Though the office may be closed, our hearts have never been more open. 

Good Friday Service Friday April 14, 10:30 a.m. we join with congregations Lutheran and United, this year we will be gathering at Sydenham Street United Church.

Easter Morning Service Sunday April 16, 10:30 a.m. it is with joy we hear again the gospel of life known in the resurrection of Jesus. With joy we celebrate all that this ‘rising’ means for us. With joy we sing our souls ‘in praise of love that doth abound’. After the service, we are planning to take a congregational photo outside, thanks to Bill and his drone!

 

 

‘Calmly plotting the resurrection’ is the title of a book of Lenten devotions by Donna E. Schaper. It is a great title. The ‘plotting’ refers not to active arrangement (as in ‘they were plotting a coup’) but to charting the movements of another (as in ‘they are plotting the orbit of the comet’). Schaper challenges me to be open to identifying and joining the movements of God for life, in my life.

This Sunday we ‘plot’ the path of Jesus towards Resurrection.  In the cantata ‘No Greater Love’, the Choir of St. Andrew’s will point to this path of Jesus with scripture and song. It begins with the praise of others, but proceeds through betrayal, abandonment and death.

In plotting the path of Jesus, to light through darkness, we are reminded of the great power and promises of God for Christ and Christian. We are reminded that when we face darkness, even death, God is not absent, God is at work for us there, perhaps especially there. In plotting the path of Jesus, we who follow grow in trust and calmness, allowing our lives to show the same generosity towards others and strength in truth that was lived by Jesus.

Join us in the worship of God this Sunday. There is a programme for children and a nursery for infants during the service – before the service they are invited to gather with the Minister in St. Andrew’s Hall and with palms in hand process into the sanctuary behind the choir! Free parking can be found along the neighbouring streets and in the public surface lot just behind the church off Queen Street.

Download (PDF, 402KB)

Photo Credit: Ashley Fraser, Ottawa Citizen, 2015

I was amused by an article in the Globe and Mail recently in which a novice runner enrolled in a 5K run, missed the exit, and continued to eventually complete the half marathon – the surprise, the exhaustion, the exhilaration! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/i-took-the-wrong-marathon-route-but-learned-something-about-myself-on-theway/article34400787/

For Christians, there is a similar exhaustion and exhilaration, but little surprise – we know we are in for a full marathon from the start line. ‘Follow me’ our Lord says, without boundaries of time or distance. The theological doctrine of justification (that by the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus we were wondrously put right before God) is counter-balanced by the doctrine of sanctification (that the journey of becoming God’s people by the work of the Holy Spirit is long and challenging).

What keeps Christians persevering in the way of Christ? Two answers are highlighted in this Sunday’s readings from the Letter to the Hebrews (Chapter 12). One points to the cheering of the crowds who line the way –  ‘so great a cloud of witnesses’ who by their faith and life in Christ now provide us with example and encouragement along the way. The other points to the fact that the course has an end – a finish line that is none other than ‘the city of the living God’, reminding us that we are of origin and of destiny. Exhilarating indeed!

Join us in the worship of God this Sunday if you are in the area. You would be welcome. There is available during the service a nursery for infants and a programme for children. There is free parking along the streets around the church, and in the public surface lot just behind the church off Queen Street. Be sure to have a look at the announcements found within the Order of Service, and consider each a personal invitation to grow in Christian faith, community and service … with us!

Download (PDF, 417KB)

 

 

 

King Con - Kingston's annual weekend boardgame and comic convention

Save the Date for King Con 2017!

King Con is Kingston’s preeminent festival of comics, gaming, sci-fi, fantasy, and other exciting forms of fandom. This year, King Con will take place from Saturday, April 1 to Sunday, April 2, with the bulk of the programming offered at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (130 Clergy St. East) on Saturday, April 1, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Whether you geek out for cool demonstrations, tabletop gaming, interesting speakers, special children’s programming, or other fantastic activities, King Con will have something for you!

King Con 2017 is brought to you by:

When I googled images of ‘faith’, it was fascinating to see how often there appeared a picture of someone leaping from one precipice to another. I guess it may have something to do with the expression ‘a leap of faith’, but it struck me how different is the Christian experience of faith.

In the ‘leap’ image, faith is known between two certainties. Or between what is presumed to be certain. One could always slip while leaving one solid rock or land short of the other. The rock itself could conceivably crack. A powerful headwind could suddenly arise.

When I think of faith, I do not think of my ability to jump, or of a time between certainties. For me, faith is the assurance that I am never ‘on my own’, or ‘between’. Faith is not defined by what my feeling or activity or circumstance, but by the assurance known in Jesus Christ that I am always accompanied and even carried.

As a Canadian Presbyterian it was the Westminster Catechism that shaped my early theological perspectives. Its first question is answered ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever’. This is solid stuff, placing our lives squarely upon the sovereignty and certainty of God. But I must admit I sometimes find that the Heidelberg Catechism held so dearly by my Christian Reformed sisters and brothers touches my heart more fully – ‘My only comfort in life and in death is that I belong to Jesus Christ, my faithful Saviour’. Yes, this is faith, in the Christian context. It is all about Jesus, what God has done through him, what God assures us in him.

So for an image, I prefer not a ‘leap’ between certainties but a ‘path’ upon certainty. Faith knows many seasons and circumstances, but it is the assurance God gives us that we travel not alone, nor in vain. We are on a journey, sometimes wild, sometimes wonderful, but one laid down by Jesus ‘for us and our salvation’ as the ancient Nicene Creed declares. This Sunday we continue through Hebrews and come to the great verse, ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of things unseen’ (Hebrews 11:1).

Thanks be to God. Join us as we gather in the worship of God. There is a nursery for infants and a programme for children during the service. There is free parking along the streets around and in the public lot just behind the church off Queen Street. Have a look at the order of service, and be sure to consider the announcements as a personal invitation to join in faith, fellowship and service with us.

Download (PDF, 349KB)