Our Prayers go out to our Muslim Brothers and Sisters

 

 

The Church of the Epiphany the Little Church that Cares has lowered the flag in our Cenotaph in honour of our Muslim brothers and sisters who were so senselessly attacked recently in our great city.

Our Prayers go out for you

 

 

Our prayers

Our prayers are for the young and the innocent.

Our prayers are for the souls leaving us too soon

                                                way to early.

Our prayers are for the lonely

                                    for the souls left behind.

Our prayers are for the grief, for the tears

                                    for the sadness.

Our prayers are for time

                                    time to heal

                                    time to love

                                    time to remember all that is good.

Our prayers are for you

                                    for the laughter

                                    for the happiness

                                    for the joy yet to come.

Our prayers are for you.

 

Epiphany Service For July 18, 2021

Image: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Casper David Friedrich

 

The flowers in the Sanctuary today are to the Glory of God and in Thanksgiving for the memory of my wife Deborah, and in celebration of my daughters Michelle & Mary-Ann, and are given by Rev. Peter Leonard.

*Calendars: Bob C. has come up with a great fundraiser idea!  Thank you Bob.  Four themed calendars will be available. A kitten, a puppy, a lakes and streams and a majestic sunsets.  Details to follow.  

*Back to Church Sunday!  Sunday September 12.  Details to follow.

*Board Meeting.   Tuesday August 9.  In Church.  7 p.m.  Elevator Available.

*FUNDrive  collection day now moved to November 17.  We are collecting items we normally would have collected for our Spring/Fall yard sale for delivery to Value Village. Value Village will pay us 15 cents a pound for” wearables” (clothing, purses, belts, backpacks, shoes, etc) in green garbage bags and 10 cents a pound for “housewares” in boxes.   (Housewares are things home-related, but NOT furniture).   Thanks Jan for leading in this! Ron (519 472 9142) 

*Please remember to save your cancelled stamps. Gloria Thompson.

*Food Cupboard.     Butch. 519-615-9106. Butch has inventoried our cupboard and come up with a possible list.  But we gladly accept all donations! Uncle Ben’s Rice packets; Canned vegetables, meats, fruit; Juice; Cereal; We still have peanut butter and jam, but it is running low; We have received Soup, pasta, and pasta sauce at this time;  Thank you everyone! 

*Thank you for your generous love of Epiphany.  Our Church does much good, quietly, without fanfare.   Let’s all keep up our Good Work! Even while we are sheltering in our homes.

*If you wish, our regular weekly donations or special donations may be sent to our Envelope Secretary:

 

Barb Smallman

4860 Whiteoak Road

London, Ontario

N6E 3Y8

 

519-680-0649

 

*Thank you Ron for posting our service on our website, Adam for recording our service To Anusha for the music.  Also Stephen.  

Bible reading for July 18

• 2 Samuel 7:1-14a and Psalm 89:20-37  

• Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Psalm 23   

• Ephesians 2:11-22   

• Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

 

Audio for July 18 Service

 

Opening:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all.

 

And we respond with: And with thy spirit.

 

WE pray:

 

Holy God of Israel,

ever present and moving among your people,

draw us near to you,

that in place of hostility there may be peace;

in place of loneliness, compassion;

in place of aimlessness, direction;

and in place of sickness, healing;

through Christ Jesus, in whom you draw near to us. Amen.

===

Psalm 23

23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

23:3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me.

23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

 

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

6:31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

6:32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

6:33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.

6:34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

6:54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,

6:55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

6:56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

 

Sermon:

Mark 6:30-44, 53-56

Everywhere Jesus went, people flocked to him. 

They wanted what he was offering. 

They wanted inspiration. 

They wanted wholeness. 

They wanted God. 

Mark’s gospel tells us that “so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat” (Mark 6:31). 

That coming and going provided a chaotic atmosphere for Jesus’ ministry. 

That chaos meant that even before Jesus got to a town, the mass of admirers rushed ahead of him and waited for his arrival (Mark 6:33).

 Mark points out that people “ran throughout that whole region of the Gennesaret and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was” (Mark 6:55).

 

In dramatic contrast to all this chaos, Mark simultaneously reports that Jesus said to his apostles, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (Mark 6:31b-32).

 

Chaos came to Jesus because people are attracted to him.

 The people who are looking for an authentic relationship with God come to him. 

The people who want  to hear the truth about life come to him.. That causes a mob atmosphere much of the time.

 That caused chaos. 

Nobody could protect Jesus from the crowds. 

Everyone wanted a piece of him. 

The poor and downtrodden wanted him to help them. 

The sick and suffering wanted healing from him.

 That made for one chaotic incident after another as our Lord moved from place to place. 

In short, People were fascinated by him.

People were  attracted to Jesus.

 

People were attracted to Jesus’ integrity. J

esus was a man who said what he would do, then did what he said. 

There are so many hypocrites around, people who say one thing and do something else, that Jesus stands out like light in the darkness. 

Many of the religious leaders fell into this unhappy category. They told the people what to do, but didn’t do what they told others to do. 

They majored in minors, emphasizing man-made rules 

while neglecting God’s laws and God’s kingdom values.

 

Jesus confronted them and faced them down on many occasions. 

People marveled that Jesus stood up to the political and religious establishment.

 

People were attracted to Jesus’ authority. 

“No one speaks like this man,” people reported.

 “He speaks with authority.” 

No one was like him, before or since. 

There was a powerful aura around him. 

People sensed it and saw it. 

When Jesus spoke, people heard truth spoken with authority.

 

People were attracted to Jesus’ message of love,

To his message of  hope, 

They are attracted to his compassion. 

 

He not only taught that we should love God above everything else 

He not only taught that we should love our neighbors as ourselves; 

Jesus lived what he taught. 

 

Someone has said

You could warm your hands at the love he showed.

For instance, Jesus fed the multitude like a caring parent feeds their beloved children. 

Jesus showed that same kind of love to hundreds of other people. 

You can see the love in his eyes as he moves among people.

 

You could also see hope in his eyes.

 He was the most hopeful man that anyone had ever seen. 

Hope radiated from his words,  from his being.

 

He helped people overcome problems by holding out hope in front of them. 

 

“Be not afraid,” he often said. 

He saw the future that people could have 

if they would just turn back to God, 

if he held that future up in front of their eyes 

so they too could see it.

 

Jesus lifted up hope for one and all everywhere he goes..

 

In the eyes of Jesus you can also see something else — compassion. 

 

Where many others looked down at people,

                               thinking themselves superior, 

 

Jesus always seems to look across at people, 

                                           from their level. 

 

Even the children were treated as valuable people by Jesus. 

               Children, as well as adults, 

                    flocked to Jesus because of the compassion they felt in him.

 

With integrity and authority like he had,

            Jesus could have commanded governments and armies.

 

 Instead, 

            he commanded peoples’ respect and love. 

                                   He still does. 

                                           That’s why people flock to him yet today.

 

With a message of love, hope, and compassion, 

                         Jesus was so unique

                               that multitudes wanted to be where he was. 

 

 They still do. 

            “We would see Jesus,” Greek seekers said (John 12:21 KJV).

 

Today people want to see Jesus too. 

 

                  Some people are attracted to Jesus 

                          because of what they hear about him 

                                    or what they see in him. 

 

According to Mark 6:34,

              the people around Jesus were like sheep 

                      without a shepherd. 

 

Matthew 9:36 reports the same thing in a slightly different way. 

 

There we read that the crowd was harassed and helpless. 

 

In other words,

      many people there were frightened, 

                          anxious, confused.

 

 There is no doubt that there is chaos in the world we live today..

 

There was chaos all around him. 

            But there was a serenity within Jesus 

                                         that people could sense. 

 

Jesus was and is 

               the still point in a chaotic and churning world.

 

Jesus says, 

           “Come away to a deserted place 

                                          all by yourselves 

                                                    rest a while” (Mark 6:31). 

 

Jesus knew that life includes heavy demands and hard work 

That’s why Jesus took his disciples 

         to a deserted place, 

                 a place of solitude.

 

That place of solitude can be inner,

       It can be leaving our devices in another place,

               And just being with Our Lord.

 

. We need time to refresh ourselves in the presence of God. 

 

Daily devotions can be that kind of break away. 

 

Prayer is as important to life as breathing.

 

 Retreat can lead to a more meaningful re-entry.

 

 When that retreat is more than just a rest, 

               when it is intentionally centered in God, 

                                                            it is called solitude.

 

To meet life’s various heart wrenching demands, 

                  we need some kind of retreat,

                         a time of solitude with God. 

Christ is saying to you and I

         Leave your phones, 

                Come away, rest a while.

Hymn:  

On Eagles Wings.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord

Who abide in His shadow for life

Say to the Lord, “My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!”

 

And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand

 

The snare of the fowler will never capture you

And famine will bring you no fear

Under His wings your refuge, His faithfulness your shield

 

And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand

 

You need not fear the terror of the night

Nor the arrow that flies by day

Though thousands fall about you, near you it shall not come

 

And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand

 

A prayer:

Shepherd God,

you call us into a rhythm of work and rest

that our lives may be the better for it.

So shape our leisure and our labor,

that the world will recognize us

as Jesus’ disciples

and our ministry

as what you would have us do. Amen.

 

Our Creed: All together.

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:

by the power of the Holy Spirit

he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

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.

With the Father and the Son

he is worshipped and glorified.

He 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

 

Prayers:

Creator God,

you call us to love and serve you

with body, mind, and spirit

through loving your creation

and our sisters and brothers.

Open our hearts in compassion

and receive these petitions

on behalf of the needs of the church and the world.

 

Prayers Zac; Peter T.;  Mark Mc; Dan B.;. (Garfield & Diane); Linda; Dean; Allan; Aunt Frankie; (Brian G.); Linda (Joan C.); Larry R.; Brian; Marcel De C and family; Tara; Jeff B.; Doug T.; Alex,  Gord, (Sandra); Connie and Henry (Katherine and Harold K);Connie C.;  Jim P. Jack B.; Jack and Julie.  Jim M; Mary B.;  Keanna,  Ella D.; Evelyn Mc; Marion R.; (Church)  Jade (Carol R.); Dori;  Belinda,;  Kim; Edie K., Ross B., Francis & Bill W.; Jeff G. (Dori & Jack); Michelle P.;(Jim P.)  Pat P; Grant K; Kathy W. (Jack & Julie); Hope (Marilyn B.) ;  Valerie (Carol F.); Helen, Debrah G.,and Regina G (Pat M.); Lori (Maya) Pat and Tony  (Marilyn B.); Melanie; Marlene H. Pam B. (Barb & George); Zaden; Kendra; (Gloria);  Bill, Sheila, Jessica, Sonya, Jamie (Peter);    Lynda D . (Mary Beth & Paul); Jean (Bruce J.); Ola and Roman; Mildred Mc. (Jan & Ron); Brian (Jeanne); Diana, Ian, Edna, Matthew & Annika;   David & Lyla & Joanna Mac;   Janice L & Darrin R;  Roland & Pansy V;  Rob P;  Pat B & her family;)Clark & Helene (Suzie D)

 

Holy One,

hear our prayers and make us faithful stewards

of the fragile bounty of this earth

so that we may be entrusted with the riches of heaven. Amen.

 

As our Savior taught us, let us pray,

 

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done;

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

 

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.

 

Blessing from the Book of Common Prayer:

The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.

 

Our Parting Blessing Song:

May God’s blessing surround you each day

As you trust Him and walk in His way

May His presence within guard and keep you from sin,

Go in peace, go in joy, go in love.

Go in peace, go in joy, go in love.

Junne Boucher

BOUCHER, Junne

At University Hospital, London on Monday, March 15, 2021, Junne (Winslow) Boucher in her 98th year. Beloved wife of the late Bill Boucher (1981). Dear mother-in-law of Wayne Parker (Connie). Cherished grandmother of Janice Wiersma (Jim), Bob Parker (Sue), and great-grandmother of Laryssa Parker and Michelle Wiersma. Dearly missed by Allan Cross (Barbara). Predeceased by her stepdaughter Dorothy Parker, her parents William and Clara Winslow, her sisters Clara, Audrey and Phyllis. A private graveside service was held at Woodland Cemetery, London. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to the Humane Society of London & Middlesex, 624 Clarke Road, London, ON N5V 3K5. A. Millard George Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements 519-433-5184. Online condolences, memories and photographs shared at www.amgfh.com

Esther Holowitz