Sermon:  Life of the Beloved – We Are "Blessed"  (Pt 2)
The core experience of Christian faith is the new awareness of who and what we are in God’s eyes. At his baptism Jesus was fully embraced by the knowledge that he was the beloved Son of God. We, too, are invited to fully embrace our belovedness in God as well as the belovedness of others so that we can experience newness of relationship with the world through God’s heart and eyes.

Music This Week
The current preaching series focuses on our relationship with God: today’s musical offerings seek in various ways to address this. Psalm 119, for example, refers to the Old Testament institution of God’s law for us, and our response. The two anthems take the approach of the penitent: through much of the history of the church the human-divine relationship has been held mainly within the context of the human’s sin and the divine response (punishment, forgiveness, lovingness, etc). 
As the choir continues to feature spirituals through Black History Month: in the conspicuous focus on the afterlife, seen this week in “Fix me, Jesus,” it is easy for us to miss not just the liberation that death and heaven represented to the life of the enslaved, but also the purity from sin imagined in the white robe and the victory of the starry crown — and perhaps even the richness of the life to be inherited. In considering the sermon topic, we can also contemplate the riches  of this life as ones beloved of God.

Syria–Türkiye Earthquake Response   A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has caused devastation in southeast Türkiye and northern Syria. Many thousands have been killed, and many more are missing or injured. The search for survivors continues. Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) is at work helping our partners at ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together) who are already on the ground distributing warm food and canned goods to those affected by the disaster. To support this response you can give on top of your regular Sunday offering by designating your extra donation to “Syria-Türkiye Earthquake” or donate to PWS&D directly.

Messy Church: You are invited to Messy Church on Saturday, February 25 from 3:30 - 6:00 pm. This hands-on worship experience is for all ages. Join us for crafts, music, stories, games and dinner. All are welcome. Please RSVP to education@rpcc.ca by February 22, 2022. 

On Sun. Feb 26 our guest preacher will be The Rev. Dr. Bob Faris, Moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Following the service we will be holding a fireside chat with Bob in the lounge. Please join us for an informal time of conversation with the Moderator.

Save the date: Annual General Meeting is on March 5. More details will be in future Orders of Service.

Coffee Hour Hosts RPC's "coffee hour" is important to building our community. If you are willing to serve coffee, tea and a few treats, there are sign up sheets in the Great Hall or you can contact the office (rpcoffice1@gmail.com) with dates you are available.

The St. James Town Homework Club is seeking several volunteers to help primary school children with school work any week day afternoon from 3:00 until 5:30. If you are interested but are reluctant to take on a weekly commitment we are also seeking substitute volunteers who could fill in for a regular volunteer when they are on holidays, or otherwise unable to be present. This could mean helping out a few days a month, as is possible for you. Please speak to Marjorie Ross (mj.ross@rogers.com) or Annemiek Miller (annemiekmariamiller@gmail.com).

Bible Conversations on Monday, February 13 at 4:00 pm by Zoom. Our current topic of study is the Pentateuch. This group is an opportunity to discuss our faith in relation to the Bible and the history of the church. This programme will provide an opportunity to consider people’s questions or problems concerning the Bible or Christianity, as we try and understand the Bible in its cultural and historical context and how that may be translated into significant meaning for the 21st century. If you would like to participate in this group, please contact the Rev. Daniel Cho (rosedalerev@gmail.com). 

Globe and Faith on Wednesday, February 15 at 10:30 a.m. Join us for a discussion of current events. Regular members of the group will automatically receive the information required to join the Zoom call. If you are not a regular attender, but would like to join in this week, please contact Gerry Kraay at gerrykraay@gmail.com From the Board of Managers There are various ways to support the work of our Church whether in the in building or worshipping at home. Here are some options to financially support the congregation:

• Place your offering in the plate passed by church. Please refrain from touching the plate.
• Put your offering envelope in a regular envelope and mail it to the church (129 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto, M4W 2S3)
• Sign up for pre-authorized remittances (PAR), which are charged to either a credit or debit account once a month. The attached form may be scanned and e-mailed to ncreen@rogers.com, or sent to the church by regular mail.
• Donate on-line, through the Canada Helps charitable organization through this link - https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/119123347RR0001-rosedale-presbyterian-church/ Canada Helps is a well-regarded organization which has been operating since 2000. It will issue tax receipts directly to donors.