The Feast of St. John the Baptist
Regular Services are as listed below
10:00 AM
https://vimeo.com/event/5207442
You do not have to be baptized, or familiar with church procedures, to be welcome among us.
If we can help you by praying for you, whether you come to church or not, please contact our priest the Rev. Canon Dr. John Alfred Steele.
We are an Anglican parish in the Diocese of British Columbia - The Diocese of Islands and Inlets - and a member of the Anglican Church of Canada.
First Reading:Isaiah 10.1-11
Psalm 85: 7-13
Second Reading:Acts 13.14b-26
Gospel Reading: Luke 1.57-80
We are thankful for:
We pray for:
Oh God, our Father, of all the people of the earth, look with favour upon us and hear the prayer we make for our country Zambia. We ask for your loving guidance upon all men and women in all that they do so that your blessings will be upon them.
We thank you for your protection and the peace that we have enjoyed in this country for the past 50 years. We thank you for the peace you gave us especially during the Golden Jubilee celebration as an independent nation. Let the jubilee celebrations bring more blessings to our country. We, therefore, pray for all our leaders who are serving your people in various capacities that you will give them wisdom and knowledge to know you as the sovereign Lord who created the heavens and the earth and that you are the only God among all. You deserve to be praised.
We remember especially our political leaders and ask you to bless the work of their hand and to guide their decision so that our country may continue to be peaceful and that we may deserve an honoured place among all nations.
We pray for the young men and women upon whom the future of this country depends. Teach them to be responsible citizens so that they can grow in the knowledge of your word, in the fear of sin and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world for the salvation of humankind.
We pray for all churches in Zambia. Bless all the clergy, the church workers and all the church members. Help us all to witness to others so that we all may be one in Christ Jesus. Be with the United Church of Zambia as they celebrate in 2015 the Golden Jubilee of its existence as a united church. We thank you for the blessing of this double golden jubilee, one as a country and the other as a church.
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and protect us. In the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord we pray, because he reigns for ever and ever. Amen
(Sarah S. Kaulule, The United Church of Zambia, former vice moderator of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order)
Prayer from South Africa
God,
How wonderful it is, how pleasant,
to be healed of the corrosive disease of racism and separation;
and to live as your people together in harmony.
Your Spirit will then fill the hearts and the minds of all people.
Nobody will be judged any more on the basis of race or colour;
but all will be ruled with justice and integrity.
The war will end and the people together will rebuild the country.
There will be no reference to the colour of the skin,
for all will be regarded as the people of God,
the people created in your image.
And this will be the beginning of what you have promised –
the life that never ends.
God of love, God of compassion,
in the midst of death and evil,
you mercifully look after us:
protecting, providing and smiling,
constantly reassuring us of your care.
Grant to us the joy of this occasion,
especially as we celebrate our birthdays,
knowing that your love is life.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may acquire a heart of wisdom,
through him whose life has become our light, even Jesus Christ.
(Rev. Dr Augustine Musopole, Malawi. In: Africa Praying: A Handbook on HIV/AIDS Sensitive Sermon Guidelines and Liturgy, ed. Musa W. Dube, WCC, 2003, pp.164, 11-12, 89)
Did you know we celebrate the birth of St John the Baptist - just after the spring solstice as the days are getting shorter and John proclaimed in John 3.30 "He must increase but I must decrease."?
We celebrate the birth of Jesus after the winter solstice because the days are getting longer and "the true light has come into the world and the darkness will not overcome it".
The commemoration of the saints is an important part of our Anglican tradition. We commemorate the saints and acknowledge their contribution to the life of the Church through the inspiration they exemplify through Christ's living example found in their lives. We acknowledge their lives on the date of their death - which we also do for St John the Baptist on Aug 29th.
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