St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Regina, Saskatchewan
(Modified 2021-11-14: Added recording of service)
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
November 14, 2021
10.30 A.M. Holy Communion
Organ Prelude:
Be, Still, My Soul
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Arranged by Chester Nordman (1895-1973)
THE HYMN: 543 Unto the Hills around Do I Lift Up
Continue reading “Remembrance, 2021 – Holy Communion”(Modified 2021-11-14 Added audio recording of this sermon)
Daniel 12:1-3
Psalm 16
Hebrews 10:11-25
Mark 13:1-8
November 14,2021
St. Mary’s Regina
Proper 33
Year B
Have you ever been afraid of something? When I was a child, I was really afraid of the dark and of cockroaches. (pause) and truthfully, they both still bother me. There are cockroaches in El Paso, Texas (where I come from)…. BIG BUGS that inhabit cool, dark places like garages, cupboards, and basements and they scurry around at night in particular, which may have aggravated my fear of the dark. I hate being around them… I hate it when they startle me…. it doesn’t make any difference that I am a hundred times bigger then they are…. when one scurries across my path, my heart pounds, adrenaline rushes through my body and I instantly want to run the other way. Don’t even suggest that I simply step on it and kill it. The crunchy, splatty sound they make underneath my foot makes my skin crawl. I have tried over the years to talk myself out of this fear, but the last time I was home, I had to steel myself every time I had to walk into the garage, because I KNEW that there might be a roach out there. It was a great relief for me as I began my northern migration, to realize that there aren’t as many cockroaches up here as there are in El Paso because Cockroaches frighten me.
Continue reading “Remembrance, 2021 – Sermon”ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
November 7, 2021
GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!
10.00 AM
10.30 AM
MORNING PRAYER.
HOLY COMMUNION. Nathaniel Deng Mayen preaching
GODLY PLAY in the Worship Centre for children 3-6. Today’s story is ‘Elisha and the Room’ 2 Kings 4:8-37.
WARM WELCOME to Revd. Paula Foster who is beginning her ministry today.
The Vestry of St. Mary requests the congregation to help with diagnosis and treatment of Ayen, sister to Yar and sister in-law to Nathaniel. Ayen lives in a Ugandan camp with her six young children and husband. Ayen was living a normal life as a loving and caring mother until August 2021 when she experienced some dizziness and suddenly lost her eye sight. Ayen has tried to seek medical treatment through the financial help of Yar and Nathaniel but things continued to worsen. Ayen is currently guided by a child to walk around because she cannot see. Based on the estimate provided, the medical intervention, diagnosis and treatment will cost $2,000. One St. Mary’s friend has already donated $300, and we appeal to the congregation to help raise the remaining balance of $1,700. Please submit your donation to the parish so that you can receive a tax receipt and make accounting manageable. Once the parish has received the donations, arrangements be made with Yar and Nathaniel to send the moment to Ayen in a Ugandan refugee camp. Your prayer and generous support will be greatly appreciated.
Attached is the photo for Ayen (in yellow) and her four children. The two sons appear a separate photo. Ayen has six children.
Tuesday to Friday
Morning Prayer at 8.30 a.m. and
Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m.
(Modified 2021-11-07: Added audio recording)
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
November 7, 2021
10.30 A.M. Holy Communion
Organ Prelude: Introduction
Flor Peeters ( 1903-1986)
THE HYMN: # 278 Jerusalem the Golden
Continue reading “All Saints, 2021 – Holy Communion”(Modified 2021-11-07: Added audio recording of this sermon.)
Sermon. All Saints Sunday November 6, 2021. St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Regina. Nathaniel Athian Deng Mayen.
Today we are celebrating the great and wonderful Feast of All Saints, or as it used to be called, “The Feast of All Hallows”, from which we get the word ‘Hallowe’en’.
Rather than doing scary things, I would like to give a brief summary of the readings before we talk about the concept of the ‘communion of the saints’ and its significance to our faith.
In Isaiah 25:6-9, we read about God’s deliverance of the faithful from the oppressive regimes of the world, that is, sin and death. It is from the Scripture such as this that suffering, persecution and martyrdom, the blood shed for the sake of our faith in Christ, are considered signs of sainthood in ancient Christian theology and teaching. We suffer and die now on earth in hope that our faith will be accredited righteousness in the new life to come with Christ.
Continue reading “All Saints, 2021 – Sermon”TWENTIETH SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
OCTOBER 31, 2021.
GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!
LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.
WARM WELCOME to Revd. Paula Foster who has begun worshipping with us in preparation for the beginning her ministry on All Saints Sunday, November 7.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT! We give thanks and praise to God and rejoice with Terrance and Kelsi, on the birth of their son Dante Lucien Reign, and brother to Aelyn on Wednesday morning. May God grant him many years!
CONSECRATION SERVICE. Dean Mike Sinclair has announced that the Consecration of Bishop Elect Helen Kennedy will take place on January 22, 2022 at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Vestry met on Tuesday, October 26th. The following are highlights from the meeting.
| Jan-Sept | Budgeted Jan-Dec | % of Budget | |
| Donations | $131,868.37 | $195,800.00 | 67.3% |
| Total Income | $147,137.40 | $201,507.00 | 73.0% |
| Total Expenses | $155,730.97 | $209,442.00 | 74.4% |
| Net Income | -$8,593.57 | -$10,951.00 | 78.5% |
FINANCIAL APPEAL
The Vestry of St. Mary requests the congregation to help with diagnosis and treatment of Ayen, sister to Yar and sister in-law to Nathaniel. Ayen lives in a Ugandan camp with her six young children and husband. Ayen was living a normal life as a loving and caring mother until August 2021 when she experienced some dizziness and suddenly lost her eye sight. Ayen has tried to seek medical treatment through the financial help of Yar and Nathaniel but things continued to worsen. Ayen is currently guided by a child to walk around because she cannot see. Based on the estimate provided, the medical intervention, diagnosis and treatment will cost $2,000. One St. Mary’s friend has already donated $300, and we appeal to the congregation to help raise the remaining balance of $1,700. Please submit your donation to the parish and identify the gift with “Ayen Appeal” so that you can receive a tax receipt and make accounting manageable. Once the parish has received the donations, arrangements will be made with Yar and Nathaniel to send the money to Ayen in a Ugandan refugee camp. Your prayer and generous support will be greatly appreciated.
Attached is the photo for Ayen (in yellow) and her four children. The two sons appear a separate photo. Ayen has six children.
Tuesday to Friday:
(Modified 2021-10-31: Added audio recording of service.)
TWENTY- SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
October 31, 2021
10.30 A.M. Holy Communion
Organ Prelude: Offertory Edouard Batiste
THE HYMN: # 349 All People That on Earth Do Dwell
Continue reading “Trinity 22, 2021 – Holy Communion”(Modified 2021-10-31: Added audio recording of sermon.)
Sermon for St. Mary’s Anglican – by Henry Friesen – Oct 31, 2021
Scriptures: Ruth 1:1-18, Psalm 119:1-8, Hebrews 9:11-14 and Mark 12:28-34
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts together, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
In the poem entitled “The Road Not Taken” the American poet Robert Frost included these famous lines: Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. These short lines have become famous because they speak to the universal human reality of choice; we as human beings have the ability to freely make choices and we do so every day. In addition we know that those choices have consequences, they will affect our future. Now the choice we make as to the kind of car or house we buy may not have a huge impact on our lives, at least not compared to the choice we make as to a career, a life partner or our convictions in regard to faith. The latter choices are loaded with the potential of deeply affecting our lives at both an intellectual and emotional level. As I get older – and of course I am not old YET – I recognize so clearly that the choices I made at several key junctures have greatly affected my life: they have “made all the difference.”
Continue reading “Trinity 22, 2021 – Sermon”TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
OCTOBER 24, 2021.
GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!
RECORDED AUDIO of today’s service is available on the Order of Service page.
WARM WELCOME to Revd. Paula Foster who has begun worshipping with us in preparation for the beginning her ministry on All Saints Sunday, November 7.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS. Our parish has always been hospitable, loving, caring and welcoming to families and individuals from different walks of life. This community life is very practical in our refugee sponsorship plan. To continue to be such a hospitable and caring community, we need a group of volunteers to sit on the refugee and newcomer support committee. If you are interested in volunteering for the refugee and newcomer support committee, please talk to Nathaniel, Janice or Mary. We will have a meeting on Sunday October 31, 2021 after worship service in the worship centre to allow for physical distancing requirements. Thanks for considering this great opportunity to serve your community.
Update on the ongoing refugee sponsorship at St. Mary
1. Mapiou (family of five members) —Current amount received = $29,377.07.
2. Dau (Family of one member)—current amount in account = $12,239.65.
VESTRY MEETING will takes place this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
NEXT SUNDAY will be Claude and Hilary’s final Sunday before leaving on sabbatical. We will be sending them off with our blessings and prayers at the end of the service. Henry will be preaching.
Tuesday to Friday: Morning Prayer at 8.30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m.
For seven weeks through October and the beginning of November, we are making our way through the letter to the Hebrews in our New Testament lessons. You may remember such phrases as “In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them,” and “was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek,” and from today, “For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews is not a light read. I’m not sure the creators of the lectionary do us any favours by doling it out chunk by chunk a week at a time. I mean, this month we’ve read 4 verses from chapter one, 7 verses from chapter two, 10 verses from chapter five, 6 verses from chapter 7 today, and 4 verses from chapter 9 next week. We would have had 5 more from chapter 4, except, Thanksgiving. Anyway, my point is, what are we to make of that? It occurred to me to wonder, exactly how much of Hebrews do we read in the whole 3-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary? So I looked it up. I think this is really interesting, but I’m a nerd, so your mileage may vary.
Continue reading “Trinity 21, 2021 – Sermon”