Celebrating Epiphany on January 3rd
The Visit of the Magi
The Magi arrived at the home of Mary and Joseph some time after the birth to visit the one whose star they saw in the East. They came to worship him and bring gifts that were representative of who they thought him to be; a new born king. We will have a procession of the Magi to the stable to find the child and the hymns and readings will reflect the story of their visit before returning to their own country.
Happy New Year Everyone!
We hope that the first week of Christmas has been a time of blessing and now having crossed the threshold of the new year together, that we will all continue to move forward together with hope. It has certainly been a very different Christmas in how we celebrated and limited our gatherings with family and friends. Many of us stayed pretty close to home and the weather itself even made it a bit difficult to get out and walk. But it is still the time of Emmanuel – God with us – and we celebrate just the same.
A thought wandered through my head a fews days ago.... Since Australia and other places in the south where Christmas is celebrated during their summertime, I wondered if they sing Christmas hymns and Carols like ‘See Amid the Winter Snow’ and ‘In the Bleak Mid-Winter’. It could be they would want to change the first lines to be more representative of their own experience at that time of the year. When we take a close look at our music of Christmas, we can realize that where we live really does have an effect on how we see and interpret the world, God, and faith. It also has an effect on how we tell the stories of faith. As we continue to reflect on the meaning of Christmas, may we pause to remind ourselves about how we are all one together in this world. Although we may have different understandings or experiences because of where we live, we are still one, and the love of God embraces us all whether we are sitting by a warm cozy fire, skiing on the slopes, or running in the sand and swimming at the beach, God is most certainly with us. It is important to remember our neighbours nearby who are in need as well. Wherever we are in this world, we are there to help one another and make our journey through this world with the same love God bestowed upon us at Christmas. As we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, may it be a time to reflect on the gifts we have been given, and what gift it is, that we might bring to the Christ Child, ourselves.
Sunday, January 3rd - Our service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page: Saint Helen's Anglican Church, Surrey, BC | Facebook We hope hope you are able to join us for this celebration.
Morning Prayer is livestreamed on our Facebook page Tuesday to Friday at 9:30 and last 30 minutes. There are a goodly number of people who take the service in at that time. Others click on it later in the day when it is more convenient for them. Please do join us at any time. If you would like prayer for yourself at morning prayer please send me an email. Of course, we have our Prayer Circle which prays for many people in the parish. You can have your prayer request put out to our prayer circle by emailing us at churchoffice@shawbiz.ca Sharing prayer for one another is so important at any time and in particular right now. Our hope is that everyone in any kind of need or trouble is encouraged by the prayer and knows that they are not ever alone.
The Wednesday Conversation takes place Wednesday mornings from about 10:15am until about 11am. I begin to let people into our Zoom gathering right after Morning Prayer finishes so from about 10am. It is great to see and hear one another. We have a great time catching up and encouraging one another during this pandemic. You would be most welcome to join us. All you need do is click the link here below on Wednesday morning after 10am. It will set you up with zoom, if you do not already have it on your computer and bring you to the ‘waiting room’. Once I see that you are there, I will let you in. I feel like I am a bit of a bouncer making decisions about who to let in etc. But the waiting room is to ensure that some people out there who just want to disrupt zoom meetings are kept from doing so.
Click the following link to join the zoom gathering: The Wednesday Conversation - Jan 6, 2020
Meeting ID: 876 6400 2850 Passcode: 820979
As we move into this new year, may the path before you shine bright with the light of Christ.
Blessings from all of us at St. Helen's to you and your family