Who we are:
St John's Vancouver Anglican Church, Vancouver is a community of Christians dedicated to the exposition and teaching of the Word of God, to the spreading of the good news of the Gospel at home and abroad, and to the application of God's purpose in our own lives and families.
News > 2008 Parish Life Notes > 08.05.18 Parish Life
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May 18, 2008
Why Liturgy?
Sit... stand... kneel... repeat this... pray that... and what exactly are 'manifold sins?'
So why do we use liturgy? For some, the first question is 'what is liturgy?' Typically in Christianity the term 'the liturgy' refers to a standardized order of events observed during a religious service. Ah yes, but why do it the way we do it?
The primary purpose of the liturgy is to help us relate to God in a worship service. It shapes our approach to God, according to the Biblical pattern of recognizing our sin, receiving forgiveness, hearing God speak to us through His Word, and us speaking to God in prayer. In summary, the liturgy is a way of answering the question 'How can sinful humans approach the King of the universe?' In this way, far from being a museum piece, the liturgy is inherently evangelistic. It creates an environment where we can put our life right with God by acknowledging who God is and what He has done for us.
Functionally, the liturgy is helpful in that it doesn't let you be a passive spectator during a service. A liturgical service invites participants to bring their body, mind and spirit before God. In a liturgical worship situation your whole self is fully engaged. Your body participates along with your mind and spirit through physical acts of kneeling, rising, and coming forward for communion. You could argue that liturgy and ritual could become empty and meaningless. But so can any form of Christian worship when it is not done in the right spirit. Part of the beauty of the liturgy is that it recognizes this, which is why one of the first physical acts we do is to kneel – a physical and spiritual posture that recognizes that we are broken and forgiven people, before a loving and holy God who wants relationship with His people.
Aaron Roberts – St. John's Evangelist
Parish Announcements
Women @ 10. Thursdays 10:00 am. Women @ 10 will be hosting Christianity Explored for women who have questions or are curious about Christianity. The series started May 8th and will continue through to June. Childcare is available. Enquiries to Jan Hobbis at the church office at 604.731.4966 ext 28 or via email to Jan@sjvan.org.
New to St. John’s? If you are new to St. John’s, we would like to get to know you! Please join us for our ‘Welcome Lunch’ after the 11:00 am service in the Trendell Lounge on May 25th. Please register by sending email to dc@sjvan.org or by calling the church office.
Marriage and Parenting. Our next evening will be on Friday, May 30th at 7:00 pm in the Trendell Lounge. Mike and Heather Searle will be speaking on, “Ways that each family member can be involved when on a mission trip.” Childcare is available in the nursery only, as the older children are encouraged to attend. Please bring an appi or dessert to share. If you have any questions, contact Elizabeth Siemens at elizabethsiemens@telus.net.
Prayer Chain. Crises (loss of work, accidental injury, death in the family, or illness) often come upon us unexpectedly. St. John’s has a prayer chain; the members would be glad to pray for you or your family/friends in your time of need. Please phone the church office to be put in touch with the prayer chain. If you have questions, please speak to Edie Rittinger (604.731.4966 ext 24) or Ruth Matheson (604.731.4966 ext 12).
Discovering Christ presents 'Christianity Explored'. A course for the curious, a place to ask questions. The Christianity Explored course meets every Wednesday night at 7:00 pm in the Trendell Lounge for a meal, short presentation (by Rico Tice on video) and discussion. The course runs for seven weeks and is designed for those who are curious about Christianity or are new to the Christian faith. Christianity Explored provides a warm, pressure-free environment to explore questions of faith and life. Please register by sending email to dc@sjvan.org or by phoning the church office 604.731.4966 ext 25. The next course begins May 21st. More details are provided on this website here.
St. John’s Children’s Choir. The St. John’s Children’s Choir Summer Concert is Saturday, June 7 at 2:00 pm. We’d love to see you there!
Luke’s Gospel for Sunday School Teachers and Parents. In the fall many of us at St. John’s will launch into a study of Luke’s gospel, including all children on Sunday mornings. An evening is planned to prepare anyone interested in teaching Sunday School at which Bronwyn Short will give an overview of Luke’s Gospel. Join us on Monday, June 16th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Trendell Lounge. Please direct enquiries to ruthf@stjohnsshaughnssy.org.
Flowers. The flowers on the Credence Table are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Maureen, wife, mother and dear friend to many. Merv, Jennifer, Steve and their families.
Bible Reading Guide. Today in your bulletin, you will find a copy of the Bible Reading Guide for the next 9 weeks (May 18-July 19). This guide is an abbreviated version of the Book of Common Prayer Table of Lessons (pp xvi to xlv), which was written with the assumption that a person would pray and read two passages from the Bible morning and evening. We choose one of those four readings for this little Guide. If you don’t have a Prayer Book, Norah Johnston (604.224.8986) would be glad to provide you with one at cost. Besides the reading from an Old Testament book, there is a reading from the Psalms. May God bless you as you read His Word.
Anglican News
Anglican Network in Canada National Conference
Compelled by Christ’s Love
The report and photos of the conference "Compelled by Christ's Love", can be found on the Anglican Network in Canada website at http://www.anglicannetwork.ca/conference_0408_report_2.htm.
DVDs of the conference can be ordered.
Community News
Used Stamps. Please bring your unwanted used stamps in for the Arctic Fellowship. Thank you to all those who already give. Also if you have eye glasses you don’t know what to do with, please leave them at reception and we will get them to the charities who need them. Contact Grace at 604.872.6031.
Big Book Sale. Saturday May 24th 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, at 10th Avenue Alliance Church (Ontario and 10th Avenue). Remember the great book sale at St. John’s last year? Come share in the excitement again this year. Besides buying books at the sale, we would welcome your used books, any baked items or help at the sale. Contact Manya Egerton at 604.261.7785 megerton@telus.net, or Living Waters: 604.301.1470 interns@livingwaterscanada.org.
Operation Baby Bottle is Back Again. You are invited to join this fundraising endeavour with your local Crisis Pregnancy Centre as we collect extra change for one month between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Baby bottles are available at the Reception Desk (or call Janice at 604.736.0969 for further assistance).
Homestart Foundation. Do you have furniture or household effects that you no longer need? Homestart Foundation
is a Christian organization that picks up and stores items which are then made available to front line organizations such as homeless, halfway, refugee and women’s shelters. If you can contribute, please call 604.708.9556 or visit www.homestart.ca
