Joy 2

     Tonight one of our regular Tuesday night silent prayers shared with us a scripture reading--- John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." It was a perfect complement to our evening; a perfect reference for prayer and praying. Another one of our regulars brought us a poster for a local event for peace and asked if we could display it. We are becoming a community! Although we meet in the almost dark, with no introductions, no name tags, no conversation even, we are used to coming together in a way that is regular, sacred and joyous.

     There are regulars, people who sit in the usual places, parishioners who would not miss a week and folks who have never been through our door before. The number of people attending has climbed steadily but otherwise nothing has changed. There are a couple of lit candles and Gregorian chant but otherwise it is the same place, same day, same time. What has changed is that we are becoming a community. 

     Have you come to Silent Prayer? For me, it's calm, quiet, undemanding and remarkably fulfilling. Joy, or something like it....

 

Holy

      It's clear that the opening of our lovely little church on Tuesday evenings is doing something beautiful. We are enjoying being here on Tuesday evenings too. It seems to be a transformative experience now not just for us, but for the people it serves. Usually there are about a dozen people. Sometimes they stay for five minutes and sometimes for two hours but usually somewhere in between. Some folks pray quietly, some audibly, some cry, but most sit silently taking in the music, the peace, this space that is holy. Most light a candle or two.... We feel blessed to be part of this tiny but powerful ministry and feel that even if only one person shows up, the evening is a success and a blessing. Thank you for your support!

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Brian

     The Reverend Brian Vickers and his family were such a welcome addition to the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity community when they arrived in White Rock, B.C.. His lovely wife Sally, his beautiful little children Michael and Katie were all wonderful in their own way and such a blessing to our congregation!

     When first together, my husband Paul and I enjoyed Brian and his family and in turn felt so welcome at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Though their kids were older than ours there was a lovely feeling of community. Michael and Katie, our daughters and many treasured friends seemed to grow up together in the Sunday School there. 

     My parents were very attached to the church over the years as parishioners, choir members, wardens and caretakers and consider Brian and Sally as friends.

     Personally, I was very encouraged by Brian to follow my passion for pastoral care which eventually led to a career in hospice and palliative care. Paul and I were sad when Brian and his family left the area and we missed them all very much! We are thankful now to receive a Christmas card from the Vickers and are thrilled to see how their children's families have grown and flourished.

   We all congratulate Brian on his retirement! His years of ministry in many different parishes has positively affected so many lives and we thank Brian for his time with us and our community. We think of him and his family often and hope that our paths may cross yet again!

Light

     One of the spiritual practices that people enjoy at our church is lighting our votive candles. They have been installed in our Newcomers Chapel recently and are a welcome addition. The word votive comes from the Latin word “votum ” meaning vow or promise. Lighting a candle serves as a visible extension of a prayer. 

     Early Christians used candles to provide light for nighttime services. They quickly took on religious symbolism representing Christ as the light of the world.

John 8:12 tells us “Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”

     When I light a candle and invoke a loved one’s name, I take comfort in knowing that my prayer lives on, even after I have left the church. Jesus is the light of the world and the burning candle reminds me of His everlasting, ever living love for us all. Although I did not grow up with this faith expression, I am enjoying it and apparently others of us are appreciating it too.

Welcome

      All are welcome. If you look at that simple sentence, it doesn't seem that there is much there but the two important words in this phrase say a lot. Welcome is a word that we use so much---on our doormats, over our front doors, even to acknowledge thanks--- "you're welcome". But if you have ever felt not welcome, you know the weight it carries, the gift that it bestows. It says come as you are, our door is open, be yourself, stay for a while. It is the very definition of hospitality.

     To me the most important word is "all". There is no disclaimer, no fine print, no additional clauses to decipher. Everyone regardless of race, age, culture, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, previous religious affiliation or socioeconomic status is welcome here. That truly covers all of us. And for those who have not felt welcome in a church this is a magnificent blessing of gigantic proportions. Here and everywhere, God sees us, knows us, loves us and wants us to feel at home, welcome. And here, we are.

Bus

     Today our daughter and I endeavored to educate ourselves about the transit system in our area. As a person with a disability, our daughter is able to book rides on HandyDART but her previous experiences with this mode of travel had their ups and downs. Among its shortcomings is that it has to be booked well in advance, it is frequently a taxi and not a bus, and therefore does not feel as safe, and you must allow a half an hour window timewise either way so arriving precisely on time is not always an option; there is a lot of waiting involved. We found that this is also true when using the standard transit offered here. We made it to our destination which was her soon-to-be new home address but we did not have as much luck with the return trip. Unfortunately, there is a rather complicated issue with certain buses changing their route number mid-trip. This experience made us both realize how spoilt we are to have access to a vehicle to go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go there! Needless to say this will be an ongoing process. We pledged to keep trying and enjoy some bus riding and more walking this summer and see our cities of White Rock and Surrey from a slightly different perspective. Harmony's proximity to our local Dairy Queen will keep us inspired on those hot and sunny days! What could be better than a tasty ice cream treat at the end of bus ride with one of my favourite people in the whole wide world?

Harmony 3