| | Weekly Dispatch, November 23rd, 2022 |
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| |  | | St. John's Schedule- Catechesis Hour – Sundays at 9:00am before Church
- Holy Eucharist – Sundays at 10:30am at Church and via Facebook
- Men’s Morning Prayer – Tuesdays at Variety’s at 7:30am
- Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer – Wednesdays at 6:30pm at Church
- **No Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer on November 23rd**
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, December 1st, at 7:00pm at the Bittaker's
- Ladies Gift Exchange – Saturday, December 3rd, at 3pm at Maggie’s house
- Vestry – Thursday, December 8th, at 6pm at Church
- Caroling in the Neighborhood – Saturday, December 10th, at TBD
- Advent Lessons and Carols – Friday, December 16th, 7:00pm at Church
- Music Recital – Sunday, December 18th, 4:00pm at Church
- Christmas Eve Service – Saturday, December 24th, 6:00pm at Church
- Christmas Day Breakfast and Service – Sunday, December 25th, Breakfast at 9:00am/Service at 10:30am at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
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| This Sunday we begin a whole new year in the Church calendar with a whole new season in what we call Advent. The word translates “arrival” or “coming”, and it is a season of anticipation for the coming of our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It anticipates two arrivals in salvation history, but also Jesus’ third arrival meeting us at His Holy Table when we receive Holy Communion. We anticipate His first arrival in Bethlehem when the eternal Son took flesh and was born in weakness. We also anticipate His second coming in glory to judge the living and the dead. Advent becomes a season to be watchful, to wait, and to prepare ourselves for His arrival. How might our worship reflect this season and instill such preparations for His coming? I want to best prepare you when you come to church this Sunday and for the season we are entering. Therefore, please take the time to see what you can anticipate on Sundays for the season, bur especially with our first Sunday.
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The Season of Advent
As you enter worship, your immediate observance will be the change of color in the room. Blue represents a variety of things related to Advent, but it ultimately represents hope. We are given hope in the first arrival of Christ, and such hope deepens as we look toward His second coming. You will also first notice the creche in front of the Table. And you will see that the Christ Child is yet to appear, but also the Wise Men are traveling and will arrive on January 6th.
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The music will also be different. We will pause the Gloria until Christmas, sing different service settings in the liturgy (Sanctus and Angus Dei), there will be unique Advent hymns, and we will chant the appointed Psalm in unison. Also, we will not always say “Alleluia” in our prayers until we welcome with joy our Christ at Christmas.
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Finally, throughout the season we will be participating in the Standard Eucharist Rite. The Rite comes from the English Reformation, and my intention is to draw you to the fullness of our Prayer Book tradition. One of the options in both Eucharistic Rites is to change the Confession of Sin. Since Advent is a call to watch and pray, we will be praying the Confession of Sin from the Daily Office alongside its Absolution. In all these changes, my hope is that you will be caught up in the season of the Church and enliven your worship of our Messiah Jesus.
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The First Sunday of Advent
There will be two unique portions of the liturgy that we will practice only for the First Sunday of Advent. First, in place of our processional hymn, we will process praying the Great Litany. This was the first liturgy crafted by Thomas Cranmer. If you have never experienced the Litany, be prepared to pray for a good portion of the service. It covers such a multitude of areas to pray, which is fitting for Advent in our call to watch and keep our oil burning before the Lord. Secondly, it is customary that we hear the Exhortation on the first Sunday of Advent. The Exhortation was written to prepare our hearts before receiving Holy Communion. It is a call towards self-examination, deeper repentance, and exhort our faith towards the beauty of the Gospel. These liturgies reveal that Advent is a semi-penitential season. Since it contains two different “advents”, our worship reflects the already and not yet arrival of our King.
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If you would like to support St. John's during this time, you can give online by clicking the button below. You may also send a check to the following address:
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PO BOX 36591, CANTON OH 44735
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| The King We Need and The Kingdom Desireby Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Last Sunday was Christ the King Sunday. A rather new feast day in the Church history, it not only signifies the transition from one church year to another, but also reveals the King we need and the kind of Kingdom we desire above other narratives or political systems. What makes Jesus the King we need and His Kingdom more desirable? Come and see.
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|  | | Join us every first and third (usually) Thursday night for our Eagle and Child reading group! This is a group that meets to discuss and apply classic works in Christian theology from the likes of Lewis, Augustine, Bonhoeffer, and other important authors. We are reading Confessions by St. Augustine. This is a classic work of Christian spirituality and will make for great fellowship and discussion together! |
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 | | Cana Vox is a discussion group that meets every other Friday where those, married or unmarried, who support a classical understanding of marriage can explore the controversial issues in a calm, deliberative setting that is not subject to the hostilities often found in today's public discourse on the topic. We seek to discuss thoughtful and gospel-oriented responses to the confusion surrounding marriage in our culture. |
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| | Advent Sunday Catechesis (Adult, Youth, and Children) Adults are exploring and unpacking the minor prophet Habakkuk. This short prophetic book connects us deeper towards Advent enriching our reflection, anticipation, and preparation towards the coming of our Lord.
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The youth are prayerfully engaging what are commonly called the O Antiphons of Advent. These titles given to Christ come forth from the prophets too. We hope our youth will more deeply be drawn towards Christ and reflect upon the words of the prophets.
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Our children are approaching Advent through Gospel Play. They interact with various symbols, objects, and encouraged to further participate in the new season.
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Adults: The Prophet Habakkuk (main worship area)
Youth (ages 11/12-18): The O Antiphons of Advent (Vestry room upstairs)
Children (ages 4-10/11): Advent Gospel Play (Children’s room upstairs)
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| | Advent Wednesday Gatherings| Choristers will continue to meet throughout Advent preparing their offerings for Advent Lessons and Carols. The adult Bible Study begins a new book study on The Lord’s Prayer by NT Wright. This book uniquely engages the Lord’s Prayer within the context of Advent. It is a rich catechetical resource connecting the content of our faith to the dynamic of worship. As always, we will conclude with Evening Prayer together. Evening Prayer is always a blessing to participate, but especially in Advent where we are called to watch and wait for the coming of our Lord who will come again like a thief in the night. All are welcome beginning Nov. 30th at 6:30pm. |
| | Seeking Confirmation? What’s That About?| Every year we offer a catechetical instruction for those seeking confirmation. What is confirmation, and who is it for? Confirmation is a practice we draw from the book of Acts. We witness the apostles laying their hands upon baptized Christians praying for the Holy Spirit to empower them within the life of the Church. As more infants were being baptized, this practice became more for older children to publicly profess their faith and reaffirming their baptismal identity within the Church. We continue such a practice for our children, but also for those seeking to further confirm their sense of calling to the local and wider Church. We believe confirmation connects us to the broader church and apostolic faith through the laying on of hands by the bishop, but chiefly we trust the Holy Spirit is renewing His people in their commitment to the Church and her mission. If you would like more information on confirmation and would like to discuss further, please contact Fr. Joe. |
| | Music in the Community! December 18th, 4:00pm at St. John’s Anglican Church in North Canton
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- Our Winter Keys to Artistry student recital! Enjoy holiday favorites and other special music.
| | Men’s Morning Prayer| Every Tuesday morning, 7:30am at Variety’s, the men are invited to pray Morning Prayer together. The prayers typically last for about 30 minutes, but guys are certainly encouraged to stick around for fellowship, coffee, and even some bacon. |
| | How Can I Serve at St. John's? There are plenty of ways to serve at St. John’s and we would love for you to join in on what God is doing in the church. Below you can see all the different ways to serve. No special skills required, simply a willingness to learn and grow in service.
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| Acolyte Ministry – Carrying the cross, assisting at the table, and learning more about the Anglican Way. |
Altar Guild – Preparing the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion before the service and developing a sense of holiness in worship.
Readers – Approaching God’s Word with boldness and declaring it to the people.
Hospitality – Providing food, setting up and cleaning up the area, and making space for all people to feel welcome and belong. We also hold special events throughout the Church calendar preparing feasts together.
Gospel Play – Experience catechesis with our children with interactive materials enhancing biblical narratives within the liturgical calendar. It is a lot of fun!
Ushers/Greeters – Welcome people as they come to church, especially newcomers, handing out bulletins, and passing the plates for the offering. |
| Music – We would love to expand our music ministry with your various gifts. Do you play an instrument? Are you a gifted singer? Come join the team! |
We hope to develop these ministries with more lay leadership. In the meantime you can contact Fr. Joe, Dcn. Chad, or Maggie if you interested in participating or even taking leadership in these various ministries. |
| | The Daily Office| Interested in a simple way to pray the daily office from the Book of Common Prayer? Follow this link for text and audio versions of the morning, noon, and evening prayer services taken directly from the 2019 ACNA BCP. |
| | Contact Fr. Joe
| I am here for you. If you would like to grab some coffee or other beverages, or would like a home visit, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: frjoe@stjohnscanton.org |
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