It’s the Fifth Sunday in Lent, the Season in the Church Year of lengthening our roots in God’s love, and the roots of God’s love in us. This week, our theme is extravagant love: ours for Jesus, and his for us and through us. We’re blessed to have Betty with us, to assist with the Liturgy. Our Virtual Choir is leading us in our 6 congregational Hymns, and our Offertory Instrumental is from our “organ-away-from-home,” the pipe organ at All Saints,’ Oystermouth in Swansea, Wales.
For the first time since March 2020, our First and Second Readings from Holy Scripture and Prayers of the People are all being led in-person, by Dan, Debra, and Doreen, respectively. These Prayers include a Prayer for Ukraine from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon and an adapted version of a Prayer in Response to COVID-19 from Xavier University in Cincinnati, both shared by Dinah, and a Litany shared by Doreen. After this, we have the priceless privilege of receiving within us the life of the One who poured out himself in extravagant love for us, feeding on him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving, as we share Communion physically or spiritually together. Last, our Liturgy ends, and the service begins, with a “Sending” forth to help spread the love of the Lord throughout our broken, war-torn world, in word and in deed.
The image of Jesus this week (shown in this posting) is a painting entitled “Image of Edessa,” by Ukrainian artist Khrystyna Yatsyniak.
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.