JOSEPH, THE CHILD AND MOTHER
WE WELCOME ALL VISITORS AND SEEKERS OF GOD
ALL BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS ARE INVITED TO RECEIVE THE HOLY COMMUNION
LORD, LET US PRAY AND WORK TO HEAR YOUR WORD, CHANGE OUR HEARTS
AND GO FORTH TO DO YOUR WILL, EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
Dear Friends, December 28, 2009
Yesterday, we again welcomed Rev. John Andrews to lead our services and to preach. He reminded us that "God with us" in the person of Jesus leaves us different than we were. Fr John has made a most favorable impression on many and we are grateful for his time with us. Next Sunday, The Rev Carolyn Carolyn Lumbard begins her six months with us. Please come to church and greet her warmly.
Kindly listen to the voice that calls you to God's family - and pray daily, take part in weekly services, Sundays at 8 and 10 AM, and seek opportunities to be God's heart and hands. Invite a friend or neighbor...
The Parish Office will be closed through Jan 4. In an emergency, you may call Sr Warden, Don Taylor, 746-2455.
Remember our servicemen and women in your prayers. Their names are in the bulletin each week. Pray for all those who need God's healing hand and for those who are not able to be out and about. Give thanks for blessings received. Ask for guidance, as we seek a new Rector.
Please visit or call a friend who is not able to get out or whom you've been meaning to call. There are many who would love a call and an invitation to church or an inquiry as to when you might pay a visit.
This week, there will be a Tuesday but no Thursday 9 AM Bible Study. For your study, the gospels with alternates for next Sunday are set out below. All are welcome at the Tuesday and the Thursday sessions at 9 AM, for conversation and fellowship. By studying the stories, we learn our work and deepen our faith in Christ. If you have never tried this, you will be surprised at the fun and insights.
Call a friend and invite her or him to church and also to an upcoming parish event. For many people, all it takes to answer God's call is the voice of a friend. Won't you be that voice?
Save Jan 10 after the 10 AM service for Angel Perez' annual Open House! Bring your appetite!
The deadline for reports for the Annual Meeting booklet is Jan 4. Please have your report in on time. The Annual Meeting is Sunday Jan 17, beginning in the 10 AM service and continuing in the Library after the service. There will be refreshments and it is a good time to ask questions. Please be part of this.
There are many opportunities to serve this year. One is to host a Coffee Hour after the 10 AM service. The sign up sheet is in the back of the Church. Won't you share your hospitality?
A congregation first grows individually in the heart of each faithful person, and only then it can spread. If we want to grow, we must love God, love our friends and then speak to them. God will help us share the Bread of Life.....
Do you have a pocket card to hand to a friend who asks about Ascension? Cards are available in the back of the church. Please take a few, and be ready to share. We have pocket crosses to hand to those who answer the call to "Come and See"..
This week I will be gong to Florida for three months and Paul Schwartz has kindly agreed to assume this e-letter for that time. Seeing so many of you and working with you is a great joy.
Blessings, great cheer and Happy New Year,.....See you Easter Sunday!
-Dyson
P.S.: If you know anyone who would like to receive this weekly e-letter, please send their email address to Paul Schwartz @ paulschw@hotmail.com.
P.P.S. - Here is a link to a Hymn we will sing next Sunday - Go, tell it on the mountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8org5yVIdc&feature=related
P.P.P.S. - Here is a link to a little Holiday Card that is fun
http://www.oldjoeblack.0nyx.com/winter.htm
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Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
or
Luke 2:41-52
Now the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
- `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
- are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
- for from you shall come a ruler
- who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
LET US SHOW GOD'S LIGHT TO OTHERS THIS WEEK AND ALWAYS.
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