Neighbours
Here are our liturgy’s words of welcome we’ll use for our Lenten journey this year:
God meets us in the night—
before the sun rises,
before the wound heals,
before there are answers,
before there is closure
God meets us in the light—
where joy is effervescent,
where laughter is contagious,
where flowers bloom from cracks in the sidewalk,
where people gather around tables
God meets us in between—
at the edge of the water,
at the beginning of the wilderness,
at the start of something new,
on the edge of faith.
And if God meets us in all those places, then surely God meets us everywhere—
at the water’s edge, at the start of something new,
after the baptism, and before the call.
We are not alone. God is all around.
Let us worship the God of everything.
Prompts for contemplation
Steve Prince created the artwork above (A Sanctified Art) for the first week of Lent.
Here are some prompts for contemplation:
• Observe the figures’ posture and movement. Do you see connection, conflict, or both?
How does this reflect your own relationships?
• Focus on the textures and shading. What story might these elements tell about resilience or fragility?
• Pay attention to the empty spaces around the figures. What do these spaces evoke for you?
• Imagine yourself as part of this scene. What role would you play in this dance of connection, tension, and movement?.
Poem for the first Sunday of Lent
—Rev. Sarah Speed
I Never Met a Stranger
When we talk about God, we say
she’s never met a stranger.
She makes friends at the airport.
She waves to babies in the check-out line.
When we talk about God, we say
she’ll leave the porch light on.
She’ll have warm bread in the oven.
She’ll have all the time in the world.
When we talk about God, we say
she’ll look you in the eye.
She’ll love you as you are.
She’ll call you by your name.
When we talk about God,
we never have to talk about
which side of the road she might walk down.
Wherever you are,
that’s where she’ll be.
Listen: Meditations in Epiphany
1 The Road Isn’t Straight — Anne
2 Love Draws Near — Anne
3 Good News — Anne
4 Widening the Table — Anne
5 Jesus and the Temptation of Belonging — Christie Goode
6 Following Love’s Lead — Madison
7 Agape Love According to Jesus — Rev Janice Young
8 Transfiguration Sunday — Dr Mark Glanville
Worship Calendar
Location & Zoom. We meet on Sundays at 10:00 am, at 15639 24 Avenue, Surrey. Zoom is offered if you cannot attend in person. Zoom link. Meeting ID: 831 1690 9977 password: 753319
Listen to Sermons
Follow “Meditations from Southpoint Church” on Spotify and Apple.
Blogs
Catch up on Anne’s recent blogs under “News” on our website, southpoint.ca
Sun Apr 27 All Out, 10:00 am
No service at Sunnyside!
This is our annual celebration of Good Seed Sunday. Each spring, we gather at A Rocha (1620 192 St), and help the farmers plant onions into the soil. Dress for the weather — we’ll plant rain or shine. If weather permits, we will also picnic on the lawn afterward! Plan to arrive by 10am. To help the farmers anticipate numbers, please RSVP here.
Sun May 4
John 21:1-19
Anne Baxter Smith
Sun May 11
John 10:22-30
Anne Baxter Smith
Sun May 18
John 13: 31-35
Sun May 25 ALL IN service
John 13: 23-31
New to Southpoint?
At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.
We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *
We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.
As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.
Curious to know more?
These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.
If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.
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