WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – December 26th – Fr. Thomas

Some years ago, in a community nativity scene, the statue of the infant Jesus was stolen from the manger. The figure was eventually found, of all places, in a garbage container! (For what it’s worth, the Marian apparitions to a young girl named Bernadette in the mid-19th c. at Lourdes, in southern France, happened at a local rubbish heap!) The “sermon” here is that the real Jesus cannot be kept in a manger by means of chains. We don’t need to attach a GPS unit to him to track him down either. We can encounter Jesus at all times and places, perhaps often in unexpected ones, particularly in the “rubbish” of our lives.

Jesus is as near as the next act of generosity shown to someone for whom an act of kindness will make all the difference. We can’t chain Jesus to the ground or keep Him in a manger, for in wondrous ways Jesus will keep breaking free, making His way into the world, into our life, and our heart. Where will we see Him next? Keep your eyes and hearts peeled because I’m guessing Jesus is going to show up again before we even know it. And for anyone thinking about stealing baby Jesus; there’s no need to, because Jesus is already yours. We don’t have to wait for Dec 25th for that to be so. Every Blessing for the Christmas season and beyond!

—-

Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Thursday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Coffee Hour is scheduled after 10:00 a.m. service. Hosted by the Daughters of the King.

Sunday School – no Sunday School this week.

Friday, December 24: Christmas Eve 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 25: Christmas Day 10:00 a.m.

No weekday mass next week.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jill, Jeanne, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, Violet, William. For the departed: Ginny Elliott. For birthday celebrations: Wyatt Barreca, William Owen Jr., Austin Ward, Marianne Davidson, Deborah Piconcelli, Chris Erickson, Thomas Ward, Jeffrey Femenia, Gregory Gingery, Lawrence Logan. For anniversary celebrations: Francis and Joanna Morlu, Tom and Evelyn Medcalf, Glenn and Helena Bresnahan, Joseph and Virginia Brabham. For our expectant mothers: Ana, Meghan, Priya and Ryan.

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWRA9VxChBQd5l6rf3kF3A