WEEKLY RECTOR’S MESSAGE – December 16th – Fr. Thomas

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A ninety year old couple sat on their front porch one night. The old man was overcome with the romantic atmosphere of the evening and he said to his wife, who was hard of hearing, “I’m proud of you.” “Huh?” she said. “I’m tired of you too.” More often than not the more familiar we are with something, the less fascination we have with it. We get tired of things very quickly and the things that once fascinated us, now bring little emotion. A young person gets a new toy, but eventually the toy gets old and sits on a shelf. An adult gets a new car but after a year or so the newness has worn off and he wants a new one.

We have a saying that “familiarity breeds contempt.” But more often than not, “familiarity just breeds indifference.” And the more we become familiar with something the less fascination we have. The newness fades and we lose the wonder. And that happens often with us at Christmastime too. We’ve heard the Christmas story over and over, and slowly the wonder of what occurred some 2,000 years ago diminishes. It fails to do much for us spiritually. The old, old story, has become just that the old, old story.

Christmas is a time for joy and a time for worship, because without giving us a single penny, a poor child has made us rich beyond our wildest dreams. Rich with grace, mercy, forgiveness and the hope of leaving the darkness of the past behind. And this child Himself is still the King of Kings who wants to be your best friend! Unbelievable? Yes, for some, but for others, it’s the best news they’ve ever heard!

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.”

Church decorating. All members welcome to come clean and decorate church for Christmas tomorrow 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.

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.

Christmas Outreach Project: I am proud to let you know that, due to your generosity, we were able to provide $85 gift cards to 15 children in West Palm Beach and 35 children in Belle Glade! Thank you for making these children’s Christmas a bit merrier. Joyce Parker

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 Daughters of the King. Next Sunday will be hosted by the ECW.

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, Elston, Ezra, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Robin, Ron, Rosie, Sharon, Shelly, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Vernetta, Violet, William, Woody. For birthday celebrations: Reagan Bresnahan, Elyssa Beresford, Eli Carter, Marilyn Perakos, Sherry Richardson, William Jackowski III. For our expectant mothers: Rebecca and Alexandra.

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