WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – February 13th – Fr. Thomas

This Sunday is of course, Super Bowl Sunday. I’m reminded about an incident that occurred following Super Bowl #51 in 2017. After the game the New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady’s game jersey went missing. It was supposed to be on an equipment truck, but someone had been able to sneak in and steal the jersey. Of course, Patriots fans panicked. Owner Robert Kraft condemned the theft – publicly stating that the jersey was worth as much as a Picasso painting. Who in the world would take such a valuable jersey? Did they even know how much pain and suffering they were causing? Things then got a little silly. A jersey that anyone can go on line and buy for around $120 swiftly took center stage. Suddenly, this used, grass-stained, sweaty jersey was reported to be worth as much as $500,000! Over the next few weeks, the FBI, local authorities & the NFL all began a joint investigation spread out over the next few weeks. Hundreds of hours were spent looking at video tapes & investigating possible leads. It became an international incident! The person who reportedly took the jersey worked for a media firm in Mexico so then the Mexican government had to enter into the investigation. Ultimately the jersey was found & returned, along with some other items.

So, I’m glad that Tom Brady got his jersey back; but to seriously think that a used jersey would suddenly be worth a half a million dollars seems like warped thinking. It’s easy to get caught up believing that we’re only as valuable as the world says we are; but this is a skewed view. The “world” puts high values on things that are not all that valuable in the long run. You see, everything in THIS world is temporary. You can be as rich as you want, but when you die, you can’t take it with you.

At times, maybe we feel like average, ordinary, “run of the mill” people – that we no longer have anything to give, or that we’re of no use. We may at times wonder why God just doesn’t go ahead and take us home. We all have to deal with disappointments and bad breaks. That doesn’t mean that the Lord has given up on us, or that we’re of little or no value. We are new creations in Christ Jesus, adopted as children of the LORD. For as St. Paul writes to the Romans, “Neither life nor death, powers nor principalities, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Life doesn’t come with a bow, but it’s still a gift! Even one act of thanksgiving when things are going bad are worth a thousand when things are going well. So don’t think of all the things you didn’t get after praying – think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking.

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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: Beginning this week, please note we will be collecting sandwiches on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays. Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Wednesday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. We will also be collecting soup and other nonperishable items for St. Georges with our annual “Souper Bowl” through February 13th. Once we know the teams we will label the boxes but for now we just want to collect as much as we can.

“Souper Bowl” Sunday: We are still collecting soup and other nonperishable items for St. Georges with our annual “Souper Bowl” through Sunday.

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by Congregation. Please bring your favorite dish or beverage.

Bunco continues on Saturday, February 12th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall.  Loads of fun and super easy for newcomers!  The more the merrier, so please bring a friend, a bite to share, and your favorite beverage!  Cash prizes awarded – even if you lose!  $10 per person.

Evensong for the Feast of St. David of Wales, our patron Saint. Sunday, February 27, 4:00 p.m.

Quiet Day with Meditations. Saturday, March 12, 2022, 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, sponsored by the Daughters of the King. But open to everyone, male and female.

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

Sunday School is back in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Forward Day by Day brochures are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doris, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Britney LaBorde, Clare Morales, Ralph Robinson, Dawn LaBorde. For our expectant mothers: Ana and Ryan.

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