SACRAMENTS
As Christians we celebrate and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, that the God who created all things desired a relationship with each of us so much that he sent his Son to us so that we may know the Father through Him.
Through the life of Jesus told in the Scriptures we learn just how beloved we are in the eyes of God and how God invites us to give our lives to him so that He can become the foundation of our life.
Baptism is the way that we say 'yes' to this relationship with God and give ourselves to him, receiving his forgiveness and becoming a part of His life. It is like a new birth into a new life, and through it we become members of the body of Christ - the Church.
Baptism is the entrance into this new life in Jesus, and so the baptismal font is traditionally placed at the back of the church nearest the entrance door, reminding us that the baptismal font is the entrance door to this new life in God and in the Church, His family.
Traditionally, we baptize both infants and adults, with parents and Godparents making the promises on behalf of the child, and vowing that they will raise the child in the faith and bring them to a knowledge of God.
If you are interested in seeking baptism for yourself or your child, please reach out to the Rector through the Parish Office, he would love to meet you, get to know you, and plan for a baptism.
Baptism
Marriage
The Book of Common Prayer says of Marriage that, "Matrimony was ordained for the hallowing of the union betwixt man and woman; for the procreation of children to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord; and for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, in both prosperity and adversity."
That is, marriage is a gift through which we strive give ourselves fully to our spouse and to God so that our love can grow to more closely resemble the love that is shown to us by God. We do not enter marriage as perfect people, but as people praying that this new way of knowing our spouse might help us become more fully the people whom God calls us to be - loving, selfless, and self-sacrificial people.
As we know from the words we hear so often in marriages, the demands of the married life are great, "for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part". It is in living for our spouses first and not ourselves that we come to find joy in ways we may not have known before. This is why the Prayer Book also advises that marriage is, "not by any to be entered upon, nor taken In hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God".
Typically we ask that all couples seeking marriage in the church undergo marriage preparation with the Rector or through another approved marriage preparation course.
If you are considering getting married in the church we would love to hear from you, please reach out to the Rector through the Parish Office to arrange a meeting.
There are few things better than sharing a meal amongst friends. At its best, breaking bread together with friends can lift our hearts to a place of thanksgiving both for the food we eat, the person who made it, and for the fellowship we have with those we love.
When we gather in church on Sundays we take part in just such a meal, but it is so much more than that. Holy Communion - also called the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, or the Mass - is a strange kind of meal. On the one hand, when bread is broken and wine poured it recalls us to that night when Jesus shared the same with his disciples, the very first Eucharist, recalling that when he broke and offered the bread and shared the wine, he gave it to them saying, "take, eat, this is my body...this is my blood..."
When we come to church and receive communion we are not simply eating a piece of bread and taking a sip of wine to symbolize Jesus' sacrifice, we are receiving the Lord Himself. When we receive communion in faith we receive nothing less than Jesus' body and blood.
But Eucharist is a word which means thanksgiving, and that is exactly what Communion is. We come each Sunday and offer to the Lord bread and wine, things which human hands have made, as an offering of thanksgiving for all that God has given us, but through God's abundant grace those simple elements become more than they could ever be were it up to us. When we make an offering and sacrifice to God, even of unleavened bread and wine, we receive back from God so much more.
Even in this small detail is a lesson - when we offer ourselves to God's service it is often the case that we, through God's work, become far more than we could ever otherwise be.
The celebration of Holy Communion on Sundays is the central act of worship for our parish, around which all else turns, and so each service acts as a kind of preparation for receiving communion. We offer praise in our worship and singing, we hear scripture readings that remind us of the great works God has wrought for us, we confess our sins and cleanse our consciences, and we offer prayers for all those who suffer. It can be good to spend time each week preparing to receive communion on Sunday - think about the past week, are there things for which you need to seek forgiveness, burdens you need to let go of, or things you need to change about yourself? We prepare ourselves so that we can not be lacking for joy and thanksgiving on Sunday when we receive the eucharist.
The Anglican Church of Canada welcomes anyone who is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit), and who is a communicant member of their own denomination (you needn't be Anglican to receive!) to approach the rail and receive communion each Sunday.
If you are visiting and are unsure about how to receive, or wish to talk to the Rector ahead of time please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Holy Communion
The great early theologian and Bishop of the church, St. Augustine of Hippo, once described Sacraments as, “outward visible signs of inward invisible grace,” meaning that the sacraments which are part of our life in the church are ceremonies, rituals, and events that we see with our eyes but that point to the grace of God at work in us. Most often in our parish you will be participating in one of these three sacraments - if you have questions about any of them, or about participating on Sunday, or if you are seeking marriage or baptism for you or your child, we would be very happy to chat with you.
“Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward invisible grace.”