oriented
world.
There
is an abyss of love which is deeper than the abyss of death. This love is encompassing the universe
despite the resistance of some souls to its embrace. To that love let us pledge our faith and in
that love let us live --- not just in the future but right now, right here.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Prayers for Manchester
With the tragic attack in Manchester filling the news, let us offer our prayers for all who are affected by this violent act.
Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, deal gracious with the families of the injured and dead in Manchester and for the survivors. Surround them with your love, so that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for peace.
O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to all people of faith, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for the emergency services.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of the emergency services at home and abroad. defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for those who perpetrate acts of violence.
O God, the Lord of all, your Son commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for them. Lead us from prejudice to truth; deliver us from hatred, cruelty and revenge; and enable us to stand before you, reconciled through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, deal gracious with the families of the injured and dead in Manchester and for the survivors. Surround them with your love, so that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for peace.
O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to all people of faith, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for the emergency services.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of the emergency services at home and abroad. defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us offer our prayers for those who perpetrate acts of violence.
O God, the Lord of all, your Son commanded us to love our enemies and to pray for them. Lead us from prejudice to truth; deliver us from hatred, cruelty and revenge; and enable us to stand before you, reconciled through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday, May 22, 2017
An Ordo for Easter 7: Ascension Sunday (28 May 2017)
On Sunday, the 28th of May, St. Faith's welcomes the Rev'd Peter Smyth,
Vancouver Chaplain of Mission to Seafarers, who will preach at the 10.00 a.m. Eucharist.
The Seventh Sunday of
Easter
28 May 2017
The Gathering of the
Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
Opening Hymn
‘O Laughing Light, O First-Born of
Creation’ Common Praise #18 (sung to #17)
Introductory Responses
Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
The
Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
May his grace and peace be with you.
May
he fill our hearts with joy.
The Hymn of Praise
‘Glory, in the Highest Glory’ Common
Praise #366
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
O
God of glory,
your Son Jesus Christ ascended
to glory at your side.
Bring us together in Christ,
so that all may be drawn into
your bountiful dwelling
where with Christ and the
Spirit you live united in love and joy.
Amen. [i]
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading
A reading from the prophet Isaiah (45.1-7).
45.1
Thus says the Lord to his
anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before
him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him — and the gates
shall not be closed: 2 I will
go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of
bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the
treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know
that it is I, the Lord, the God of
Israel, who call you by your name. 4
For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your
name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord,
and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, 6
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there
is no one besides me; I am the Lord,
and there is no other. 7 I
form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm
21 from Songs for the Holy One.
Refrain
(sung twice): Gracious God, may your peace dwell in our hearts.
The king rejoices in your power, O God;
in
your victory how greatly he exults!
You
gave him his heart’s desire,
have not denied his request.
You bless him with prosperity,
set
a golden crown on his head.
He
asked life of you. You gave it!
Gave endless days forever!
Refrain: Gracious
God, may your peace dwell in our hearts.
Great is his glory because of your victory;
splendour
and majesty you have bestowed upon him.
Eternal
blessings have you bestowed on him;
you make him glad with the joy of
your presence.
The king indeed trusts the Holy One;
through God’s love and loyalty he
shall be unshaken.
Refrain: Gracious
God, may your peace dwell in our hearts.
Your hand will discover all your enemies,
your
strong hand all who hate you.
In
your anger you will make them a blazing furnace,
in rage, engulf them make fire
consume them.
You will destroy their offspring from the
earth,
their
descendants from all humanity.
They
devised evil against you,
hatched plots they could not
fulfill.
You put them to flight
with
your bow aimed at their faces.
Arise,
Holy One, with your might.
We will chant and sing of your great
power.
Refrain: Gracious
God, may your peace dwell in our hearts.
The Second Reading
A reading from the First Letter of Peter (4.12-14;
5.6-11).
4.12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you
to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are
sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when
his glory is revealed. 14 If
you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of
glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
5.6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt
you in due time. 7 Cast all
your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Discipline yourselves, keep
alert. Like a roaring lion your
adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your
faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are
undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has
called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support,
strengthen, and establish you. 11
To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
Hymn before the Gospel
‘Alleluia’
Common Praise #715 (‘Alleluia’
refrain only)
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John (17.1-11).
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
17.1
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father,
the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2
since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all
whom you have given him. 3
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent. 4
I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in
your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world
existed.
6
“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and
they have kept your word. 7
Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for
the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them
and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent
me. 9 I am asking on their
behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you
gave me, because they are yours. 10
All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the
world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that
you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Hymn after the Gospel
‘Alleluia’
Common Praise #715 (‘Alleluia’
refrain only)
The Homily
The Nicene Creed
Let us confess our faith, as we say,
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the
virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under
Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the
living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the
forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the
dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions,
Petitions and Thanksgivings
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the risen Christ be always
with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory Hymn
‘Come, O God of All the Earth’ Common
Praise #589 (sung with cantor)
Prayer over the Gifts
Let
us pray.
Blessed
are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth.
Day be day you shower us with
blessings.
As you have raised us to new
life in Christ,
give us glad and generous
hearts,
ready to praise you and to
respond to those in need,
The Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We
lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
It
is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all
places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, for the
glorious resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb who
gave himself to take away our sin, who in dying has destroyed death, and in
rising has brought us to eternal life.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the
resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and
archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending
hymn:
You
are holy, you are whole.
You
are always ever more
than
we ever understand.
You
are always at hand.
Blessed
are you coming near.
Blessed
are you coming here
to
your church in wine and bread,
raised
from soil, raised from dead.
You
are holy,
you
are wholeness,
you
are present.
Let
the cosmos praise you, Lord!
Sing
hosanna in the highest!
Blessed
are you, O God of the universe. Your
mercy is everlasting and your faithfulness endures from age to age.
Praise
to you for creating the heavens and the earth.
Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood. Praise to you for bringing the Israelites
safely through the sea. Praise to you
for leading your people through the wilderness to the land of milk and
honey. Praise to you for the words and
deeds of Jesus, your anointed one.
Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ. Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on
all nations.
In
the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink,
saying: This cup is the new covenant in
my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
With
this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s passover from death to life as we
proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
O
God of resurrection and new life: Pour
out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence. Come,
Holy Spirit.
Reveal
yourself to us in the breaking of the bread.
Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. Breathe new life into us. Send us forth, burning with justice, peace,
and love. Come, Holy Spirit.
With
the ever-blessed virgin Mary, blessed Joseph, blessed Faith and your holy ones
of all times and places, with the earth and all its creatures, with sun and
moon and stars, we praise you, O God, blessed and holy Trinity, now and
forever. Amen. [iv]
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done,
on
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
as
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
The Breaking of the Bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now
we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now
we share in your resurrection.
Live
in us, that we may live in you.
These are the gifts of God for the people of
God.
Thanks
be to God.
Communion
The Hymn after Communion
‘Restore in Us, O Lord’ Common
Praise #178
The Sending Forth of the
Community
Prayer after Communion
Let
us pray.
Life-giving
God,
in the mystery of Christ’s
resurrection
you send light to conquer
darkness,
water to give new life,
and the bread of life to
nourish your people.
Send us forth as witnesses to
your Son’s resurrection,
so that we may show your glory
to all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our
risen Lord. Amen. [vi]
Glory to God,
whose
power, working in us,
can
do infinitely more
than
we can ask or imagine.
Glory
to God from generation to generation,
in
the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for
ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn
‘He Came Down’ Common
Praise #368
Dismissal
The
Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
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