Hello Knox and St Giles!

What helps you feel close to God?  Where do you find peace and beauty and joy?

One of my favourite ways to be close with God is to get outside and go into the foothills of Kananaskis country.  It is in the seeing of the beauty of the mountains, the smelling of the wildflowers, the hearing of the screech from eagles, and catching glimpses of wildlife that I feel so very close with God.  Witnessing fields – both wild and cultivated – grow throughout the summer reminds me of the magnificence of God.  All of this and more fills me with awe. 

Romans 8 reminds us that our Creator has adopted us as sons and daughters. We are heirs to God’s beautiful kingdom.  God’s unbound love assures us of peace and security in Christ as children and stewards for eternity.  We are blessed to be receiving all the beauty and goodness around us.

So … why then has God allowed the wheat to grow with the tares in cultivated fields?  Why has God allowed the children of God to grow up around the children of the enemy?  Why is there so much suffering allowed?

Please join us each week for Bible Study at 10:15 on Wednesdays to discuss questions like these and more.  Come be with your brothers and sisters in Christ to hear where others place their hope, and how they traverse experiences of prickly thistles in their lives.  If you feel comfortable, please share with us how you live into the certainty of knowing that the garden of God’s kingdom – your kingdom – will eventually be weeded by angels, or how you receive certain peace, healing, and joy even right now through life’s difficulties.

And until we meet next in Bible study, you are invited on Sunday at 10 am, together with your fellow heirs, to worship your Creator – the one who made the mountains and molehills and you!  Come sing your praises to the holy One who loves you, and has saved both Knox and St Giles for music, mission, and ministry.

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix

“Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”   – Psalm 139:23-24

Dear friends, family, adherents, and members of Knox and St Giles,

We are deeply blessed in every moment of joy, every moment of suffering, and in all circumstances.  We are blessed to be loved by the Lord our God. We are blessed to have light unto our paths, and the word of God to guide us.

The gospel of Matthew, in chapter 19, verses 16 and 17 read:  ‘blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’

This past week we began our book study, ‘God With Us’, by Herbert O’Driscoll, to help us see and hear what God is sharing with us through scripture.  We meet on Tuesdays. We have created two groups – one for the afternoon at 1:30 PM, and one for the evening at 6:30 PM –  so that all may join.  This book ‘helps us find the presence of Christ in those places we would rather avoid: The sorrows, the heartbreaks, and the challenges of everyday living. Following the stories of the gospels, we find Jesus in relationship with those around him. In Christ’s joys and sorrows, we can see reflected our own experiences, and take Knowledge that Jesus has walked this way before us, and indeed, is walking with us now.’ (quoted from the book)

As we proceed on our path of amalgamation, our lives are being intertwined. Our joys and our sorrows will be made visible to each other.  And the opportunity and path to walk with each other in Christ lays before us.

Please join your brothers and sisters in Christ on Sunday at 10 AM to worship the Lord our God as one body in Christ.  The bulletin of the service with announcements is attached.  Please also reach out to the office at St. Giles to arrange Pastoral Care if you need extra support.  

And know that ‘the Lord gives God’s people strength; The Lord blesses God’s people with peace.’ (Psalm 29:11).

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix

Good morning members, adherents, friends, and family of Knox and St Giles,

Our next 10 days bring country music and stampede splendor, visitors to Calgary for all the attractions, and fireworks that celebrate people coming together to honour the history of cowboy culture.  Whether it is the Calgary Stampede or any other celebration, people of all nations and all cultures and all religions recognize the goodness of the gifts of hospitality and fellowship.  The blessings of eating together and sharing stories creates relationships that bring harmony, understanding, and peace.

We are blessed as Christians to also recognize that hospitality and fellowship, combined with worshipping the Father and Son and Spirit together, creates deeper unity with the One who made this all possible.  Worship reminds us of our true identity in Jesus Christ.  And it allows us to both celebrate and rest in God with each other.

This weekend marks the first official ongoing worship between Knox Presbyterian and St. Giles Presbyterian as we proceed on our amalgamation path.  Rev. Terry Fach, General Presbyter of the Presbytery of Calgary-Macleod, will be joining us to provide us an update on the amalgamation process and words of wisdom as we continue our walk together in the creation of our new congregation.  

The scriptures this week – Zechariah 9:9-12, Psalm 145:8-14, and Matthew 11:16-19, 25-35 – remind us of God’s desire to rescue and restore God’s people.  God is abounding in loving devotion and God’s compassion rests upon all Kingdom people.  Christ invites us to come to Him, all who are weary and burdened, and He will give us rest.  So whether you are tired from stampeding, troubled with grief for any loss, or weary of carrying the weight of work in church and work in the world, come this weekend for restoration.  Come to participate in worship to the God who made us and loves us all.  Come to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ so we may share our stories and our burdens with each other, reminding one another of the hope we have in Christ and the gratitude for God’s mercy.  Simply come, just as you are.  Everyone is welcome in Christ’s church.

The service begins at 10am, and is followed by a stampede brunch in the backyard with the other worshipping community in the building, The Vine Church.  Please see the attached bulletin for announcements, the scripture for reflection, and our weekly Living Faith reminder.  May God walk gently with you into the weekend and worship this week.

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix