This Sunday, we’re celebrating 1 of our 2 Patronal Festivals, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the first Sunday after Canada Day! It’s a combination that goes tremendously well together. Canada Day causes us naturally to reflect on the question, “What does it mean for us as Christians to “stand on guard” for Canada as its citizens?” And there is no better answer to this question than that set forth by the words in today’s passages from Holy Scripture, which we read on the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the example of the lives of these two Apostles. We have Betty, who was Ordained Deacon 1 year ago on the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (and who exemplifies a servant’s heart), assisting us. We have a wonderful Children’s Time, the first led by our new Sunday School Coordinator, Kerin. We have our Choir leading us in 9 congregational Hymns, including “O Canada,” and sharing an anthem during the Offertory. We have another first, as David joins our Readers’ Ministry, sharing the Second Reading; the First is being given by Keith. And we have John L. leading us in a Canada Day Litany for the Prayers of the People.
As it's a Holy Eucharist, we’re most blessed to share Holy Communion together, physically or spiritually, feeding by faith with thanksgiving on the One who laid down his life for us, so that we may have his life within us always. When our Liturgy ends, the service begins, with a “Sending” forth into our beautiful Country and the whole wide world to share, in word and in deed, the love of God with joy, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in word and in deed.
Today’s Service of Holy Eucharist will be livestreamed on our main Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpaulscalgary) at 9:30 am. Following the service, the video will be posted on our YouTube Channel, and a link to the service will be added here. To watch this service in full screen mode, please click on the “Watch on YouTube” button in the lower left-hand corner of the video. Please download the Order of Service in the Sermon Notes above if you would like to follow along. If you are sharing this Service online and don’t have Reserved Sacrament, you are invited to say the Prayer for Communion for those receiving Spiritual Communion also available above.
Permission to reprint, podcast, and/or stream the music in this service obtained from:
(a) ONE LICENSE with license # A-713985, and/or
(b) CCLI with Streaming License # 20351479.
All rights reserved.