News | for the week of February 20

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Jamie

At the top of the list for this week is our latest session of ideaExchange, taking place this Tuesday, February 21. Our guest speaker is Bishop Mark MacDonald, the National Indigenous Bishop for the Anglican Church of Canada. We’ve invited Mark to engage us in a searching exploration of a cluster of issues connected to life as an Indigenous Christian, and what that might have to say to the wider church. Please remember that we are now in our new home for these events, The Folk Exchange located at 211 Bannatyne, at Albert Street. The door opens at 7pm, with the session underway at 7:30.

And of course this week we’ll also begin the journey into the season of Lent, with our Ash Wednesday liturgy at 7:00pm on February 22. This is actually one of the most powerfully symbolic liturgies of the church year, and a pretty striking way to enter into the season. We’ll also be joining together with the All Saints community and offering weekly Wednesday 7:00pm services through the Lenten season.

The readings for the 1st Sunday in Lent, February 26, are 1 Peter 3:18-22 and Mark 1:9-15.

Mental Health Support Group continues to meet on a bi-weekly basis, with the next session happening February 21. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.

The 4PM Sunday liturgy – We’ve been offering an alternate Sunday liturgy at 4pm on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, with the next two set for March 4 and 18. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone.

The Canadian Institute for the Study of Pop Culture & Religion will be holding its third annual symposium at Booth University College March 17, from 9am to 4pm. It’s open to the public, with a $10 suggested donation to help cover the costs for the day. The group (which includes several people with saint ben’s connections) is interested in examining the intersections between religion,faith and pop culture. For this year, I will be delivering the keynote, “God’s Mind in that Music: theological explorations through the music of John Coltrane.” We’ll have a bit more information up on the website in the coming week or so.

Providence Theatre presents Flowers for Algernon – Enter the world of Charlie, a cognitively challenged man who undergoes a daring medical experiment in an attempt to increase his intelligence. His story asks us all a poignant question: Do we value people because they are smart, or because they are good? Flowers for Algernon is playing February 23 – 25 at Providence University College – show time 7:30pm. Reserve tickets available for $8.50 by calling 433-7488. Tickets also available at the door for $10.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank Youth Study Tour to Nicaragua – May 1-15. Youth and young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who are interested in global hunger issues, and in putting their faith into action, are invited to apply for this unique opportunity. During the tour, participants will learn more about important issues affecting people in the developing world; learn about international development; make new friends; and meet Nicaraguans who are working to improve their lives and communities. There will also be time for reflection and prayer. Upon their return to Canada participants will be expected to share their experiences in their communities and continue to support Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Cost of the tour is about $3,000; some financial assistance may be available. For more information, simply click here.

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Why bother with Lent?

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Jamie

A word or two on the season of Lent, and why you might bother…

Lent is the forty-day liturgical season stretching from Ash Wednesday through to Easter Eve. This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 22, with Easter Day coming on April 8. The forty days, however, are interrupted by the six Sundays that fall within this period, because Sundays are always resurrection days or “little Easters.” What this means is that if you do decide to follow a Lenten discipline, you get a break on Sundays; see the section below on “How it is observed.”  Still, in our Sunday worship during Lent, we actually “fast” from singing or saying the word “Alleluia,” as a steady reminder of the larger season in which those Sundays fall.

  • What does the word “lent” mean?

The word “lent” is not particularly spiritual in its origins, in that it is simply the Teutonic word for the season of spring.

  • How is it observed?

Traditionally Lent has been understood as a season of “self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the reading and meditating on the word of God” (from the Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada). In the popular imagination, this has often been reduced to “giving up _______ for Lent”, with the blank filled in by everything from chocolate and doughnuts to dairy and eggs. The emphasis on food has to do with the tradition of fasting during this season, with the Canadian Book of Common Prayer (1962) listing Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as “major fasts,” and the forty days of Lent as “days of abstinence.”

Yet giving up some favourite food might not be the discipline that works for everyone. The idea here is to follow a practice for a season, which metaphorically tips your balance just enough to serve as a reminder that you are in a different season. Maybe that is a food or drink item, but it could also be clothes shopping, TV watching, maybe playing the car stereo⎯or plugging into your iPod on the bus⎯during your commute to work. Last year I read an article in The Christian Century, which reported that thousands of Facebook users had joined “Giving up Facebook for Lent” groups on the site.

And remember, because Sundays area always “little Easters,” any discipline you might be following is lifted each Sunday for the day, which can be a very welcome thing indeed.  And aside from fasting from something, there are those other pieces:

-self-examination and penitence – which means finding the courage to spend some time getting honest with yourself

-almsgiving – setting aside some money⎯or maybe some volunteer time⎯as an expression of concern for people living in need and/or poverty

-reading and meditating on the word of God - I know, I know, you’ve tried this before, and after a few days you skip a day and it all goes downhill after that. So, use these 40 days, and read day by day through chapters 40 to 66 of Isaiah, and then through the 16 chapters of Mark. That is actually 42 days worth of reading, so start a day early, and then read Mark 16 on Easter Day.  Or maybe there is another book you could be working with, something that takes you deep into the season.  Read that with intention.  We’ve got good books for Lent available for loan at the church.

  • Where does this practice come from?

Basically, it is modeled on the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness at the beginning of his own ministry, which itself echoes the 40 years that the liberated Hebrew slaves spent in the Sinai wilderness, being prepared to enter the promised land.

  • Why would I bother?

Seeing Lent as a desert or wilderness season is significant. To move into a bit of symbolic wilderness is to risk finding out something about yourself that maybe makes you a bit uneasy.

The other thing, though, is to be aware that some people spend an awful lot of their life in the desert. Someone whose partner has died or who struggles with depression or who is dealing with some deep family crisis might feel like it is wilderness year ‘round. If that happens to be you, then maybe Lent can give you a language and a practice that could help you believe there is a way across the desert. If, on the other hand, your life is pretty good and your day to day concerns fairly routine, then Lent could well help you to be more mindful and prayerful of those for whom life just isn’t quite so easy to navigate. In other words, though we might choose a personal Lenten discipline very much on our own, part of what it should do is to deepen our connections with those around us.

So, find a bit of that practice or discipline and follow it through the season. Who knows what you might learn?

Wednesdays in Lent: 

  • February 22 – 7:00pm – Liturgy for Ash Wednesday
  • February 29, March 7, 14, 21 and 28 – 7:00pm – Lenten Evening Prayer services
  • April 4 – 6:30 until 8:00pm – Walking the Stations of the Cross – You can arrive anytime between 6:30 and 8:00pm, and join a small group of people to walk the Stations of the Cross. A meditative practice involving both words and visual images, each group will take no more than 20 minutes to complete its own walk.

*And thanks to Helen Lyons, for her image of Jesus praying in the garden. It is taken from our publication Toward What We Can Scarcely Imagine and Scarcely Refuse: A Book for Lent.

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News | for the week of February 13

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Jamie

For this week I’d like to highlight our Annual Open Meeting, set for this coming Sunday February 19, starting at 4:15pm and including a catered supper at 5:30. If you’ve not yet added your name to the list, you can do so by contacting us. We do need to have a count of who is planning to attend, so we can plan our meal order. Suggested donation for supper is $10. The meeting will overlap a bit with our 4pm service that day, so Helen Manfield will be presiding at that liturgy in my place.

I’d also like to remind you about Riel Day at Agape Table, happening next Monday, February 20. Once again we’ll be participating in hosting an extended Agape Table on the afternoon of this holiday Monday, so if you’d like to volunteer for a couple of hours, please contact Rachel at rachel@houseblendministries.com. We’ll be looking to gather some musicians to offer a bit of a song circle, so if this is something that interests you do connect with Rachel.

The readings for Sunday February 19 are Isaiah 43:18-25 and Mark 2:1-12.

Alana Levandoski will be in town for a few days this week, and we’re hosting an evening to catch up on where her life and music has taken her over the past months. Thursday February 16, 7:30pm in our home. The space in our living room is a bit limited, so if you’re interested, please contact us so we can include you on the list and send you the address.

Our Hear the Silence liturgy for the month is set for Saturday February 18, 7pm at the church. Music, prayer, readings and stillness… a very good way to begin to shift gears into the season of Lent.

The next 4PM Sunday “family-friendly” liturgy is set for this Sunday February 19. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone. And yes, we realize that the annual meeting will be starting at 4:15 that same day (which is why Helen Manfield will be leading the service for the week), but you are certainly free to come to the liturgy and then just slip into the meeting a bit late.

Our next session of ideaExchange is on for Tuesday February 21, when we’ll be welcoming  Bishop Mark MacDonald to engage us in a searching exploration of a cluster of issues connected to life as an Indigenous Christian. Mark is the National Indigenous Bishop for the Anglican Church of Canada, and passionate in his conviction that we need to pay attention to the wisdom and experiences of Indigenous peoples. Please remember that we are now in our new home for these events, The Folk Exchange located at 211 Bannatyne, at Albert Street. The door open at 7pm, with the session underway at 7:30

Our Mental Health support group continues to meet on a bi-weekly basis, with the next session happening on February 21. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30 pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.

Ash Wednesday – The season of Lent begins on February 22, and we’ll be marking that day with a 7:00pm liturgy. More information on “how to do Lent” will be posted on the website later this week, but just a heads-up that we will again be offering a weekly Wednesday 7pm service, in collaboration with All Saints.

The Canadian Institute for the Study of Pop Culture & Religion will be holding its third annual symposium at Booth University College March 17, from 9am to 4pm. It’s open to the public, with a $10 suggested donation to help cover the costs for the day. The group (which includes several people with saint ben’s connections) is interested with examining the intersections between religion,faith and pop culture. For this year, Jamie Howison will be delivering the keynote, “God’s Mind in that Music: theological explorations through the music of John Coltrane.” We’ll have a bit more information up on the website in the coming month.

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Riel Day at Agape Table

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kyla

It began, as most good things do, with coffee and conversation.

Four years ago, when I was volunteering at Agape Table, I sat down to have coffee and a conversation with one of the guests, who I’ll call John. John began the conversation by asking me what I thought of the new holiday, Louis Riel Day.

John is Aboriginal, so I assumed he was asking me what I thought of naming a day in Louis Riel’s honour and so I answered truthfully that if we were going to have a new holiday, then it was fitting to honour a man like Riel.

Well, John said, “I hate it. In fact I hate all holidays.”

I was completely taken aback and asked John, “Why?”

“Holidays are no help to the homeless,” he said. “Everything is closed. The libraries are closed, the stores are closed, and there is nowhere to go to keep warm. And it was really cold on Monday.”

In that one conversation John completely changed my thinking about Riel Day. It hadn’t occurred to me that the holiday had further complicated the already complicated lives of homeless people like John.

In 2012, Louis Riel Day is Monday, February 20th and House Blend will once again be partnering with that local soup kitchen to provide a safe, warm space where people can go to enjoy the day. We’ll have food, games, live music and, of course, lots of coffee on hand throughout the day. st benedict’s table has sent a team of volunteers and a group of musicians to be a part of this event every year since it began.  You can help by volunteering to be part of the team, praying for the event, donating socks or warm winter gear or by making a donation to help cover the costs of the food for the day.

It’s a great cause but it’s also a lot of fun, so I hope you’ll seriously consider getting involved. You can contact me to sign up or for more information - rachel@houseblendministries.com, 791-4956.

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News | for the week of February 6

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jamie

There is quite a list of events and opportunities for involvement listed below, and we wanted to make it really clear that these are all open to anyone and everyone. If you’re interested in taking part, we’d love to have you.

The readings for Sunday February 12 are 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Mark 1:40-45.

We’re set for another film night in our occasional series, Theology in the Dark. For this one we’ll be screening “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. It takes place on Thursday February 9, 7pm at in the film room at Booth College (442 Webb Place), after which we’ll head up the street to Stella’s Café for coffee and conversation. There is no admission charge for the movie.

The next in our series of “LivingRoom liturgies” is set for this Friday February 10. For this one we’re thinking we’ll incorporate some extra music and do a bit of a songwriter circle, so if you play an instrument and want to take part that would be great. You can sign up by contacting us, and indicating whether you’d like to bring wine, bread, cheese and crackers, olives, or hummus. Don’t delay… these are a great way to connect with people from around the saint ben’s community.

Our Mental Health support group continues to meet on a bi-weekly basis, with the next sessions happening on February 7 and 21. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30 pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.

Our Hear the Silence liturgy for the month is set for Saturday February 18, 7pm at the church.

Our annual open meeting is set for Sunday February 19, starting at 4:15pm and including a catered supper at 5:30. There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the church, so we can plan our meal order. Suggested donation for supper is $10.

The next 4PM Sunday “family-friendly” liturgy is set for this Sunday February 19. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone. And yes, we realize that the annual meeting will be starting at 4:15 that same day (which is why Helen Manfield will be leading the service for the week), but you are certainly free to come to the liturgy and then just slip into the meeting a bit late.

Our next session of ideaExchange is on for Tuesday February 21, when we’ll be welcoming  Bishop Mark MacDonald to engage us in a searching exploration of a cluster of issues connected to life as an Indigenous Christian. Mark is the National Indigenous Bishop for the Anglican Church of Canada, and passionate in his conviction that we need to pay attention to the wisdom and experiences of Indigenous peoples. Please remember that we are now in our new home for these events, The Folk Exchange located at 211 Bannatyne, at Albert Street. The door open at 7pm, with the session underway at 7:30

Our annual weekend at Camp Cedarwood is confirmed for March 9-11, with registration forms  available at the church.

The Canadian Institute for the Study of Pop Culture & Religion will be holding its third annual symposium at Booth University College March 17, from 9am to 4pm. It’s open to the public, with a $10 suggested donation to help cover the costs for the day. The group (which includes several people with saint ben’s connections) is interested with examining the intersections between religion,faith and pop culture. For this year, Jamie Howison will be delivering the keynote, “God’s Mind in that Music: theological explorations through the music of John Coltrane.” We’ll have a bit more information up on the website in the coming month.

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We are bold to pray…

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jamie

In the context of the sermon this past Sunday, I made the observation that when I pray the Lord’s Prayer there are times when it just often rolls off my tongue so easily that I hardly even notice it. Then every once in a while, I’ll hear something as I pray it, and I’m stopped dead.

The next day Colleen Peters sent along the following reflection on this great prayer, written by Frederick Buechner and originally published in his book Whistling in the Dark: a Doubter’s Dictionary. If you’ve never read any of Buechner’s work, this might just inspire you to dig in a little deeper:

In the Episcopal [Anglican] order of worship, the priest sometimes introduces the Lord’s Prayer with the words, “Now, as our Saviour Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say…” The word bold is worth thinking about. We do well not to pray the prayer lightly. It takes guts to pray it at all. We can pray it in the unthinking and perfunctory way we usually do only by disregarding what we are saying.

“Thy will be done” is what we are saying. That is the climax of the first half of the prayer. We are asking God to be God. We are asking God to do not what we want but what God wants. We are asking God to make manifest the holiness that is now mostly hidden, to set free in all its terrible splendor the devastating power that is now mostly under restraint. “Thy kingdom come… on earth” is what we are saying. And if that were suddenly to happen, what then? What would stand and what fall? Who would be welcomed in and who would be thrown the hell out? Which if any of our most precious visions of what God is and of what human beings are would prove to be more or less on the mark and which would turn out to be phony as three-dollar bills? Boldness indeed. To speak those words is to invite the tiger out of the cage, to unleash a power that makes atomic power look like a warm breeze.

You need to be bold in another way to speak the second half. Give us. Forgive us. Don’t test us. Deliver us. If it takes guts to face the omnipotence that is God’s, it perhaps takes no less to face the impotence that is ours. We can do nothing without God. We can have nothing without God. Without God we are nothing.

It is only the words “Our Father” that make the prayer bearable. If God is indeed something like a father, then as something like children maybe we can risk approaching him anyway.  – Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking

 

 

You might notice, by the way, that Buechner writes how in the Anglican liturgy the priest often introduces the prayer by saying, “Now, as our Saviour Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say,” while at saint benedict’s table I always change the word “say” to “pray.” We are bold to pray, because to my mind such words really must be prayed, not simply spoken. It is when we pray them that they do their deep and at times unsettling work, reminding us that there is yet work to be done. And thankfully, this God of ours knows us the way a parent knows a child…

Whistling in the Dark is a great introduction to Buechner’s writing, as is a similar collection of short pieces called Wishful Thinking: a seeker’s ABC. You can also watch an excerpt from a film on Buechner’s life and work by clicking here.

Jamie Howison

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News | for the week of January 30

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jamie

There is quite a list of events and opportunities for involvement listed below, and we wanted to make it really clear that these are all open to anyone and everyone. If you’re interested in taking part, we’d love to have you.

The readings for Sunday February 5 are Malachi 3:1-4 and Luke 2:22-40. You’ll notice that the Gospel reading returns us to the cycle of infancy narratives, and this is because we’re observing this Sunday as “The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus,” which recalls Mary and Joseph’s visit to the temple some forty days of the birth of the baby. In the tradition it is known as “Candlemas,” but more on that on Sunday!

Our next session of ideaExchange is on for this Tuesday January 31 at 7:30PM. Our speaker for the evening is Kirsten Pinto-Gfroerer, on “Why we should not give up on sin; or, how being a sinner isn’t an insult after all.” Please note that this session will find us in a new home for these events, The Folk Exchange located at 211 Bannatyne, at Albert Street.

We’ve got a few spaces still available for this Saturday’s  House Concert in the home of Lorne and Sigrid Penner. The suggested donation will be $15 for an evening of great music, food and drink, and some very fine company. On the musical bill for the night will be Kerri Woelke and Jon Lawless. We’ll have a sign-up sheet at the church on Sunday nights, and you can also reserve a space by contacting us. That’s February 4 at 7:30pm.

The next in our series of “LivingRoom liturgies” is set for Friday February 10. For this one we’re thinking we’ll incorporate some extra music and do a bit of a songwriter circle, so if you play an instrument and want to take part that would be great. You can sign up at the church, or by contacting us, and indicating whether you’d like to bring wine, bread, cheese and crackers, olives, or hummus. Don’t delay… these are a great way to connect with people from around the saint ben’s community.

Our Mental Health support group continues to meet on a bi-weekly basis, with the next sessions happening on February 7 and 21. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30 pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.

The next 4PM Sunday “family-friendly” liturgy is set for this Sunday February 5. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone… And of course we still offer pre-school childcare during the 7Pm service.

We’re set for another film night in our occasional series, Theology in the Dark. For this one we’ll be screening “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. It takes place on Thursday February 9, 7pm at in the film room at Booth College (442 Webb Place), after which we’ll head up the street to Stella’s Café for coffee and conversation. There is no admission charge for the movie.

Our annual open meeting is set for Sunday February 19, starting at 4:15pm and including a catered supper at 5:30. There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the church, so we can plan our meal order. Suggested donation for supper is $10.

Our annual weekend at Camp Cedarwood is confirmed for March 9-11, with registration forms  available at the church.

The Canadian Institute for the Study of Pop Culture & Religion will be holding its third annual symposium at Booth University College March 17, from 9am to 4pm. It’s open to the public, with a $10 suggested donation to help cover the costs for the day. The group (which includes several people with saint ben’s connections) is interested with examining the intersections between religion,faith and pop culture. For this year, Jamie Howison will be delivering the keynote, “God’s Mind in that Music: theological explorations through the music of John Coltrane.” We’ll have a bit more information up on the website in the coming month.

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Prayers of the people | January 22

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Don

We are in the midst of January winter where we hear our crisp footsteps as we walk, we see our breath, and there is a sense of quiet stillness as the sun penetrates the often- intense cold in the day while the moon lights our way at night.  You, O God, are equated with the power of the elements in this evenings lessons where we are encouraged to let go of our moral supremacy and take on the character of God – we are also invited to follow you in the timeless Fishers of Men story.  Your mercy is from everlasting to everlasting and your power is greater than the sun, the stars and the moon.

Lord of the Loving, Hear Our Prayer.

 

We welcome you God, however you intersect our lives – in art, in music, in conversation, in silence, in the circle of the sacraments.  We pray for the Sisters of the Church in Burlington who pray for us, Agape Table whom we pledge to support, and for reciprocity that represents balance in the giving and taking, the empty and full, the solitary and the collective.  As we strive for fulfillment and authenticity in life, we know happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.  Give us that sense of happiness being the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.  Make us keen to give and take, to hold close and set free, to see visions and dream dreams.

Lord of the Faithful, Hear Our Prayer.

 

Today, we remember and honor those who are no longer with us.  We affirm their worth, their lives, and their stories.  We remember Sarah Burke, pioneer skier, and Kaitlyn Fraser – both young lives lost in senseless accidents.  For ongoing war, political unrest and ethnic clashes, we pray for Iran, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan.  We also remember the tragedy of the Costa Concordia in Italy, for natural disasters and adverse weather conditions.  We need not look far to appreciate our safe cocoon on our prairie landscape.

Lord of the Bereaved, Hear Our Prayer.

 

We pray for our leaders – that they will be guided by virtues of honesty, integrity, and transparency as they lead at the national, provincial, and civic levels.  We pray for equitable distribution of resources in our province in some First Nation communities – for basic running water and plumbing.  For those experiencing trauma from last summer’s flood relocation, we pray for suitable housing.  Globally, for those likewise dislocated because of war, we pray that their needs of food, safe water and shelter be met from agency donations that are not diminished by administration fees.  As we look ahead to our planet’s preservation, please give us an ongoing renewal of commitment as stewards of the earth.  Instill in us a consciousness, a sharp awareness, a personal philosophy in our daily use of things like water, choice of products and modes of transportation.  May we never ‘take for granted’ the plethora of resources we enjoy.

Lord of the Nations, Hear Our Prayer.

 

Our focus moves to those around us and among us needing our love and support.  For those suffering from shattered dreams, broken relationships, loss of employment, separation from loved ones, or experiencing any dis-ease of body, mind or heart, we commit their needs to you.

Please take a moment to name those in need……

We pray for the gift of science in ongoing research and development of cures and prevention of heart disease, cancers, and juvenile and geriatric infirmities.  May we seek balance in our lives in adopting healthy lifestyles but may we never lose sight of you – the ultimate healer and finisher of our destinies here on earth.

Lord of the Brokenhearted, Hear Our Prayer.

Lord of the Suffering, Hear Our Prayer.

 

It is by your grace that we surround your endless, inclusive, table this evening, O Lord.  Again and again, we are invited to give and receive your peace, to share bread and wine at no cost, to reflect on the privilege and freedom we have in worship.  God of this New Year, we are walking into mystery.  We face the future not knowing what the days and months will bring to us or how we will respond.  Instill vision, empower action, raise hope and BE LOVE IN US as we journey into 2012.

Lord of the Compassionate, Hear Our Prayer.

AMEN.

Written by Nancy Constantine and offered in Worship on January 22, 2012

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News | for the week of January 23

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jamie

There is quite a list of events and opportunities for involvement listed below, and we wanted to make it really clear that these are all open to anyone and everyone. If you’re interested in taking part, we’d love to have you.

The readings for Sunday January 29 are Deuteronomy 18:15-22 and Mark 1:21-28.

Our next session of ideaExchange is on for Tuesday January 31 at 7:30PM. Our speaker for the evening is Kirsten Pinto-Gfroerer, on “Why we should not give up on sin; or, how being a sinner isn’t an insult after all.” Please note that this session will find us in a new home for these events, The Folk Exchange located at 211 Bannatyne, at Albert Street.

We’ve got another House Concert scheduled, this one for February 4 at 7:30pm in the home of Lorne and Sigrid Penner. Again, our suggested donation will be $15 for an evening of great music, food and drink, and some very fine company. On the musical bill for the night will be Kerri Woelke and Jon Lawless. We’ll have a sign-up sheet at the church on Sunday nights, and you can also reserve a space by contacting us.

The next in our series of “LivingRoom liturgies” is set for Friday February 10. For this one we’re thinking we’ll incorporate some extra music and do a bit of a songwriter circle, so if you play an instrument and want to take part that would be great. You can sign up at the church, or by contacting us, and indicating whether you’d like to bring wine, bread, cheese and crackers, olives, or hummus. Don’t delay… these are a great way to connect with people from around the saint ben’s community.

Our Mental Health support group continues to meet on a bi-weekly basis, with the next session happening on January 24, with Gord Johnson offering a reflection on music and inner health. The group gathers in the small chapel from 7 to 8:30 pm. Please use the main Broadway doors to enter.

The next 4PM Sunday “family-friendly” liturgy is set for Sunday February 5. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone… And of course we still offer pre-school childcare during the 7Pm service.

We’re set for another film night in our occasional series, Theology in the Dark. For this one we’ll be screening “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek. It takes place on Thursday February 9, 7pm at in the film room at Booth College (442 Webb Place), after which we’ll head up the street to Stella’s Café for coffee and conversation. There is no admission charge for the movie.

Our annual open meeting is set for Sunday February 19, starting at 4:15pm and including a catered supper at 5:30. There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the church, so we can plan our meal order. Suggested donation for supper is $10.

Our annual weekend at Camp Cedarwood is confirmed for March 9-11, with registration forms  available at the church.

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All Will Be Well | a song from worship

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Jamie

This past Sunday, Gord Johnson led us in singing one of his original songs for worship, “All Will be Well.” As we were singing, it occurred to me that some in the congregation might be finding that repeated line, “All will be well” a bit on the optimistic side, perhaps even blithely so. Isn’t it a bit naïve to repeatedly sing that all will be well, and to sound as if we actually believed it? And that on a Sunday on which the sermon emphasized that often the claim and call that God places on us is pretty challenging, calling us way out of our zones of comfort and control.

Behind Gord’s song is a famous quote from the writings of a fourteenth-century mystic and theologian, Julian of Norwich. In her one book, The Revelations of Divine Love, Julian reflects on a series of sixteen visions or “showings” that she received over two days in 1373. In The Revelations, Julian writes of how at the age of thirty she experienced these visions, and then shortly thereafter moved permanently into a cell attached to the parish church of St. Julian and St. Edward in Coniston, England. In everything God revealed to her, Julian wrote, “Love was our Lord’s meaning. And I saw for certain, both here and elsewhere, that before ever he made us, God loved us, and that his love has never slackened, nor ever shall.”

It was in light of this that she could write her most famous line, “Sin is behovely, but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” That word “behovely” means something between “necessary” and “inevitable,” and what she is saying here is that sin simply is a part of the world as we know it. Sin is a source of pain and suffering, yet it is can also be a path to self-knowledge, in that insofar as we become aware of our own brokenness and failings, we may well be moved to seek God.

Yet Julian is clear that sin will not have the final say, for in God “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” As she saw in her first vision—in which God held out to her what appeared to be a hazelnut, which she realized symbolized the whole of the created universe—“the world exists, both now and for ever, because God loves it… everything owes its existence to the love of God.” Her posture, then, is not one of naïveté or of shallow optimism, but rather it is one of foundational trust.

And it is that kind of trust that informs Gord’s song.

  • To listen to a basic recording of song, taken live during worship, click the arrow:

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You, know in your heart, know in your mind,
  know that it’s true
There comes a day when all will be well
All will be well
Though now we may see, only in part, not very clearly
Maybe not now, but there comes a day
When all will be well
            Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
            Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
            Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
                        All will be well
                        All will be well
-
You, you’re not alone, you’re part of a people,
  under the grace
Under the mercy, carried by love
And all will be well
So go into the world, walk in the light, walk in forgiveness
Knowing the hope, glorious hope
That all will be well
            Alleluia…
-
We, go in the name, the name of the Father,
  the name of the Son
The name of the Spirit, knowing our part
And all will be well
He will do so much more, than we can ask,
  than we can imagine
Glory to God, glory to God
All will be well
            Alleluia…
(words and music © Gord Johnson)
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