CANORA - Pastor Brett Watson greeted those in attendance at the outdoor church service on July 7 with these very appropriate words, “Welcome. Isn’t this a beautiful day? Thank you Lord for this beautiful day.
“As president of the Canora Ministerial Association, I’d like to welcome you to the opening event of Canora in Bloom,” continued Watson. “The Lord loves it when we worship together.”
Playing from the new stage in King George Park, the worship band for the service was made up of musicians from multiple local churches, including Watson (vocals and guitar), AJ Bathgate (tenor ukulele), Carissa Schomburg (guitar, vocals), Caleb Senechal (keyboard) and Wes Popoff (bass).
The worship band led the worshippers in the signing of a number of well-known hymns: Holy, Holy, Holy; How Great is Our God and How Great Thou Art.
The band also performed the song, Aware, which includes the words, “Make me aware, make me see, everything I have is not about me.”
Scripture readers Nicole Monchamp and Thom Carnahan read from Psalm 25:1-7 and John 17:11, 20-23.
Jessica Vaughters shared the community prayer, praying blessings for everyone in Canora and the surrounding area.
The meditation was presented by Ken Rolheiser, whose opening joke no doubt caused numerous listeners to scratch their heads for a moment or two.
“Often speakers begin with a mic check – I like to begin with a smile,” said Rolheiser. “This is a brain check. Did you know that July is my favorite month of the year?
“Why July?
“No, it’s the truth.”
Rolheiser emphasized that the Church must not only care for churchgoers, “but also for the world, because God offers his salvation to every human being.
“The Canora Ministerial Association has been active here for as long as I can remember, and I came here in 1971,” he continued. “For many years, the Ministerial Association has been organizing inter-faith services for Remembrance Day, Ecumenical Week in January, June Graduations – though not this past year, Mayor’s Breakfasts, and other events including Canora in Bloom.”
Rolheiser posed the questions, “Do you find your faith exciting?
“What is the key to your faith community?
“Why does our town have a recreational director and planning committees for events like Canora in Bloom?
He went on to add, “You are probably still lonely sometimes. At times we hurt. We live in pain, in loneliness.
“Petula Clarke sang, ‘When you’re alone and life is making you lonely you can always go – downtown. The lights are much brighter there. You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares…and go downtown. You’ll find a place where they never close, downtown.’
“That’s probably the Red Apple store
“We all need a gentle hand sometimes to guide us along the way. So a big thank you to the Canora In Bloom organizers for all their efforts this week!
“Being a disciple of Jesus is a happy opportunity to serve others and to follow the Gospel message we heard today.
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Rolheiser went on to share a story about stewardship.
“Several businessmen ran late at a meeting and were rushing to the airport to catch a plane home for supper. As they passed through the airport, one of them bumped an applecart, spilling the apples, which rolled all around. The men rushed on, all but one who stopped and called, ‘You may have to tell my wife I’ll be late.’
“He went back and started gathering apples. They belonged to a blind 16-year-old girl. As he collected the apples, he noticed some were bruised, so he gave her $40 to compensate. After she thanked him and he was walking away, the girl called out, ‘Hey mister, are you Jesus?’
“You know where this is going," Rolheiser continued. "You know that one of the greatest activities of the Canora Ministerial Association is supporting the Food Bank or Filling the Gap as we call it.
“You know the demands on the Food Bank have been going up recently here and elsewhere. The Good News is that the generosity of people and their willingness to share has also been going up. For that the Ministerial Association thanks you. Being a disciple of Jesus is sharing our gifts and our blessings with others.
“At the final judgement Jesus will turn to us and say, hopefully, ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in… I think we know the corporal works of mercy.
“I remind you that there are also spiritual works of mercy: Counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish the sinner, comfort the sorrowful, forgive injuries, bear wrongs patiently, and pray for the living and the dead.
“Before I conclude I want to give a shout out to the pastors in the Canora Ministerial Association over the years.
“I would like to add a shout out to some of our contemporaries who faithfully carry the ball of the Food Bank and the Thrift Store which helps support it. Reverend Brett and Mavis Watson, and their many volunteer helpers unwaveringly keep Filling the Gap going. Reverend Greg Bright has done so much to keep the Ministerial Association wheels turning as well. And recently we have been joined by Father Ivan Simko.
“Heaven is going to be a wonderful place with all of these faithful servants helping us get there. The greatest thing about our spiritual leaders is that they help us encounter Jesus. They teach us we are God’s beloved. Jesus gives us his body and blood so we, in a real way, become the body of Christ. As his body, Jesus wants us to be his hands and his feet, his eyes that look with compassion on the world. God blesses the world through us.
“An exciting aspect of following Jesus is that we are on a winning team. About one-third of the world is Christian. That’s a long way from the original 13 persons. Jesus has even more hearts than those professed Christians. When a man hits his thumb with a hammer, he swears by Jesus. Even if he doesn’t go to church on Sunday. You don’t hear him say “Buddha!”
The benediction and closing for the service was spoken by Pastor Greg Bright
“Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations,” Psalm 135:13
“As we go on our way today, may you be blessed by the Lord, the Faithful One. I invite you to greet someone today as you leave. Greet those you know – and someone you don’t know yet. Who knows, you might make a new friend!
“I leave you with these final words of the Apostle Peter, ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen,’ 2 Peter 3:18.
“God bless you.”
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