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

The story goes that while Robert Smith was taking his afternoon walk – part of his therapy in recovering from a massive heart attack – the phone rang and his wife, Delores, answered. The call was from the Reader’s Digest Association Sweepstakes in New York. They were calling to inform the Smith Family that Robert had just won $1,500,000 and that in a few days the certified check would be arriving. Well, as you can imagine, Delores was absolutely ecstatic – now all those dreams would come true!

But then, she remembered that her husband’s doctor had encouraged her to be careful of anything too exciting which would give him another heart attack. What would she do? After some thought, she decided to call their local pastor for advice. He agreed and came to visit Robert and Delores. After a few minutes of chatting, the pastor leaned toward Bob and said, “Bob, I’ve got a problem and need your advice.” “Sure,” said, Bob, “I’d be glad to help.” The pastor took a deep breath and said, “What would a person, like yourself, do if all of a sudden you found out you had won a million and a half dollars? What would you do with the money?” “That’s easy,” Bob replied, “I’d give half of it to the church.” Whereupon, the pastor had a heart attack!

OK; I think I could handle this sort of news with a little more caution; but no less excitement and gratitude. On behalf of the Vestry, I’d like to thank in advance those who are willing and able to support the life and witness of our parish. Fund Raisers are useful, but are no substitute for diligent and consistent giving to insure the continuation of the ministries of grace we’ve been entrusted with here at St. David’s. “Without God, we cannot, and without us He will not.”

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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.

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

Plant Trimming: We will have a trimming session on Saturday, February 5th starting at 9:00 a.m. We need many hands to trim the shrubs and plants on the property. Please join us and bring tools that you have so we can get the property spruced up before Lent. Thank you. Linda McKeown.

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.

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: Maeve Blodgett, Kevan Bennett, Yvonne Wright, James McKeown, Rohan Wolliston. For anniversary celebration: Desmond and Ann Chambers. For our expectant mothers: Ana and Ryan.

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

In his book Overcoming Life’s Disappointments, Rabbi Harold Kushner writes about a man whose wife suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Every day she slipped further and further away in the fog of dementia – but every day he would come to spend time with her. The couple’s heartbroken friends would ask him, “Why do you keep going when she doesn’t even know who you are?” And he would always reply, “Because I know who I am.”

The husband’s faithfulness is the perfect answer to the question Jesus posed to St. Peter and others: “Who do you say that I am?” In realizing exactly who Jesus is and the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection, we come to realize who we are and what our lives are all about. As Christians, we have been baptized into his death and resurrection. Our love and compassion for family and friends, our dedication to following the principles of the Gospel, our simple acts of love and kindness are all visible signs of our faith in Jesus as our Messiah and Lord.

Next Wednesday, February 2, is the Feast of the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. If there was any doubt amongst the attendees at that customary Jewish event, the prophet Simeon and Anna put it to rest by proclaiming that they had seen the Messiah who had at last come into the world. When people see us, do they see Jesus at work in the world today? When we show kindness to those who can repay us, it’s called networking. When we show kindness with no thought of repayment, it’s called love. May the love of God be visible in our lives because we know who our Savior is, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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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.

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by Maria Scher.

Bunco continues on Saturday, January 29th, 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.

Plant Trimming: We will have a trimming session on Saturday, February 5th starting at 9:00 a.m. We need many hands to trim the shrubs and plants on the property. Please join us and bring tools that you have so we can get the property spruced up before Lent. Thank you. Linda McKeown.

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.
Wednesday: Eucharistic Adoration 6:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Michelle Blodgett, David Blazek, William Blodgett, Tom Parker, Pat Lorde, Laurel Westerholt, Jenifer Elmore. For our expectant mothers: Ana and Ryan.

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

Father Smith complemented Farmer Jones on keeping such a beautiful garden and tried to give God praise for being so good to Farmer Jones, who replied, “Ha! You should have seen this place when God had it all to Himself!”

Well, we know that it’s a “team effort,” and the Good News is that we’re not in this walk of life alone. So, I’ll share some encouraging words from St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:13) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Moreover, we learn over time that the road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs, however, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success – which we know as Heaven!

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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: No collection of sandwiches this week.

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

Bunco continues on Saturday, January 29th, 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.

Tree Trimming: We will have a trimming session on Saturday, February 5th starting at 9:00 a.m. We need many hands to trim the shrubs and plants on the property. Please join us and bring tools that you have so we can get the property spruced up before Lent. Thank you. Linda McKeown.

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, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Carly LaBorde, Dennis Amiel, Diana Firestone, Tanya Low, Millicent Thompson. For anniversary celebrations: Tom and Joyce Parker. For our expectant mothers: Ana and Ryan.

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

A billboard once seen in New England read, “Pray, it works.” That’s a pragmatic point of view, but what if the prayers don’t “work?” Do we stop praying? Get mad at God? If prayer is merely a way of getting what we want, then how does one feel about God when we don’t get everything we think we deserve in life? Perhaps a better alternative would be “Pray – Period!” If prayer keeps us connected with God, then it is successful. To quote the Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need.”

St. Paul writes, “Pray without ceasing.” God is not like the persistent woman in the parable who kept harassing the judge until he finally relented. God wants us to remain in a relationship with Him, but perhaps more importantly, the purpose of a close prayerful relationship is to change us, not to change God’s mind. Everyone thinks of changing humanity; but few think of changing themselves. However, change does not happen automatically, or without work and prayer on our end. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian prisoner of war, succinctly said back in 1985 that “Men have forgotten God. That’s why all this has happened.” Amen!!

So, pray to God, but keep rowing to the shore, because God promises a safe landing, not a smooth passage. And remember, contentment doesn’t mean getting all you want, but enjoying what you have – because it’s not what they take from you that counts, it’s what you do with what you have left!

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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: 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.

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Congregation. Please bring a dish or dessert to share.

The Annual Parish Meeting is postponed until Sunday, January 16th at 9 a.m. in the parish hall. New Vestry members will be elected, financial information for this past year will be presented and reports from various ministries will be presented.

Bunco continues on Saturday, January 29th, 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.

Shop with Scrip: Gift card fundraising is the best way to raise money. Start giving back to St. David’s the moment you buy a gift card with the RaiseRight mobile app today! You can join the program by downloading the app on your phone or go to www.ShopWithScrip.com on your computer. The enrollment code to set up your free family account is BB6656B177722. For more information, please pick up a flyer in the narthex, or email Kimberly Joy Castellotti-Ward at choiceplusrealestate@gmail.com

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, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Julian, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Steve, Susan, Violet, William. For the departed: Carmen Fahey. For birthday celebrations: Steve Roca, Barbara Hastings-Griffin. For our expectant mothers: Ana, Priya and Ryan.

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