Due
to mandated
COVID-19
restrictions,
all in-person
gatherings
are suspended
for the time
being.
_________________________
Marg
Black
Tri-Churches
Parish Nurse
As
our Parish
Nursing office
is still closed
at this time,
please reach out
to us by phone
at (416)
494-5364
or contact any
of the agencies
below:
Toronto Mental
Health Support -
211
Seniors Help
Line - (416)
217-2077
Seniors Safety
Line - (416)
899-1011
Crisis Help -
crisisservicescanada.ca
_________________________________________________
Your
Latest Parish
Nursing Health
Tip
for the week of
April 4, 2021
The
Incomparable
Gift
Holy week and
Easter
weekend: I
have been
thinking about
“the
incomparable
gift” this week,
but struggling
with conflicting
ideas.
Originally the
answer was
“Life”.
Then I thought
about the
homeless, the
prisoner, the
sick and
grieving, the
lonely,
etc. For
many people life
is NOT a gift
but an en
endless,
meaningless
struggle.
Then
“Love”
suggested itself
to me. So
important, but
somehow
incomplete.
Today, after the
Maundy Thursday
& Good
Friday services,
the obvious
answer came to
mind.
Where do Love
& Life
intersect?
In Jesus on the
Cross. As others
have noted, it
wasn’t Roman
soldiers, Jewish
rabbis, and
nails that put
Jesus on the
Cross. It
was Love. And
that Love gave
all of us Life,
both here and in
eternity. Life
filled with
God’s Love is
God’s
“incomparable
gift” to us.
Like all gifts,
we are meant to
use and enjoy
it.
But how do we
live this
“incomparable
gift” in our own
lives?
When we are
sick, in pain,
grieving,
lonely, afraid,
we don’t feel
joyful. And
that’s OK. These
are normal human
experiences
which we have to
acknowledge and
live through,
but we will get
through
them. When
I think about
what Jesus must
have gone
through on the
Cross and on the
days leading up
to it, whatever
I’m
experiencing,
pales in
comparison.
But Jesus
accepted it as
God’s will and
that helped Him
to fulfill it.
Although
sometimes our
problems are
self-inflicted,
other problems
are just part of
living. Whatever
the source of
our problems, we
also have to
accept God’s
will and follow
where He leads
us. Reading and
talking about it
is not enough.
We have to allow
ourselves to
experience God’s
Presence on a
daily basis. For
me this may
happen in seeing
a beautiful
sunrise,
receiving a call
from a loved
family member or
friend, or in
recognizing the
abundance of my
life (a roof
over my head; a
full fridge;
heat when I’m
cold; clean
water, hot or
cold, for a
shower or drink
at the touch of
a tap). Having
spent a couple
of months in
Kenya on a
mission trip has
made me acutely
aware of things
we accept here
as a normal part
of life.
How then do we
live in a way
that helps
others
experience God’s
Love in their
lives?
Right now we are
limited by COVID
restrictions,
but there are
still avenues
open to
us. I
might call
someone I know
who is lonely,
or offer to pick
up something at
the store for a
friend who can’t
get out, or
donate to a
charity for the
homeless.There
are many
possibilities.
Just pick one
thing a day that
can help someone
else and you
will have made a
difference in
their life. That
is the Living
God’s Love.
Wishing you a
Blessed, Happy,
Healthy Easter.
Margaret Black
Tri-Church
Parish Nurse
_________________________________________________
Pastoral
Message
posted for Sunday, February 28, 2021
Dear members of the Tri-Churches congregations
We are deeply saddened to share with you that our
beloved minister, the Rev. Robert Reid, died last
Sunday on February 21, not being able to recover
from the Covid-19 complications.
We are so grateful for all the prayers that were
offered not only by this congregation, but by so
many friends, along with the Presbytery of East
Toronto - prayers for healing, for peace, for
courage and for comfort.
Robert himself knew that his life was safely in
God's care, and though this is not the outcome we
had prayed for, we too trust, as Marg Black puts
it, God has chosen to heal him in a different
way. We grieve together with the Reid
family, our family of faith here at Iona, and all
our friends of the Tri-Church. We give
thanks to God for Robert's life and witness to the
Risen Christ, for his ministry and wonderful
friendships in our midst.
Each of us has previous memories that no one can
take away from us. If you wish to write down some
of your memories for the Reid family, please
forward them to Marg Black, so that she can
collect them for Robert's family.
Those who wish to make a donation in loving
memorial of the Rev. Robert Reid,
please consider:
Robert Reid Memorial Fund
c/o Iona Presbyterian Church
1080 Finch Ave. East,
North York, ON, M2J 2X2
