Everyone is invited to share to share our Service of Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist today, a hugely special day at St. Paul’s.
We have the great joy of sharing the first Holy Baptism in our Sunday Services since October 6, 2019. It’s our awesome privilege to welcome Olivia Chinelo, age 10 months, to the Household of God, and to share the rejoicing of Anthony, Nkolika, Michelle, and all Olivia’s family and friends. Many thanks to Norman and Betty, for enabling this to take place.
We also have the great joy of having our Choir back with us to lead us in singing our Risen Lord’s praise. They’re leading us in 10 Hymns, including the Baptismal Hymn, “Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters.” With the return of the Choir, our musical repertoire has increased many times, reflected by the fact that 5 of our Hymns, including the beautiful Hymn “Alleluia, He is Coming,” haven’t been sung since March 2020. The Choir is also sharing in-person our Offertory Anthem.
It’s also our great joy to be having a Triple C Service – the Christ-centred Creative Celebration we share each fourth Sunday of the month. We have a special Children’s Time song, and Norman is sharing a Homily. As has been the case recently for our Triple C Services, our Readings from Holy Scripture are from N. T. Wright’s Kingdom translation. We have 2 Canticles and a rendition of Psalm 104 with beautiful videos of nature on our Screens.
This month, in keeping with Earth Day today, our theme for our Liturgy throughout is the celebration of the gift of creation, and the commitment to be faithful stewards of this most beautiful gift, so that our children and grandchildren, such as Olivia herself, may be able to experience the richness of its wonders. This combines with the end of the 20th Chapter of John’s Gospel which says that its words were written so that we may put our trust in Jesus, and have abundant, everlasting life in his Name.
Our Liturgy includes our sharing 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 abundant, eternal life within us always. Last, our Liturgy ends, and the service begins, with a “Sending” forth into a world that knows so much death, to spread, in word and in deed, the Good News of our Lord’s Risen Life.
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.