Good Things Grow

Welcome to your online Sunday worship from St. George’s, Georgetown for Sunday, June 13, 2021.

This week I am inviting all of us to join in the diocesan online for worship.

My goal since Christmas has been to point us, once a month or so, to the diocesan lead online worship. Although I have enjoyed and become more efficient and comfortable with preparing the online worship, linking to the diocesan worship monthly gives me the opportunity to make space to attend to the other aspects of our ministry and mission.

This week I attended our two day online diocesan Clergy and Licensed lay-worker Conference, and so I appreciate chance this Sunday to worship with you rather than lead it.

Also note I also added a link at the end of this post to the Diocesan virtual celebration of Pride, Fiercely Loved: You Belong! which starts today at 4pm. The service is a witness to the vibrant ministry carried out by 2SLGBTQIA+ Christians in our midst.

Family Ministry

This week our family ministry resources focus on our reading from Mark’s Gospel, chapter 4, verses 26 to 34. Jesus tells two parables about God’s kingdom revealed through the miracle of creation and the growth of plants. In our weekly Sunday email, there are links to helpful family pages that help explain the reading and a fun comic page about the lesson that can be coloured.

This week’s resources also has this wonderful prayer that families can pray together:
Dear God, thank you for showing us how small things can make a big difference. Help us be like mustard seeds whose actions grow to be great. Amen.

Please sign up for our weekly emails to get those links to these great resources to use together with your family.  

Opening Music

For our opening song this week, I have chosen a hymn we regularly sing at Thanksgiving services, but which fits perfectly with our scripture text today, “For the Fruit of All creation.”

Reading

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.1

Online Diocesan Worship

There is an order of service available on the diocesan COVID-19 resource page. And here is the link to our Diocesan Facebook page for this week’s 10am live-streamed worship:

Click the image above to visit the diocesan Facebook page. The service begins at 10am and is also available at the same link afterwards to view the service, or view it at the diocesan YouTube page.

Prayers of the People

We pray for all medical staff, all essential frontline workers and their families, for those living and working at Long Term Care and seniors residences, and for those that are helping to distribute the vaccine: that God will be their strength and support.

We pray for all those unfairly discriminated against in our society, praying especially for justice and reconciliation for our continent’s indigenous people.

We pray for all who are facing trials and difficulties and for those who are sick. Show them your kindness, mercy, and healing.

Come, Holy Spirit, creator, and renew the face of the earth. We pray to you, Come, Holy Spirit, come. 

(To find the list of those we are praying for in our parish please sign up for our Parish email. To add a name to our prayers please contact me.)

Closing Music

To close this week I have chosen an upbeat singing of the traditional hymn “How Firm a Foundation.”

The song “God of Wonders” is my recommendation for this week’s contemporary closing song.

I wish you all a blessed and safe Sunday and week.

Thank you for your continued support of the ministry and mission of St. George’s. I do look forward to us being able to gather together again in-person when we are able.

Be Well and God Bless.

Peace,

The Rev’d Canon Rob Park

  1. Scripture quotation is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All are invited to participate in our upcoming virtual celebration of Pride, Fiercely Loved: You Belong! 

The service, featuring Bishop Susan Bell with a homily by Canon Penny Anderson and a host of diverse voices from around our diocese, will premiere on Facebook and YouTube on Sunday, June 13 at 4:00pm.

The service is a witness to the vibrant ministry carried out by 2SLGBTQIA+ Christians in our midst. It is also an important opportunity to gather virtually in a year when in-person celebrations of Pride are not possible.