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Epiphany 4, 2021 – Sermon

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, January 31, 2021 The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Revd. Canon Claude Schroeder. Sermon on Mark 1. 21-28

Sermon Audio

In this season of Epiphany, we have been celebrating and considering the means by which Jesus Christ becomes visible and known in the world. In our Gospel lesson today from St. Mark, we have another wonderful and powerful “epiphany.” Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Holy One of God comes to release His people from the grip of the unclean spirits of the Evil One which has holds them captive! 

This manifestation of both the power and identity of Jesus Christ comes to us perhaps as a bit of challenge. In our modern world, we generally believe that evil is simply a personal and/ or systemic problem, that can we address by means of education and legislation, government programs and improved technologies, all of which require a lot of effort and a lot of money!  But the conception of reality that emerges from the pages of the New Testament suggests that this is inadequate. There are radically evil, demonic spiritual forces at work in the world which actively assault, enslave, corrupt and destroy the creatures of God, and from which we need to be protected and delivered. Jesus Christ has come to do precisely that.

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Epiphany 3 2021 Bulletin

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY.
JANUARY 24, 2021

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

10.30  A.M. MORNING PRAYER WITH HYMNS AND SERMON. Beth preaching.

GODLY PLAY (for children 3-6 years via zoom.) Today’s story is ‘Jesus is Baptized’ Mark 1:9-11.

FAITHQUEST (for children 7-13 via zoom). Today we continue with the story of Jacob and Esau in The Daily Bread Bistro.

Parish Life Notes

HOUSEHOLD FINANCES. Tax receipts along with a financial update, letter from the Churchwardens and pledge forms for 20201 will be mailed out to all parishioners this coming week.

TAX RECEIPTS. Please be on the lookout for your 2020 tax receipts. Please review them and if you notice anything that is incorrect or if you have any questions please contact Blair.

IN MEMORIAM. At the end of our service this morning, we will take the opportunity to grieve the death of Allison in the hope of the Resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. We will give thanks for Allison’s  life and Christian witness, and commend her  soul to God’s gracious keeping. May she rest in peace and rise in glory! We pray for God to comfort her husband Rem, and extended family members. Private funeral service will be held at St. Mary’s on Tuesday at 1.30 p.m. Condolences may be sent to Rem at his home.

COVID UPDATE. Bishop Rob has directed that funeral services and food outreach programs may resume in churches throughout our Diocese, and anticipates that following further consultation with clergy and Diocesan Council at the end of January he will be able to provide further direction and a plan for 2021.

ANNUAL MEETING. The Annual Meeting of the Whole Congregation will be held on Sunday, February 14 (St. Valentine’s Day!) at 3:00 p.m. By direction of Bishop Rob this will take place via video conference. The purpose of this meeting is to receive ministry reports from 2020, review 2020 financial statements, receive proposed budget, and elect parish officers for 2021. Members of the congregation who have been baptized and attained the age of 18 years and regularly attend services at St. Mary’s are encouraged to attend and entitled to a vote on motions. Instructions on how to participate will be sent to everyone well before the meeting.

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Epiphany 3 2021 Sermon

Sermon Audio

If you follow the schedule for the Psalter as it is laid out in the Book of Common Prayer, you would have read Psalm 106 last Thursday evening.  It’s a long psalm – 48 verses.  The purpose of the song was to remind Israel of their history, of who they were as a people.  Beginning at the Red Sea, it moves through the history of the nation, reminding the listener of events they had been learning about all their lives, as they were set down in the Pentateuch.

Here are some of the highlights of Jewish history as recounted by Psalm 106:

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Epiphany 2 2021 Bulletin

THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY.

JANUARY 17, 2021

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

10.30  A.M. MORNING PRAYER WITH HYMNS AND SERMON. 
Claude Schroeder preaching.

GODLY PLAY for children 3-6 years via zoom. Today’s story is ‘The Boy Jesus in the Temple’ Luke 2:41-52.

FAITHQUEST: No lesson today. 

HOUSEHOLD FINANCES. Tax receipts along with a financial update, letter from the Churchwardens and pledge forms for 20201 will be mailed out to all parishioners this coming week.

TAX RECEIPTS. Please be on the lookout for your 2020 tax receipts. Please review them and if you notice anything that is incorrect or if you have any questions please contact Blair.

VESTRY MEETING to finalize budget for 2021 will be held via zoom, today at 7:00 p.m.

COVID UPDATE. Further direction to the Diocese from Bishop Rob is expected on January 18th. 

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Epiphany 2 2021 Sermon

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Epiphany 2, Jan. 17, 2020
Revd. Canon Claude Schroeder.

Lectionary: 1 Samuel 3. 1-10, Psalm 139. 1-5, 12-17, 1 Cor. 6. 12-20, John 1.43.51

Today is the Second Sunday after Epiphany in our church calendar. Epiphany, the season devoted towards celebrating “the manifestation” or the “showing forth” of God in the person of Jesus Christ.  

For a lot of people mid-January in Regina is physically and emotionally a pretty dark time and place at the best of times, made worse this year by you know what…Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I’m not so sure. But then again, I’m not sure “at the end of the tunnel” is the right place to be looking for light.

 “The light shines in the darkness “writes St. John at the beginning of his Gospel, “and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1.5). The place where the light shines is in the darkness.  And as St. Paul writes, “The God who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shone in ourhearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor.4.6). Our task as Christians is to turn to the light that is right here and right now shining in our hearts, and to bathe ourselves in that light. This is the gift and the blessing of the season of Epiphany, the season of light. “With thee is the fountain of life,” wrote the Psalmist, “in thy light we shall see light.” (Psalm 36.9)

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Baptism of the Lord, 2021 – Bulletin

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD.
JANUARY 10, 2020

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

10.30  A.M. MORNING PRAYER WITH HYMNS AND SERMON. 
Claude Schroeder preaching.

GODLY PLAY via Zoom. Today’s story is ‘Anna and Simeon’ Luke 2:25-38. 

FAITHQUEST via Zoom. Today’s Lesson: The Story of Jacob and Esau. 
From a human point of view, Jacob’s story is one of sin and redemption. This redemption happened because God chose to make himself known to Jacob (twice). From God’s point of view, it is the story of how God graciously works through his flawed children (like us) to fulfill his Covenant promise to raise up a kingdom of priests for the world.
Today’s Workshop: Let there be Magic!
Leader: Kate.

HOUSEHOLD FINANCES. Tax receipts along with a financial update, letter from the Churchwardens and pledge forms for 20201 will be mailed out to all parishioners in the next 2 weeks.

VESTRY MEETING to finalize budget for 2021 will be held via Zoom, next Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

COVID UPDATE. Further direction to the Diocese from Bishop Rob is expected on January 18th. 

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Baptism of the Lord, 2021 – Sermon

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Baptism of the Lord, January 10. 2020
Revd. Canon Claude Schroeder.
Lectionary: Genesis  1.1-5  , Psalm 29, Acts,19.1-7, Mark 1.4-11

I was sitting in my study here at the church  one day, this was quite a few years now, when the phone rang. “Good Morning, St. Mary’s Anglican Church.” 

It was the location manager for a local film company looking for a church in which to film a baptism scene, and she was wondering if St. Mary’s might be available. 

The story concerned a young woman who had started attending A.A. meetings in a church basement, such as happens here at St. Mary’s on Wednesday evenings. It was in the A.A. meeting where this young woman, according to the 12 steps, 

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