Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation.” Luke 2:28-30
The chief title of today’s feast, “The Presentation,” comes from the ancient Jewish law that every firstborn son had to be dedicated to God’s service. But the Law of Moses allowed parents to redeem their child by offering something else in his stead. In Jesus’s case, Mary and Joseph offered the redemptive substitute which the law appointed for the first-born of poor parents, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Thus, paradoxically, the Redeemer himself was redeemed.
In celebrating the feast of the Presentation, the people of the Church become like Simeon, who cradled the infant Light of salvation in the crook of his arm and knew him to be as fragile as a candle-flame. In baptism, in meditating upon Scripture, and in the Eucharist Christians cradle the same Light and take responsibility for the life of Christ in our world. And yet the paradox continues. Even as they hold Christ in their hands, they may discover that they are really in the crook of Christ’s arms, being presented by him in the sanctuary of God’s joy and glory.
Prayer: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for you have sent us your salvation. Inspire us by your Holy Spirit to recognize him who is the glory of Israel and the light for all nations, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastoral Concerns: Our brothers, Dave and Tony, have been home after staying in the hospital for a few days. Please continue to pray for their spiritual and physical healing.
Tuesday Evening at St. Mike’s –our parish offers a weekly evening prayer and bible study at 6:00pm in the sanctuary. We invite parishioners, family and friends to come and join us for a spiritual journey as children of God. Just bring your bible.
Annual Vestry Meeting: We are pleased to invite you to St. Michael’s Annual Vestry Meeting (AGM)to be held on Sunday, 24 Feb. 2019 after a Joint Worship Service at 9:30am. Registration will begin at 9:00am. Light lunch will be served. We respectfully request your early attendance in order that the program may commence on time. We continue to seek parishioners to serve in the leadership team of St. Michael’s. Please let the rector know if you wish to serve at parish council. Hope to see you all.
PLEASE NOTE: A.V.M packages will be emailed out two weeks (February 10), before the A.V.M. If you require a paper copy, please let Natasha know and she will print one for you. Paper copies will not be available unless requested.
Clericus Host: St. Michael’s will host the next clergy deanery meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 13th, after the 11:30am Eucharist.
St. Mike’s 60th Anniversary: We are still seeking your ideas in preparation for St. Michael’s 60th founding anniversary. Our hope is get a few events started which would serve as build-up activities leading to the September 29, 2019 Parish Thanksgiving Day.
Donation for Church Furnace: We would like to inform all parishioners of St. Michael’s that the furnace which supplies heat to the back room of the church building has passed its life. In consultation of a few technicians, the parish leadership has looked at the different options on how to deal with this problem. With the help of a parishioner, parish council has decided to replace it with a new furnace.
We ask for your financial contributions towards this capital expense. Please make your donations payable to St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Surrey, with a memo designated for the “Church Furnace”. A tax receipt would be issued to you by the end of this calendar year. Thank you.
Our Companion Diocese: Archbishop Melissa Skelton and some other people in our Diocese will be making a visit to our Companion Diocese of Northern Philippines departing February 17. Please pray for their safe journey.
2019 Stewardship Day: Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Synod Office in Vancouver. This year’s title of the Stewardship Day is, “Celebrating Generous Communities – Practical tools for Encouraging Giving”.
Saint Michael's Anglican Church 