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

So, another year is upon us. For most folks, 2021 is a year we won’t forget. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply hit the “pause” or “re-wind” button in our life? Start off with a clean slate. The Good News is that God has provided a way to start over. St. Paul writes to the Corinthians that “Those who are in Christ are a new creation.” He goes on to say, “I haven’t already achieved perfection but I keep working toward that day and strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which Jesus calls us to heaven.”

January 6th was the Feast of the Epiphany. The Wise Men who visited Bethlehem must have been surprised to find the new-born king not in a palace but in a stable! Following stars and finding stables are common occurrences in life. Who hasn’t at some time fixed his or her gaze on some lofty star that leads us in a totally unexpected direction? A college graduate leaves school full of dreams and expectations only to wake up one day and discover a life of drudgery which they promised to avoid. A recent retiree discovers that life without work isn’t what it’s “cracked up” to be. What enables people of every age to turn their “stables” into sanctuaries? All share one thing in common; they looked for God in the stable. Who would have faulted the Wise Men if they’d turned around in disappointment and went back to their comfortable lives in Persia? And yet, their lives were transformed forever. Nothing would ever be the same, as their faith made them return by “another road.”

2022 will probably provide its share of joys and disappointments. If we look for God’s purpose in life and give our best efforts to God, we might find that we too are led in a new direction. As we journey forth on a daily basis, let us go by another way, because the saints in every age found the faith to turn the world upside down when they followed a star and found a stable.

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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.

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 – no Sunday School this week.

No weekday mass next week.

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, Susan, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Tracy Jackowski, Marie Hogan, David Whiting, Glenn Bresnahan, Linda McKeown, Franklin Montross IV, Tiffany Owen, Theodore L’Abbe, Alexandria Philistin, Margie Sandell. For our expectant mothers: Ana, Priya and Ryan.

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

Some years ago, in a community nativity scene, the statue of the infant Jesus was stolen from the manger. The figure was eventually found, of all places, in a garbage container! (For what it’s worth, the Marian apparitions to a young girl named Bernadette in the mid-19th c. at Lourdes, in southern France, happened at a local rubbish heap!) The “sermon” here is that the real Jesus cannot be kept in a manger by means of chains. We don’t need to attach a GPS unit to him to track him down either. We can encounter Jesus at all times and places, perhaps often in unexpected ones, particularly in the “rubbish” of our lives.

Jesus is as near as the next act of generosity shown to someone for whom an act of kindness will make all the difference. We can’t chain Jesus to the ground or keep Him in a manger, for in wondrous ways Jesus will keep breaking free, making His way into the world, into our life, and our heart. Where will we see Him next? Keep your eyes and hearts peeled because I’m guessing Jesus is going to show up again before we even know it. And for anyone thinking about stealing baby Jesus; there’s no need to, because Jesus is already yours. We don’t have to wait for Dec 25th for that to be so. Every Blessing for the Christmas season and beyond!

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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.

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

Sunday School – no Sunday School this week.

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

No weekday mass next week.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doug, Edna, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jill, Jeanne, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, Violet, William. For the departed: Ginny Elliott. For birthday celebrations: Wyatt Barreca, William Owen Jr., Austin Ward, Marianne Davidson, Deborah Piconcelli, Chris Erickson, Thomas Ward, Jeffrey Femenia, Gregory Gingery, Lawrence Logan. For anniversary celebrations: Francis and Joanna Morlu, Tom and Evelyn Medcalf, Glenn and Helena Bresnahan, Joseph and Virginia Brabham. For our expectant mothers: Ana, Meghan, Priya and Ryan.

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

During the Pandemic, I suspect that people are staying at home more than before, and watching more television to pass the time away. Having said that, I’ll share a paraphrase borrowed from an anonymous writer.

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want.
It makes me lie down on the sofa. It ravishes my soul.
It leads me away from the Scriptures, for the sponsor’s sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my responsibilities, there will be no interruptions; for the TV is with me.
It’s cable and it’s remote control they comfort me,
It prepares a commercial before me in the presence of my worldliness.
It plants lies within my mind. It anoints my head with materialism.
My coveting runneth over.
Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of TV forever.

—-

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 Daughters of the King.

The Live Nativity, one of our oldest traditions at St. David’s, will be held tonight, Dec 17th at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Everyone is invited to come and see the display this evening.

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 18th. We also need volunteers from the women to clean and decorate for Christmas from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 18th. Please contact Linda McKeown at 561-254-3902

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

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.
Friday, December 24: Christmas Eve 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 25: Christmas Day 10:00 a.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doug, Edna, Ginny, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Kenzie, Manuel, Max, Michael, Miguel, Mike, Parker, Patricia, Sharon, Susan, William. For the departed: Michael Simpson, Angel Diaz. For birthday celebrations: Elyssa Beresford, Eli Carter, Neville Tinglin, Marilyn Perakos, Sherry Richardson, William Jackowski III, Allison Owen, Megan Jacques. For our expectant mothers: Ana, Meghan, Priya and Ryan.

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