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:

We do not live by bread alone,
but by
every word that comes
from
the mouth of God.

Matthew 4. 4

O Come. Let Us Worship. 

Gathering

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. 

There is one body and one Spirit, There is one hope in God’s call to us; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all.

Collect for Today 

Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom. Renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

John 6.24-35

Sermon:  The Ven.  Brian Evans

May the words that I share with you today be words that are given to the Glory of God and in thanksgiving of God’s blessing in our lives.

"Bread v.s. Real Life"

How do we take from this Bread and Wine here represented in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist—how do we take that bread and wine and give it to us in a life as an Incarnation in Christ—to real life lived in Christ?         

How do we take the water, and the oil, and light from the candle in the elements of that sacred Sacrament of Holy Baptism to that place of us—or that symbolism being real life in the world?         

In the Catechism of the Church, we are taught the definition of a sacrament is:

• An Outward and Visible Sign

               Of

• An Inward and Spiritual Grace.

So, just what happens at that altar and at that baptism font?         

In some ways, it is a bit of a head-scratcher. At the same time, is something which is only answerable by experience.         

Two stories:

1. In my first parish, we had a young family who attended the parish. Following the birth of their first child, they requested baptism for their young son. A few years later their second child, a daughter, was born, and she too was baptized.

Then one day their father came to see me in my office. He said, “I would like to have what my children have.”
Yes, he too received the Sacrament of Baptism.
The joy as he (you might say) rose from the Baptismal Font—and the expression of joy on his face was only to be experienced in that very spirit-filled moment.

2. In our small rural parish in which I was a member, we received a newly “minted” Anglican priest, fresh out of seminary, and he observed after a few months in our parish that one of our elderly ladies who was a regular attender never came forward for Communion.

Well, he came to my office one day and said, “Brian, how come she never comes forward for Communion?” I said, “I don’t know. We just never questioned it.” It was, as far as I was concerned, her personal choice. “Well,” he said, “I’m going to find out!” So, of my office he goes, and down the street to her place; comes back an hour later and said, “We’re having a baptism!”

This was in the time when there was that strict sense of “if you’re not baptized, you dare not come forward for Communion!” I remember our discussion well that day.

Graeme taught me a lesson about how it was obvious that this lady had received the Inward and Spiritual Grace of our Lord; except, she had never received the Outward and Visible Sign.

In some ways it is the chicken and egg debate.

Today, Hudson and Scarlet are to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. What will this mean for them today? What will it mean for the rest of their lives? What will it mean for their parents and Godparents? What will it mean for us who witness? And we might ask, just what are we expecting of them? What will their duties and responsibilities be going forward in life?

Well, reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians today, some samples are provided for us:

• Walk in a manner worthy of a Christian, with humility, gentleness, patience, and (I like this one that’s pretty big) Bearing one another in love.

• For if (Paul says) we bear one another in love, then we be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

• You see, Baptism in the Christian faith reminds us we are—as one of our Gospel hymns reminds us—One in the Family: bound by one body, one Spirit for we all belong to one Lord, filled with one faith, and received in one baptism.

The operative adjective in all of this is this little thing called GRACE. The grace we receive as Christians is as mysterious as the Holy Spirit. It is what happens when we live up to all the above.

This grace will be lived out in the life of the Christian community--with a variety of people who we witness each day in the life of community. Some will be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

At the same time as Paul was writing, it is a list, but not necessarily a restricted list. For life experience has shown us: some will be nurses, some will be electricians, some construction workers, some firefighters, and some may even be politicians.

If we look further in our Bulletin for today, we will note, particularly with child baptism: it is not fair to suggest that they will go from here, leaving today, knowing everything that has happened. 

So, the Church says you and I have some work to do. Not just the parents or the Godparents.

There are two significant questions in the service today.

• Will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present is nurtured in the faith and life of the Christian community? This question is directed to the parents and Godparents, in particular. It just so happens that these children are of school-age, and I know that they attend the Nanaimo Christian School—so this has already started in their lives.

• Then the second question, a reminder that this is a community event, when I will ask the whole community present: “Will you, who witness these vows, do all in your power to support Hudson and Scarlett in their lives in Christ?” And I know we will in whatever opportunity we will have.

And so, as we prepare to end our service today, we will pronounce these words of assurance in our celebrations, and I have taken some liberty in rewording.

‘Today we will have shared in the two great sacraments of our Christian faith, Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist. In these two events we see the true meaning of those last words from our Gospel today: “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and who ever believes in me will never be thirsty,” and I add, ‘will live forever.’

We say with confidence today to Hudson and Scarlett, “Welcome! Welcome into the largest family in the world, the family of Christ!”

Thanks be to God, Amen.

Let Us Pray

Our prayers today are summed up in what we call the 'prayers for the candidate(s)', but it is a prayer for all of us to think about today.

Deliver them, O Lord from the way of sin and death. Deliver us Lord daily in our lives.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Open their hearts—not only open their hearts but open our hearts to continue to experience the grace and truth of our Christian faith.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Fill them—and continue to fill us overflowingly—with your holy and life-giving Spirit.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Teach them—teach us always—to love others, to love others in the power of the Spirit.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Bring us to the fullness of your peace and Glory.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Grant, O Lord that all who are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ your Son may live in the power of his resurrection and look for him to come again in glory; who lives and reigns now and forever. 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.

One of the great moments in Baptism, for myself, is after we have put the water on the child, (or the adult) in that triple formula of baptizing in the “name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Then we take the oil of the sacrament and we put it on their foreheads, and we say, “We mark you as Christ’s own, forever.” That which is unchangeable in our lives.

And then, as an outward sort of symbol, we extend the candle of eternal life, and welcome them into the community. And then, we acknowledge that as we bless one another as we leave our service today, “May the peace of Christ be in each of us today. May it rule our hearts and may it be filled in all of our lives in every way!”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us, in this coming week, be a people living as Christ.

Amen.