May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!
Holy Week blessings to you and your family. The story that we travel through this week is the story that is at the heart of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a story that calls us to dig into our hearts and ask ourselves how we fit into the story. It is a story that reassures us that God is with us in our own lives. It is a story that sustains our hope, telling us that we can trust, in the words of Frederick Buechner, that "the worst time is never the last time."
We entered into Holy Week on Sunday with our Palm Sunday parades, and with the fabulous "Easter Experience" that Gaby created for people to walk through. Our story continues tomorrow (Thursday) evening with our Maundy Thursday service (7pm at Westfield and on the Two Rivers Pastoral Charge Facebook page), continues at our Good Friday service (11am at Westfield and on the Two Rivers Pastoral Charge page), and concludes with our Easter Celebrations (6:45am Sunrise Service at the Brundage Point River Centre; 9:15 at Long Reach; 11:15 at Westfield and on Facebook).
I say that our story concludes on Easter; but if you were paying attention last Sunday, I hinted that Easter is only the end of the beginning - that something new starts with the resurrection so Easter is really the beginning, not the ending!
Sunday is also the day that we are going to be sending Gaby off with our best wishes as she is going to be moving to PEI shortly after Easter. If you would like to stop by the Westfield parking lot after the service (12:15 or 12:30), Gaby will be there and would love to see you. We know that this is going to be a "See you later" sort of send off rather than an actual "Goodbye" since I'm sure that they will be back here frequently with the boys to visit Mike's family; but we will miss Gaby's energy and creativity in her role as Youth and Young Families Ministry Coordinator.
Next week, I am going to be on Study Leave - there is an online Festival of Biblical Storytelling that I have registered for. Rev. Susan Gamblin is available in case of any pastoral emergencies, and Session is arranging for pulpit supply on April 11. There will be no 1pm check-ins next week (they will resume Monday April 12), and no mid-week e-mail message next week. Our Wednesday morning bible study is also taking the week off (resuming Wednesday April 14).
Since there will be no mid-week message next week, I should probably mention today that our next gathering to discuss Broadview Magazine will be on Monday April 12, from 10-11:30 in the Westfield Parlour. Everyone is welcome to attend! If you are a subscriber, we will be discussing the April/May issue. If you aren't a subscriber, you can read most of the articles in the April/May issue by clicking here.
I think that this is all I wanted to pass along to you today. I look forward to seeing you, either in-person or online, at our services over the next couple of days.
Blessings to you and yours, today and always!
Kate.
Rev. Kate Jones
Two Rivers Pastoral Charge
(506) 757-2201 (office)
(506) 343-1307 (mobile)
Pronouns: she/her/hers
"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?"
Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself."
(Matthew 22:36-39)