A Sermon for Lent II: "Walk Before Me and Be Blameless"

 

God instructing Abraham to count the stars
Woodcut by Julius Schnorr Von Carolsfeld, 1860
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Rev Robert's Sermon for Lent 2 (Year A) - Feb 25,, 2024. He writes:

In this sermon I pick up from where Noah left off. God is trying to change the way we function. He would like to replace freedom as autonomy with freedom as responsibility. And where Noah, though righteous failed, Abraham succeeds. Abraham exemplifies the inner-directed life of faith and shows us what a leader after God's own heart looks like.

Related readings: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and Romans 4:13-25

A Sermon for Lent I: "The Ark of the Church"

 

Rev Robert's Sermon from Lent 1 (Year A) - Feb 18, 2024. He writes: "Where I try to untangle the most difficult Christological description of Jesus from 1 Peter 3:18-20".

18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

 

Related Readings: Genesis 9:8-17 and 1 Peter 3:18-22

If it's Lent...

Our Lenten tradition at St. Cyprian's -- Soup Lunches! Every Sunday following the service, we serve soup, bread and cheese -- and tea and coffee, of course. Free-will offerings accepted with thanks for your support.

Our Sunday services begin at 10 a.m. -- Eucharist and Morning Prayer on alternate Sundays. Soup is served starting sometime between 11 and 11:30 a.m. All are welcome!

Showing Kindness

It's "Kindness Month" -- and the City of Lacombe, Alberta has kits for "businesses" to show their support. Figuring that "kindness" is a major theme of Christianity. St. Cyprian's has joined the throng. Yesterday we put our posters out so the world (or at least the community!) will know we are Christians by our love. 💕

P.S. This month was started to draw attention to bullying -- especially in schools -- and the official "Kindness Day" is February 28, when supporters are encouraged to wear pink. The Lacombe FCSS (Family and Community Support Services) is raising funds for its work by selling pink tee-shirts. For more information on those, contact them here https://www.facebook.com/LacombeFcss.

Church front door with posters

A closer look

It's official!

Back door (hall entrance) posters

Hall door poster #1

Hall door poster #2

Sermon For Sunday, February 11, 2024

 

Today is one of the dates in the Church Year when we observe the Feast of the Transfiguration (the other is August 6).  This week Rev. Robert took much of his text from Paul's second letter to the Corinithian's...but as you'll see, there remains a link...

May it bless your day. 😊

Readings for Sunday, February 11, 2024:

2 Kings 2: 1-12

Psalm 50: 1-6

2 Corinthians 4: 3-6

The Gospel of Mark 9: 2-9

Ash Wednesday is Coming!

 

Ash Wednesday Service

at St, Cyprian's Anglican Church

5005 - C&E Trail,

Lacombe, Alberta

Date:  Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Time: 10 a.m.

The service with include Imposition of Ashes

and Eucharist (Holy Communion)

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Sunday Sermon with Rev. Robert

 

Here is Rev. Robert's Sunday Sermon video for February 4, 2024, about which he writes:

"Have you ever wondered what Paul was talking about when he said that he had become all things to all people, or that he made himself a slave to all? Well, that is my subject of this sermon. I suggest that Paul is being very reasonable in 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, even though we might not immediately appreciate it.

"Paul is simply expressing both his commitment to sharing the Gospel and how he does it. He exercises what is called in informal logic the acceptability principle. That means: One who presents a position should attempt to use reasons that are likely to be accepted by those with whom one is speaking. That's what Paul is saying when he says he had become all things to all people. He is simply adapting the Gospel to what people know so that it makes better sense to them.

"I also discuss that it is no doubt because we live in an age of dwindling common sense that we doubt or even fear reasonable discussion can ever happen. In order to counter that somewhat justified position, I offer a part of the code of conduct of reasonable discussion from T. Edward Damer's _Attacking Faulty Reasoning_. I offer five of his principles to sketch what a reasonable person might believe and act like."

Readings for Sunday, February 4, 2024 

Isaiah 40:21-31

Psalm 147:1-12, 21

1 Corinthians 9:16-23 

The Gospel of Mark 1:29-39