• Sunday Worship at the Ascension (Reminders):
  • Live Streamed Services: If you are interested in viewing Sunday service, you can do so by logging in to the new church website ascensionnl.ca, and go to the Social Media tab. Once there, click on the Facebook tab (please note you do not have to have a Facebook account to view the service). This will link you directly with the service once it has begun on Sunday.
  • Cancellation of Service/Storm Notice and Office Closures:  Please refer to the church website, ascensionnl.ca, or check the church answering machine (368-5693) for up-to-date information on the status of services as well as the church office.
• Pre-Authorized Givings: If you would like to set up pre-authorized givings, please contact the church office at 368-5693 for direction. Thank you!
• Birthday/Anniversary Sundays: We are once again designating one Sunday of each month as family Sunday. The worship for that Sunday will include the celebration of birthdays or anniversaries for that given month. Please send us a picture of yourself to include during the Birthday Sunday celebration portion of the liturgy. You can send your photos to [email protected]. We request that you submit your photos by the end of the first week each month to ensure they are included.
• Pandemic Appeal: To date we have raised $6,415. We encourage parishioners to continue to support our Parish in this effort by donating to the Pandemic Appeal. Thank you to all who have donated thus far.
• World Day of Prayer 2021:  Today we give thanks for the Vanuatu World Day of Prayer Committee. Each year on the first Friday of March, Christians gather in prayer and solidarity throughout the world. This year our prayers this Sunday are adapted from the Christian Community in Vanuatu. On our parish Youtube channel (https://youtu.be/xBGRV-OxFTU), we have included videos that offer devotions, the world day of prayer service, and a video highlighting the geography and culture of Vanuatu. These resources have been made available in Canada by the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada. Vanuatu is a small country of islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. The black and white sandy beaches, coral reefs with coloured fish, lovely birds, and fruits and nuts in the forest, all make the islands a pristine environment, even though they are vulnerable to frequent tropical storms, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and active volcanoes. Melanesian people, along with Polynesian, are the primary source of Vanuatu’s culture, languages, traditional values, and spirituality. Each island and village used to have their own chief and style of governance, their own gods, and their own language. Their thatched houses were made from leaves and trees, using stone axes. Women and men would come together at the Farea (“fear-e-a”; village meeting house) to discuss major issues. The Republic of Vanuatu was formed after independence in 1980 from a French and British Condominium government. Today, Vanuatu proudly waves its flag and its coat of arms which reads, “In God we stand.”
• Ministerial of Mount Pearl:  Clergy from the Ministerial of Mount Pearl along with the Mayor of Mount Pearl, the Principal of Mount Pearl Senior High, and the Coordinator of the Mount Pearl Senior’s Independence Group came together this past month to offer a Vigil for those affected by the most recent lockdown due to the COVID-19 variant. Please take time to watch this Youtube video at https://youtu.be/xBGRV-OxFTU, and share it with your friends and family. Together we can be people of hope and care at this time.
• Technical Support: If you are having any difficulty accessing our on-line services, please feel free to reach out to the Parish Audio-Visual Team for support. Please leave a message at the office with your name & telephone number or email [email protected]  and a member of the team will contact you.
• YouTube: The weekly on-line services are now available on YouTube. At this time, the services are not live on YouTube but they are available for viewing once the service is over. To find the Parish YouTube channel, type Parish of the Ascension NL into the search bar in YouTube. Some parishioners have experienced difficulty finding recorded videos on Facebook so this is another option for viewing.
• Front Line Workers Fund:  The City of Mount Pearl is coordinating a Care and Support Fund for front line workers who are operating Covid test sites in our area. If you wish to make a donation in thanksgiving for their work, please do so by logging in to the parish website at canadahelps.org/en/charities/parish-of-the-ascension-mount-pearl/. Use the drop down menu to select the Covid Front Line Workers Care Fund and follow the prompts to complete your donation. Thanks for your support.
• Weekly Prayer During Lent: Wednesday Evening Compline:  The Lenten resource Lent In A Bubble is available online at lent.thetransmission.ca. This resource will enable families in their own bubbles to use resources and means at hand to explore their lives in Christ Jesus. Each week we will share a video outlining one of the Lenten Activities, and give suggestions as to personal reflection, learning, and prayer. In addition, we will livestream a service of Compline each Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m., at fb.com/anglicantransmission/live.
• Lenten Folders:  The church office is closed to the public due to the recent Covid 19 outbreak. As a result, your Lenten folders are not available for pick up. If you wish to contribute, you may do so by placing your donation in an envelope and dropping it in the church mailbox located at the front steps of the church. You may also donate electronically on line at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/parish-of-the-ascension-mount-pearl/. Thank you.
• Clergy Contact During the COVID-19 Pandemic: All pastoral visits/interactions will be via telephone, email or zoom appointment with either Reverend Burrows or Reverend Courage. To set up an appointment, please contact them via their email or cell phone. Reverend Burrows may be reached at 746-2095 or by email at [email protected] and Reverend Courage may be reached at 682-8500 or by email at [email protected]
• Twelfth Annual Cougar Flight 491 Memorial Service: On Friday, March 12, 2021, Eastern Chaplaincy will host, on behalf of the families, friends and co-workers of those lost on Cougar Flight 491, a special Time of Remembrance. The virtual Time of Remembrance will be available on-demand beginning at 12:01 a.m. NST through Eastern Chaplaincy’s website at easternchaplaincy.ca/.  You can also access the Time of Remembrance through the Eastern Chaplaincy YouTube Channel. We invite everyone to pause for a moment on March 12 and share in a Time of Remembrance.
• Services During the Week:
  • Wednesday morning, Mar. 10: 10:00am, Lent in a Bubble lent.thetransmission.ca
  • Wednesday evening, Mar. 10: 8:00pm, Compline fb.com/anglicantransmission/live
  • Sunday, Mar. 14 (Lent III - Mothering Sunday): 11:00am, Family Service/WWB ascensionnl.ca

We are stepping forward into this third week of Lent, and many of us are readjusting to life during this latest lockdown, mindful that our bubble life has been radically transformed. We no longer gather for social interactions in the same way as we once did. We make concrete efforts to keep ourselves and others safe so that together our family, our community, and our entire world will be safe and caring during this pandemic. In our own ways, we have increased our learning with technology, coping mechanisms, mental health strategies, and caring approaches, among other things.

In the Christian church, we step this week into familiarity with the prayer and the Scriptures. We gather once again offering thanksgiving and praise to the Holy One, interceding on behalf of those in need, and standing alongside others that need comfort, advocacy, alliance, and care.

Into this, we hear the familiar stories that shape our expression of spirituality. We hear the recitation of the commandments and Jesus’ temple cleansing. We are reminded of the foundations of our faith: belief in the Holy One and care for our neighbour.

For me, the collect prayer for this week serves to remind the community that our spiritual lives, our very existence is never alone. We are always among others, even if separated by bubble, mask, or physical distance. Hear the collect prayer once again:

Father of mercy,
alone we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.
When we are discouraged by our weakness,
strengthen us to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

For some, this prayer may be too exclusive in its language and may be even offensive to some. Not disregarding these realities for persons, I ask you to consider what I see as themes in this prayer:

alone we have no power
we can be discouraged in weakness
strengthen us to follow the anointed one, (the divine)
in the Holy One, we find our pattern and hope.

Moving through this pandemic, the entire world has been struggling to create a new pattern and rule of life that will enable safety, care, love, and hope. Some actions have been simple adjustments: frequent handwashing, physical distancing. Other actions have been more difficult: contact tracing, mask-wearing, isolation bubbles. All the journey of the world has been eye-opening for us. So many at this time, twelve months into the pandemic, seem to be gripped with the fear and safety of solitude. We wish to be safe, we yearn for company.

I have listened to many this week that are hurting due to isolation. I and my colleagues have listened intently on phone calls and in zoom meetings to those that are struggling. We do not wish to be alone; we long for community, to be among others as we once were.

Into this reality, this prayer serves as a reminder that though separated, we are not alone. Distanced, yes, but surrounded by the presence of the Holy One and the prayer of the community. I encourage each and everyone to consider what is their pattern and rule of life. What makes you you? How do you live your daily life: being, working, learning, caring? How do connect with others? How are you strengthened through your physical, emotional, psychological, community, and spiritual patterns? How does this create connections with family and like-minded community?

This may be an exercise that brings life and blessing to you. Alternatively, it may be an exercise that reveals to you that there are some parts of your life where you may need to grow. I encourage all and each to explore their patterns of life. How much are you alone? How much are you among others? Each day I take time to be with others, outside my bubble, through various means: zoom meetings, email and text, phone calls, and physically distanced visits. Remember that in being ourselves, we are encouraged to be with the Holy One, and find creative ways to be with one another.

Peace always,

The World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical women led movement. Each year, we admire the strength of the communities who participate; we empathize with their cares; we are encouraged by their faith; and we stand in solidarity with each other through our prayers and actions.

Gathering all that commands our prayers, let us intercede with our gracious God, saying: Have mercy, O Lord.

Everlasting God, the God on whom Vanuatu stands, we ask you to help us stand for peace in all nations and in all families. We commit the leaders and people of Vanuatu into your wise hands. We want to stand against the forces of injustice present in our nations. Give us this authority over our islands and nations we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

We pray that we can live in unity, love, and peace in the context of ethnic and cultural diversity like Vanuatu and so many other places around the world. We are grateful for any positive community building that resulted from COVID-19 we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

For the church, that God’s commandments may be ever close to us, wonderful to ponder, and life-giving to keep. We pray for Samuel our Bishop, for the parishes of Catalina, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, for the faith community of Burundi, and for the Diocese of Niagara, and the people of Vanuatu. We pray for their present Bishop and the Bishop elect. Have mercy, O Lord.

For our divided and restless world, that those who hold power over others may be troubled and transformed by the demands of justice we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

For children, that infants, and young people of every nation, that they may have food and learning, and that they may love their world we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

For this gathered community, that the solemn brightness of Lent may open our eyes to these times, their folly and their worth we pray:

Have mercy, O Lord.

For ourselves in this assembly, that we may strain forward toward Easter, especially all who are impacted by the Pandemic, those undergoing testing, those who received positive results, those in isolation, we pray for all first responders including firefighters, police and paramedics, all front line workers and health care professionals believing in our every deed the good news, we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

For the dead, especially John Durnford, and all who have died, may they be at peace. As well as their loved ones and all who mourn their loss we pray: Have mercy, O Lord.

Jealous and merciful God, remember us and all those whom we hold in our hearts. In these forty days teach us to do the work of our baptism and so daily to raise to you the needs of the world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ascension Prayer Cycle:  Aden, Amelia, Ann, Aubrey, Audrey, Barbara, Baxter, Bob, Brenda, Brian, Brittany, Brandon, Callum, Carl, Cathy, Christina, Cindy, Claire, Clarence, David, Debra, Delilah, Dennis, Derrick, Don, Donna, Doreen, Dot, Doug, Dulcie, Ed, Edgar, Elaine, Erin, Evelyn, Finnley, Frederick, Fred, Frank, Flo, Garrett, George, Gerry, Glenda, Gordon, Harry, Hilda, Ike, Ina, Ingrid, Ira, Jack, Jason, Jennifer, Jenny, Jim, John, Josephine, Joan, Judy, Junior, Kent, Kevin, Kim, Laura, Leo, Leonie,  Lindsay, Lori, Louise, Madeline, Marie, Marsha, Mark, Marion,  Maurice, Maxine, Maxwell, Melissa, Melvin, Michelle, Mike, Moana, Nancy, Pam, Phyllis, Rachel, Randell, Rodney, Roland, Ruby, Ruth, Rita, Sean, Shirley, Stephen, Susan, Tina, Todd, Tom, Valerie, Vera, Victoria and Wayne

Prayer to be used during the Pandemic:

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Collect

Father of mercy,
alone we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.
When we are discouraged by our weakness,
strengthen us to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. AMEN

A Reading from the Book of Exodus

God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work - you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. EXODUS 20:1-17

Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

Psalm

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.

One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts knowledge to another.  

Although they have no words or language, and their voices are not heard,

Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again; nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold, sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened, and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can tell how often he offends? cleanse me from my secret faults.  

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me; then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Gracious creator of heaven and earth, your Word has come among us as the true Sun of righteousness, and the good news of his birth has gone out to the ends of the world. Open our eyes to the light of your law, that we may be purified from sin and serve you without reproach for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Light and our Life.  

PSALM 19

Reader: The Lord be with you
People: and also with you

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to John

People: Glory to, you Lord Jesus Christ

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.  JOHN 2:13-22

Reader: The Gospel of Christ
People: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Prayer over the Gifts

Gracious God,
we know your power to triumph over weakness.
May we who ask forgiveness
be ready to forgive one another,
in the name of Jesus the Lord. AMEN

Prayer after Communion

God of mercy and forgiveness,
may we who share this sacrament
live together in unity and peace,
in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. AMEN

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