"Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

-From this week’s Gospel reading, John 14:23-29

Jesus was responding to the disciples’ anxious questioning in John 14 about how He would reveal Himself to them after he is gone. He reassuringly explained that “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” He continued, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” and reminded them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.”

The disciples dreaded and feared the loss of human Jesus. How were they to proceed without His physical presence, His words and teachings? But Jesus quickly dispelled any notion that they will no longer receive heavenly guidance. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” was His assurance to them, wanting to free them from feelings of fear and abandonment. He introduced the idea of the Holy Spirit as an Advocate that will be offered in place of His physical presence. God would continue to empower them through the gifts of the Holy Spirit by providing them with all the inner guidance and encouragement they could ever need. He lovingly shared with them the ways in which the Holy Spirit would continue to “teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”

Jesus said, “I am going away and I am coming to you,” implying that while He would be departing from their lives physically, He would continue to dwell within them through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Who is this Holy Spirit and how do we experience it in our lives? Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Advocate.” An advocate is defined as an intercessor who pleads for or on our behalf, championing us and supporting our highest good. Jesus presented the Holy Spirit as a point of intersection where He and the Father meet our innermost being, the place where our inherent divinity resides. Through our own intuition, prayerful petitions and reflections, it becomes the access point through which we receive pure and loving Divine Intelligence. This Intelligence is offered to us as a means for empowerment and is activated at every moment we turn to it for guidance and communion with our Lord. Whenever we choose to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds, Jesus said He and the Father “will come to [us] and make our home with [us].” He imparted that we are never alone and always provided with all the necessary tools required in becoming discerning, fortuitous and reverent with our deliberations.

Jesus comforted His disciples by addressing the way in which the Holy Spirit would continue to teach them “everything” and “remind” them of all He had shared in His earthly ministry. He simply wanted to affirm that they will never be alone and that they would continue to have all the capability needed in order to carry forth the ministry He initiated. And as “everything” that we could possibly need already rests within us, we can look to the future with assurance knowing that we are guided through the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live our lives in accordance to a higher plan. Jesus encouraged us to steadfastly seek counsel and support by continuously meeting the Divine at the place of this holy intersection within ourselves. The pathway will always be made known to us when we choose to listen.

Through the presence of this Great Advocate in our lives, God is just waiting to grace us with all the love and blessings that are intended to be ours. And when we position ourselves in a place of receptivity where we can trust the inner promptings we receive by the grace of this Higher Wisdom and Supreme Intelligence, we enable the amazing and loving works of God to further materialize in our world.

Have a wonderful week. Here are your parish announcements.

Blessings,

Caroline DeCiantis

This Sunday we welcome members of the PWRDF (Primate's World Relief Development Fund). They will be holding a meeting here in the afternoon but will first be joining us at the 10 a.m. service. Please feel free to say hello and welcome them to Church of the Advent!

Sign-up sheets for volunteering at the craft fair are still in the Narthex. Baking and jams are gratefully received for the bake table. Please help yourself to a poster to post in the community!

We hope you will come on the 8th and sample our delicious strawberry shortcake ($8 each) and browse through the many craft tables!

Every year, inmates of Indigenous ancestry are able to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) while incarcerated at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Center. It is a rare day filled with Indigenous spirituality, culture, fun, and feast within the harsh jail environment. This year, the Rev. Canon Kevin Arndt, Chaplain at VIRCC, is inviting us to donate towards the cost of the Salmon Feast on this important day. Bishop Logan will be attending the celebration with Canon Kevin at the jail this year, to help support the dedication of the new Indigenous Meeting Tent, which was funded by the Diocesan Vision Fund. Donations of any amount towards the cost of the salmon will be gratefully received.

This successful day was organized by members of our faith community. Thank you to all who came out and supported us. We also THANK  the set-up crew who worked tirelessly all week (I think some of you almost camped out in the building), staff of SELLERS, the BUYERS, money counters, BBQ staff who cooked the yummy burgers & hot dogs, kitchen crew, the many parishioners who donated to the Bake Table, those who brought in plants, and at the end of the sale, all who boxed and sorted the many leftover items. The following amounts are approximate totals for the different categories. Well done everyone!

PRE-SALES $ 587.20

BAKE TABLE $ 631.50

BBQ LUNCH $ 447.00

BOUTIQUE $ 957.75

MAIN HALL $ 1505.65

OUTSIDE $ 506.35

PLANTS $ 154.25

QUALITY GOODS $ 158.00

TOYS & BABY $ 422.30

$5 BAGS $ 144.20

May 19 Post Sales $ 25.00

TOTAL TO DATE $ 6067.07

At the May meeting of the Ladies Guild, members learned about and voted to send $300 to the PWRDF Program called “All Mothers and Children Count”.  Currently, the federal government is matching all donations to this undertaking by 6 times their value, so the program will ultimately receive $2100 from this gift.  If you would like to learn more about this program, check it out at pwrdf.org/amcc.  If you would like to make your own donation to this program, you may do so directly to PWRDF or through your church offering, identifying the gift for PWRDF – All Mothers and Children Count.

The Ladies Guild sends donations to several local and international charities each year, to help meet important needs.  Your attendance at the monthly Guild lunches is the primary source of funds for outreach for the Guild.  The next lunch will be September 25th. For just $8.00, you will enjoy a delicious homemade soup, a selection of freshly made sandwiches and an amazing dessert.  We hope to see you there and please bring all your friends and neighbours.  Thanks for your support!

Plan to join us on June 2nd for our Sunday School Closing.  We will celebrate our children and their Christian Education leaders during our Dr. Seuss Eucharist.  It will be followed by an outdoor picnic and games.  The congregation is invited to come and tap into their inner child while we eat hamburgers, hotdogs, potato chips & ice cream cones; and play games like the 3-legged race, sac race, and water-balloon toss!!  If you like, bring a lawn chair and sit outside or feel free to watch from the Hall. We are asking for a "Toonie" to help defray the cost of lunch.

Congratulations to Scott Hamar who graduated on May16, 2019 from Royal Military College with 1st class designation. He received his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree.  He has been posted to Esquimalt as an acting sub – lieutenant. Scott is the youngest son of Carolyn and Jim Hamar.

The next Messy Church is Saturday, May 26th, 4 – 6 p.m. at Church of the Advent. The evening’s theme is “Jesus Knocks.” This is a free family event that includes crafts, games, dinner and worship. All are welcome.

Jun. 2: Dr. Seuss Eucharist Sunday & Church Picnic

Jun. 7: Strawberry Tea Set-Up

Jun. 8: Strawberry Tea & Craft Fair

Jun. 12: Ladies Guild Meeting, White Spot Restaurant

Jun. 14: Scrapbooking Scrappers, 9:30 a.m.

Jun. 18: Parish Council Meeting, 7 p.m. 

Jul. 5-12: Church Camp at Parry’s, Parksville