The readings for May 20, the 7th (and final…) Sunday in Easter, are Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 and John 17:6-19.

Mental Health Support Group – Please note that this group will not be gathering on May 15, as had been previously announced. We’re stepping back to do a bit of a re-invention of the group, to better suit the needs and interests of the wider community, and will be relaunching come the fall.

For next Sunday’s 4pm service… we’ve been asked to vacate the church next Sunday afternoon, to make room for an All Saints wedding, so the 4pm group (geared to families with young kids, but open to anyone) will relocate to the back yard and porch at Jamie and Catherine’s home, for a combined barbeque and shared communion. It takes place between 2:30 and 5:00pm on Sunday May 20, with the sharing of communion at 4pm. If you’d like to join us, just contact us for more information and directions.

Hear the Silence – the final Hear the Silence liturgy for the season will take place on Saturday May 26 at 7pm.

Camperships for our Summer Day Camp – Well our summer day camp is now officially full, and once again we’ll be hosting six kids from the King’s School Transitional program, which works with students from recently arrived refugee and immigrant families. We’ll be looking at providing full support for these young people, and will also have some costs related to the rental of a van. If you would like to make a donation toward this program, you can do so by placing a donation in the offering basket, making sure the envelope is marked “campership.” More information on the camp and camperships is available at the church on Sunday nights. You can take a look at how it went last year by clicking here.

We’re on the hunt for a 14 passenger van for our day camp! Last year we’d been able to rent a van from CMU’s Outtatown program for our day camp, but it looks as if this year it won’t be available. We’ve checked with Providence as well, but their vans are booked solid that week (August 13-17), so any leads anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

And if you didn’t get tickets to our Steve Bell House Concert… that same night, Thursday May 24 at 7:30pm St. Margaret’s Anglican Church and the Slater Maguire Lectures are presenting acclaimed singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee for a rare Canadian performance and Q&A, at St. Margaret’s, 160 Ethelbert. With more than 20 years of performing and over 40 albums to his credit, Mallonee’s songs and stories chronicle contemporary Americana with hard-won authenticity. For fans of Uncle Tupelo, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Steve Earle, Neil Young, and, of course, Mallonee’s former band, “Vigilantes of Love.” $5 at the door.

The Picnic Table – Looking well down the line, on the afternoon of Sunday June 24 we’ll be hosting an event at Assiniboine Park. Basically just a good excuse to get some people together to visit, share food, toss a frisbee, and so forth, we’ll have a few more details in the coming weeks.

A Benefit Concert on the horizon, in support of the Manitoba House Drop-in Centre and the Point Douglas Gospel Choir, both of which work with the children and youth of Winnipeg’s north end. Headlining the show is Jaylene Johnson, and joining her is Kerri Woelke, along with a special performance by the Point Douglas Gospel Choir. Friday, June 29th at 8pm (doors open at 7:15) at the West End Cultural Centre. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Advance tickets are being sold at www.ticketquest.ca, both Quest Musique locations (1308 Portage Ave. and 150-166 Meadowood Dr.), and at the West End Cultural Centre Box Office.

A Note from Agape Table – For the next several weeks, the folks at Agape Table would really appreciate supplies for making soup (fresh vegetables, dried beans, and so forth), as the supplies at Winnipeg Harvest they usually draw on have grown very thin. Try to remember to bring something along with you on Sunday.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Creator God,

We offer thanks on this day for our Earth Mother. Teach us to honour her as we should. We also think with grateful hearts of our own mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters, and the many others who mother us and give us life. We honour these people and we give you thanks for them. We ask you, Creator, to bless all who work for peace and justice. Expand for each of us the sacred circle of compassion, that we might bear witness to your love, and humbly serve our neighbours, who are your children.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Creator of every element – of flesh and bone and spirit; of kinship, friendship, and community – we are mindful today of our sisters in spirit. Many women from our province have been murdered or are missing, and we hold in our hearts their families and friends, who today are reminded of their loss. Hear our lamentations, and theirs. Many among us have other needs or cares. Show yourself to those among us in distress. Bear our sorrows and cares, we ask, and supply our many needs.  We name aloud the needs known to us: _________.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Almighty and eternal God, grant a peaceful end and eternal rest to all who are dying. Today we ask especially that you hold our sisters in spirit in the palm of your hand. In your mercy, lead all who grieve to your comfort and give hope to those who mourn.  Even in our sorrow, reveal to us the infinite richness of your promises to all your people.

Singing, we pray to you, O Lord… To all the ends of the earth, Reveal Your saving power O God

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let those he gathered from all the directions – from east and south, from west and north – tell their story and give praise.

Amen.

Written by Dorothea Toews and offered in Worship on May 13

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection.  In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

In our world, we offer lament for regions characterized by political unrest resulting in violence, particularly in Egypt and Russia.  We pray for all countries being reshaped by the economy and regions experiencing disasters and shifts related to climate change.  Locally, we continue to pray for an end to random acts of violence, domestic abuse and ongoing peer disrespect and disregard resulting in bullying.  We grieve over the escalating suicide rate and pray for those known to us and in our circles whose lives are marked with the stigma and daily struggles related to mental illness.  God’s love in the world is meant to extol life, not extinquish it; to commend life, not condemn it; and to protect life, not punish it.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection.  In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

We pray for students discerning their vocations and preparing for their place in society.  Replace their fears and doubts with faith and confidence.  We remember graduates of Booth University Colllege who convocated this afternoon.  Thank you God,  for this community and the many tables and venues where we engage, particularly the one of benevolence to the ministry of Agape Table.  We pray for all members, including the leadership, and for the cumulative collection of creativity among us.  We remember those in our community with shifting familial responsibilities – new babies, children leaving or returning to the nest, or parents needing assistance in the aging process – while maintaining personal and professional commitments.  We remember those who have come and gone, whether it be in life or death.  Give us guidance as we actively work to sustain the earth entrusted in our care.  May we be wise in our transportation options, product selection, and safely preserve our greenspaces…..and may we thoroughly enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Spring.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection.  In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

At this time, we are called to remember those among us and around us needing prayer.

Please take a moment to mention aloud or in your heart those in need. 

O Father, grant your peace to those who have died; comfort to those who mourn.

May we take a few moments silence to consider the giving and taking; life’s beginnings and endings; and our comings and goings.  Lord, what we have not, give us; what we know not, teach us; what we see not, show us; and what we are not, make us.

Keep us safe in Jesus and His Resurrection.  In Your Mercy, Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

As we come to the time in our service where the banquet is set, thank you for feeding us, whether we are hungry or full, where we need not ask but you give.  Again and again, you fill us with your body and blood and we are better for having met in this place.  May the gifts of this table extend beyond these walls – so as we are given, so we give.  As a new week unfolds and awaits us, we invite your presence in our everyday living – may we see you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, DAY BY DAY, AMEN

Written by Nancy Constantine and offered in Worship on May 6

Announcement regarding the Mental Health support group - Please note that this group will not be meeting on May 15, as had previously been announced. We’re stepping back for the next while, to do a bit of a re-invention of the group to better suit the needs of the wider community, and will be resuming in a new form come the fall.

The readings for May 13, the 6th Sunday in Easter, are 1 John 5:1-6 and John 15:9-17.

Theology by the Glass – We’re just about to put this series into gear for the summer, with the first one set for Monday May 14, 8pm at the Confusion Corner Bar and Grill, located at the intersection of Pembina and Corydon Avenue. We do meet in the restaurant section, meaning that all ages are welcome. We’ll be launching with an interview with the young theologian, Lauren Winner, called “Most of our spiritual life is not spent in ecstasy,” which you can access by clicking here.

The Picnic Table – Looking well down the line, on the afternoon of Sunday June 24 we’ll be hosting an event at Assiniboine Park. Basically just a good excuse to get some people together to visit, share food, toss a frisbee, and so forth, we’ll have a few more details in the coming weeks.

A Note from Agape Table – For the next several weeks, the folks at Agape Table would really appreciate supplies for making soup (fresh vegetables, dried beans, and so forth), as the supplies at Winnipeg Harvest they usually draw on have grown very thin. Try to remember to bring something along with you on Sunday.

Camperships for our Summer Day Camp – Well our summer day camp is now officially full, and once again we’ll be hosting six kids from the King’s School Transitional program, which works with students from recently arrived refugee and immigrant families. We’ll be looking at providing full support for these young people, and will also have some costs related to the rental of a van. If you would like to make a donation toward this program, you can do so by placing a donation in the offering basket, making sure the envelope is marked “campership.” More information on the camp and camperships is available at the church on Sunday nights. You can take a look at how it went last year by clicking here.

First off, in the Book of Alternative Services—the more contemporary prayer/liturgy book of the Anglican Church of Canada—the rite of confirmation is framed as follows:

Confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation are various modes of response to baptism. Whether they involve making promises on one’s own behalf, seeking membership within a particular branch of the Church, or reaffirming promises made long ago, each is directly related to the covenant made in baptism. The liturgy of baptism is consequently the primary context in which these renewals of the baptismal covenant take place.

In other words the Canadian Church seems to understand these three adult actions of confirmation, reception (being formally received from another church which practices confirmation, such as the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches), and reaffirmation as all being cut from much the same cloth. They cover a fair bit of turf, too: 1) making adult promises on one’s own behalf; 2) seeking affiliation within this particular Anglican branch of the church; 3) reaffirming the promises made long ago at an earlier baptism— possibly as an infant, though not necessarily so. Was my professor very far off in his comment about it being “a rite in search of a theology?”

The Church of England (which is our “mother church”) provides the following statements as to the meaning of confirmation:

What we now call confirmation was originally part of a wider ceremony of Christian initiation and only became a separate rite when bishops were no longer able to preside at all baptisms.

As a separate rite, confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey at which the participation in the life of God’s people inaugurated at baptism is confirmed by the bishop by the laying on of hands, and in which those who have been baptised affirm for themselves the faith into which they have been baptised and their intention to live a life of responsible and committed discipleship. Through prayer and the laying on of hands by the confirming bishop, the Church also asks God to give them power through the Holy Spirit to enable them to live in this way.

When confirmation is part of a combined rite including adult baptism it has a slightly different significance. In this case, as in the traditional Western service of initiation mentioned above, the confirmation element signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit following on from baptism in water. The biblical model for this is Christ’s own baptism in which, the gospels tell us, the Spirit descended on Him when He came up out of the water after having been baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-33).

Interesting to note that there is no mention at all of confirmation being equated with “becoming an Anglican,” or of joining a particular denomination. The focus, rather, is on the bishop’s role as representing a church that is rooted right back to the apostles, such that to have the bishop “lay hands” is to symbolize our connection to something older and deeper than any single congregation. There is also an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, though in some ways that creates as many problems than it solves, in that baptism is always understood as being the work of the Holy Spirit… a bishop doesn’t have the “power” to give you more of it!

Donald Schell, who was one of the priests who founded St Gregory of Nyssa parish in San Francisco—a very creative and decidedly out-of-the-box place—had this to say when I asked him what they did with confirmation:

I’ve presented plenty of adults for Reaffirmation/Confirmation, and most of them were people coming fresh to Anglican practice, some from other Christian traditions, some from no previous religious practice. When I was rector of St. Gregory’s and Bill Swing was our bishop, I’d tell them, “We’ll present you for the bishop to lay his hands on your head, prayer over you, and bless where you are in your journey into God (“journey into God” is Gregory of Nyssa’s language). The bishop is our living connection to the worldwide church—he’s the one who welcomed Desmond Tutu here with a hug—and he’s also our living connection to continuity through time back through Bishop Kip (California’s Gold Rush bishop who was shipwrecked and swam to shore in San Diego and in the course of his episcopate went from riding the length and width of the state on horseback to riding the brand new train), back to a long line of public teachers and preachers (Irenaeus’ description of the Bishop’s work) that help us know our lineage. We’ll pray for the gifts of the Spirit. You’ve already got those gifts, but grace is always overflowing, always more, always beyond anything we need. You don’t need to reaffirm your faith or be confirmed, but it’s a joyful and moving way to invite the Spirit to continue new work in your life and among us.”

I have to say, that makes as much sense of things as just about anything else I’ve read on confirmation. It is a perspective remarkably free of any sign of “institutional” membership issues, in that it doesn’t put any emphasis on joining the an institution called “the Anglican church,” but rather on connecting through the bishop to something larger than just our own church community. Yes, that is expressed through this particular place along the continuum of the Christian tradition, but that is a different thing from signing on the proverbial dotted line of institutional membership. And Schell also does justice to the issue of the Holy Spirit, as “grace is always overflowing, always more, always beyond anything we need.”  I like that.

All to say that while I don’t see confirmation as being in any way required in order to make us somehow more spiritual or fully Christian, I was delighted to present Bryan, Kyla, Andrew, Rachel, Norm, and Nadine for the rite of confirmation—a rite marked by the laying on of hands by the bishop, symbolizing our connection to something much bigger than ourselves. I’m with Donald Schell on this stuff… this is a “joyful and moving way to invite the Spirit to continue new work in your life and among us.”

*     *     *     *     *

And as if that isn’t a sufficiently personal take on the whole matter, a few words on my own confirmation. I was confirmed in the early 80s, in the midst of my undergraduate studies at the University of Winnipeg. For me it was very much a point of rooting myself along a place along “the continuum of the Christian tradition.” Growing up I was formed in Westwood Presbyterian Church through my elementary school years, and at Church of the Way through junior high and high school. My high school education came courtesy of the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, and at the same time I was quite involved in Young Life (a ministry that shares some common ground with Youth for Christ, though certainly at the time it was a bit more on the maverick side of things). I also owe part of my formation to the two years I spent working at an old style home for young boys run by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Providence. There, under the tutelage of the rather mischievous Sister Rita Killeen, I not only learned some powerful lessons about putting faith into practice but I also came to a place of deep appreciation for Catholic Christianity.

With all of those influences—Protestant and Catholic, Anabaptist and Evangelical—where better to land than in Anglicanism? Yet that move hinged on the presence in my life of a very fine Anglican priest/mentor, who insisted that my university education was lacking because I was not studying literature, and so when I came asking for tomes on theology he kept handing me novels… the best thing he could have done.

In that era in this diocese confirmations were seen as diocesan events, and so people were gathered at the Cathedral from across parishes for special Sunday afternoon liturgies. There were probably fifty confirmands there that day, and while that might sound as if it must have been a bit of an assembly line, I had no sense of it being anything other than invigorating. I have a very vivid memory of kneeling before the bishop, and of the weight of his hands on my head as he prayed those words of invocation over me… over my life, really.

But the most vivid memory is of the family dinner that followed the liturgy. My grandfather had come from London, Ontario to attend the service, and as the supper drew to its close, he pushed his chair back from the dining room table and said that he very much respected the step I had taken. He then explained how as a young man he had been very drawn to the Anglican church, but had decided that he needed to stay on as a member at Elim Chapel, the church co-founded by his own father. There was no sense of regret in his words (my grandfather was not a man to harbour regrets!), but instead just a message of supportive understanding for how I had chosen to anchor my own spiritual life. His words, though, had about them something of a patriarchal blessing, complementary to the words of blessing spoken by the bishop a just few hours earlier.

Two and a half years later I was off to Toronto to study theology at Trinity College, and three years after that I was ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada. Next week I’m off to Toronto to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of my graduation from Trinity, and I can honestly say that I cannot imagine myself having taken any other path. The rooting symbolized in my confirmation (and “confirmed” by my grandfather’s blessing) was the beginning of what has been a great adventure.

Jamie Howison

April 30, 2012

Mental Health support group – meets this Tuesday, May 1 from 7:00 to 8:30pm in the chapel at All Saints. These are conversations are open to everyone. 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 one set for May 6. While offered for families with young children in mind, these liturgies are open to everyone.

Theology by the Glass – We’re just about to put this series into gear for the summer, with the first one set for Monday May 14, 8pm at the Confusion Corner Bar and Grill, located at the intersection of Pembina and Corydon Avenue. We do meet in the restaurant section, meaning that all ages are welcome. We’ll have the article posted on the site this week.

A Note from Agape Table – For the next several weeks, the folks at Agape Table would really appreciate supplies for making soup (fresh vegetables, dried beans, and so forth), as the supplies at Winnipeg Harvest they usually draw on have grown very thin. Try to remember to bring something along with you on Sunday.

Camperships for our Summer Day Camp – Well our summer day camp is now officially full, and once again we’ll be hosting six kids from the King’s School Transitional program, which works with students from recently arrived refugee and immigrant families. We’ll be looking at providing full support for these young people, and will also have some costs related to the rental of a van. If you would like to make a donation toward this program, you can do so by placing a donation in the offering basket, making sure the envelope is marked “campership.” More information on the camp and camperships is available at the church on Sunday nights. You can take a look at how it went last year by clicking here.

Deliver them, O Lord, from the way of sin and death, and continually open their hearts to your grace and truth. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Fill them with your holy and life-giving Spirit, and teach them to love others in the power of that Spirit. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Send them into the world beyond these walls, and grant them the grace and courage to bear witness to your love in all things. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Be with them in their lives of discipleship, and bring them to the fullness of your peace and glory. Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Almighty God,

receive into the arms of your mercy

all who will be baptized and confirmed this day,

and make them your own for ever;

that, having tasted of your goodness,

they may ever hunger for your continuing presence

in their walk of faith. Amen.

Adapted from the baptismal liturgies of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Church of England

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

Thank you for this worshipping community. For some of us, this is the place we come to meet you, and for others of us, it has become one of many places you are found. We ask you to bless richly the relationships that form as we gather. Teach us to love and support each other, in faith and doubt and joy and sorrow. Thinking of those whose needs we know, and thinking of those who serve us by leading, we name our prayers aloud. ______________________________.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

We pray for this beautiful world you have created. As we observe earth day, we are mindful of this planet’s remarkable beauty and its ability to sustain life through countless interdependencies. We confess that we often fail to respect the earth as our mother. We get carried away, as children sometimes do, with all that we want and think we should have. Teach us to honour the earth that gives us life. Teach us to ask each day for our daily bread, and no more, so that all may live.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

God,

In our circles of life, we must sometimes come to places of death and dying. Give us courage to look death in the face, respecting it as part of our journey and yet ascribing to it no lasting power. Walk with us as we watch for the new life that comes out of death. Guide us into new relationships and communities when we must let go of other ones. Keep all of your faithful, living and dead, safe in your loving care.

Lord, in your mercy…… hear our prayer.

Amen.

Written by Dorothea Toews and offered in worship on April 22