Pastoral Letters

Advent and Christmas Message

The following is a schedule of our Advent ‘happenings’ and our special Christmas dates. Please mark them on your calendars if you need to or put this on your fridge. Join us, as we journey together, to Bethlehem:

• November 26 @ 5:00 pm This is the day that we’ve set aside for the last week for the Beautiful Baskets Silent Auction. Monies for these baskets go towards the funding of redoing the roof on the Upper Hall of the church which will be changed from a flat roof to one which will allow water and snow to not pool and to cause leakage. Check the website for office hours to come and place your bids. 

• Sunday, December 1st – 1st Sunday of Advent (10:00 am)  We will light the candle of HOPE and begin our journey to Bethlehem. This Sunday will also be Communion, which is always an open table for all and will be a great way to begin the month of December. Caroling will also begin so warm up your vocal cords!

• Sunday, December 8th – 2nd Sunday of Advent (10:00 am)  As the second candle is lit, we bring in the Sunday of PEACE. This is also a Sunday where we will have two baptisms of children from our community.

• Wednesday, December 11 (12:00 noon – 1:00 pm) Sanctuary Sounds with Cody Obst (Lakeview United Church’s music director). These noontime concerts have been wonderfully attended and folks have brought their lunches beforehand and then sat back with a cup of tea or coffee and listened to the themes of the month in the sanctuary with piano, voice, and sometimes drama. The theme for December is called “A Christmas Celebration” and its pay-what-you-can.  

• Sunday, December 15th -- 3rd Sunday of Advent (10:00 am) We light our third candle and honour the Sunday of JOY. Christmas carols will be ringing out loud this morning!

• Saturday, December 21st – (7:00 pm) This is our Longest Night Service or ‘Blue Christmas’. It’s a quiet service of prayer and reflection and it may be a short service for those who have lost a loved one or who find Christmas to be difficult or painful or possibly stressful.

• Sunday, December 22nd – 4th Sunday of Advent. (10:00 am) The four candles will now be lit, and we welcome the Sunday of LOVE. Your voices will rise to the rafters as both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day become ever so much closer!

• CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLE-LIGHT SERVICES – Tuesday, December 24th, 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm. This is your evening to bring the true message of Christmas into your lives. We have slated a 5:00 service which is more geared to children and their families and our traditional Christmas Eve candle-lighting service at 7:00 pm. Come and share in the familiar hymns, the birth story, prayer and candle-lighting (glow sticks for the children at the 5:00 pm service) and hearing the message of what the Bethlehem child means to the world.

• Sunday, December 29th (10:00 am) There will be a brief service this morning with which will be followed by Eggs Benedict…a great way to end the year…if you wish to attend, please either put your name(s) on the sign-up sheet in the narthex or phone 403-242-5760 for your place at the table…

May this season always bring you closer to the heart of God and may your family know that all of us need ‘stable’ relationships. Our doors are always open to you and please come and make yourself at home. And, we need to never forget that we are not the only place of worship. There are many choices of differing denominations, different schools of thought but whatever your church affiliation may be, may you seek out that place of worship and bring the Christmas season and the Christmas message of peace into your hearts and into your homes.

Blessings of the Advent season and a Merry Christmas to each and every one!

 Rev. Jope Langejans and the whole congregation of Lakeview United Church, Calgary, AB.

November / December 2024

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

Good November/December to all of you as once again, you have the opportunity of reading the message which I have for you. Yes, the page on the monthly calendar is turning soon and what’s before us now is that time of preparation, that time where Christmas begins to invade our homes and our lives. We can’t get away from it for it’s all around us with the lights, the music shifting on the radio from pop culture to snowflakes and tinsel, stores jammed with every sort of Christmas paraphernalia and that slow, steady journey to that stable in Bethlehem. May you find some time during this season of waiting to sit back and offer  contemplative time in prayer to the Holy One and to seek a newness of being.

We are now into the season of ‘Tidings of Comfort and Joy’ and we are called to journey to human joy and holy meaning. Comfort and joy come to us in many ways and sometimes when we least expect it, sometimes from a home-care worker, sometimes from a total stranger, maybe even sometimes from an old pair of slippers or a cat or a dog, sometimes even from your minister, and sometimes even from the caring and loving from a little child. And  here’s an example of this: there was this famous author years ago who was asked to be a judge for a contest where they were looking for the most caring child – the winner was a four-year old boy. He lived next door to an older gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man sitting on the front deck in his rocking chair and crying, the little child climbed up to him on the deck and sat on his lap –and just sat there. When his mom asked him what he had said to the old man the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.”

Tidings of comfort and joy. We are not to have our lives stuck in darkness and despair. Christmas brings us all back to the crib of life to start over, to be aware of what has gone before and conscious that nothing can last but be full of hope that this time, finally, we can learn what it takes to live well. We need to grow to full stature of soul and spirit and maybe this time, we’ll get it right. And we need to do this together and it reminds me of a little story which I had used years ago: A father went to church with his young daughter one day and during the service the minister asked if anyone had a prayer request. The little girl put up her hand and said, “My daddy is hurting a lot inside but he won’t tell anyone…” Then she gave her father a big hug. “Stop Beth,” he had said with much embarrassment, “You’re hugging me to death.”……“No daddy, I’m hugging you to life!”

These are our times of comfort and joy so may we focus upon them this season. One day, we will once again sing the songs of our life.

Prayer time:

O Spirt of Wonder and of Comfort and Joy, make us joyful people in the light of these storms which are before us. As this Advent season unfolds, may we all journey to the tiny village of Bethlehem once again and sit and experience the newness of life, the coming of peace upon our world. Hold us tightly in the grip of your grace and remind us continually that you are only a breath away from us and that your arms of compassion keep us close….Amen.

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

November 2024

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And a fine and wonderful greeting once again to all of you on this first submission of this year’s “News from the Pews or (How I See It)”. Hopefully 2025 turns out to be a year of clearer vision and may we all keep our prayers, and our thoughts, focused on healing for ourselves and for our world.

I have these Christmas memories from years gone by and one sticks in mind as something which was always so special. In Forestburg (or outside the town really) where I had served before coming to Calgary, lived a gentleman by the name of Jim Crawford. Most folks called him Gentleman Jim and yes, this he truly was. He was an icon for the community and held positions in countless organizations and I believe, even once he was appointed the position of Grand Master in the Masonic Order. When I had officiated at his funeral, Masons came from all places in Alberta. Jim had a farm and raised cattle, and I think that he also grain-farmed and had a family but one of his great loves was to spend time with his Clydesdale horses, you know, those massive creatures with their flowing manes and hooves of steel. Jim would round them up near Christmas and strap them all together with the teams’ bridles, leggings, leather harnesses, bells, and sometimes even blinkers and those sorts of things. He would attach them to the wagon and fill the wagon with hay and wind his way down the country road and to the highway, which was about 4-5 kilometers from town. And all the kids in the town were waiting, for they all knew that Gentleman Jim was coming and the annual hayride around town was soon to begin. And yes, in a distance you could hear him coming with the bells ringing and on his way to the Community Centre to pick up his first batch of excited children, he would drop by my place and pick me up in that I was the Christmas Carol leader. And around and around the town we would go with the children and always stop in front of the Lodge so we could sing for the folks who lived there. There was “Jingle Bells”, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, all those good old favourite carols which everyone knew by heart. And did the children ever make those songs resonate throughout the village! It was truly a Christmas event and so sadly now, it has passed into that place of memory, but this is what we do at these times of the year, we think back on Christmas past and look towards the Christmas future….may it always be merry and bright.

Prayer time:

O Spirit of the new year, this year where all of us live in that place of hopefulness, may you surround each of us with the knowing that through our prayers and through our deepest thoughts that all will be well. The season of Christmas is now behind us but may we never forget to honour the One who this day represents, the One who  brings to us a new joy and a new hope. And now, we lay our prayers out to you for the New Year and for a new under-standing of who we are in the presence of the light of the world…Amen. 

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

May 2024

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

 As we enter ourselves into the months of June and July, hopefully these months are filled with moments of introspection, moments of listening to your inner voice. Some may call these times ‘thoughts’ and others may see them as your inner wandering spirit, connecting yourselves to the unknown. I try and keep it simple by calling these times ‘prayer’.

I’ve been involved in prayer for years and years and for me, it’s my conversation with the unseeing but the all-knowing. It’s that moment in my day where I slow myself down and speak to my inner self, speak to the heart of God which is within me and without me and surrounds my life with everything – light, air, water, soil, and whatever else any of my senses attaches itself to. It’s never a one-way conversation or a one-way thought process. I speak and listen and then the other speaks and listens. I’m not sure if this is your understanding of prayer or not but everyone senses it differently and the Holy One speaks to each of us in many ways. And prayer does not have to be eloquent words or countless petitions or the longer the better. I remember being with someone who was in dire straits and as we were holding hands, I had asked her to pray and her words: “God…help me!” That was it. Simple words that came from the bottom of the heart to the One who listens.

So, there I was years ago in a prayer time with folks in the community of faith of which I was ministering to, and I had these little children around me at Children’s Time and we all recited the Lord’s Prayer together. One little lad hit it on the head! I think that he was around six years old. Here were his words as I heard them: “…and forgive us our trash passes as we forgive those who passed trash against us…” Later, I thought that these words were rather humorous but for sure…they were real! It’s real in the sense that this six-year-old related the trash or garbage and how we handled all this stuff. He probably had no idea what the word ‘trespass’ meant but trash passing seemed to fit – and how well it did fit! So, when you have your prayer time in your day, pull the thoughts from inside your heart and put them forward to the One who can change your world.

 Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans 

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

 I have always been of the understanding that music heals the soul and whether it’s in English or French, or Spanish or Swahili, it matters not. Music moves us in ways which transcends words, it’s the language of sound which connects all of us in some way or another. Music is what spring is all about and the newness and the freshness is all around us and the connections which it makes with all of us is incredible. And just a day or two ago, one of the announcers on the radio station which I listen to, played this familiar song – “Gracias a La Vida”.

Here’s a bit of history which goes with it: Many years ago, there was a certain woman by the name of Mercedes Sosa. Mercedes was an Argentinian and had moved up the ranks in her singing career to be one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of the country. She was the voice of the ‘voiceless ones,’ and the voice of South America. And as many folk singers were in her era, she sang protest songs and the words which she shared put her against the military junta at that time and the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. She faced death threats against herself and her family, but she refused to leave her beloved country. At a concert in La Plata in 1969, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage along with all of those who attended the concert. Everyone was eventually released through international intervention and being banned from her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid. When the military regime collapsed finally in 1982, because of the Falklands War, Sosa returned to her beloved country and had her first free concert for her people in Buenos Aires… over a million people showed up and her song, “Gracias a La Vida” or “Thank-you for life” became the words of a new generation. So, when I heard the song on the radio, it made me think of such a wonderful soul who changed the world, one person at a time. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago but do check out Mercedes Sosa, “Gracias a La Vida” on U-Tube.

And now, as we head into the month of May and have our summer plans before us, may the days be filled with laughter, with friendly gatherings, with sleeps which are restful peaceful, and with the knowing that each one of you are truly a blessed child of the Holy One.

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

April 2024

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it) 

Do you ever have those questions in your mind where you’re trying to find a specific answer to? I was thinking of one of those proverbial questions the other day --  ‘What really is our foundation?’ I remember a trip we took years ago to Scotland, and we spent an afternoon wandering the little streets and the open spaces of St. Andrew’s, the supposed birthplace of golf. It was one of those beautiful, sunny, warm days and we came to the end of one of those cobbled streets and entered an old graveyard, along the ocean, with what used to be a magnificent old cathedral in the middle. The grass was as green as can be envisioned in a Scottish landscape, green all around the wonderful gravestones dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. And there lay huge pieces of the cathedral… fallen…spread all over the place…in total collapse. It was a surreal picture indeed amongst the fields of crosses and gravestones and green grass and flowers. The foundation had given away eons ago and what was left was piles of huge hewn rock which now had been taken over by the elements – bird-droppings, lichen, the constant battering of rain and wind and the merciless deterioration of the human imprint scrambling over rock. A cathedral that forgot to receive a solid foundation, one which gave way to earth and wind and possibly neglect.

And on another day, with Edinburgh in the far distance across the water, we came to another old cathedral, this one smaller, yet still standing after the hundreds of years. We needed to bend down to enter into it for it had sunk into the ground. It had sunk so low that when we entered, it was musty. The stained-glass windows all faced outwards towards earth. Little lights had been inserted around them to give them the appearance of looking outward. It seemed cold and dingy, almost like entering a darkened dungeon yet the folks who welcomed us there, placed flowers all over the sanctuary -- freshly-picked flowers to brighten the space. They all knew that their beloved church was slowly, slowly sinking away for it, too, had not had a solid foundation or built upon solid rock. So, back to the question – ‘What really is our foundation?’ It’s not the building…it’s you! It’s when you have the feeling of Spring in your heart and share this with others. It’s the knowing that the tomb is empty and that all of us have that opportunity of being resurrected and living on solid ground.

So, to help you to plant your feet on solid ground or to have your ‘hearts of Spring’ come alive, I’ve added a few dates which just might create your foundation:

• March 24 – Palm Sunday (Special Children’s program)

• March 28 – Maundy Thursday Mediterranean Feast (reservations 242-403-5760)

• March 29 – Good Friday…we begin this service at St. Laurence Anglican Church at 10:00 am and following this, walk with the cross to Lakeview United  Church to complete the service.

• March 31 – Sunrise Service…this takes place at 8:00 am. corner of 66th & 37th.

• March 31 – Easter Sunday – 10:00 am.

 Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

March 2024 

                               SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And welcome once again to some News from the Pews or what used to be a collage of the happenings in and around the different communities of faith in Lakeview. What seems to have transpired over the years has become more of a “how I see it” discourse and hopefully many of you are finding some of what I put together refreshing and possibly even stimulating in the light of so many trials and tribulations which are before us. I thank the folks at Lakeview News & Views in offering me this platform and I will continue to make it as “real” as possible and allow the Spirit to move where it needs to go.

The month of February brings all of us into another liturgical season or what some folks may call ritual – it’s that time of Lent where it refers to the lengthening of days and the coming of spring. The name ‘Lent’ comes from and through Middle English and it also has parallels in French, lente, which means “to move slowly”. Maybe this is what we need to focus a little on as we travel through this world – to move ever so slowly and to change our hectic pace. I often hear of folks who give something up for Lent and maybe that has to do with letting things go, with lightening the load, with seeing the normal through different lenses and stepping back and reassessing life. Regardless, Lent is a 40 day spread prior to Easter and this year, 2023, it falls on Sunday, April the 9th.

The season of Lent begins on February the 22nd with Ash Wednesday, a time where folks are invited to come into their places of worship and being marked by the ceremonial distribution of ashes – a symbol of entering into a somewhat penitential time of reflection. And the evening before, Shrove Tuesday, or as some call it, Pancake Tuesday, we all get together with pancakes, sausages, fruits of different kinds and a celebration before the 40 days begin. Mark your calendar (February 21, commencing at 5:00 pm.) for the Pancake Supper and then drop by any time from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm. on the next day for the imposition of ashes.

Other dates which may need to be put on to your calendar of events:

Sunday, February 26 – 3:00 pm. “Songs of Joy and Peace”   A concert presented to you featuring Cody Obst on piano; Michael Hope, baritone; and Andrea Case, ‘cello. Tickets for this concert at Lakeview United Church are $25 and they are available at the door.

Friday, March 3rd   World Day of Prayer

Thursday, April 6th   Maundy Thursday

Friday, April 7th   Good Friday Service: commencing at Lakeview United Church at 10:00 am. -- finishing with the Walk of the Cross to St’ Laurence Anglican Church.

Sunday, April 9th   ‘Sunrise Service”   8”00 am, corner of 66th and 37th followed by Easter Sunday service in the sanctuary of Lakeview United Church at 10:00 am.

Friday, April 14th – 7:30 pm. Weaselhead Presents Concert Series:  Cabot’s Crossing

Hopefully we’ll get the opportunity of seeing you at some of the events and services planned for the upcoming period. Until then, may the Spirit of wisdom reside within you and guide your life…

The Reverend Jope Langejans

                     SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And a warm welcome to everyone as you receive your monthly Lakeview News & Views on your doorstep. You will be receiving this in the latter part of February so what I’m sharing with you could be words around the days of cold and snow or the slow greening of spring as it unfolds around us, especially when your next edition will greet you in the latter parts of March and this edition precedes it. So…I’m focusing on the greening! Hopefully, each one of you also are. I remember many spring times when I would look out the window and there it was! The first greening. It seemed like an overnight kind of thing, one day brown with snow and ice and then, green grass. I could almost feel the earth straining, trying ever so hard to draw forth new life from within it.

This development of the Earth’s greening which happens after a long winter always seems to remind me of our spiritual ‘eastering’. This ‘eastering’ is the inner transformation and the rebirthing that always seems to come after we’ve experienced a long winter spell of the spirit. But…it may be a very painstakingly slow process, possibly a tiny bit of life which gradually weaves its way through the dark times and enters itself into the light. And ‘eastering ‘ is not always a quick step out of what may seem the endless jolts of winter but as we all know, sometimes rising from the doldrums takes a long, slowly greening time. It can never be hurried.  

So, my hope for each of you going into the Easter season is that you will trust the resurrection of your spirit and that you can believe that joy and new life will find its way to you. If you are one of those many folks who may be experiencing the joy of greening, may you turn often to those who are still awaiting their greening and walk hopefully with them. As the month of March unfolds, set your sights on a brand-new sunrise and may the Spirit surround you with its greening.

Following is what has been planned for the days and weeks to come, some of which has already happened and some to place upon your calendar (or cellphone):

Tuesday, February 13 – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper (5:30)

Wednesday, Feb. 14 – Ash Wednesday (beginning at 1:30 until 4:00pm)

Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 3, March 10, and  March 17, Sundays of Lent (10:00 am)

March 24 – Palm Sunday (Special Children’s program)

March 28 – Maundy Thursday Mediterranean Feast (reservations 242-403-5760)

March 29 – Good Friday…we begin this service at St. Laurence Anglican Church at

                                  10:00 am and following this, walk with the cross to Lakeview United  

                                   Church to complete the service.

            March 31 – Sunrise Service…this takes place at 8:00 am. corner of 66th & 37th.

            March 31 – Easter Sunday – 10:00 am.

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

January 2024

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

 As the New Year developed, I always seem to find myself in places of reflection. Maybe you have these same traits or moments of introspection and in my sharing of some of my thoughts, yours may parallel them. Well, the beginning of the year always merits these sorts of reflection. It is not so much a time for making all those new resolutions but rather a time to make space in which to ponder life and possibly review personal growth. I always find that the new year offers me a good opportunity of looking at what guides my thoughts and decisions of each day, maybe to look at the person that I already am and who I may want to become.

Hopefully, as I review my year and your reviewing of yours, we look for what allowed our lives to receive greater meaning and maybe, what had resisted it. We may ponder how and when hope has sung in our days. We may wander through the months recalling who and what gave us strength and where enthusiasm had ripened or died on the vine. We may have looked for graced moments that we have totally forgotten, maybe those spaces in our days when we were swept off our controlled feet by the grace of  a tender God who might have said, “Don’t forget that you’re in my heart.”

When we look back at the calendar of our year or possibly our journal, we see parts of it filled with familiar melodies, some which are delightful, and others could be quite jarring. I believe that our insights and awareness touch again and again on some basic patterns and behaviors. When we see them, we sometimes say with a groan, “I’ve been here before!” And I believe that we’ve noticed that almost every time we come around the circle, we know it better. We may miss more of the off-key notes and disharmony as we get better acquainted with their positions and their characteristics, so hopefully we feel a sense of hope in spite of the old recurring patterns.

Underneath the circle of our years, we can always spot our life principles – the foundational themes and values that spur us on to live our dreams and rekindle a positive attitude. So as 2024 meanders on, may the good things which happened in the year before become doubled or tripled and may the Epiphany light shine in those dark places.

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

NOVEMBER AND December 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

 And {Mary} brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  (KJV)

Over the many years, if you’ve made your annual pilgrimage to the church of your choice on Christmas Eve and sat quietly listening to the Christmas story, possibly with your family around you and neighbours of all sorts, this line would have been shared from the Gospel of Luke. It may seem insignificant at first, but as it is with so many of the other biblical passages, one needs to ‘dig deeper’ into context and into circumstance and try to put the meaning into today’s world. Bethlehem and all other Hebraic towns and villages at this time were in the process of registration or what we would call in our present time enumeration or a recording of where you live and where you might have been born, etc. The difference here was that the folks needed to register themselves physically in the place in which they were born – a chaotic process to be sure! And every hotel and motel and B&B was filled to the rafters. And through all of this chaos or turmoil, a child is born – in a stable of all places! This may seem irrelevant at first but down the long and winding road, this birthing will change the world. So then, how does this passage speak to us today in its context and in its perspective?

I believe that the ending of the passage is the central part, the part which begs the question of what we are to do in the light of humanity serving humanity – “…because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Each of us is called, no urged, to ‘make room’. In the Christmas story the innkeeper felt it his responsibility to at least offer some sort of compromise for the filled rooms to offer a place of rest for an expecting couple who had no other place to turn. In making room in today’s world I sense that it means opening ourselves to possibilities of wonder, opening ourselves to the mystery and the enchantment of new birth – new life. Making room is looking at situations from a different point of view and ultimately having as a goal the enrichment and the peaceful and loving actions of living in community together and moving in directions of promise. Making room is to risk. Making room is to destroy the old adage of ‘we’ve always done it that way!’ Making room believes that there are countless answers to any question and that in the collective of answers, we build listening and loving relationships that stand the test of time. Making room is a gift from God which we need to pay attention to – personally and communally.

This Christmas season and the year of 2024, I urge each of you to ‘make room’; not only at the places at your feasting table or your family gatherings but possibly something more personal or important – your heart. Make room in this for others, for your environment, for your world, for your God. Make room so that others will know that they are a part of the whole and seen as precious and truly loved. May the coming days be ones of wonder for each of you and may you find the peace of the Holy One in your families and in yourselves. Seek the church of your choice and boldly sing the Christmas carols and marvel in the gift which has been given you; for every person and every family deserves a ‘stable’ experience. There was room then – we’ve made room for all of you today – so come and claim a piece of your heaven, come and have the Christmas angel share in its wonder.

Blessings of love and peace to all of you….The Rev. Jope Langejans

OCTOBER 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

 And a fine hello once again to everyone in Lakeview Land. The month of November is unfolding, and this gives me an opportunity of sharing with all of you the events and the timings of the Advent and Christmas season. With so much on our plates as we head into this busy time of year it’s always so reassuring that yes, there are times where we have those moments where we can sit back and let that Spirit of Christmas surround us. So, my invitation to all of you comes with this November/December message.

The Christmas season always seems to loom earlier than other yearly celebrations in that by the beginning of November, the Hallowe’en displays in the stores are immediately transformed into mountains of Christmas chocolates, nuts and candies, aisles of Christmas lights and pre-lit trees, and countless presentations of ‘Jolly Old St. Nicholas’. It can be sometimes overwhelming. This is where each of us needs to calmly go back to where this celebration began, a quiet stable in small-town Bethlehem and the world was opened to a new era of hope and of peace. This was something which was strived for countless years ago. Now, day-in and day-out, we all still cry for it to surface in our oftentimes shattered and disconnected world. So, for each of us, Christmas needs to be filled with quiet prayer, surrounded by family and friends, and knowing that in this stability, hope and peace will surface once again. Following is what is planned for you as you go deeper into the Spirit of Christmas:

• Sunday, November 26 (10:00 am) We begin our Advent/Christmas season with the Sunday of Hope. The Advent wreath becomes lit and the quiet melodies of Christmas fill the air.

• Sunday, December 3 (10:00 am) This Sunday focuses on Peace and songs, lit candles, prayers and message will all be centred around this.

• Sunday, December 3 (3:00 pm) Our Christmas Concert gift for you. We have invited Horizon Ridge to come and perform their Christmas show and tickets are available at $25 each. Just call the office at 403-242-5760 to obtain them. Your heart will be filled!!

• Sunday, December 10 (10:00 am) This is the Sunday of Joy and yes, Joy will fill the air upon this morning.

• Wednesday, December 13 (12:00 noon) A one-hour luncheon musical with pianist Cody Obst as he shares his Christmas renditions. Bring your lunch and coffee and tea will be available. Free-will donation.

• Sunday, December 17 (10:00 am) This Sunday will be an Advent of Love service with children’s activities. Bring your children and your grandchildren for a truly fun morning.

• Thursday, December 21 (6:00 pm) Longest Night (Blue Christmas). A  quiet reflective time for those who may find the season to be draining.  

• Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)

                 5:00 pm. Family Christmas Service with the Christmas play.

                 7:00 pm. Traditional Candlelight Service

• Sunday, December 31 (10:00 am) Eggs Benedict Breakfast

The Reverend Jope Langejans

August 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

How quickly the seasons change around us – and in us. Summer to some folks seemed to race by whereas others found it to linger much longer. I guess it’s all in perspective in how you spend the summer days whether they are lighthearted and filled with warmth or seemingly overshadowed with something else, possibly an illness or some other debilitating threat. But for many, the rich colours of summer filled the days with the awareness of the goodness that comes as we love and are loved. Life is full and abundant for many of us and now we turn our eyes and our hearts to the autumn season.

In the autumn, the quiet times are with us. The fulfillment of our journey is with us, as we reflect upon life and our purpose in the circle of being. The blessings that surround us are all evident and we approach life with a calm and a happy awareness. A new season is slowly moving in. We can sense its presence in the coolness of the breeze and the quick gusts of wind that wrap themselves around browning lawns and fading forest leaves. This time of transition belongs to more than just the earth. Inside each of us there are also some quiet changes sending us their signals to let go. Trees are slowly saying goodbye to another year’s growth. What they are telling us is that in the deepest part of who we are, there is always a call to continue our own transformation process.

But autumn is not void of colour as the reds and the golds and the yellows of the leaves form a dazzling carpet on the lawns and the fields. Colour enriches autumn days with the last laughs of lovely marigolds and the final sunflowers beaming their faces to the autumn sun. A blessing called beauty kisses this slow withering and drying time. And through all of this we need to be reminded that we are autumn people. We are always called to be in the process of growing and changing. May our minds and our hearts be open to this inner season which is a part of us. May we always trust in the Autumn God who calls each of us to grow. May we find hope as we enter willingly into the dying that is needed for our transformation.

And may we look into ourselves as a sign of wonder, a symbol of God’s creation: changing, growing, living, dying – a year, a season passes – more change; time moves and our bodies move, our thoughts change, our perceptions alter, our taste buds shift – and as we age, we pass on wisdom, understanding, questions, offering nourishment, bringing new life. And when the empty branches seem so stark, stripped to bare and simple bark, may we know that sleeping buds will wake next year.

Peace and deep blessings upon your Autumn Journey….

 The Reverend Jope Langejans

    “Going Into Summer Newsletter”

(A community of faith with a huge heart!)

I begin this summer newsletter with a quote from Marjorie Dobson which is taken out of a book entitled:

 “600 Blessings & Prayers from Around the World”

“Summer is extravagant and over-stated and showy.

Summer colours are bright and gaudy and over-the-top.

Summer life is abundant and prolific and overwhelming.

Summer sun is dazzling and brilliant and hot – sometimes.

Summer rain is warmer, but just as wet as at any other time.

Yet summer riots its colours loudest where sun and showers

combine to ring out the glory.

 Just as God’s blessings abound in joy and the sorrow by

which all growth comes.”

How true…how true that summer brings to each of us explosions of colour and vividness of rolling landscapes along with peaceful gardens and tranquil times with family and friends – sometimes. Summer is limitless to many of us in terms of what can be explored or experienced and to others?...it may only be a continuation of the daily grind. Hopefully, somewhere in the days and weeks to come, there will be moments of grace and moments of peace; moments where the Creator God touches your heart and your spirit.

Whatever does happen in your summer, there is one ingredient which always needs to be a part of the recipe – our invitational God yearns to journey with you in all that you do. A relationship with this invitational God is much more than one hour on Sunday morning or the occasional, hurried grace which may be spoken before a meal. God is breath. God is the soil beneath our feet and the wind in the sails. God is summer sunlight and evening stars, morning dew and northern lights. God is trickling streams and trickling tears. God is truly in the stewardship of our planet and the stewardship of our time, talents, and of the countless resources which we have acquired over the years. God is everything which was, is, and is yet to be and God wants our authenticity and our sincerity, our joys and our sorrows – always. This is a part of the Spirit moving in your world and in your summer and it is truly an amazing ‘reality’ show.

Some of you may already be aware of the summer schedule for Lakeview United Church and if not, we begin our ‘Summer Services on the Lawn’, Sunday, July the 2nd and extend them to Sunday, September the 3rd. Each Sunday will be at 10:30 am. This of course becomes weather permitting. We will be bringing in different musicians, some possible choir selections, different worship leaders and it’s going to be once again, an exciting summer of worship. So, bring yourselves, bring your neighbours, your lawn chairs, and most of all – bring your heart.

Peace and blessings to all of you…

Rev. Jope Langejans

July 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

Welcome to summer as it calls out to you. Summer has its own communication and when you wake up each morning the voice of summer beckons to you to wake up to its countless gifts. Communication is so important to all of us and not only in the technological world but in listening and conversing with creation in all of its aspects. With this in mind I’m going to share an incident in my life where communication made my understanding of it become picture clear.

Many years ago I had been invited by my parents to join with them on a trip back to Holland and to meet all of my relatives. What a wonderful opportunity it was and I gladly joined in with them. I had spent a week in the Netherlands visiting with as many as possible and then tagged back to the airport to meet with a couple of my friends as we had planned to spend three weeks together and ‘travel the world of Europe’ (as if we could do all of that in three weeks!) We bought train passes for the three weeks and stayed at youth hostels in Belgium and Germany, Austria and parts of Holland, Lichtenstein and finally, Switzerland. This is where my communication story happened.

We had got off our train in Zurich, stayed overnight, and caught an early train to a small town in the Innerthal area. A small car was waiting for us at the train station and we were taken up into the mountains to a beautiful youth hostel on the edge of a crystal clear lake and mountains on all sides. It was truly idyllic. We settled into our hostel and made an early night so as to enjoy the full day ahead.

Early in the morning, as the sun was trying to find its way through the mountain peaks, I awoke early, made a cup of coffee and sat on the veranda, giving thanks.

And then I heard it.

High in the mountains to my right I could hear someone yodeling and it echoed throughout the valley. And once more the yodeling happened and then silence. And then the most amazing thing – yodeling happened from the other side of the valley and happened twice. Something which I had never heard before so when breakfast time came, I asked the hostel folks what it meant. They just smiled and said that a couple of widowed gentlemen lived on different sides of the mountains and this was their communication to each other to let each one know that all was well. How unique. How real. How loving and caring for each other. Maybe that’s what summer does to us when it messages us of its magic. I truly hope so. It’s our Creator’s way of saying, “You are truly loved and this my gift to you”.

Happy summer to you all. 

 The Reverend Jope Langejans

June 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it

 My message for all of you this month is based upon some writings from Betty Radford Turcott in 1996, nearly 25 years ago but still so relevant today. The theme of this has to do with song and with summer, two of the wonderful things in life which go together.

In the beginning there was a song and the song was alone and there was no one to share in it. And so the song was passed to the trees and the grasses and the grasses whispered it and the trees roared in the blustery days. And it was good to hear the song but it was not enough so it was passed to the hills, the valleys, the mountains and the plains. It echoed around the earth but there was still something missing so the song was given to the birds and the animals. They sang with many different voices and textures and thousands sang but it was still not enough. The song was now given to the females and the males; to the sopranos and altos and tenors and basses and the chorus grew and filled the earth. The song was being sung by people everywhere…at last it was enough.

Through all of time, the song is never silent. It is sung in places all over creation by prophets and seers, by martyrs and saints, by the wise and the simple. It is sung in great temples and small huts, in lakeside camps and quietly by death beds, on mountain tops and in deep dark valleys. It is sung in joy and sometimes in sadness and sung by the old and by the young. It may be sung prayerfully when alone or when gathered in groups where it’s sung with beautiful harmony and great enthusiasm. The song is never silent.

But there are times where the song goes off key. There are times where the melody is lost and the harmonies become discordant. Oftentimes the singers become discouraged and this is when the voices become silent. Then, the song is given to a new singer; a prophet who hears the melody in its original form and sings it with truth. Once again, the song is sung in all of its beauty. The people listen and hear the message of the song and begin to sing it together once again.

The melody will change and the harmonies vary and the singers will be different, age to age and place to place, but the song will continue. Every child learns the song from those who have gone before and every one passes it on to those who follow. The song will never die.

And this becomes the summer magic. Summer is the time for growing and for developing. Summer is filled with activity and with flying and running, with pushing and with leaping into newness. The colours are rich and luxuriant and the sounds are full and provide a wonderful background of music for all pleasure. Birds sing and call to one another, insects buzz and hum, and happy voices fill the air as the song continues. May each and every one of you experience this magic and may you join the giant choir of creation and raise your voice to the heavens.

Peace and blessings.

  The Reverend Jope Langejans

April 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

Every year it happens: Earth shakes her sleepy head, still a bit wintered and possibly dull, and feels new life stirring. Yes it’s spring with all of its newness and all of its exciting colours. Every year cocoons give up their treasures, fresh shoots push through the brown leaves, seemingly dead branches shine with green, and singing birds find their way home. And every year the dull and the dead in us meets the challenge of spring with all of its vibrant colours, texture, sounds and temperature. In spring there is new life, fresh green growth, and a warming sun. The colours and the sounds are soft and gentle. And this always reminds me of the loom that sits in our home and the colours which appear upon it as the weaver produces her magic.

And you know, our lives have often been compared to a piece of woven cloth. We weave our individual patterns with all of the choices which we make. When we choose love over hate, we weave in beauty. When we choose hope over hopelessness, we weave in brightness. When we choose to be inclusive rather than exclusive, we weave a richly and varied pattern. The threads of both the warp and the woof are of different textures. They are thick and thin, smooth or rough, and they may have bumps and knots. So it is with our lives. Days come and go and some unfold smoothly and other times are rough with possible upheavals. But…added together they make up the texture of our lives, the fabric of our weaving, and the colours of our spring.

There are many colours in our weaving. Spring colours which are bright and vibrant of happy active days and then there comes the soft muted colours of the quiet thoughtful times. There are also those dark somber hues which are woven in to reflect our sadness and our pain. But they’re all woven together in a multi-textured pattern creating a work of beauty and of usefulness. We are partners in this tapestry. We have choices – to destroy or help to create. Each time we act in a racist way, we scorch the weaving. When we side with the oppressed, we restore the beauty of the world. We create holes in the fabric when we have selfish motives or claim superiority. But reaching out in love…we mend the community.

The weaver throws the shuttles of hope, love, and forgiveness. As we respond, we wipe the tears from the cheeks of the weaver and the fallen tears bring on the spring flowers.

The Reverend Jope Langejans

March 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

          And warm greetings to all of you as we begin to focus ourselves on another season of spring and what that may have in store for us. It’s always the season of new life and of that slow melting of the weariness of winter with its icy and slippery roads and walkways, constant snow shoveling, bundling up with layers of warm clothes, and for many, staying indoors to ward off the cold. But its spring and thoughts begin to change. The oftentimes heaviness of the winter heart somewhat diminishes and there’s a lightness of step as our senses become attuned to the longer light of day and those shorter nights of star-filled and dancing northern lights. Are you ready?

          With the changing of seasons, they are also reflected in our emotional lives. There are sometimes seasons of joy. Often times seasons of sadness. We know seasons of cold and darkness, seasons when life is full and rich, and also times when everything is new. And our spiritual selves also experience these changes of the season that are independent of the calendar year. A spiritual winter brings bleakness where the world seems cold and barren. We sometimes live in isolation from our inner selves and from each other. But spring in our spiritual lives is a time of growing. A time of learning. It’s a time of renewal and of change and of newness. We eagerly seek knowledge and wisdom in springtime. These are always the busy days of activity when we reach out to take on all of the challenges that may come to us. We so often spend time nurturing not only ourselves but others. We take on a whole different rhythm.

          I’m reminded of the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes where the writer uses the phrase “there is a time”. There is a time for love, for peace, for hate, for war, for building up and tearing down. Well, in our living, there is a time for everything and in the rush of our modern lives we may lose our sense of the seasons of our being. We need to once again recapture that sense of rhythm for the rhythms of life are a part of us and we sometimes ignore them to our own detriment. And the rhythm of spring needs our attention. So if you need some bolstering of “there is a time”, following are the dates and times which may just help that season of spring come alive for you:

April 6 – Maundy Thursday Mediterranean Feast (6:00 pm)

April 7 – Good Friday (10:00 am) Commencing at Lakeview United Church and  

                  ending with the walk of the cross at St. Laurence Anglican Church.

April 9 – (8:00 am) Easter Sunrise Service at the corner of 66th Ave. and 37th Street

April 9 – (10:00 am) Celebratory Easter Service

May the season of spring find your heart to be opened to the newness that is all around you and may the excitement of this season once again fill your world…

 The Reverend Jope Langejans

February 2023

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And welcome once again to some News from the Pews or what used to be a collage of the happenings in and around the different communities of faith in Lakeview. What seems to have transpired over the years has become more of a “how I see it” discourse and hopefully many of you are finding some of what I put together refreshing and possibly even stimulating in the light of so many trials and tribulations which are before us. I thank the folks at Lakeview News & Views in offering me this platform and I will continue to make it as “real” as possible and allow the Spirit to move where it needs to go.

The month of February brings all of us into another liturgical season or what some folks may call ritual – it’s that time of Lent where it refers to the lengthening of days and the coming of spring. The name ‘Lent’ comes from and through Middle English and it also has parallels in French, lente, which means “to move slowly”. Maybe this is what we need to focus a little on as we travel through this world – to move ever so slowly and to change our hectic pace. I often hear of folks who give something up for Lent and maybe that has to do with letting things go, with lightening the load, with seeing the normal through different lenses and stepping back and reassessing life. Regardless, Lent is a 40 day spread prior to Easter and this year, 2023, it falls on Sunday, April the 9th.

The season of Lent begins on February the 22nd with Ash Wednesday, a time where folks are invited to come into their places of worship and being marked by the ceremonial distribution of ashes – a symbol of entering into a somewhat penitential time of reflection. And the evening before, Shrove Tuesday, or as some call it, Pancake Tuesday, we all get together with pancakes, sausages, fruits of different kinds and a celebration before the 40 days begin. Mark your calendar (February 21, commencing at 5:00 pm.) for the Pancake Supper and then drop by any time from 12:00 noon until 4:00 pm. on the next day for the imposition of ashes.

Other dates which may need to be put on to your calendar of events:

Sunday, February 26 – 3:00 pm. “Songs of Joy and Peace”   A concert presented to you featuring Cody Obst on piano; Michael Hope, baritone; and Andrea Case, ‘cello. Tickets for this concert at Lakeview United Church are $25 and they are available at the door.

Friday, March 3rd   World Day of Prayer

Thursday, April 6th   Maundy Thursday

Friday, April 7th   Good Friday Service: commencing at Lakeview United Church at 10:00 am. -- finishing with the Walk of the Cross to St’ Laurence Anglican Church.

Sunday, April 9th   ‘Sunrise Service”   8:00 am, corner of 66th and 37th followed by Easter Sunday service in the sanctuary of Lakeview United Church at 10:00 am.

Friday, April 14th – 7:30 pm. Weaselhead Presents Concert Series:  Cabot’s Crossing

          Hopefully we’ll get the opportunity of seeing you at some of the events and services planned for the upcoming period. Until then, may the Spirit of wisdom reside within you and guide your life…

The Reverend Jope Langejans

February 20, 2023

 Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

THE SEASON OF LENT --- 2023

As I sit down on this Monday morning, a couple of days before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the snow is softly falling and it has blanketed the world once again with much more to come in the next few days. And yes, it is a blanket, in that it’s covered all of the half melted ice, the grime and the grit left behind with the extended warm spell that we’ve had, in fact, it’s covered all of the imperfections that might have laid beneath it. And this is where the word ‘imperfection’ resonates with me as the season of Lent comes once more upon all of us for I constantly say that ‘we are perfect in our imperfection’. Maybe this could be the theme for 2023 – perfect in imperfection.

The 40 days of Lent offers to all of us opportunities to look at our presumed imperfections and to dwell on them a little. Are they really failures or deficiencies or are they something else? Are they flaws in our human psyche or possibly inadequacies which only we can see? Maybe…but I see it in a much different lens as the Lenten season invites us to put aside those things which take away from our humanness and to focus more on that which feeds our spirits, that which engages us with the Holy. As the blanket of snow covers the ground so the blanket of the love of our Creator covers each and every one of us. We are perfect in our imperfections and all blanketed in this sameness.

Many folks enter into the season of Lent with the attitude that they have to leave something behind or change something in their life for the betterment. And this in itself is not a bad thing but it truly isn’t the focus of what this season is all about. Lent is more of an introspection where one needs to look deeper into ‘self’ and add something which enriches the person for daily living – possibly loving more, listening more and talking less, maybe offering more compassion where needed or smiling more often in the face of that which is out of our control and tends to bring us down. Lent invites us to pull something into our lives which will bring us more into the centre of the divine, into the place where we journey with Christ to that proverbial Jerusalem and know that what develops in the ending is what this complete journey is all about.

So in ending this little Lenten message to all of you, the invitation I bring is to allow the snowfall to cover that which blocks your world from living. Let it be a blanket which is warm and comfortable and when all begins to melt, will bring the promise of spring and new life. May you journey well and may it bring you to the place where your heart will soar and your spirits will be truly alive with the peace of Christ.

Rev. Jope Langejans  

January 4, 2023:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And warm greetings to all of you once again as this New Year now has unfolded all around us. The Christmas tree has probably been put away for the year or the live one brought to the tree recycling station, the Christmas lights have now faded away to those memories of what the front yard used to look like with all of the sparkle and colour, the turkey has now been relegated to turkey sandwiches and soup and yes, some similarity of ‘back to normality’ has set in. It’s been another trip around the proverbial calendar year and we now set our sights on what lays ahead. Hopefully it’s good things and becomes filled with new adventures and fulfillment of hopes and dreams. 2023 gives all of us that opportunity of ‘starting again’, of working ourselves into those New Year resolutions which some of us may have made.

So what’s being planned in your life? What does this future bring for you and for those around you? These are always those questions which pop up in my mind when the New Year rolls around. What changes do I have to make? Where did I falter last year and how can I rectify those sorts of things? And maybe these are also some of those questions which you oftentimes struggle with. So I thought that I would share some of my ‘what may need some more attention’ for the year. You may also resonate with these.

I want to have more ‘amazement’ in my life. To see the world around me and to be amazed at what it contains in all of its intricacies. I wish to offer more gratitude for life and to live it to the fullest. I need to be always more hopeful and shy away from that which is negative. I need more courage and know that I don’t face this world alone and have an openness to change. And one which I would like to have more of and that we all may need more of is compassion…compassion for each other and for all living beings. And I want to be much more open to eagerness and to reflect more depth and quality.

These are only a few of what this New Year calls myself and possibly each of you to focus upon. Maybe more happiness, a willingness to always help others, a determination to make good choices, and possibly a sense of kinship with all whom we love. And one last thing which needs an important understanding is that we always live in the presence of the Holy One and may each of us be joyful in this…take good care…

The Reverend Jope Langejans

December 7, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

And warm greetings to all of you once again as Christmas unfolds around us and the New Year comes around the corner. This edition of the (community newsletter) Lakeview News & Views may appear in your mailbox before Christmas Day so what I would like to share with you has to do with both of these special days. In fact, one leads to the other in that our lives are always intertwined with occurrences of newness, with hope, and with the knowing that the future holds wonderful possibilities for each and every one of us. The Child of Bethlehem and the New Year are true examples of a ‘fresh start’ and point us in directions of positive living and positive loving. So I’ll share some reflections on both of these and let’s see where this just might take me (and possibly, also you).

Christmas Day heralds a gift to the world. And with this gift, comes the gathering of people from near and far to come together and to witness a new dawning and to celebrate. In the Christmas story, it was shepherds hurrying from their fields, magi crossing countless deserts, apparitions appearing in the night sky with angelic voices, and possibly strangers peeking into the stable to see what was taking place. It was the time of wonder. And also, New Year’s Eve, as friends and families come together to let the old year pass away and look to the new, the 2023, with open hearts and with open prospects of a year filled with possibility. So I share with you some thoughts of putting these two together, some thoughts which come from the pen of Joyce Rupp:

---May the hope of this sacred season settle in your soul…may it be a foundation of

courage for you.

---May the wonder and the awe that fills the eyes of children be awakened within you…

may it lead to renewed awareness and appreciation of whatever you too easily

take for granted.

---May the bonds of love for one another be strengthened as you gather with your

family and friends around the table of festivity and nourishment.

---May you daily open the gift of your life and be grateful for the hidden treasures

which it contains.

---May the coming year be one of good health for you…may you have energy and

vitality…may you care well for your body, your mind, and your spirit.

---May you go often to the Bethlehem of your heart and visit the One who offers peace.

So when we review our journal from the previous year, we see that it’s filled with familiar melodies, some which may be delightful and some, well, not so delightful. If we look underneath the circle of the year, we can always spot our life principles – the foundational themes and the values that spur us on to live our dreams and to rekindle our positive attitudes. This is always something to focus on. This may be a part of the Christmas message, it may be a New Year’s message, but it points to the same thing. We are all children of light and in the darkness of the stable on Christmas Eve, a child’s cry is heard, a new life which will change the world, and at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, each of us has another chance to change the world – one where peace and love reigns and where once again, our light shines!

Blessings to all of you during this Christmas season.

The Reverend Jope Langejans

November 21, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

Welcome to the Advent and Christmas season as it unfolds before us in all of its splendour, its colour, and its excitement. Welcome to the places where wishes come true and where hearts are open to receive. Welcome to a new dawning of hope and of peace as we unwrap slowly the ‘bands of cloth’ and as we carefully lift the child from the manger. Holding this newness in our arms we see creation in its eyes and nations upon its shoulders. We see not the political – but the spiritual; not the economic – but the saving grace; not the darkness – but light. We see hope and a passion for justice. We see and hear a call for the silent voices to be heard, the voice for freedom of want, freedom to be who you were created as, freedom to walk side-by-side with those of different racial backgrounds, differing cultures, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or whatever else we have humanly devised which has made us divisive. This child, which stares into your face with smiling eyes, is the newness of being – this breath of God which has come to life. This child is for you!

And once again, I offer to all of you my Christmas message and my blessings of a wonderful journey into the heart of the season of enchantment. This is the time for each of us to take inventory of who are special in our lives and to acknowledge them in any way that we can. This is also the time to take into account that others, outside of our circle of family and friends, need our ongoing support and our prayers and actions which will move them into the places of knowing that they are never alone or turned away. This is the time for radical living and giving and radical loving. Most of us come from places of abundance and the invitation for us to share in this abundance comes from the One who bestowed all of this upon us. We are truly blessed to live in such wonderful places where most of us are free from want but we must always be aware that there are those who live under the radar and may be too humble to reach out. Support your local Food-Bank, support the Christmas Sharing Program, support some of the countless causes which may come via your mail or telephone or internet, support your local churches who, on your behalf, go out into the world and offer not only an olive branch but also a loaf of bread or the cup of new life, support your local initiatives which hold the communities together, support the inner yearnings of your heart. The joy is in the giving and for those who live in scarcity – the joy is in receiving.

And as we enter into this Advent & Christmas season, following are the dates and times of what has been planned for you:

Sunday Nov. 27th (10:00 am) First Sunday of Advent – The Sunday of Hope

Sunday Dec. 4th (10:00 am) Second Sunday of Advent – The Sunday of Peace (Communion)

Sunday Dec. 11th (10:00 am) Third Sunday of Advent – The Sunday of Joy

Saturday Dec. 17th (2 – 4 pm) Intergenerational Christmas Craft & Activities (A family event!)

Sunday Dec. 18th (10:00 am) Fourth Sunday of Advent – The Sunday of Love

Wednesday Dec. 21st (7:00 pm) The Longest Night service (or Blue Christmas)

Saturday Dec. 24th (5:00 & 7:00 pm) – Our Christmas Eve services…the 5:00pm service is geared more towards families with children and the 7:00pm service is our traditional

Candlelight service…of course, all are welcome to both!

Sunday Dec. 25th (10:00 am) A special Christmas Day service

Friday Dec. 30th (7:00 pm) Christmastide Concert with Cody Obst and musical friends

Sunday Jan. 1 (10:00 am) A brief service followed with an Eggs Benedict breakfast

May this season always bring you closer to the heart of God and may your family know that all of us need ‘stable’ relationships. Our doors are always open to you and please come and make yourself at home. And we need to never forget that we are not the only place of worship. There are many choices of differing denominations, different schools of thought but whatever your church affiliation may be, may you seek out that place of worship and bring the Christmas season and the Christmas message of peace into your hearts and into your homes.

The Reverend Jope Langejans

October 10, 2022:

 Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or, how I see it)

Hello to all of you Lakeview folks as each of us lives into this month of October with the hopes and dreams of a peaceful world. When I had sat down to put this month’s message together which would have been two to three weeks before it reaches your home, the world news has me worried with the escalating fears of reprisals and retaliations coming from all sides. I know that we all strive to be peaceful people and hopefully some of our thoughts and actions have ways of crossing oceans, crossing boundaries, and possibly making one moment of difference, one person at a time. We can only hope – and stay hopeful. Our world depends upon it.

Back in 1870 there was this woman by the name of Julia Ward Howe who had issued a call for mothers’ day of peace. She was looking at the world at that time and saw nothing but discord, hatred, and a society which was being ravaged by a civil war. She called upon women to unite in a common bond to seek solutions for these injustices. But somewhere in the decades her dream had been overlaid with maudlin or syrupy sentiment. Mother’s Day had become more of a commercial success with cards and candy and flowers and the dream of human beings banding together to seek peace for the world slowly slipped away.

And the question arises, what happened to that dream? How can those whose voices feel marginalized, and this includes much of the world’s female population, be heard? For one thing, they are seldom seated around the negotiating tables of the world or hold positions of power in many houses of government. We in Canada are fortunate to shy away from this mode of thinking but in the big picture, we are but a minority.

So what needs to be done? In this world in which we live, we are being called to be peacemakers. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” but in our world peacemakers have to often walk an unpopular and sometimes dangerous road. Peacemaking is in many ways, housekeeping. The earth is our home, our house, and it is our task to make it a peaceful residence for all. It begins in the individual. It moves to the home, to the school, the workplace, the church. Growing and flowering, the tree of peace blooms in towns and cities and eventually, countries. Each homeland must become a homeland for all. We must create a world where justice and peace are the birthright of every child and the fulfillment of hope for the aged.

As each of us lives our lives, may we be more caring and more loving, more compassionate with each other, striving always for a peaceful planet, and never losing hope that one day, ‘all will be well’.

The Reverend Jope Langejans

September 26, 2022:

 Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

Greetings to all of the Lakeview United Church Family!!

As autumn surrounds us once again with the changing of the seasons we are reminded that our annual stewardship campaign will soon be underway. I sense that the theme for this year may be entitled “Called to Be a Community of Faith” and so we invite each and every one of you to become an integral part of our planning for 2023 and the financial implications which this entails. There has been an exciting movement of the Spirit in the last few years and with the continual leadership in ministry, an amazing new music program, a change in office administration, in new members to Council, children scurrying about, and wonderful new faces in the pews, we will boldly step forward, together, and be voices in this community and the world as we are all called to ‘be the church,’ a community of faith which truly cares.

We begin our campaign this month, and spread the information to you in three Sundays. We touch on the importance of pledging and how our local, everyday costs, will be covered through planned givings. We share information on the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada and how important this is to our mission abroad and also at local levels. We also touch upon the many and various outreach programs which we help to fund through our reaching out ministry team and their work on your behalf. We can only do this with your faithful givings and your commitment to your church and to the God who breathes you. Whoever you are and wherever your faith journey may be, you can be assured that there is a place for you.

This coming year is where we set our sights higher and deeper and come ever closer to being ‘Salt and Light’ and experiencing a renewed spiritual journey together. We are constantly being offered the invitation to walk the walk and to talk the talk – the walking journey and the talking messages of the Christ in our midst. And once we walk and talk then what is left is for us to act and it is to this end where the Pledgefest becomes so important. We are called to pledge generously so that this mission will truly happen and that your community of faith will remain strong and vibrant for years to come and that growth in this caring and affirming community will take place.

We will need your financial support, your prayers and blessings, your time and your talents, your dreams and your visions into the future, as we carry out your mission in the name of the Holy One and your life in this community. So we invite you:

            To pray about your givings…your financial givings as well as your time and your

                               many and various talents.

            To pledge…to set a goal which is attainable and which helps support your

                               vision of Lakeview United Church.

            And…to participate in the mission and the ministry of your church.

May the Spirit of the Holy One direct you and embrace you in your decision-making… and…thank-you, thank-you.  A simple word from the heart!!

                                  Rev. Jope Langejans

August 17, 2022:

 Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

 SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS

Greetings once again to each and every one of you as we embark on another season. When this edition of Lakeview News & Views arrives on your doorstep, the summer days have dwindled away and the season of autumn comes to us with all of its colours, its different fragrances, times of harvest, and settling in for many of us, to what may seem somewhat of a routine. Yes it’s September, the children and our youth have returned to their schools, the summer plans are now behind us and the winter plans are before us, it’s a time of pickling, making jam, preserving the summer’s different array of vegetables and fruits, and ultimately, to give thanks for life and all which it bestows upon us. We truly live in a state of abundance and with all of this, may each of us be forever thankful.

With the changing of the seasons also comes the time for introspection or self- examination. Many of us have weathered the storms of the pandemic, some of us have fallen prey to it and with the temperatures moving downwards soon, we must stay vigilant for many of us will move from the outside world into the inside and this is where Covid loves to live – where people gather once again together. May we not repeat what has happened to us for the last few years with stringent sanitizing, masking, social distancing and living in a somewhat fearful world. Our lives will be much more joyful if we pay attention, if we know that each and every one of us could be infected at any time.

Also, with the changing of the season, comes those thoughts of ‘getting things done’ before the shifting temperatures take effect. You know what they are: cleaning out the eaves troughs, putting your gardens and flower beds to rest, raking the leaves and composting them, getting your vehicles checked over, putting the planning in place for any and all interior renovations, possibly checking what may be available for any of those winter excursions, and maybe even inviting neighbours and friends over for those ‘fall barbeques’. September and October can be magical months so take advantage of each day.

With Lakeview United Church, we also look forward to the new season. Our services on the lawn were a great hit this summer and often we had in access of 80 folks out on their lawn chairs and spending time in worship and enjoying the summer heat. And we thank so many of you for attending our first Stampede Breakfast. September brings us back inside and the choir is ready, the minister is ready (yup, that would be me!), the children’s program will kick in and we all gather again. Also, the Weaselhead Presents! Concert Series takes shape after a Covid hiatus with our first performance featuring The Tim Isberg Trio from Edmonton on Friday, October the 14th. See this edition of LN&V’s for an announcement and check Tim out on his website if you will. We also have Magnolia Buckskin booked for November and The Travelling Mabels Christmas Show slated for December. Yes, things are taking shape and I once again offer to all of you my fall blessings and may each of you know that you are beloved children of the Holy One.

Peace and a deep thanks for keeping yourselves focused upon those words of peace and of justice. Your love makes it all happen!

The Reverend Jope Langejans

June 1, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or lawn chairs)

 So here we are, all of us, deeply immersed in summer. It’s that season where we have the opportunities of becoming energized by the hours of sunshine, the greening of everything around us, the blooming of gardens and flower pots and the warm evening breezes which oftentimes soothes our spirits. It’s a time for backyard barbeques, friends connecting with friends, neighbours with neighbours, and for some, to take to the open roads and to explore this vast world with all of its wonders. Summer…it’s a slowing down period and a chance for each of us to spend some time in introspection or meditation. Just the other day I had glanced out to the creek in front of our home and there, flying before me, was this great blue heron and it stretched its wings and flew away upstream. And right beside me was this Rufus hummingbird and I thought to myself, what an amazing collection of birds – one the size of my thumb, the other, a wing span of at least 6 to 8 feet. These are moments in time, moments which sometimes take our breath away. And to slow down to allow ourselves to see what creation has set before us.

So with this being the summer edition of your Lakeview News & Views, I thought that I would offer some words of encouragement and possibly wisdom as you spend your time in these lazy days:

May we all replace the busyness of our lives with a simpler lifestyle.

May we all focus on “the deeper things” in life and always allow time for others.

May we nourish our yearning to understand and to appreciate ourselves.  

May we keep from being too self-oriented and unmindful of other’s needs.

May we be filled with the trust in a consoling presence. 

May we be calmed when we are anxious and troubled about many things.

May we have the courage to empty ourselves of everything that does not contribute   

              to the transformation of this world.

May we continue to create a deep hunger within us for that which is Spirit.

May we always be fed with “the finest wheat” of joy, peace, and love.

May we replenish our weary spirits with enthusiasm and energy.

May we be people of wisdom as we search for meaning in a world which is fraught

              with pain, suffering, hostility, and division.

and, may each of us continue to be hungry for that which is our Source of Life.

Hopefully these words resonate with you and offer to you a calmness of spirit. And for the months of summer and what Lakeview United Church has planned for you, I would encourage you to check out the website as we once again offer “Worship on the Lawn” and bringing in various musicians and other special Sunday morning ‘happenings’. Also, Sunday, July 17th will have us treating all of you to pancakes and sausages so yes, we feed you physically and spiritually.

Happy summer to all of you and may each have you find the peace that passes understanding.

The Reverend Jope Langejans

May 2, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

 SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or soft chairs)

 So here we are in the month of May and summer is coming to us in all of its fullness. “May Long” is probably now history and our attentions turn to gardening and lawn work and all of those little outside chores which have been beckoning to us for quite a while. And in my many visits to folks in Lakeview and beyond I know that many of you work very hard to create beautiful gardens around your homes and many of them are something to behold. A garden is a most wonderful place of flowers and various greenery; it’s a place where the butterflies float among the roses and the soft breezes carry those delightful scents of the lilacs. The songs of the countless birds and the lazy drone of insects is the music of the garden. Some folks add bubbling water in a fountain which adds life and sparkle to that place of serenity. This gently peaceful scene is one that beckons us in many different ways. In our complex world we long for a beautiful pastoral refuge where life seems simple and serene. We carry in our hearts and our minds the ideal of a life that is less stressful and not filled with so many pressures. We feel that that if only we could live in a garden, all would be well. There we could be ever patient and kind…we could forgive our enemies…and…we could make life worth living.

And as I write this, I think of where I live and what the surroundings are – tall spruce trees reaching to the sky, Fish Creek bubbling and gurgling away thirty feet from the deck, flower pots soon to be filled, humming birds whizzing by, the soft breezes of late spring, and the quietness of nature in its growing and in its being. Many evenings I would breathe in the calmness and the peacefulness and sit and watch the stars. Humankind has always been fascinated by the stars and they have been worshiped by some and feared by others. Many legends have been formed by the patterns of the stars: Orion the Hunter, the Great Bear, The Twins, and the North Star has been a guide to mariners and pilots alike, never failing to correct the path of the travelers. And now, in our age, human-made satellites spinning around the earth, adding their own points of light.

And there’s this story about a theologian and an astronomer who were flying in an airplane across the country. They began to chat to each other and sooner or later the conversation turned to what they did for their careers. The astronomer confessed that he knew little about theology or the Bible or what religion was all about but he knew the song “Jesus Loves Me” and, as far as he was concerned, this was all anyone needed to know about religion. The theologian smiled and said, “I know “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” This, to me, is what nature is about. Sitting in its midst and having it share its story with you. Sharing its wonder, its different cadences of sound and silence, its cosmos and creation, its growing and its greening, and ultimately, its sharing in the presence of what holiness really is. May the God of spring and summer bloom in your lives and may you always know that beyond the sunset, when evening falls, it’s raining stars.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, deep peace of the flowing air to you, deep peace of the shining stars to you…deep peace of the Holy Trinity…to you.

 The Reverend Jope Langejans

April 6, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or soft chairs)

There’s a certain wonder in this season of spring. It’s that ‘we’re not really there’ sort of feeling as one day the warm westerly breezes fill our hearts with the sense that summer is on the horizon and then --  the snow falls once again. Yes, it’s part of our choices to live where we do but living in this part of the world with four fairly distinct seasons gives us opportunities to give thanks for the changes which do happen. And as I put this together for all of you on this first week of April, the robins have returned, the grass is greening, the ice is melting away, and Easter is on the horizon but for all of you reading this in the latter part of April, the ‘tomb is now empty’ and a new dawning is taking place. It’s a “resurrection” moment or a renaissance where the Earth renews itself once again and where humanity has another opportunity to ‘get it right’.

So how do we live into this “resurrection” or this renaissance moment? What are we being invited to do or to be, especially with spring all around us? Usually winter drags us down a little and the waiting game takes place where “I don’t want to scrape my car windows anymore!” or “Do I have to shovel the walks again!” We are sometimes impatient people but we know deep down inside that better days are always in front of us and it is for us to live on the side of positivity. How does the saying go with COVID still lurking everywhere? “Think positive but test negative”. And this is what we need to do, to be positive and to open ourselves to what spring brings to us. So my invitation to all of you is to seek those resurrection moments, those times where newness brightens your day.  

I remember as a child where spring would herald those times where I could go out and fly my kite. It was one that I built myself out of balsam wood and paper and string. I would send it far into the sky and it would dip and it would swirl and it would pull – that was the best part, the pull. The tugging. The knowing that something else was playing with the twitching of the string and the kite. For me, it was a spiritual thing. Knowing that I could somewhat control the kite but I couldn’t control the wind. It had a mind of its own. But it let me play in its unknowing. And this is what the season of spring is for us – to play in its unknowing and to be ever present in the mystery. To live in those renaissance moments and to know that the God of the season smiles upon you as your life spreads out in new growth and soon, the flowers of peace will bloom within you and without you.

Peace and blessings once again from my heart to yours…

 The Reverend Jope Langejans

March 1, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or soft chairs)

As I put this message together for all of you on this first day of March, I’m struggling with the shape of things developing in our world and when this comes to print, it will be two to three weeks down the road and my only hope is that some sort of a peaceful path has been obtained. Time will tell and may we all constantly delve in prayer together and be of one voice to correct the wrongs which have taken place. I know that all of you are also very concerned with the misuse of power so may our voices never be stilled.

The season of Lent is now upon us, the season where we are called to move more slowly and to be looking deeper inside of ourselves to hear that still, small voice of the God within. This voice directs us in our journey through these 40 days and beyond. It’s an important season in that it also heralds spring and the newness which this brings. I know that many of you are looking forward to those times where you can be in your garden or tend to those flowers so yes, it’s a time of hope and may this word resonate with all of us. So it’s to this end where I share with you what Lakeview United Church has planned for the Lenten/Easter season to help each of you on your pilgrimage. May spring stir you to a new awakening of self and of all of those around you. May the Spirit within shine for all to see.

Each Sunday during Lent, the 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th of March and April the 3rd will have a focus of ‘Following the Way’ so come and join us at 10:00 am or watch it on our website. These Sundays will feature one or two anthems from the choir and our music director, Cody Obst, will enthrall you with his gift of music. The 6th of March and the 3rd of April are also communion Sundays so come and share in the sacred meal. Our table is open to all.

Palm Sunday, April 10, has us waving our palms as the entry into Jerusalem takes place. A single man riding a colt and carrying with him the vision of peace.

Maundy Thursday, April 14th, where we usually had a Mediterranean Meal together will probably develop once more in having Shawarma ordered and folks picking up their meals and sharing the meal together on Zoom. Again, check the website for an update.

Good Friday. We meet at St. Laurence Anglican Church at 10:00 am for a brief service and walk with the cross to the United Church in Lakeview and a final short service will commence there.

Easter Sunday, April 17, 8:00 am, Weaselhead Park, where we bring in the Easter morning with drums and song, Tim Horton’s coffee and doughnuts. 10:00 am, we all gather in the sanctuary of Lakeview United Church and proclaim the possibility and resurrection not only for human beings, but for all of creation.

May the Lenten/Easter season enrich your lives in new ways and may the Spirit of the Living God dwell within you. I offer you my peace and my blessings as you go out into your worlds and share in your love.  

 Reverend Jope Langejans

February 25, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

 A LENTEN & EASTER MESSAGE

Do you ever stop to think back over your life as a journey of faith? Did the season of Lent mean something to you as the Passion Week unfolded to herald the Good News of Easter? You might say yes to these questions but without the assurance of Easter, we might never make the Lenten journey whatsoever, for the journey may be a difficult path. The path may be unfamiliar to many because the calling for us to follow Jesus leads us into the world, not away from it. We live in very uncertain times and the magnitude of suffering and of strife in the world is great indeed. We might say ‘Why don’t we just turn our back on the world and possibly concentrate on our personal relationship with God?’ Well, to turn our back on the hurting world is to turn our back on God, so our Easter journey must lead us into the world. We all need spiritual nourishment from our wellsprings of faith to guide and strengthen us on our pilgrimage and to weather the storms of life.

Beginning on March the 1st of this year, the voyage into the season of Lent begins. We’ve previously gathered together to celebrate Shrove Tuesday and share in a meal, but this year, another COVID blockade has made this complicated so folks as yourselves are encouraged to share in a meal with your family at home and be in spirit with others who would be doing the same. This would put all of us in solidarity with our other fellow Lenten journeyers. And so it begins…

The next day, Ash Wednesday, enters each of us into that place of penitence where ashes are placed upon foreheads or wrists and the forty days of the journey commences. We echo what Jesus experienced in his times of trials and tribulations. The journey is never simple, but necessary – necessary in that we are called to leave behind the things which may enslave us, things which stop us from liberation. And for the forty days we spend time in prayer, in meditation, in daily readings which strengthen us in our daily living for Sunday, April the 10th, we herald the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Yes, Palm Sunday is a joyous event for the world has been in waiting for a new prophet or leader which will bring everlasting peace and prosperity to all of humankind. And we spread our palm branches and make a path for the new king. But everything starts to unravel and the week takes on an ugly face – a deadly face. The colours of indigo and of glorious sunrises turns into the darkest night.

Thursday comes upon us, this year April the 14th, and we share in our Maundy Thursday meal – the meal where Jesus bids his farewell to his friends. It’s a simple meal, shared, and with so much emotion. We share in this meal also but in a different sense. For many years we constructed a Mediterranean Feast and this year, possibly a Shawarma pre-ordered, but time will tell. And then the next day, Good Friday, the walk of the cross, a somber time where we feel that the vision of peace has come to an end. We walk silently with folks from St. Laurence Anglican Church and carry the symbol of suffering which bears heavy on our shoulders. And then…we leave in silence with heavy hearts, tears of sadness, and a churning in our stomachs that just won’t disappear. Deep sadness…deep rejection that God is distant and that hope is lost.

And then, Easter Sunday morning, April the 17th, out on the cliff overlooking Weaselhead Park, the drums begin. It’s the rhythm of the heart, the rhythm of a sunrise pulsing throughout creation. Something has awoken. Wait. The stone has been removed and the tomb is empty. And the voices of the Spirits are proclaiming something to us. He is risen!!! God is not distant nor has God forgotten us. A new day is dawning and we walk away from the edge of the Weaselhead and enter the sanctuary of Lakeview United Church and see the colours of newness and colours of the spring. The Easter service is about to begin and the choir starts – “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today…Hallelujah” and the walls of desperation fall down and the joy of new life begins…it’s the end of the journey and the beginning of another as the message of Christ rings throughout the world. Yes, this is the Easter message as we move from the darkness into the light.

Thank-you for immersing yourselves in this Lenten/Easter message and may you find the readings for the complete season below and join with me in “Following the Way”. and may we all never lose hope in that most important meaning for us in what resurrection is and how it changes gloom to sunlight….Amen.

Peace and blessings to all of you.                Reverend Jope Langejans

February 9, 2022:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

SOME NEWS FROM YOUR PEWS (or soft chairs!)

And greetings once again to all of you folks out there in Lakeview Land. I always find it a bit of a joy to share some words from my world to yours and how we are closely connected in so many ways. Yes, connections are important, especially at times such as these where many of us haven’t ventured out of our homes or our environments much and are missing the person-to-person contacts. So now that we are well into our winter season, this monthly message hopefully has a bit of the ‘touch of spring’ in it and opens some of us up to what the future may hold and the possibilities of once again, being together.

This edition of Lakeview News & Views will arrive around the middle of February so what is on the horizon for all of us are longer sunlight days and the prospects of, hopefully, an early spring and the return of the robins and the geese and warmer weather to thaw our sometimes frozen world. And going into the month of March heralds the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday which for this year is March the 2nd and which falls 40 days prior to Easter. Sundays are not included in the count of these days, as each Sunday is classified as a “little Easter’. Ash Wednesday is marked by the ceremonial distribution of ashes as a symbol of entering into the penitential Lenten season. The wearing of ashes, made from the burning of the previous year’s palms from Palm Sunday, is considered a sign of repentance and an appropriate way to begin Lent. Folks at St. Laurence Anglican Church have set times aside for March 2nd for you to come and be a part of their worship services and here at Lakeview United Church, you are welcomed to come any time from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and have the ashes distributed to you. Checking out each church’s website might be helpful for times and procedures.

Someone had asked me one day on the meaning of the name ‘Lent’ so I found this information. It comes from the Middle English lente and Old English lencten or lengten, which refers to the season of spring and the lengthening of days. It is also related to the French word lente, which means “to move slowly.” Maybe this is what we all need to do as this season comes upon us – to move more slowly and to be more considerate of each of each other, and, to enter ourselves into meaningful prayer-time as we connect to that which breathes us.

So here are the dates: March 2 (Ash Wednesday)…March 4 (World Day of Prayer) March 8 (International Women’s Day)…

May each of you know that yes, you are a blessing and may you go out into your different worlds and bless others with your love and compassion.

Peace be unto you…

The Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

Advent and Christmas 2021:

November 10, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

When you think of century-old organizations, and churches also fit into this category, innovation may not be the very first word which comes to mind or possibly not even the tenth or twentieth word, but innovation along with transformation and renewal are for us, at Lakeview United Church, on a whole new level as we ‘stick-handle’ our way through this pandemic. This has made us rethink our mission, reestablish a new mindset, and ultimately, to embrace many new technologies and ‘ways of doing church’. The norm just isn’t there anymore and the old adage of ‘we’ve always done it that way’ is long gone. John of Patmos who has scribed the Book of Revelation puts it this way: “See, I am making all things new” and yes, this has also become our new motto as we delve into making ‘church’ as relevant as possible through these uncertain times.

So as you read through this short missal, it’s approaching the end of November and the season of Advent and Christmas are on the horizon; in fact, you’ve probably already experienced countless Christmas displays and announcements all around you and are mindful that’s it’s just around the corner! Last Christmas we had no choice but to videotape a service for everyone with the restrictions which were upon us for in-person worship, but this year it has opened up a little and we can now offer both – in-person worship and a video on our YouTube channel, for those who would rather experience the services at home. Either way, the Lakeview United Church website at www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com is still the best place to find the information that you need. So, with this being the November issue of your Lakeview News & Views, I offer to you the following dates for the upcoming Advent and Christmas season:

Sunday, Nov. 28th 10:00 am – Advent service #1 – Sunday of Hope

                           And yes, all of us truly need large portions of Hope as we struggle  

                           with so many different trials and tribulations of life.

Sunday, Dec. 5th 10:00 am – Advent service #2 – Sunday of Peace

Peace, it’s only a small word but holds so much salve which has the opportunities of bringing the world together.

Sunday, Dec. 12th 10:00 am – Advent service #3 – Sunday of Joy

And who are we if we don’t have joys in our life? Smile a mile!

Sunday, Dec. 19th 10:00 am – Advent service #4 – Sunday of Love

And there’s really not any stronger word than Love.

Tuesday, Dec. 21st 7:00 pm – The Longest Night Service (Blue Christmas)

 An intimate little service for those who find Christmas difficult.

December 24th, Christmas Eve – 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Two services to accommodate all of you to bring in the Spirit of Christmas into your lives. Please phone in advance to reserve seating for either services as our sanctuary seating is limited to 1/3 capacity. 403-242-5760.

No services on December 25th or 26th             

Peace and blessings to all of you. 

The Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

October 6, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

 Greetings once again to all of you on this month of October. Yes, the season has changed and we now begin to look at more inside gatherings, albeit restricted in so many ways to the number of folks who may be present. Together, if we follow all of the guidelines set before us, there could be signs of hope on the horizon so may we all stay vigilant and hopeful and maybe even more important than these two, prayerful. And in thinking of the changing of the seasons, this also affects each of us as we move from one climate in our lives to another – sometimes even in the matter of a day or two and yes, even hourly, as we as Albertans can so well associate with. And these changing of the seasons also have a bearing on church life and the altering of what may or may not be developing.

Firstly, our final ‘Worship on the Lawn’ took place on Sunday, October the 3rd and now we look at in-person worship gatherings where sanitizing, masking, distancing, and being so much aware of the other will be taking place. It becomes a change in climate from being outside and fairly ‘safe’ to being inside and being ever so vigilant. But being folks who are so used to change, as many of us are, we will weather the different storms as they come our way.

Secondly, and this seems to gladden the hearts of many folks, is that we will have the opportunity once again of being in the sanctuary where so many have spent years and years worshiping, attending weddings and celebrations of life, of baptisms, confirmations, concerts, special presentations and so on. For many, this is sacred ground and to reenter this space after so many months of outside worship and months and months of videoing, I can hear the hearts flutter as ‘home’ becomes a reality. Their climate changes. A small piece of ‘normality’ comes back into play and the breath of the Holy One breathes in new life.

So no matter where you are in your world with the different climates, know that so many of your communities of faith have been challenged and challenged deeply with the effects of COVID-19 and what this has done, has made so many of us stronger in the faith, stronger in the truism that to live justly is to ‘love one another’ and to always know that beautiful sunrises and sunsets bracket those sometimes days of uncertainty. So may each of us smile during these changing of the seasons and live one day at a time knowing that you are truly loved…

Peace and blessings to all of you.      

The Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

September 8, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Greetings to all of you once again in this month of September. My last message to all of you was in July and hopefully many of you have had the opportunities of enjoying what has been a lengthy period of ‘outside weather’ and outside activities. The down-side of course is that COVID is still lurking in places where we need to pay attention and be ever so vigilant but hope is always with us. Yes, vaccinations are proving to be successful so for those who are still ‘sitting on the fence’, this is your opportunity to step forward and to once again be preventive and to help lower the numbers and open up the beds in the ICU which may be needed for other emergencies than for taking care of non-vaccinated very ill COVID folks.

So, on a church note, we had the glorious occasions of having all of our summer services outside on the lawn and bringing in different and various musicians was truly a treat. I am always amazed at the talent which we have, not only in our city, but also from other places in this musical province and their quick responses that ‘Yes, we’re there for you!’  And having 60-70 people out there on the lawn, sitting back in their lawn chairs and enjoying the morning was, for me, a blessing indeed. So now that the cooler days are before us, things will change and we may go back to in-person worship or possibly back to videoing the services for you but time will only tell. It would be best to check out the website for more up-to-date information: www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca

On another note, we are planning a fall community welcoming or ‘homecoming’ on Sunday, October the 17th and we would invite all of you to come and see what your Lakeview United Church is up to. The worship service will be at 10:00 am and following the service, informative tables will be set up which will show all of you what the ministry teams are up to and how you may fit into some of the programs and initiatives which are underway. Refreshments will be served along with children activities, Sunday School sign-up, and more things along this line. Of course, all of this is once again hinged upon what the COVID restrictions may be at this time. Again, check out the website and hopefully we’ll have the opportunity of being together as we test-drive the new up and coming year of church life.

Peace and blessings to all of you.      Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

June 14, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Hello once again to everyone in this latter part of June. I always feel so honoured in sharing some of what may be happening at Lakeview United Church and also what may be on my mind when these little missals come to fruition. Again, thank-you to Lakeview News & Views for allowing me to do this and also to all of you for spending a few moments in reading what hopefully is of interest. What I want to share with you folks today has to do with something which is fairly close to my heart – the Indigenous Day of Prayer, or, what some folks call Aboriginal Sunday. This year, it’s slated for June the 20th but in reality, a day of prayer could be anytime whatsoever.

The importance of a time for prayer for our Indigenous brothers and sisters is paramount, especially in the light of what has transpired in Kamloops with the grisly discovery at the Residential School. It can be argued that if Mother Earth is desecrated in any way, that all life will suffer and the “spirit” of the Earth will leave that area. We need that “spirit” of the Earth to return to us. Throughout history, our First Nations brothers and sisters would go to places to pray in that they respected the creations of the Great Spirit and lived in harmony with nature. Reverence for nature was woven throughout all parts of the social structure and was observed in juxtaposition with every action. They spoke to the rocks, the trees, the streams and plants and all of creation. They spoke to the animals which were called their brothers, and they understood each other’s language. Quite often the animals spoke to them in dreams and visions and often revealed important events, especially if one was on a vision quest.

And these sorts of prayer times and connecting to nature are not foreign to us, at least I hope that they aren’t. In fact, this is what brings us all together when we realize that we are much closer to each other than we realize. Our Creator God is the Great Spirit. So…look west to the folks at Tsuut’ina and offer your prayers of thanks for them, and for a peaceful coexistence which will transcend time. And if you listen closely, you may hear the sound of the drum.

One last thing…church services at Lakeview United Church will resume on Sunday, June the 20th, on the lawn…bring your lawn chairs and come and be blessed!

Reverend Jope Langejans  

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

May 4, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM the PEWS

As the month of May unfolds all around us and many of us have put our tax submission time behind us, I sense that now is a good period in all of our lives to check our investment portfolio. And you’re probably wondering to yourselves what this has to do with ‘News from the Pews’, well, I invite you to read on. Let’s open up our dossier of life and see where we’ve made a difference, where our investments have produced fruit.

At the moment of our birth our lungs were filled with air and we began to make sound. Maybe some of us cried quietly but most of us probably screamed. We entered into this world with one of many gifts – our ability to be heard. Our twinkling eyes came next, along with our ability to smile. Our little hands gained strength and we could hold on tightly to our parent’s fingers. We were the gift of a new life with all of it’s wonder and magic. We now began to mimic the things which our parents did. Everything went into our mouths, our ears, our eyes, our nose, into our hair, and onto our little bodies. Why doesn’t makeup belong on our bellies? What’s wrong with breakfast in our ears? Gramma’s expensive vase doesn’t belong on the table. We suddenly experience the gift of choices.

Choices. As we grow up (and some of us never do) we find and fine tune the gifts and the talents that become who we are – teachers, musicians, mechanics, caregivers, quilt makers, birders, cooks, farmers, spiritual leaders, community leaders, and the list is endless. We each develop a certain talent but here is where the grey area begins to develop. How prepared are we to share in these talents, to pull from our investment portfolio?

Well here’s some of my answers. We should invest wisely in ourselves, giving ourselves plenty of rest, an equal measure of exercise, healthy doses of nutritional food, large amounts of knowledge and an attitude of gratitude. We need to invest wisely in the relationships which we encounter, the ones which feed us and shy away from the ones which drain our energies. Our words should be spoken with love and compassion and never with malice. Every human being, every part of creation, are all parts of our portfolio. We live in God’s world and God’s world lives through us, in us, and around us. Our investing practices will bear fruit – they will become sustenance for our journey.

So as this month of May breaks all around us and summer comes knocking on our doors, may you all be filled with peace…with light…with the hope of good things to come and ultimately, with your investment portfolio changing the world with one loving action at a time.

Reverend Jope Langejans   

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca 

APRIL 6, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

  NEWS FROM THE PEWS

Greetings to all of you once again as you read through your latest edition of Lakeview News & Views. I always feel honoured to share in some of my thoughts with all of you and I begin this little message with hopes that spring has entered into your lives in a big way. Being Calgarians we all know that ‘spring’ is never a certain date but it is truly a ‘state of mind’ and this is where we all take this season one day at a time and live through its ups and downs. I can always remember growing up in Bowness in the 50’s and making little sail- boats out of sticks and floating them down the various little spring streams which formed and then the next day, they would all be frozen and the north wind would bring yet another snow storm. Yes…spring…that finicky, funny, some- times fabulous and always frivolous season of wonder. So where am I going with this today?

Spring always reminds me of a newness, another opportunity of beginning again and putting your trust in a ‘re-greening’ of the Earth and of a ‘re-inventing’ of who we are as folks who have been wintering and for some of us, it seems that it’s been a long, long time. When I look out my office window, I see count- less folks walking and jogging, cyclists up and down the roads, children playing in the fields, tennis players bouncing balls, dogs being walked (or maybe they are walking their owners!), and the buds coming on the trees and the greening of the grass and the earlier sunrise and the later sinking of the sun. Spring, to me, is almost magical with its urgency and its determination to put the cold of winter behind itself. Spring to me, in an Easter way, is that stone which has been rolled away from the tomb and all of the hopes and dreams and visions of a new life has come flowing out of that darkness.

So as you spend these leisurely last days in this month of April, I encourage you to take time to give thanks for the wonders which are all around you – give thanks for life, for family and friends, for freedoms and good fortunes, and to never lose focus in the fight to eradicate COVID-19 in any way possible. Take good care and may the blessing of the Holy One enrich your lives in countless ways as the song of the robin echoes from the treetops and the warm breezes of spring kindly touches your hearts in peaceful ways.

Reverend Jope Langejans     

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca

March 3, 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

A Warm greeting to all of you once again as I have this opportunity of sharing what may be happening throughout this season of Lent and into the time of Easter. When this copy of your Lakeview News & Views arrives at your doorstep, Easter will be on the horizon and it is with this thought where some information on what may be planned from some of your local churches could be helpful. I have been in conversation with Rev. Dr. Jane Rowland at St. Laurence Anglican Church and following is what we have decided for you to participate in to make Holy Week more meaningful and heartfelt.

As most of you know, last year at this time it seemed that our world had imploded with the COVID virus and our planet set itself on a trajectory of infections, deaths and total uncertainty into where this was heading. In fact, today, it’s still so much unknown and we are far away from saying that it’s now time to unmask. What this virus invariably did was to put the various celebrations and collective gatherings of Holy Week and Easter into a time warp where it became suspended. We had voiced at that time, “Next year we’ll celebrate it”, of course not knowing that we are all still in the thick of it.  So we decided that we’re not going to sit back and acknowledge that the Passion Week is to be silenced…NO. So following is what will transpire from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday in your Lakeview community:

·         Palm Sunday – both Lakeview United Church and St. Laurence Anglican Church will video their own services for you (Check out their respective websites)

·         Maundy Thursday – again check out each of the websites to see what may be planned.

·         Good Friday – The walk of the cross (10:00 am) beginning outside at Lakeview United Church with a brief service and the cross being carried to St. Laurence Anglican Church where the service will be completed outside on the front entrance.

·         Easter Sunday – 8:00 am we meet at the corner of 37th Street and 66th Avenue S.W., the Weaselhead parking lot, and bring in the Easter sunrise…all are welcome and Tim Horton’s coffee will be available

·         Easter Sunday Regular services will be found on both websites.

                         www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca     or   www.stlaurence.ca

May we all continue to live in hope and to spread our love in any way in which we are able…Peace to each and every one of you…

Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com www.lakeviewunitedchurch.ca

February 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

A LENTEN & EASTER MESSAGE

As I write this Lenten and Easter message to all of you, it’s Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday to some, Pancake Day to others and just plain old Tuesday for most folks. It’s the Eve of the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent and it’s a day which we as followers of Christ set aside to take a breath for the journey before us is not only lengthy but it can become treacherous for some. It’s the metaphorical journey which we take through a different time and space as we turn our faces to Jerusalem and what awaits us there, which this year, is April the 2nd. So today, I have an opportunity of sharing with you what’s ahead and what may be planned for you to partake in, for these coming days are so very important in our lives as we await the resurrection moment – once again.

The season of Lent is a classic time within the church’s year for self-examination and the image that many of us receive is one of retreat from our everyday pre-occupations and to take some stock of direction in our lives. What’s also become quite popular is to ‘give something up’ whereas this may be beneficial in our lives but Lent is much more than this…I call it an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to explore what is the nature of God’s ‘kin-dom’ on this planet and to try and discern how we are called to work for it. Lent offers us clearer eyes to see the world as it is and to make changes as needed or add more loving and compassion where these seem to be lacking and this could include places such as our families and homes, our communities, our cities, and of course, the world itself.

So…the desert awaits us and it’s ready for those who come, those who are obedient to the Spirit’s leading. The desert waits, it’s ready to let all of us know who we are as we enter into the place of self-discovery. And as Richard Gillard so wonderfully put together: (VU # 595) “We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow travelers on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.”

So… take the first step and together we will journey to a new sunrise…

Tuesday (Feb. 16)   Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday (Feb. 17)   Ash Wednesday…you are cordially invited to come between 1:00 and

2:00 pm and I will be outside on the church parking lot and will bless you with a sticker on your vehicle and the sign of the ashes will be placed on the sticker…I also have tattoos which you can take home with you for those who may not be able to attend…these will also be blessed.

Sundays Feb. 21, Feb. 28, Mar.7 (Communion & Zoom service), Mar. 14, Mar. 21, and Mar. 28

These Sundays will all be following a central theme which is based upon “A Statement of Faith of The United Church of Canada.” Putting this together with the readings of the day will make,

I believe, a wonderful way to journey to Easter Sunday.

Thursday (April 1)   Maundy Thursday…normally we would all be sharing in a Mediterranean Feast but this year, this will not happen…we could possibly stage a Zoom session where we all dine virtually together…more information to follow with this.

Friday (April 2)   Good Friday…I have been in conversation with the new Interim Priest, The Rev. Dr. Jane Rowland at St. Laurence Anglican Church, and we may have the ‘walk of the cross’ happen that morning…again, more information to follow…

Easter Sunday (April 4)…We will once again hold our ‘Sunrise Service’ at 8:00 am on the corner of 66th Avenue and 37Th Street SW with a videoed Easter service to follow.

May one or a couple or all of these dates and events work for you and may your journey to Easter be one of enrichment and of a deep understanding that you are truly a blessed child of God.

Yours in faith and hope

Rev. Jope Langejans

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760

January 2021:

Lakeview United Church

Seeking Spiritual Renewal and Growth in a Caring, Affirming Community.

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

So here we are now in the month of January and yes, we’re all still grappling with uncertain times. When you have an opportunity of reading this message we are now in our 11th month and what is there on the horizon, but still unknowns which don’t seem to have answers to them. I know that this can be frustrating for many of us especially in the light of our penchant to be in human contact with each other on a daily basis…but…with perseverance and vigilance we all know that somewhere, sometime, we all may once again come together and offer thanks for our life and for our stick-to-itiveness to our faith and our hope for a better day.

I was reminded over the Christmas season and into the month of January of the importance of family and how COVID-19 has impacted our ‘normal’ gatherings and how innovative so many people were (or still are) to keep in touch with each other. This has always been the glue which has kept us together. Without family and friends joyfully gathering there seems to be this great hole which can’t seem to be filled, yet all of us are resilient and there were so many inventive ways in which folks kept contact with others. This made my heart sing! I remembered as a child where my parents would make a phone call to their brothers and sisters in Holland and someone always kept an eye on the clock in that each minute on the telephone was expensive indeed and in those times, money was scarce but connecting to family was paramount. Today, the internet has opened up so many channels and platforms for us to tap into, to keep ourselves connected – to feel the presence of others albeit at a virtual distance and we give thanks.

Here, at Lakeview United Church, we also have given thanks for the power of technology as we have had to adapt daily to changing times. Videoing, Zooming, phoning, and daily blogs have kept us together in ways in which we never thought that we had to do especially when weekly Sunday services and so on were always in-person. But adapt we did and we will continue to do so until the safety net is pulled away and life can once again resume to what some may call normal – whatever that may be. So tap into www.lakeviewunitedchurch.com and come connected. We need each other…especially in these times.

Warmest blessings of hope and of peace, Rev. Jope Langejans     

3023 - 63 Ave SW Calgary, AB - T3E 5J6 - (403) 242-5760