A blast of icy rain couldn’t keep about 400 Anglicans from travelling to Trinity, Streetsville at the end of March for the diocese’s second Lift Up Our Hearts service.
People were slow to arrive, but by the time the service started the big church was full and people were ready to forget the weather and spend the next two hours experiencing God.
And they weren’t disappointed. By the time Trinity’s worship band completed the first two songs of the afternoon, God’s presence was palpable. Every part of the service was infused with a warm, hope-filled energy that left many people wanting more.
Before the service started, singer Hannah Whitehouse of Grace Church in Scarborough and Libby McGrath, the worship director at Trinity, performed “Amazing Grace,” setting the tone for all that followed.
The leadup to the service also included a live interview with the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen, coordinator of the diocese’s Season of Spiritual Renewal. The interview, conducted in the narthex by Kylah Lohnes, Trinity’s online engagement director, was shown on the church’s large screens and online.
In his opening remarks, Bishop Andrew Asbil thanked Trinity, Streetsville and those in attendance. “Whether you’re present in the house or present online, your presence means so much to us,” he said.
The service’s uplifting music was matched by heartfelt prayers, readings, a sermon and a lay testimonial.
In her sermon, the Rev. Canon Stephanie Douglas, incumbent of St. Paul on the Hill, Pickering, spoke about God’s faithfulness and the ways that people can be faithful to God in return. “There is no controlling or manufacturing the work of the Spirit, but as Isaiah told us, we really can faithfully respond to God’s invitation to come by placing ourselves in a posture where we know God is most likely to show up,” she said. “Prayer, meditation on scripture, repentance, worship with other believers – these are like the train tracks down which God’s power comes. So friends, let’s be hopeful and expectant and faithful.”
She concluded, “Now in this time that remains for us together, lets follow the psalmist’s call to rejoice and proclaim God’s faithfulness from generation to generation. Let us praise God, who is our trustworthy friend. God is committed to us, God longs to renew weary hearts, God wants to strengthen tired hands for service. Let’s respond to God’s invitations with a joyful and thankful yes, for the sake of God’s glory and for the sake of our world. And who knows, we may find God moving in our lives and in our churches in ways that we could never have asked or imagined.”
Dave Toycen, ODT, a longtime member of Trinity and a former president of World Vision Canada, spoke about his upbringing in the Pentecostal tradition in the United States and how his desire to help others eventually led him to an Episcopal church that believed deeply in social justice and outreach.
Many of those who went up for Communion at the service also chose to be anointed with holy oil and receive a short prayer by a trained lay person. A prayer team was also stationed in the narthex for this purpose, and people watching online could text their prayer requests.
The service ended with a rousing version of the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” moving some in the congregation to tears. Afterwards, everyone went into the narthex and an adjoining room for food and refreshments.
The Lift Up Our Hearts service was one of five that are being held around the diocese this year as part of the Season of Spiritual Renewal, an effort to refresh the diocese as it emerges from the pandemic years. For more information visit www.toronto.anglican.ca/spiritualrenewal.
We must not stand idly by