Dear friends,

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.  

SUNDAY MARKS THE END OF THE SEASON OF EPIPHANY and the Feast of the Transfiguration.  In her commentary on this passage Meg Jenista writes: “It’s instructive that the season of Epiphany, which begins with a bright star in the East, leading the Magi to worship the Christ-child concludes with Transfiguration Sunday, in which glory and shining, brilliance and light are, again, prominent themes.” In our Old Testament lessons Moses comes down from the mountain.  Having been in the presence of God, Moses’ face reflects God’s glory and those who see him are frightened.  He veils his face so that others are comfortable in his presence.  When we have been in the presence of God and learn to continue in his presence, we too are changed.  We become reflectors of his glory, in our words, our conduct, our thoughts, and our thoughts continually turn to him.  St. Augustine said: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement”.  For Moses and Peter, James and John this was being worked out in their lives.  Jesus brought them with him to the Mount of Transfiguration.  He came to pray and as Jesus prayed, he was changed: his glory revealed to them… a very real promise that when we, as followers of our Lord and Saviour pray, irrespective of times that our efforts are weak and perhaps weary and maybe questioning as we pray, as we stay in his presence, we are changed.

THE FOODBANK urgently requires bags for deliveries.  If you have any spare shopping bags, plastic or reusable, would you consider donating them to the Foodbank?  Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you and God bless.  Linda Smith – for the ECS Foodbank.

EVERYONE IS INVITED to join us downstairs after the service this Sunday to enjoy coffee, cookies and conversation.  We thank Betty and Linda for hosting coffee hour this week.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 461: “Be Thou my vision”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 638: “Take time to be holy”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 99
Gloria Patri
Exodus 34:29-35
Luke 9:28-36
Sermon: “Prayer changes us”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn for the Transfiguration of our Lord
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 490: “God of grace and God of glory”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

HOW FITTING that on the weekend when we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day our readings turn to the state of the heart.  Jeremiah with prophetic thundering states: 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”  Who can know it?  Good question! … then answered by our Lord as he says: 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”  It is a matter of the heart and yet we have a loving heavenly Father who knows and searches our hearts and loves us… in his love he makes provision for us that we will learn his ways… the Psalmist in Psalm 1 makes a contrast between the godly and the wicked.  He states: 3 He (the godly one) shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, and Jeremiah uses this same imagery.  As we turn to the Gospel.  Jesus in his Sermon on the Plain (a shorter version of The Sermon on the Mount) draws the crowd to himself both because of the healing that he offers and his teaching about the Kingdom of God.  Jesus teaches in terms of blessings and woes… blessed are we when our hearts and eyes turn to the things of God… woe to us when we turn aside to the things that this world offers.  As Christians we are to be in the world, yet not of the world.  We are to be light and salt to those around us that they may learn the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  Luke simply says this about Jesus: “19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him, for power went out from him and healed them all.”  Power went out from him and still does and when we receive his grace, we in turn touch others.  Who can know it?

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 371: “Love divine, all loves excelling”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 267: “Rejoice the Lord is king” (vs 2, 4 en français)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 1
Gloria Patri
Jeremiah 17: 5-10
Luke 6: 17-26
Sermon: “It’s all about the heart”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 420: “Je louerai l’Eternal” (vs 1 en français)
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 634: “Will you come and follow me?”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

THIS WEEK the Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries our Interim Moderator will be with us to lead worship and preach.  He will also lead us in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  The sermon this week will be based on the lectionary text of 1 Corinthians 15, and is a reflection on the reality of resurrection.  Paul certainly thought resurrection mattered a great deal—for Jesus and for us.  We’ll try to understand what he meant.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 249 “The day of resurrection”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
Choir Anthem: Bye ‘n bye
Children’s Time
Hymn 412 “Come, let us sing to the Lord our song”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 138
Gloria Patri
1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Isaiah 6:1-8
Sermon: “Most to be pitied”
Offering and Offertory
Invitation to the Table
Hymn 542: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”
Communion with Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Prayer after Communion
Hymn 665: “Lord Jesus, you shall be my song.” (en français)
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.  

OUR SCRIPTURE READING is taken from Luke 4: 21-30, “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth”.  Jesus speaks in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, declaring that he fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah.  At first, the crowd is amazed, but when he reminds them that God’s blessings extended beyond Israel, citing Elijah and Elisha helping Gentiles (non-Israelites) they become furious.  Their anger turns to violence, and they attempt to throw him off a cliff, but he passes through the crowd and leaves unharmed.

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us in celebrating St. Andrew’s 100th anniversary!  It was a joyful gathering of faith and fellowship.  We give thanks for the very inspirational sermon preached by our interim moderator The Rev. Dr. Roland de Vries and the day’s celebration was made even more special by our past minister, now retired, The Rev. Dr. Barry Mack’s reflections and history of St. Andrew’s and our community of faith.  A heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who set up, decorated, kept everything running smoothly and cleaned up – this celebration wouldn’t have been possible without your help and dedication.  We are truly grateful for the many blessings we share.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 315: “A mighty fortress is our God” (vs 2&4 en français)
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 386: “Come down, O Love divine”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 71:1-6
Gloria Patri
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30
Sermon: “Looking forward…moving forward”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 757: “Lord speak to me that I may speak”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 695: “Although I speak with angel’s tongue”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.  

OUR SCRIPTURE READING is taken from John 2: 1-11, “The Wedding at Cana”.  In our readings this week, John recounts Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in Cana, where he turns water into wine at his mother’s request.  This was his first public miracle, to manifest his glory, and his disciples believed in him (verse 2: 11).  The 17th century English Baptist minister, Daniel Dyke, comments, “It may seem strange that Christ, just as he begins to provide wine, first orders them to fetch water.  What poor comfort this was to call for water when they were all hoping for wine.  And yet, wine was close at hand even then, just when the water pots were filled with water to the brim.  So comfort is often closest to us just when our afflictions are most severe.  God works by contraries.  At the creation, light out of darkness.  In redemption, life out of death, glory out of shame, the blind man’s sight out of clay and spit – indeed, even heaven out of hell.” 

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 290: “Immortal, Invisible God only wise”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 565: “Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 36:5-10
Gloria Patri
Isaiah 62:1-5
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Sermon: “Rules! What rules???”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn: In Cana at a Wedding – Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 665: “Lord Jesus, you shall be my song” (vs 2&4 en français)
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.  

OUR SCRIPTURE READING is taken from Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22, “John the Baptist Prepares the Way”.  John the Baptist points to someone greater than himself, Jesus, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, and God’s voice declared, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  All four Gospels tell us that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at this time (Matthew 3: 16, Mark 1: 10, Luke 3: 22 and John 1: 32).  One commentator notes, “The Father now publicly declares the identity of Jesus, as Gabriel foretold it and as the youth Jesus implied it” (Luke 2: 49).  Jesus’ public mission and ministry was about to begin.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 176: “Songs of thankfulness and praise”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 400: “Spirit of the Living God” (vs 2 en français)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 29
Gloria Patri
Isaiah 43:1-7
Ephesians 3:1-12
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Sermon: “The big influence of small things”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn for the Baptism of our Lord; by L.F. Chalk (tune 245)
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 685: “How firm a foundation” (vs 5 en français)
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends,

OUR SCRIPTURE READING continues in the gospel of Luke 2: 41-52, “The Boy Jesus in the Temple”.  Mary and Joseph lose 12-year-old Jesus on their way home from the Passover festival, thinking he’s with the group.  After three days of searching, they find him in the temple, discussing with the teachers, who are amazed at his understanding.  Astonished, Mary says, “Son, why have you treated us so?  Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”  The Presbyterian New Testament scholar and educator, J. Gresham Machen reminds us, “When Mary spoke of the father of that twelve-year-old boy, she meant his human father, the one who stood to him in a relation more like that of a father than did any other human being.  When the boy Jesus spoke of his father in reply, he meant God.  Notice that he did not say “our father” when he spoke of God.  No, he said “my father.”  He was Son of God in a sense entirely different from that which would apply to any other person who ever lived upon this earth.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR to the church family of St. Andrew’s and your loved ones!  As we step into this new year, may it be filled with hope, joy, and God’s blessings. 

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 153 “Joy to the world” (vs 2 & 4 in French)
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 165 “O little town of Bethlehem” (vs 3 in French)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 148
Gloria Patri
1 Samuel 2: 18 – 20, 26 (en français – English on the screen)
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:41-52
Sermon: “Do we need to change our perspective?”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 166: “Once in royal David’s city”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 168: “See amid the winter’s snow” (vs 4 in French)
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude