Supporting our community – winter clothing drive

Coats, hats, scarves, mittens, snowsuits and boots, new or clean and gently used are needed as the cold weather has arrived (no other clothing please). Since we cannot have a coat drive at the church this fall, the Mission and Outreach committee asks you to support the drive sponsored by Royal LePage Connect Realty, Morningside & Kingston branch, which is collecting for the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) with safety protocols in place. However, you should not drop your items off at the realty office. Instead, you should do so either in the donation box or on the chair, both of which are on the front porch at Susan Avery’s home, daily from 7 AM to 9 PM until December 13. Please contact the church if you need Susan’s address or if you have any questions.

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, November 21, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for November 22, 2020

Dear Friends,

This coming Sunday is the last in the church year, known as The Reign of Christ Sunday. A text frequently read for this is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), one of a series of parables that Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of heaven. It is about entering the kingdom of heaven, and it is described in terms of a series of actions: feeding, giving, welcoming, clothing, visiting, and caring. And those actions are directed to those who are the most vulnerable: those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. It’s odd that there is no mention of worship, prayer, or reading scripture. Maybe the parable is telling us that the more “religious” actions are not ends in themselves, but are ultimately for the sake of tangible, caring acts of love and mercy.

“Separation of Sheep and Goats”; early 20th century reproduction of an early 6th century Byzantine mosaic; from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

The reign of Christ reaches a climax here, not in a great victory won by force, but in a call to those who would follow, to do so in humility by serving ‘the least of these,’ the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. He does not rule with pretensions of superiority or dominance, but through servanthood and compassion.

As the page is turned, and the cycle of the year begins again in just another week, the word that announces the Saviour’s coming does so with a hint about his calling: “You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)

Grace and peace to you,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, November 21, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

Worship services suspended as of November 22, 2020

At a special meeting of the Session on November 12, it was decided that in-person worship at Guildwood will be suspended as of Sunday, November 22, 2020 until further notice.  The persistently high number of new COVID-19 cases in Toronto, the request by the Mayor and Chief Medical Officer to limit trips outside the home to essentials only, and the reports of COVID-19 cases within the Guildwood neighbourhood all factored into the decision.  The Session feels that currently the risks associated with attending in-person worship are high, even with our protocols. 

We will continue posting our worship resources online and delivering those resources to those who have requested them.

The health and safety of those in our community of faith is paramount.  Please stay in touch with and pray for each other, and we will resume in-person worship when circumstances permit.

Bruce Morrison,
Clerk of Session

A version of this message first appeared in the November 17, 2020 edition of Tidbits. You can also consult our COVID-19 webpage.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for November 15, 2020

Dear Friends,

Has COVID fatigue set in for you? Are you tired of not being able to get together for a dinner party with friends or family? Of not being able to go out for a meal? Of not being able to play hockey or work out at the gym? Are you struggling with paying attention in your virtual classroom? Are you confused about what the rules are? And yes, are you tired of the commute from the basement to the main floor at the end of the work day? It doesn’t give you much time to unwind. And the numbers keep going up. It is hard to be hopeful.

Fidelia and Speranza” (“Faith and Hope”; 1776) by Anglo-American artist Benjamin West (1738–1820); from the collection of the Timken Museum of Art, San Diego; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

At the Remembrance Day service in Ottawa last Wednesday, the Chaplain General, Major-General Guy Chapdelaine, quoted Queen Elizabeth II, saying, “Hope is to be found in the care given to the vulnerable and to those in need.” So thank you to the essential service workers, the grocery store clerks and cleaners, the nurses, the doctors, the orderlies, the personal support workers, the food bank attendants, the online and in person teachers, first responders, pharmacists, transit workers, shelter workers, for all who care for the vulnerable and those in need. We thank God for you.  You give us hope.

Grace and peace to you,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Friday, November 13, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for November 8, 2020

Dear Friends,

One of the things that ended up in my hands in the cleaning out of my parents’ house after the they had passed away was a letter — in fact just a short note — that I have hung onto carefully ever since. It is addressed to my grandparents on my father’s side, the postmark on it reads July 1942, and on the back is the seal of Buckingham Palace. The note reads:

“The Queen and I offer you our heartfelt sympathy in your great sorrow. We pray that your country’s gratitude for a life so nobly given in its service may bring you some measure of consolation.”

It is signed by the King, George VI.

I cannot imagine what went through the minds of my grandparents when they found that note in their mailbox. The life nobly given was that of their son, my father’s brother, my uncle. My Dad also served in war. He was not one to talk about it a lot, but whenever I think of the cost of the war, I think of my uncle, and the brother my Dad lost in it. In pictures, I see that he looked a bit like my Dad. I wonder how that family dealt with it at the time. I wonder what kind of uncle he might have been if I’d had the chance to know him. I wonder if he had a girlfriend, and what that loss felt like to her.

One death, one family and a circle of friends bereaved. And the King sent out tens of thousands of similar notes to families across this country. It must have been a pain too heavy to bear.

“The National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, immediately following the Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11, 2006.” Taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

Remembrance Day is a day of thanksgiving for the service of veterans and particularly to honour the men and women who gave their lives in the conflicts in which our country has been involved. For us as people of faith it is a day of prayer that we might seek the increase of peace and end the hostility of war. It is a day for us to commit ourselves to the cause of working for that peace — fostering goodwill and mutual understanding between people, and building bridges across the differences, suspicions and hostility that have too often divided the nations.

The prophet Micah foresaw a day when we would beat our swords into ploughshares, and not learn war any more. May that be our hope and prayer.

Grace and peace to you,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Friday, November 6, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for November 1, 2020

Dear Friends,

Two items to listen to this week.

“All Saints’ Day” (1888) by French painter Émile Friant (1863–1932); from the collection of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, France; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

Firstly, as the pandemic stretches on, an addition to our pandemic playlist, “The Keep Going Song” by The Bengsons (apologies for the one spot of rough language towards the beginning, but still worth a listen).

And secondly, for all the saints, Sunday is All Saints Day. Frederick Buechner describes a saint this way: “In God’s holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints.” (p. 83, Wishful Thinking, A Theological ABC, Harper and Row, New York, 1973). As we contemplate the handkerchiefs God has dropped into our lives, listen to these words from Fred Rogers, as he accepts his Emmy Award.  We may be repeating an earlier Tidbits, but this time we have it in Mr. Rogers’ own voice.

For all the saints, Hallelujah!

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Friday, October 30, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for October 25, 2020

Dear Friends,

October 31, 503 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his criticisms of the church of the day and propositions for its renewal to the door of Wittenberg cathedral. And thus began what we know of as the reformation of the church. John Calvin, from Geneva, was a second generation leader of the Reformation, born about a quarter century after Luther. It is Calvin’s work and leadership in Geneva that enabled the Reformed tradition to spread worldwide. Of all the reformers, his teaching is reflected in shape and teachings of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Portrait of John Calvin” (16th century) by Titian (1490–1576); from the collection of the United Protestant Church of France; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

Calvin gave a central place to scripture but he was not a literalist. He believed that through the reading of scripture and its explication in a sermon, the Holy Spirit can help us hear God’s for us, in our time and place. The Bible is a means for us to receive that living Word, a set of texts that speak anew to every generation.

Our Church History Professor at Knox College, Dr. Allan Farris, described the church with the expression “Reformed, yet always reforming” or “Reformed, yet always being reformed”.

In these days of isolation, distancing, with no end in sight, may we hear and heed what reforming word the Spirit is saying to the church.

Grace and peace to you,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, October 24, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for October 18, 2020

Dear Friends,

Who could escape the sobering news of continuingly rising figures of COVID-19 infection, and the nagging sense we all seem to be getting that this will get worse before it gets better, and will be with us for some time to come.  While it is hard at times to sense, one thing we can lean on is the assurance that God is with us in all that we have to endure.

(Part of the) Fishermen’s Window, St Margaret’s Church, Barking, London, England, with a quotation from Psalm 107. Photo by Mike Quinn.  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic. Image taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving, but actually says more about depths of the human experience as a context where that divine presence is known.  This psalm declares confidence in a God who supplies what the people need, but every line stresses that this blessing comes to them when they are in a time of hardship.  It is a song sung through tears.  It speaks of the people being in trouble, wandering in a desert wasteland, not able to find their way, hungry and thirsty.  And by grace, God hears their cries, sees their need, and provides for them.

This psalm exposes the lie of thinking that people of faith don’t suffer, and that if they have faith, and obey, and follow the way, they will be protected, immune from trouble.  Thank God psalms like this are there in Scripture.  Because of writing like this when those troubles come – wherever they come from – and whatever sort of difficulty we find ourselves in – through our tears we can read these words and be reassured.  At a time when it counts maybe more than it ever did, they remind us that the gospel is about redemption and renewal, about reclaiming the things that are lost, about being helped to our feet again, about being led back home from exile, and about being welcomed at God’s table.

Thanks be to God.

Grace and peace to you,

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, October 17, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Revs. Smiths’ Message for October 11, 2020

Dear Friends, Thanksgiving can’t come too soon!

We have to limit the number of people with whom we celebrate. The numbers of COVID cases are still up there. This has gone on a lot longer than we wanted it to go on and that can get us all down.

“The Healing of Ten Lepers” (between 1886 and 1894) by French painter James Tissot (1836–1902); from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum; taken from the Wikimedia Commons.

But did you know that thanksgiving can be an antidote?

Think of the 10 lepers in Luke 17. Jesus made them all clean. But the one who returned to say thank you — Jesus goes on to say that he was made well, he was made whole. John Buchanan, former pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, and editor and publisher of The Christian Century writes:

“It may be that grateful people take better care of themselves, but there is evidence that gratitude alone is a stress reducer, that grateful people are more hopeful, and that there are links between gratitude and the immune system. So your mother was right when she made you call your grandmother and thank her for the birthday card.”

Here is a link to some antidotal Thanksgiving activities (a PDF download) for this weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

May God’s grace and peace be with us all. 

Revs. Bob and Helen Smith

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, October 10, 2020, edition of Tidbits.

The Village Fair goes virtual for 2020!

Poster announcing GCPC Village Fair 2020
Village Fair Poster Final Version rev00 PNG Snip 2

We’re going virtual this year! Every Monday morning for seven weeks starting this Monday, October 12, 2020, a different selection of items will be offered for sale on our website (for example, awesome crocheted Star Wars figures to add to or start a collection).

Weekly items are sold on a first come, first served basis and are picked up at the church the following Saturday, between 10 AM and 12 PM. We will be accepting exact cash only to limit physical contact. Proceeds support the ongoing charitable work of the church.

It all starts at the main webpage of the Village Fair 2020.

Copy of our poster

You can get your own PDF copy of the event poster on our website. Please share, or print and post!

Have any items?

Saving items for the Village Fair? Contact Sandra Robertson at [email protected]. Note that this year, we cannot accept books, tapes, CDs, children’s toys, or jewellery. We will ask for baking as needed.

A version of this post first appeared in the October 10 edition of Tidbits.