Baptism

Last weekend my grandson, Gerrard, was baptized at St Joseph’s.  It was a lot of fun and there were quite a few guests.  It’s always nice to have visitors at church. It’s an opportunity to welcome newcomers; and we are particularly good at it. 

Welcoming is a major part of what a baptism does.  It welcomes newcomers and visitors, while at the same time welcoming a new member to the body of Christ.

I always have a great time at baptisms.  The fact that it was my grandson only made it better. It was a great privilege to be allowed to take part in such an important sacrament, and I was much blessed. As was everyone else who attended; because we all take part in the sacrament of baptism. We are adopting someone into our extended family and renew our own covenant with God. 

I think back to the time when I was baptized in Montreal.  I was baptized on a Sunday afternoon, with only my family and a few guests present. It’s sad that this was the practice back then. It’s almost like we were saying ‘let’s not bother the church service with a baptism’. I’m sure that that wasn’t the intention, but it sure sent a bad signal.

Baptisms are for the whole community.  They need to be joyful; filled with music and praise. We are welcoming a newcomer, possibly even welcoming the stranger. We don’t know where this new person might take us in our journey, but I for one am glad to welcome Gerrard on the road!

                                                                                                                                Deacon Mark

Deacon's Corner - Busyness!

Last weekend, I attended a workshop in Toronto.  In all, it consisted of 13 hours of lectures and learning exercises.  By Sunday afternoon, I was tired and cranky; and on Monday I was back to work.

Why am I mentioning this?  It’s because we live in a society that sets a very high value on busyness, and I am tired of it. We are expected to squeeze 60 hours of work into every week; and we take inordinate pride in doing so.  We come home from work each day and check our schedules to see what is planned for the evening.  Sadly, we rarely find ‘talking to our spouse’ or ‘phoning a friend’ on the list.  We spend all kinds of time being active, but very little time building the things that make for community.

I think it’s time we slowed down and figured out what really matters to us, and then do the things that make them possible. We want friends who care about us, but we don’t find the time to sit down and talk to them. We want our children to grow up to be compassionate and caring adults, yet we’re too busy to teach them how. 

I’m finally learning that I can’t be everything people want me to be; I’m far too flawed for that. What I can do though, is try to listen to God, and do what I think She is calling me to do. I’ve already figured out that saying no to someone when they ask me to give more of myself than I have to offer, isn’t a sin; even when it’s for a good cause. 

I need to keep reminding myself that God is in charge; and God has managed to bring me this far in spite of myself. More important still, I need to remember that God has not asked me to fix the world, but to love it. 

 

What is He asking you to do?  Can you fit it in your schedule?

Deacon Mark

Advent Season

This past Sunday was the First Sunday of Advent!

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, Fr. David is hosting an Advent Study held at St. Joseph's on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm.

These 4 weeks in Advent will focus on the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Through food, video and scripture, we will experience the journey of Joseph and Mary, as we all await the birth of the Christ child. 

There are still 3 more weeks to go, so please come out and join us! 
All are welcome!

Deacon's Blog

So here I am, after all this time preparing to become a deacon, I have finally arrived.  But where have I arrived? 

It’s a bit of a shock to realize I haven’t arrived anywhere.  It’s more like I’ve finally been allowed to get on the bus; the journey is just beginning. With all the focus being on ordination, it was easy to forget that being ordained only gave me permission to be a deacon; it didn’t make me a deacon. 

 What makes for being a deacon is serving; serving the community of St Joseph and the community at large.  I suspect that the first six months of this new life (and yes, being ordained is like starting a new life) will be ‘on the job training’. Please try to be patient with me. Most of the instructions that come with this job are rather sketchy, and I will need a lot of help figuring out what I am meant to become. 

 In the meantime please feel free to give me your input (like I need to give St Joseph people permission to tell me what they think…ha). I will try to make entries to this blog every week or two. Telling you what I am up to and what I think is important for you to know.  A deacon needs to open up the doors of the church; so that the community can see in, and the congregation can see out.  I promise to do my best.

Peace and all good,

Mark…

Stayed Tuned for New Blog Posts from Our Deacon

On October 6, 2013, Mark Stephen was ordained into the Sacred Order of Deacons at St. Joseph's. The service was presided by Bishop Philip Poole, Area Bishop of York and Credit Valley area.

Deacon Mark hopes to use this blog to document his journey while he explores his role as Deacon in the St. Joseph community, and as a way of keeping in touch with the parishioners.

Stay tuned ...

Lenten Bible Study

It's not too late to come out to Fr. David's weekly Bible Study during Lent.

This group meets at the church, St. Joseph's, 290 Balmoral Drive, Brampton, at 7:00 pm on Tuesday evenings. The focus for Lent is the Gospel of St. Luke.

Come out and join the discussion!  All are welcome!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing one and all a blessed Christmas and a Happy, healthy  New Year!

Our Christmas services are as follows:

 
Christmas Eve, Mon. Dec. 24th
6:00 pm  Family Service
8:00 pm  Holy Eucharist (BCP)
10:30 pm Carol Sing
11:00 pm Choral Eucharist with incense

Christmas Day, Tues. Dec. 25th
10:00 am  Holy Eucharist

We'd be delighted to see you here!