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!

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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

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

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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

Some years ago, I remember someone telling me that a race track was being built in Royal Palm Beach. WOW, I thought with excitement; until I learned that it was a gas station, not a thoroughbred racing venue. Moral of the story. . . what we hear and think is not always was is “reality.”

The shepherds in the fields, the Wise Men on the road to Bethlehem, the women who went to the tomb early on the first Easter Sunday, were not expecting to find what they thought they were looking for. How many times in our lives do we experience the same situations? God likes to surprise us, but only with good things. We meet our life long partner, find the perfect job, home, school . . .

Accept your path, with its twists and turns. The adventure is in the journey, not the arriving. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. And when we lose hope and think it’s the end, God says, “Relax, it’s just a bend, not the end.” The Good News is that the task ahead is never greater than the Power behind us.

So, in this season of giving, remember that what we are is God’s gift to us; and what we become is our gift to God.

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NOTICES:

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

First Communion. Congratulations and blessings to Lydia Waters, Matthew Hogan, Alice Valderama, and Vitor Megathlim who will be receiving this Sunday at the 10:00 a.m. mass.

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.

ECW is hosting a Christmas-themed decorative craft workshop at Board and Brush in Wellington on Saturday, December 10th from 1-3p.m. Cost is $35 per person and includes all supplies to make a lovely and durable Christmas craft to decorate your home or give as a gift. Participants need to register online using a link and password because you need to choose your personal project and pay your $35 by December 7th. Contact Linda McKeown at llmckeown51@comcast.net or call 561-254-3902 to get the link emailed to you. All women of the church and their friends and neighbors are invited to this event. Thanks. Linda

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.

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 birthday celebrations: Hannah Gardner, Connie Hunter, Nicholas Webber. For our expectant mother: Rebecca.

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