Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Are you ready for Christmas? Now I am not talking about do you have all you gifts bought and wrapped, dinner supplies safely tucked in the fridge and cupboards for the big day, or your travel or guest list planned out. For as the Grinch Who Stole Christmas reminds the youngest among us Christmas is not about any of these things. Christmas is about Christ, and the great gift his life, death and resurrection is to us and the world. It is the preparation of the heart that allows us to experience the fullness of what God has done through a tiny baby in a manger.
For those of you who have been able to join us for worship you have experienced scriptures that tell us of the world in which Jesus was born into, showing us why we needed God to do something new. These scriptures were not the traditional Revised Common Lectionary readings that so many of you grew up with – these readings came from the Narrative Lectionary that seeks to help us understand the overall story sequence and arch of the whole bible. With Christmas we will move from the Hebrew Scriptures to the stories of Jesus. So don’t miss worship on Christmas and in the New Year.
Speaking of missing worship, if you find yourself unable to make it to Sunday services because of illness or traveling did you know that we are now streaming the audio from our sanctuary? So you can log in to worship from home or on the road through Zoom. For Regular Sunday Services follow this link https://zoom.us/j/553395781 or for Christmas Eve Services we have a special link https://zoom.us/j/813109312. There is now no excuse for not joining us for worship Sunday at 10:30am.
We hope that you have heard that St. Paul’s is taking action to live out the Gospel every night between now and March 31st as we open our doors to offer hospitality of a warm space for those who have no other options. We have had guests on three nights so far. Every night at least two volunteers serve as hosts of the program overnight from 9pm-7am. If you can give of your time to provide overnight supervision please contact Pastor Sarah or the office as she is seeking to set up the schedule between now and January 11th. By acting as the hands and feet of Christ, we are keeping the vulnerable among us from freezing, thank you for living the Gospel!
As we come to the end of the calendar year we know it is a busy time of year, don’t miss….
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December 23 @10:30 Advent 4 -Love Sunday will be celebrated with a Traditional Lessons and Carols service which shows us God’s great love in scripture reading and Song. Come on out and join us as we mark the 100th anniversary of this service!
December 24th Christmas Eve Services:
3:00pm Family Service is designed for the young and young at heart. A mix of our traditional liturgy and children friendly reflection in the Godly Play curriculum style. With child friendly language and lots of music and shorter format this service is accessible to even the youngest among us. Option for battery operated candles for the singing of Silent Night.
7:00pm is our Traditional Worship Service. Join us as we celebrate the birth of Christ with full liturgy, special music and of course candles for all.
11:00pm in the dead of the night join us for this reflective communion service. This is a moving service to prepare your heart, mind and soul for the joy breaking into the world tonight. After singing Silent Night, you will experience it yourself warmed by hot apple cider.
December 30th We join together at Downtown United at Wilmot United for worship at 11AM for a contemplative Christmas Service.
January 6th @ 10:30am, don’t miss Pastor Sarah for this is her last Sunday preaching for us as a member of Staff. It is hard to believe that her 2 years of service are almost over and she will be missed.
Speaking of the work Sarah has done on January 6th there will be a potluck supper where we will have the opportunity to celebrate Pastor Sarah’s ministry among us and wish her the best as she moves back into the military and her Chaplaincy. Keep your eyes open as the New Year approaches for more details.
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As we enter these last few days until Christ’s birth, if you are feeling stressed, tired and anxious over what you have left to do. We invite you to stop, breathe and remember that the first Christmas happened without trees, turkeys, presents or lights, the first Christmas was special and important not because of its location or trappings but because God came near, so near that God was with us as a tiny baby. As we enter into the last few days of advent let us make sure we are taking intentional time to make room, in our minds, homes and hearts to welcome Jesus again so that we can experience the mystery, awe and wonder of the Christmas Season still to come. In the Narrative Lectionary this week our reading would be Matthew 1:18-25, where Joseph receives his message in a dream that Mary’s baby is truly Emmanuel, God with us.
Let us pray,
O God sometimes we get distracted from what matters most.
Too often we chase false joys, unreal expectations and images of perfection that are so far from you.
As we approach and live into the holy days of Christmas, come and be with us again,
Show us your ways of hope, peace, joy and love.
Lead us into your light.
Be with us anew through the mystery and awe of this season.
This we pray, in the name of our Savior born in a stable, King of Kings, Lord of life,
Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Merry Christmas and blessings of the season on you and yours
Rev. Michelle, Rev. Richard and Pastor Sarah.