WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – December 9th – Fr. Thomas

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Tomorrow, December 10th, is the anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton in 1968, one of the most popular spiritual writers of the 20th century. Merton was originally raised in France, and for a short time in England, where he was baptized as an Anglican, before moving to Long Island. Eventually he became a member of the Roman Catholic Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, in central Kentucky, where he lived from 1941 to his accidental death in 1968 while on a mission in Thailand. Merton wrote over fifty books, but perhaps his most famous one is The Seven Storey Mountain.

Amongst my favorite quotes by Merton is: “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” As we draw close to the end of another year, it’s time to evaluate our past, and realistically look forward to the future. That being said, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite prayers.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road; although, I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton – Thoughts in Solitude

NOTICES:

THERE WILL BE OPENINGS FOR FIVE NEW VESTRY MEMBERS FOR 2023. INTERESTED PARISHIONERS CAN CONTACT FATHER THOMAS OR ANY VESTRY MEMBER.

Facebook Page.  Please join our St. David’s social media community by scanning the QR code below. This will take you to our Facebook page where you can begin to follow us if you have not done so in the past.”

ECW will hold a regular meeting Saturday, December 3rd, at 11:15 a.m. in the parish hall, followed by lunch at Los Agaves in Royal Palm Beach.

Church cleaning and decorating. We need volunteers from the men of the church to help set up the Christmas trees and get decorations out of the attic starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 10th. All members welcome to come clean and decorate church for Christmas on Saturday, December 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Men will set up crèche for Live Nativity at 9 a.m. Please contact Linda McKeown at 561-254-3902.

Christmas Flowers. We are collecting donations of $25.00 for Christmas flowers starting this week. Please fill in a form and leave it in the bag on the credenza or put it in the plate. The deadline is December 14th.

St. David’s Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 18th at 4:00 p.m. Please join us for our joyous holiday concert! Enjoy musical performances. We hope to see you there. A reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Suggested donation of $20.00

The Live Nativity, one of our oldest traditions at St. David’s, will be held on Wednesday, December 21st, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to come and see the display that evening, but we also need volunteers of all ages to be in the display. To volunteer or get more information, call or text Jenifer Elmore at 561-601-3346 at your earliest opportunity.

Sunday school is open and available for children starting at age 3 years old. We are looking for volunteer Sunday school teachers, anyone interested can contact Erin Thomas to learn more details, or contact the church office.

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

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Vestry. Next Sunday will be hosted by the Congregation. Please bring a dish to share.

Women’s Bible Study weekly meeting will be held today at 11:30 a.m. in the Mark Room.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, December 24: Christmas Eve 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 25: Christmas Day 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

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.

PLEASE PRAY. For the sick: Alice, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Diana, Donna, Doris, Doug, Ed, Ezra, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Ron, Rosie, Sharon, Shelly, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Vernetta, Violet, William, Woody. For the departed: Bryan Rhodes and Henriette Gardinier. For birthday celebration: Robert Bresnahan. For our expectant mothers: Rebecca and Alexandra.

Our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintDavidsinthePinesWellingtonFL