As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional, unceded lands
of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves
to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building
with our First Nations neighbours.     

Call to Worship:

You, my child,
shall be called the prophet of
the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare his way.  

Luke 1.76

O Come. Let Us Worship. 

 Gathering

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand.

Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the
inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Collect for Today

Almighty God, 
You called John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. 
Give your people the wisdom to see your purpose, and the openness to hear your will, that we too may witness to Christ’s coming and so prepare his way; 
through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and for ever.  Amen. 

Collect for National Indigenous Peoples' Day

Creator God, from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened, and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

Luke 1. 57-80

Sermon:  The Ven.  Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be ever acceptable to you, O Lord.  Amen.

       “ Prepare the Way of the Lord "         

Have you ever thought you may be preparing the way of the Lord?

Or.

Have you ever thought that you and I have the responsibility to prepare the way of the Lord?

Or, that we may rest on our laurels because John the Baptist has already taken care of that? So, we don’t need to worry. It’s all looked after.

Let me take you on a journey of history for a few moments—a journey through bits and pieces of the life of this parish, and those who have prepared the way.

1906 – The first sermon in this parish was delivered by Bishop Perrin on the Feast of St. John the Baptist 24 June 1906. (I’d be interested to hear that sermon.)

-The first words read from the Gospel on that day, were words we have heard and read so often: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

The first instituted rector of the parish was Reverend Frederick Granville Christmas or fondly known as Father Christmas.

Gleaning the history books, I noted at one time Mr. Leakey had a 4-point parish here in the valley: Quamichan, Cowichan, Cobble Hill and Shawnigan.

Imagine! And today we have this idea that it would be impossible for a clergy person to serve more than one parish at a time.

Other clergy:

• Reverend Arthur Bischlager (1919). Noting: For the Pantry Shower his family received 8 fowls!

• 1936 Rev. H.T. Napier coming from High River, AB

• 1956 Rev. Brian Tindall Page. Gifted as a truly spiritual man.

• 1960’s Rev. Richard Stephenson

• Then Canon Chrisfield

• Skipping along..

• 1975-1983 Rev. H.I.G. Ragg was incumbent.

NOTED: St. John’s suffered an upheaval in 1983 because Rev. Ragg left that summer and at the same time the organist resigned! Imagine the upheaval in the parish! But the other part of that upheaval was the fondness that parish had for Rev. Ragg and his ministry.

The legacy of service in the Anglican Church of Canada by the Ragg family is nearly as incredible. They served through 3 generations.

Years following are more current and fresh memories remain of these individuals among us.

[Forgive me if you can. Of note three of these recent clergy all have Saskatchewan beginnings!]         

When reading the Annals of History of our parish, of note is the number of people involved in “Preparing the Way of the Lord.”         

Beyond the obligatory clergy, were the variety of laypeople who served and continue so serve so faithfully.

Beyond the obligatory celebrations of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage, this community has been involved in: Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Poverty Suppers, Missions to Mexico, assisting in local charities. Support for PWRDF, ACW—over the years those ministries have continued to remain strong. ‘Mission and Outreach’ continues to be a strong symbol of ministry from this parish.         

In 1923 a “ruridecanal” (??sp??) conference was held at St. John’s Parish, a paper was read on “The Bible in the Schools” – still a lively subject for discussion and controversy, by Archdeacon Collison.

Interesting at the same meeting, following this lively discussion Bishop Williams of Huron and Bishop Farthing of Montreal spoke on behalf of the Missionary Society of the Christian Church.

Through reading these history records, it’s incredible the amount of travel that bishops did at that time, and how they travelled from across our country and from around the world to visit communities at all parts.         

Not unlike the Lesson from the Prophet Isaiah this morning: what we experience throughout the history of parish churches is the messages of comfort for the people in the community.         

Like Isaiah, history has shown, overall, instead of impending judgement, Isaiah assures the people with a message of comfort.

What we see in preparing the people for the way of the Lord is a true witness of v. 8: ‘

“The grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

In v. 11, we hear words which I have witnessed echoing throughout generations of workers in the church. I have intentionally changed some of the words:

“The people of this parish have tendered the flock of our Lord like a shepherd. They have gathered the people in their arms and carried them close to their hearts, and they have gently led the children.”

Then we hear the words of our Collect—They bear repeating:

Almighty God,
you called John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. Give your people the wisdom to see your purpose, and the openness to hear your will, that we to may witness to Christ’s coming and so prepare his way; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.         

According to Luke, the birth of John the Baptist gathered up and embodied the whole truth of the Old Testament. The birth of John the Baptist is such a message! It is prophesied in the O.T. and brought to fulfillment in the Gospel.

In the OT there was this future vision—a future that was designed to help the people be ready their own perfection in Christ Jesus, the One whose way John was born to prepare.

In addition, we have heard these words in our 2^nd Collect for today, the Collect for the observance of National Indigenous Day. (Words that are significantly important for us.)

Creator God,
from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness. (Words that we echo as we continue to be in this world and sharing this world with all of our neighbours.) Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened, and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen.

In our Prayer after Communion, we will say together: We thank you, Lord, for your word and your table which give us the knowledge of salvation. Your compassion—the Compassion of God—has broken on us like the dawn; guide now our feet in the historical travels of John the Baptist.

Reading from the beginnings of this parish, one could quickly, now having the insight of today, you could quickly become overwhelmed by some of the historic injustices of the past. My question or observation is to ask should we be dwelling upon those injustices.

OR

Should we sound like our Lord’s servant, John the Baptist, to challenge the injustice of our times, to subvert those popular customs that distract from God, to embrace the Christian life to which we were all called, and to point people towards Jesus Christ – the only source of true life.

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Let Us Pray

We come before the triune God to pray for our communities, ourselves, and our world. 

Equip your faithful people to approach this world with a sense of wonder. make your church a safe place to explore big questions, troubling doubts, and honest laments. Humble our hearts to repent of the ways that communities of faith have inflicted pain or trauma. 
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

You spoke creation into order from the chaos of the swirling deep. May your name be praised by rivers and seas, wetlands, and waterfalls. Secure clean water for all people and protect water sources from contamination or exploitation.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Amid whirlwinds of division, violence, and conflict, remind us again that you are as steadfast as the foundations of the earth. Rejuvenate peacemakers, advocates, and community organizers when they feel weary in their work. 
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Deliver your people from their distress, O God. We lift before you all who are sick or struggling. Grant consolation and peace to all who live with chronic, terminal, or persistent illness. In times of affliction or hardship, sustain us in faith.  
In our parish this week, we especially pray for: Gail; Sue; John; Sheila; Blake; for the granddaughter of Brenda and Peter D.; and those on our hearts, naming them now aloud, or in the silence of our hearts.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer.

Enfold all travellers with your protection. Bless the comings and goings of this assembly as we travel for leisure or for work. Let all journeys be met with hospitality on the way, and let community members return to us with celebration. 
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer. 

Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation for all the redeemed of the Lord. Joined together with the great cloud of witnesses, we give thanks for your steadfast love and your wonderful works.
Merciful God,
Receive our prayer. 

Receive our prayers, O God, and come quickly to our aid, through the power of the Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.

As our Saviour taught us:
Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us  not into temptation,
but deliver us fom evil.  
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.  Amen.

The Blessing: 

The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and
love of God, and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with you, and remain with you, always.  Amen.

We thank you, Lord, 
for your word and your table which give us the knowledge of salvation. Your compassion has broken on us like the dawn; guide now our feet into the way of peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.