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A Word from the Rector

Dear Beloved People of St.Mary’s,

Some of you will perhaps recognize the figure of the man in civilian dress standing  to the right of centre of a group of uniformed British Army chaplains. It is C.S. Lewis, celebrated author of children’s stories, and most celebrated Anglican lay theologian of the 20th century.

In a lecture he gave to his students at Oxford University during World War II, Lewis said, “The war creates no absolutely new situation, it simply aggravates the permanent human  situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men has postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare thewar with “normal life.” Life has never been normal.”

Replace “the war” with “the corona-virus” and you have some sobering words for us to take to heart in the midst of what we regard as an abnormal situation and our longing for and our wondering how long  before things return to normal…As far as our calling as Christians is concerned, nothing has changed. We must go about our business.

                                     “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” 
                                     Your face, Lord, I will seek. (Psalm 27:9.)

On a practical front, please note the following:

  1. Public services of worship at St. Mary’s have been suspended until further notice.
  2. A phoning committee has been struck and will be contacting you to touch base either today or tomorrow.
  3. I have prepared an order of service for Morning Prayer with Sermon which I will be sending out tomorrow. I encourage you all to  create a beautiful space and read and pray through the service at home, knowing that though “spacially-distanced” from another, we have communion with Christ and with one another through  His Word and Holy Spirit.
  4. Pending the resolution of some technical issues, I may be able “live stream” the service on the St. Mary’s U-Tube channel on Sunday morning.
  5. I will be checking messages on the office answering machine at 306-522-6052 daily. Please call me at home for emergencies.
  6. You may also call Janice K, Churchwarden.

With love and prayer.
Yours faithfully,

Claude +

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March 15th, 2020 – The Third Sunday in Lent

WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk.  But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

(The Lenten Prayer of ST. Isaac the Syrian)

Today’s Scripture Readings

Water is the dominant motif of the texts for the Third Sunday in Lent, leading in various ways to reflection upon human need and divine grace. The Old Testament lesson is one of the many accounts of the people of Israel complaining in the wilderness, in this case because of thirst. The Lord’s response is to tell Moses how to bring water from the rock. The psalm, one of praise, responds directly to Exodus 17. In the epistle, Paul presents a picture of endurance in suffering that contrasts with that of Israel in the wilderness, and celebrates God’s love in Jesus Christ as the foundation for rejoicing. The gospel reading is the account of Jesus at the well in Samaria, offering living water of the Holy Spirit to the Samaritan woman. 

Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42

This week’s BulletinDownload
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March 8, 2020 – The Second Sunday in Lent

Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk.  But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

(The Lenten Prayer of ST. Isaac the Syrian)

Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17

This week’s sermon

This week’s bulletinDownload

A WORD FROM THE RECTOR.

One of the emphases in this season of Lent is “ the message of pardon and absolution contained in the Gospel of our Savior.” (Book of Common Prayer p. 612), which is the impetus behind some changes to the liturgy in Lent. We begin with  The Lent Prose, as it is called in English, which is plainsong responsory  known in Latin by the first words, Attende Domini, ‘ Hear us O Lord.” It derives originally from the Mozarabic liturgy, used by Christians living under Arabic rule in Medieval Spain. The Lenten Anthem, taken from the Penitential Service in the Book of Common Prayer, replaces the Gloria at the end of our service, and contains a prayer that we might come to the celebration of Easter with a “pure conscience.”

How do we translate that which we celebrate in the liturgy, the forgiveness of sins, into daily life, that we might become not only forgiven sinners, but forgiving sinners? Fr. Stephen Freeman writes,

1. Begin by struggling to form the habit of forgiveness in the smallest things. With a child, with traffic, with little irritations. Do not struggle in a small way but throw yourself into forgiveness. It should become a habit, but a habit of grace.

2. Use this prayer for the enemies who seem to be beyond your ability to pray: “O God, at the dread judgment, do not condemn them for my sake.” This places forgiveness at a distance and even a hard heart can often manage the small prayer of forgiveness at such a distance.

3. Be always aware of your own failings and constantly ask for God’s forgiveness. “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

4. As much as possible cultivate in your heart the understanding that all human beings are broken and victims of the fall. 

5. Make a life confession at least once a year – being careful to name as many resentments as you can remember. https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2020/02/29/forgiveness-the-hardest-love-of-all-2/

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Lent 2 March 8, 2020

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church Regina Lent 2 March 8, 2020 Canon Claude Schroeder (John 3:1—7)

The theme which we are exploring in our small groups this Lent and on Sunday mornings at St. Mary’s “Becoming the Story We Tell” which is the story of God’s love made known in creation and in the birth, baptism, temptation, preaching, teaching, miracles, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Holy Spirit, and the coming again in glory of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord to judge the living and the dead. This is the story that is embedded in both the Apostles and Nicene Creed, and in the calendar that governs our worship here at St. Mary’s.

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March 1, 2020 – The First Sunday in Lent

O LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights: Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

This week’s Sermon

This week’s BulletinDownload

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

(The Lenten Prayer of ST. Isaac the Syrian)
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Lent 1 March 1, 2020

Sermon on Matthew 4:1-11

Canon Claude Schroeder

Lent has arrived! I know it doesn’t look like it much outside today, but Lent is the Church’s springtime. It’s a time when new life begin to appear, and as we begin our journey with Jesus to Jerusalem.

Our Gospel for today: after His Baptism by John in the River Jordan, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and he fasted 40 days and 40 nights. It’s this temptation that I want to talk to you about this morning.

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Quinquagesima Feb 23, 2020

Sermon by Canon Claude Schroeder

We come today to the final Sunday in this season of pre-Lent: Quinquagesima, from the Latin word tor 50, in anticipation of the 40 days of Lent which starts on Wednesday.

“Then Jesus took unto the 12 aside and said to them, “See ​we are going up to Jerusalem, and everythinq that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.”

Lent is a journey with Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem.

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Becoming the Story We Tell: Lent 2020 Small Groups Program

Small groups will meet weekly to study the Gospel Lesson for the upcoming Sunday.  This year’s Lenten Gospel Lessons come from the Gospels of John and Matthew.  The readings from John’s Gospel (Lent 2-5) are all stories of an individual person having a life-changing encounter with Jesus.  How can we encounter Jesus in Regina in the 21st century?  How would an encounter with Jesus alter our lives?

                                                     Schedule:

Mondays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Carol M
Host: Lorna C
Wednesdays @ 9:00 amLeader: Claude S
Host: At St. Mary’s
Wednesdays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Henry F
Hosts: Alan and Jacky S
Saturdays @ 7:00 pmLeader: Katherine G
Host: Ginny L
Sundays @ 7:00 pmLeader and Host: Beth C

For families who are unable to make these dates and times work in your schedule, you are invited to sign up to be paired with another family to pray and study together at a time that is convenient for you.  Speak to Heidi D or Karen J to be added to this list and receive the materials.

A group is being organized for our older youth which will meet at St. Mary’s on Friday evenings.  Speak to Nathaniel for details.