Feb 11, 2025
Good Morning
Jesus asks us to ‘come and see’, come and follow’ and to ‘fish for humanity.’ Each is a step on our path of discipleship. We are invited to come and see – to explore who Christ is, what Christianity is. To follow is to pattern our lives on the 2 commandments that is the core of Christianity – love God and love neighbour as we love ourselves. Once we’re on the Way, then our work is to ‘fish’ in the sense that we are to share the good news through everything we do and say. May it be so for each of us.
As disciples called to uphold the dignity and worth of all creatures, we now have a Social Justice Committee headed up by Marcus along with Alison and Christie. As he advised in his ‘minute’ on Sunday the focus this year will be on the plight of a gaoled human rights activist in the Philippines. Marcus will be presenting on social justice issues each month along with how we can get involved both as a parish and as individuals. Thank you to our new team!!
Our photo is Cataleya preparing to cut her birthday cake this past Sunday!
Please continue to pray for the miracle of peace to happen. Our service of prayer occurs every Thursday at 1:15pm.
GREEN SPACE: Instead of using commercial air fresheners, try making your own using essential oils. Hint: put a naturally scented beeswax or soy candle in your bathroom for light ‘freshening’ – no need to light it, just enjoy the scent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY** We send birthday blessings to Cataleya as she turned 13 on Saturday
NEW** Our Family Games Event has been CANCELLED this Saturday, Feb 15th and will be rescheduled for a Saturday in March. Stay tuned for details
NEW** Lent Quiet Day at VanDusen Gardens. Sat Mar 8th, 9:30-2:30. $10 includes lunch but there are bursaries available so cost should not be a barrier (speak to me about this). Access to the gardens is part of the day. See poster in the hall or contact Rev. Adam Yates at St Faith’s.
REMINDER** We need more volunteers: counters, readers, intercessors, security, prayer team, church committee members. Let Phil, Meredith, Sarah or me know if you’re interested.
REMINDER** We need a volunteer to attend Synod this year. It is at the end of May and is all day Friday and Saturday. Volunteering for this makes you a member of Church Committee – which is a great thing! If you’re interested in this or being on CC, please consider letting your name stand for election at the Annual Vestry Meeting Feb 23rd.
REMINDER** Our Annual Vestry Meeting is February23rd – a light lunch will be served.
REMINDERS** There is blessed chalk available (for free) to bless your homes, the latest Forward Day by Day is available (suggested donation: $2-$5) & the Anglican Journal (free) are in the Narthex.
NEW** With the retirement of our Prayer Angels, if you would like someone to be prayed for please call me – details are kept confidential.
ONGOING** South Vancouver Senior’s Network. Join Andrea & Grace every Thursday from 10:30-11:30am. Meet ID: 894 9400 0823 Passcode: 078061
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89494000823pwd=S0FCTERRSDhPWFM0L1pFYkJtZlhTdz09
HOLDING CROSSES** Petra has added a new feature to the holding crosses – they now sport a thong so you can wear them around your neck! Crosses are 4” x 2 ½”. $20 plain, $30 for church name & logo, $40 with phrases. You can have anything you like on the cross. Call David to order 604-318-1119 or Petra at 604-720-4559 or loveandlight23@hotmail.com . We have gifted our preachers/speakers with these – they’re great gifts!
Dates to Remember:
Feb 15 - Family Games Event 1-3 pm – cancelled
Feb 16 – Service at St Jude’s Anglican Care Home – 2 pm
Feb 20 – Interment of Ashes – Robert Potter
Feb 22 – Funeral for Lisa Clarke – 2 pm
Feb 23 – Annual Vestry Meeting, light lunch & beverages provided
Mar 5 – Ash Wednesday Service at 7 pm
Mar 7-10 – Katherine away
Prayers for Feb 16
The Anglican Communion: The Church of Bangladesh
The Anglican Church of Canada: our Acting Primate Anne, Indigenous Bishop Chris & the bishop, people and clergy of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador
The Diocese of New Westminster: Archbishop John & the people and clergy of St. Timothy, Brentwood; All Saints, Mission & the Anglican CanAsian Ministry (ACAM) Group
The Anglican Indigenous Council: Diocese of Quebec
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada: The dean, council, and congregations of the Central Toronto Area and Greater Toronto Areas East and West of the Eastern Synod
Our Companion Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Benny and our companion parishes: St Augustine of Canterbury, Agawa; St Hipploytus, Gueday; St Philip, Ambagiw: clergy & people
The Moravian Church in Canada: The people & ministries of Rio Terrace Moravian Church in Edmonton
To find the link for our services please go directly to our website www.staugustinesanglican.com to access My homily is attached
The Psalm of Tuesday - E. Hays
O my Beloved, who never grows stale or old, with prayer I dedicate this day to you. Humble Tuesday, third day-child of seven, is easily seen as common place, often tasteless. May I invest this taken-for-granted day with your ever-new youthfulness, O God. Grant me the gift to see in all my activities this day the dance of ever changing atoms within Earth’s secret life.
God of forever freshness and ever-original ideas, inspire me to live this Tuesday with bright newness. Creative Spirit, empower me, I pray, to redecorate my routines and daily patterns. Accompany me in redeeming this Tuesday with love, service, compasion and fun.
blessings
K+
Homily - Feb 9
After our special feast day last week, the presentation of the Lord in the temple 40 days after his birth, according to Jewish law, today we’re back to the adult Jesus as he moves further into his ministry and the call of the first disciples. It’s a wonderful story of miracles and epiphanies and a radical call for change. We admire those men. To be called out their comfort zones, to leave everything for this little known man took courage, incredible courage and a willingness to risk.
Isaiah knows all about taking risks. The familiar ‘sending’ passage we read today in Isaiah does not tell the whole story. The description of the angels is awe-inspiring and we applaud Isaiah for being willing to heed God’s call. We might even get excited enough to shout with Isaiah, ‘pick me Lord. I will go, I will do your bidding.’ Then, with hearts on fire, we wait for God’s wondrous instructions ready to charge out into the world changing, molding, prophesying and maybe even a bit of scourging – whatever God wants, we’re the ones to do it! What we don’t read is that while God gives Isaiah instructions it comes with a catch. God sets up Isaiah to fail. What!? God sets up Isaiah to fail. He will preach and no one will understand or pay attention – they will be deaf and blind to Isaiah’s work, to his words of grace and mercy, his exhortations to love God and follow God’s commandments. In response Isaiah cries, ‘how long Lord? How long will this go on?’ And God says, ‘until the people and land are on the verge of utter destruction they will not hear my words, they will not follow or love me but when they are at their lowest then they will finally return to me and take heed and I will lead them home.’ Wow – that’s harsh!
If God knows what will happen to Israel why bother calling Isaiah? Why set him up to fail? Isaiah’s commissioning took place before Israel was overrun by the Assyrians, the temple in Jerusalem destroyed and the majority sent into either exile or slavery. Isaiah doesn’t know the future and he doesn’t know God’s mind – what he does know is that God has called for a volunteer and Isaiah believes he can do the work, heartbreaking though it will be. I think God is hedging the bets. Just like Abraham bargaining with God in Genesis to save Sodom and Gomorrah: ‘will you spare the cities if 50 righteous can be found?’ – all the way down to only 10 needed to save the city, I think God is saying, ‘if Isaiah can do the work, if even a few can break out of their spiritual and political torpor then Israel has a chance.’
Despite Isaiah’s work Israel was conquered, not because they were bad but because they were not politically astute enough to save themselves. Unfortunately it appears that they thought they could rely on God to save them – wrong call. God did not. And in believing that their covenant with God would make them immune to the politics of the world, they lost sight of what that covenant required of them physically and spiritually. But that is what is to come. What we focus on this morning is that Isaiah, despite knowing the hopelessness and anticipating failure, responds to God’s call. It is a reminder that we are NOT the harvesters, we are the labourers, we are called to plant the word, to love, to invite and welcome but in the end it is GOD who calls in the harvest.
And then there’s the fishermen. Honestly I don’t know how they could have done what they did. They didn’t just listen to Jesus; they left everything to follow him. By the time we get to today’s story Jesus has declared God’s jubilee in Nazareth, narrowly escaped death, has healed a few folks and just before this story, has spent a bit of time with Simon healing Simon’s mother-in-law of an ailment. Now this charismatic preacher has had Simon row him a ways offshore so he can preach to a larger crowd. After he’s done, out of the blue, Jesus tells Simon to throw out his nets. There is no reason given, just a call to trust the landlubber and he does. So many fish are netted that 2 boats almost capsize and curiously Simon is then commissioned to fish for people!
Notice that Simon’s reaction to the fish was fear? Not joy or satisfaction (the amount of fish caught would support their families for some time) – fear. Fear that this man is more than healer and preacher, that this man is too good to be hanging out with the likes of him and his buddies. Fear that he would be found wanting. Remember when you were chosen to do something special, something different? The collywobbles, the excitement tinged with fear? Now imagine those feelings writ large. Simon confesses the poverty of his soul and his humanity (I am a sinful man) and Jesus’ response? The angelic phrase: ‘Do not be afraid’ followed by ‘I have a new task for you.’ Does Simon brim over with excitement, anticipation, anything? Luke doesn’t tell us but you know he responded like any of us would – ‘What? Me? What?’ until it sinks in. And it all ends with ‘they left everything and followed him.’ You know there was so much more going on but Luke doesn’t share.
Luke’s version of the call differs from the other gospels, his is situate later in Jesus’ mission. Jesus does not issue an invitation to ‘come and see’ or ‘come and follow’ he commissions them to ‘fish for humanity.’ To catch people alive. This is important my friends. As theologian Sharon Ringe notes regular fishing results in the fish’s death and consumption, but Simon’s ‘new catch is to be gathered together for life and not for death.’ While the command is spoken directly to Simon, the other men follow suit – as Simon responds, so do they. These men are to reel in new life, proclaim new life, and live a new life in God. Following Christ brings life not death.
Fear, trepidation, anticipation, excitement? Yup, all of that. To be called, to know your call, is profound. We’re not all called to ‘leave everything behind’ (and yes, that meant leaving people behind – wives, parents, siblings, children) as were the disciples but we’ve each been called to step out into new iterations of discipleship whether we recognise it at the time or not and we continue to be called. You’ve heard my story – I left the full time practice of law to become a priest – my life circumstances radically changed and while it’s not been a ‘cake walk’ by any stretch it has been profoundly satisfying. We’re not all called to leave jobs and families like the disciples did, like I did, to become priests and preachers, yet we’re all called to become priests and preachers. Come again? We’re all priests and preachers? Yup.
If we truly believe in the priesthood of all believers, the immediate and intimate connection between us and God, through Christ, then we are all priests. We have different duties, some of us are set apart to provide pastoral and eucharistic service but we are all called into a special relationship with God, to mediate God’s love to the world. And preachers? Oh, yes. Each of us is called to be an Isaiah, to be like the disciples after Pentecost – to spread the good news, to call people back into right relationship with God. You thought this was my job alone? Nope. It’s our job! I preach here and together we preach/share the good news of God beyond these walls. We each have our own unique ways of responding to God’s call but we are all called.
To step up when God calls, even if we don’t know exactly where we’re going or what we’re called to do, takes courage. And we have that courage because we have the Holy Spirit guarding and guiding us.
So it’s not whether you are an Isaiah or a Peter the bottom line is: when God calls you, what do you say? When God invites you into relationship, how do you respond? When God reminds you of your baptismal vows to share, uphold, sustain and proclaim, where will you go? For Christians ‘fishing for people’ means sharing the gift of life through Christ, being open about our faith and responding in faith and trust in all God asks of us.