She knelt on the step before the bishop who was seated facing her. Around her stood the gathered members of the clergy of the diocese who had come to share in this moment. In the silence of that moment, she sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit within her.

Her attention was now drawn to the bishop laying hands upon her head, followed quickly by the sensation that many more hands were being laid upon her shoulders from beside and behind her. All these persons were there to witness her ordination as a priest in God’s church.

Witness. What does it mean to witness to something? When do we witness? To what do we witness?

These are all good questions.

When I sat down to share my thoughts about the gospel reading for this week, taken from the twenty-fourth chapter of Luke’s gospel, I was drawn to the fact that Jesus had appeared to the disciples who were locked in a room in fear for their lives. Suddenly, there was something present in the room, something they did not understand. The disciples did not realize what they were seeing until Jesus spoke to them, showed them his wounds, and ate the piece of broiled fish he was given. In that moment, the disciples became witnesses to the resurrection of our Lord. In that moment, they became some of first and only humans to see, touch and share in his physical presence after his resurrection. In that moment, they were given the gift of being present with the risen Christ.

Before Jesus ascended to heaven to reign over the kingdom with God our Creator and the Holy Spirit, he commanded his followers to share all he had taught them, all they had experienced, and all the love they had come to know as God’s gift for all humanity and for all creation.

Throughout the centuries since that day, all believers of every faith have been given a mandate to take God’s gift of love to all the world. For us, the congregation here at the Church of The Advent in Colwood/Langford, that means that we are to share that gift not only with our parish, but with all the world beyond our doors. In this time of restriction, when we are being forced to live in semi-isolation, pick up the phone and call that neighbour, or friend, or relative whom you have not spoken to through these long months. We are all struggling with the loneliness being visited upon us in our isolation. Be a witness to God’s love for all creation by being present for your neighbour, friend, or that relative you never talk with. I know for myself, I always come away from such opportunities knowing that God has given me yet another chance to live into my ministry of caring for all His children, if only with one at a time. For this, I feel blessed.

Amen.

On behalf of the parish, we wish Agnes Richardson a very happy 98th birthday on Friday, April 16th!

For your time of quiet reflection on God's word, here are the readings we will share on this Sunday in the virtual worship service:

Psalm 4

1 John 3:1–7

Luke 24: 36b-48 

In this issue: Halleluiah, Anyhow; Finding home; Nature and the church; Messages in glass and more. Download this issue below.

Chapel Gallery is pleased to welcome visual artists NANCY SLAGHT and MARY-ELLEN THREADKELL’S exhibition Connected Presence .  The exhibition features their independent art practices and highlights their most recent work as well as a new collaborative mixed media piece titled Connected Presence; the theme of all the works presented..

Lydia is taking orders for her marmalade. To order, please call her at 250-478-4564, or email chezfrogbc@gmail.com. She can meet anyone who wishes to purchase on Tuesday mornings when the parish office is open.

Laundry strips are still available for purchase ($15 for a 32 load packet).  $5 from each sale goes to the Ladies Guild. Call Jose at 250-857-3025 or 250-857-3025 (cell), or email her at joseinvictoria@shaw.ca. To order larger quantities, visit the TruEarth website. The Ladies' Guild receives 20% of the order! TruEarth Website:  

https://fundraising.tru.earth/adventchurchladiesguild

Fairway cards are also available. Call Joan Hoffman at 250-474-5446 or email jnlhoffman@telus.net. The Ladies’ Guild gets the financial benefit every time we use a Fairway card in their store.

Thank you for your support!  

We encourage parishioners to maintain their offerings during the time of these restrictions, and are truly grateful for this support.

The parish office is open on Tuesday mornings from 10 AM to Noon to receive offerings brought to the church. 

Other options are as follows:

1.    Change to pre-authorized remittances by calling Barb Gossman at 250-478-4747 or emailing her at  barb.gossman@gmail.com to make the arrangements;

2.    Mail your offerings to the church (mail will be monitored regularly), or

3.    Call Bill Van Sickle at 778-265-5347 or email him at treasurer@colwoodanglican.ca to discuss other arrangements.

Thank you, our faith family, for your consideration and patience as we work together in uplifting and supporting one another.