St. Michael’s Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church
4345 Av. Marcil H4A 2Z9 Montreal, QC, Canada

Preaching the Gospel explained. Smiles to your day!

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:25) It’s wonderful how much of God’s wisdom is reflected in the nature around us and how every season has a specific lesson to teach us. This time of year, when trees lose their leaves, we are reminded of how important it is to sometimes let go of the things that don’t serve us anymore, that hurt us more than help us. Letting go can be hard, even if we know it’s what we need to do. But only by l...etting go we can make room for something new. The bare tree branches can look a bit messy and sad, but even then they are just a promise that something better is on its way. The messiness and sadness is just a necessary step on a path to a brighter future. Only if we trust in this and are patient, we get to see how the branches will be covered in lush green, the colour of hope, once again. Have a blessed week, everyone!

Can you believe that this coming Sunday is already the second to last Sunday before the advent season? Time really flies! But before we start preparing for Christmas, we gather for another online worship service filled with prayers, music, and friendship. But that’s not all! We are very excited to announce that Sheri McLeod from the NDG Senior Citizens’ Council will be joining us for fellowship to tell us about their important work and how the seniors in the NDG area are hold...ing up in this pandemic. She will also be ready to answer your questions! Working together with other communities in the NDG area is a wonderful way for us to build bridges and love our neighbours, so we are very happy to welcome Sheri to our service. By the way, the Senior Citizens’ Council was one of the six organizations we donated money to during our COV-AID campaign. You can read more about them on our blog at https://www.finnishchurchmontreal.com/blog. The link to the service will be shared with everyone on our email list. Have not subscribed to our emails, but would like to join us? Have a prayer request? Can’t join us on Sunday, but would like to share greetings with everyone at St. Michael’s? Please send an email to Pastor Mira at [email protected] by 10am on Sunday morning to let her know. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! We are looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

God of justice and peace, as we honour the past, we pray for those who have been injured or disabled through war; for those who have lost their lives, homes,... or security through conflict; for those who have lost loved-ones; for those who take risks fighting for peace; for refugees and all those in need of aid and safety. God of encouragement and Saviour of the despairing, comfort those who remember the sacrifices and guide us and our communities in building a just future for all. Amen. See more

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Saying I’m sorry isn't always easy, because it forces us to admit we have made a mistake. And oh boy, admitting that can be hard! When someone asks for our forgiveness, we are called to let go of our right to be right. Sometimes that’s even harder! The message of God's unconditional love and never-ending grace is very liberating: our human nature makes sure that we will stumble all through our life, bu...t God is ready to lift us up over and over again, believe in us and cheer us on. To give us a new chance. Experiencing this can give us a foundation for healing reconciliation in all our relationships. What a wonderful feeling it is when we apologize and are forgiven! But it’s equally liberating when someone asks for our forgiveness and we get to let go of our resentment. By forgiving we set ourselves free and cultivate peace. Have a blessed week, everyone!