Folks,
We hope all have been having a warm and wonderful Christmas season, with perhaps a Christmas movie in the mix (there are many including classics like "Miracle on 34th St"). We chose to watch "The Bishops Wife", where the local bishop (David Niven) is so distracted by cathedral building that he neglects his wife (Loretta Young) but he mends his ways when upended by an angel (Cary Grant - imagine being jealous of an angel!) and can recommend it to all (we had to watch it early when in Santa Barbara with excellent high-speed internet - it would never come thru at the ranch). The lessons for this coming Sunday, the first Sunday after Christmas, include from Isaiah calling out early the signs of spring as a simile for Jesus ministry to come, while Paul writes to the Galatians how Jesus' coming has freed us from a disciplinarian religion (but Tony(!) reminds usefully that discipline and freedom can and should go together). But this Sunday I'd like to focus on the lesson from the rather philosophical introduction to John's gospel ("In the beginning was the Word ...") and in particular that "the Word became flesh and lived among us". Very Rev Malcolm Young of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in a newsletter called this "The Incarnation" (though the traditional church calendar reserves that title for Mar 25 as another name for the Feast of the Annunciation). In any case, Dean Young wonderfully notes that there is a desire by most of us to see God in the flesh which is perhaps why we celebrate the mythical character of Santa Claus, a jolly and innocuous mythical character perhaps more often portrayed, at least in commercial venues, than the baby Jesus. All of this is a reminder that Christmastide celebrates the beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth, and in that respect is really a slightly lesser feast, though timed in a season where celebration helps relieve the darker days. Yet the hunger to see God incarnate, whether in Christmas pageants or as the happy white-bearded gent, should whet our appetites too to see God - and now is the time to look, in the persons of those around us! May we all to that extent be incarnations of God for those around us, even as we see God in them! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts! Events Folks, Because of the presence of the very rapidly spreading omicron Covid variant in all dioceses of the church, we encourage one and all to check with your local parishes for an update on their plans for services this weekend, including the First Sunday after Christmas. Currently we expect to have Morning Prayer at St Matts on this Sunday at 10am, but this may change. Please contact me at this email address for the latest if you plan to attend. We have heard that while Grace Cathedral in San Francisco will be having their services as scheduled, they have sent word that their capacity will be limited to 600 people (for distancing). Our own Bp Lucinda Ashby has sent along a letter instructing parishes in our Diocese of El Camino Real to limit, revert to online only, or even cancel services as the local situation requires. All regret any inconvenience this may cause. As such, Good Shepherd Church in Salinas has announced they are suspending all in person services until the New Year but most will be available online - check with their websites. Remember that many and perhaps most services at our parishes are available online (we had time to join St Lukes in Atascadero for a bit of their Christmas Eve service). One event which has been very successful as Zoom only is the weekly gathering of folks at St Lukes Church in Atascadero (and all their services can be accessed via Zoom) for Taize Music at 7pm. Email Cindy at castlewood16@gmail.com for the Zoom invitation to this event. St Lukes also begins a new Bible Study series on the Book of Job Jan 12 - see their websites for all their events.
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Folks,
The lessons appointed for this Sunday revolve around the impending Birth of Our Lord. Micah notes that the birth will occur to one of the "little clans of Judah" referring to Bethlehem (the City of David). In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul writes that Jesus downplayed the value of the usual religious burnt and sin offerings but instead said simply that he, Jesus, had come to do God's will, abolishing the former to establish the latter, and offering his own body "once for all". Luke's gospel includes the story of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth with both women pregnant. Elizabeth knew from the prophecies that Mary was carrying Our Lord and saying the phrase many Roman Catholic kids are taught to repeat, " "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Elizabeth goes on to note that Mary too is blessed as she "believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." As I consider these lessons, replete with the pageantry of the coming of the King of Kings, the thing that stands out is the value of humility. It starts with Micah referring to that "little clan" from Bethlehem, goes on thru the Canticle of Mary, called The Magnificat from the Latin word for magnify, and Gospel lesson where that same canticle is repeated. Finally, Paul makes clear that the it is by God's will that we are sanctified (made holy) as were Elizabeth and Mary. So it was that Bethlehem was a "little" town and Elizabeth and Mary showed great humility. Above all, Jesus did too, a willing sacrifice, with the effect that we all are sanctified. And all of this resonates with our need to recognise our own humility, and along with Mary make a place where Our Lord can dwell - in the words of the Collect for this Sunday: "Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself". May we all on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, traditionally referred to as Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, recognise along with Mary our humility that we might be a fit dwelling place for God - thus Humility Sunday. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts! Events Folks, as we are running late and more events are being placed on calendars than we can keep up with, we encourage all to refer the calendars of your local parishes including those on the Our Churches tab at the SLO Deanery website, www.sloepiscopalians.org (and visit those links where each parish's activities are listed). St Matthews Church in San Ardo will have worship with Morning Prayer at the usual hour this Sunday, 10am, and will continue with this on the weekend of Christmas (thus worship also on Sunday Dec 26 at 10am). Our fellow missions St Lukes and St Marks will be joined in worship this weekend with Fr Filemon Diaz leading worship at St Lukes in Jolon at 10am (but note that St Marks will have other services in King City). We encourage all to assemble with their worship communities in Love this Christmas Season. On Christmas Eve, to save on difficult trips our family and friends will gather in a Zoom event orchestrated by our sister Brandy, and we pray all will have such an event, in person or virtual, by which to mark the season. It is also a good time to exchange phone calls and "holiday letters" with friends and family and keep warm in the glow of such love even as winter sets in, remembering those less fortunate. Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include a prophecy from Zephaniah, another warm and loving lesson from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi and a gospel lesson from Luke. While that gospel lessons starts out sounding like that "nut" crying out in the wilderness and warning of the "wrath tocome" with stern imprecations for all, and goes on with his audience wondering if he was the messiah, John the Baptist, the middle paragraph shows how sensible John really was sounding to his audience, eg directing to tax collectors not to collect more than was owed (contra the typical practice in those times) and soldiers not to extort money but be satisfied with their wages. The point that came clear to me is that far from a wild man, John was talking with a fair amount of sanity, which probably made the crowds all the more ready to look to Jesus for direction. This lesson tells me that while some folks today may appear wild, we need to judge them not by their appearance (John as described in the gospels sounded pretty disheveled) but by the content of their message. As John was preparing the way for Jesus, may we also in this Advent season prepare ourselves to see God in person - in the person of all those around us daily who walk in love. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts! PS For those who keep the custom of Advent Wreaths please remember that in this meditative season the four Sundays are dubbed Hope, Peace, Joy (pink! and Fr Filemon of St Marks Church in King City tells us this Sunday in Latin is called "Dominica Letarae"), and Love so this third Sunday please take time out for Joy! Events Our own St Matts will have Morning Prayer this Sunday at the usual hour, 10am, followed by a coffee hour (and some chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven) - provided we can get up early enough to make the dough. And watch this space for St Matthews Christmas Eve Service notice. And Christmas being near so we urge all to consult the nearby (and Zoom / online available) parish newsletters, websites and calendars for the many events of the season. The Our Parishes page of the SLO Deanery websites is particular helpful at getting you to most of those parish websites - see www.sloepiscopalians.org St Pauls Church in Cambria will have Morning Prayer for worship this Sunday at10am and looking ahead on Christmas Eve at 4pm. St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo, in addition to their regular services, will have Christmas Eve services at 4pm and 8pm with their "Midnight Mass" at 11pm, along with a 9am service Christmas Morning. They will have Advent Compline Wed Dec 15 & 22 at 8pm and Blue Christmas Service Dec 22 at 12:15pm and 5:30pm, an event for those who for whatever reason are not finding themselves full of Christmas "cheer" this year. See St Steve's websites for their regular events. Our friends at St Benedicts Church in Los Osos tell us they will be having a Blue Christmas also.The event will be Dec 21 in person and on Facebook at 5:30pm. See St Bens websites for details. St Bens Church has a full slate of Sunday and weekday services - see their websites. Their current Hollister Institute series is a study of the Book of Joy by Abp Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, Tuesdays 10:15am via Zoom. On Thurs Dec 16 their Advent Study group will be working on “All the Earth is Waiting” both online and via Zoom. On Sun Dec 19 at 3pm they will have A celebration of Carols with St Ben's Singers. For Christmas St Bens will have Christmas Eve Services Fri Dec 24 with Carols and Communion around the Creche at 4:30pm. On Christmas Day Dec 25 they will have a Quiet Communion Service with a cappella carols at 10am followed by a light brunch. On the First Sunday after Christmas, Dec 26 they will have a Contemplative Communion Service at 8am and Lessons and Carols Service at 10:30am. If all the above weren't enough, on this Sunday St Bens is having their annual Christmas Concert of carols at 3pm. For all the above events as well as other midweek services, studies and groups please see their websites at www.stbenslososos.org et al. On New Years Day, Jan 1, the people of St Peters Church in Morro Bay will "Feed the People" by bringing already prepared book from the Prado Center by 11:30am to volunteers. Check with the church for details. Besides their regular worship services (see their website) St Peters will have a special Christmas Eve service starting with carols singing at 3:30pm followed by a Festival Eucharist at 4pm. And TODAY St Peters will have Advent Vespers at 5pm - a time for reflection and contemplation in their chapel. St Peters also tells us of "A Holiday Festival Messiah" sung by the SLO Master Chorale with the Westwood Brass. For services at St Lukes Church in Atascadero see their websites at https://www.stlukesatascadero.com/calendar where you will see they are having Christmas Eve services at 8pm Dec 24 and Christmas Morning services at 9am. And for all St James Paso Robles events see their websites at http://stjamespasorobles.org/index.html et al, where you will see they also are having a Blue Christmas Service on Sun Dec 19 at 2pm as well as Christmas Eve family service at 4:30pm and a "Candlelight Serivce" at 9pm as well as Sun Dec 26 at 10am. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande tell us that thru Christmas, all Sunday 10am services and Christmas Eve 10:45pm service are in-person and online - see their websites (and for details of weekday services). They also tell us that the Cuesta Choirs are having their Holiday Concert at the Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center's Mainstage Theater Fri, Dec 17 at 7:30pm. St Marks Church in King City will be meeting at 10am this "Dominica Letarae" (Sunday of Joy). Good Shepherd Church Salinas (Corral de Tierra) will have Christmas Eve Family Service at 4pm with Carols and Holy Communion. Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is having "Sing You a Merry Christmas: Family Sing-Along" Dec 11 and 18 at 11am and Dec 21-23 at 3pm as well as Dec 21 at 7:30pm. And on Mon, Dec 13 they will have "A Brass and Organ Christmas" at 7:30pm, and "Soulful Joy", a jazz event, Dec 20 at 7:30pm. For full details on these and other events at Grace see their websites at www.gracecathedral.org St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego will have a full slate of Advent and Christmas events - see their websites at www.stpaulcathedral.org And this Sunday at their Forum at 9am (in person in their Great Hall, via Zoom and Live Streamed onlin) they will discuss what it means to love Christ with Canon Richard Lief and Rev Dr John Koenig of General Seminary. Friends,
This second Sunday of Advent includes from Baruch with an alternate (and much shorter) lesson from Malachi, along with a wonderfully loving part of Paul's letter to the church in Philippi and a gospel lesson from Luke. Both alternative Old Testament lessons can be taken together to suggest the glory that God sees in his human creations, as from Baruch: 'Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting; for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. For God will give you evermore the name, "Righteous Peace, Godly Glory."' But Malachi reminds that this will come only after some refining: "...he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness." As we gain in understanding we should grow in faith to God and to one another as we realise we are a covenant people, seeking a just society and a righteous life - and the refinement mentioned is that growth. The gospel lesson is the next step in that refinement, with the prophecy of a messianic figure to come: "all flesh shall see the salvation of God." This figure will lead us from the Law to true righteousness. The Old Testament and Gospel lessons would feel incomplete without the addition of Paul and the loving community of the church. Indeed, Paul's loving attitude towards the church people in Philippi sound absolutely familial as he knows they hold him in their heart and longs for them. Paul ties it all together by concluding "And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God." May we all have such love even while seeking such knowledge and insight, Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts! Events This Sunday our own St Matthews Church in San Ardo (corner of Railroad St and Jolon Rd) will be hosting our Bp Lucinda Ashby for morning worship with Eucharist at 10am. We hope many will be able to join us! Other Events St Lukes Church in Atascadero tells us that their Holiday Bazaar is on and continues from 9am thru 1pm tomorrow. Remember St that Lukes has a full slate of services and regular events, including Sunday morning (and other) worship services, Bible Study and the delightful Taize music service on Sunday evenings. Note that a visit to their websites will be helpful as they are changing to a new email to send out Zoom invitations. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande will have a an Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols Sun Dec 12 at 5pm. The service continues a 103 year old tradition for them. St Barnabas tells us all their Sunday Advent services will be both in-person and online. St Benedicts Church in Los Osos is having a serious of Spiritual Conversations Tuesdays at 10:15am. See St Bens web pages for full info on this and their other events (including Christmas events) at https://www.stbenslososos.org/ The women of St James Church in Paso Robles will be having a Womens Luncheon TODAY at noon. For full details call Bonnie at 805.440.0954, And next Saturday Dec 11our friend Laura Learned will lead the work of Hanging the Greens to decorate the church for Christmastide beginning at 9am. St. Philip the Apostle Episcopal Church in Scotts Valley will once again open its doors for our annual No Room at the Inn event, taking place TODAY December 3 from 6-8 pm and December 4 from 10 am to 2 pm. From elegant and elaborate to simple wooden blocks, displays of nativity sets from around10:15 the world will be available for in-person viewing and to support those for whom there is no room. Funds raised will benefit Faith Community Shelter, Wings Homeless Advocacy and Al Otro Lado. More information is available here. St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove is hosting a holiday organ concert on Saturday, December 4 at 5:00 pm. Frequent organ soloist and choral accompanist, Dr. Cathryn Wilkinson, will play a selection of music entitled In the Moon of Wintertime: Peaceful and Joyful Music for Advent and Christmas. A $10 donation to support the music program at St. Mary’s is recommended. Masks will be required. Please RSVP by December 3 to musicdirector@stmarysbythesea.org Grace Cathedral will have an Advent Procession of Lessons and Carols Sun Dec 5 at 3pm, with the choir moving from darkness into light. Register at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iboRZjBHRVWGh-hTqQEt-J1-2asiythYyjHxApb4QdRbXzPqcG3fnErXmsmmq0degoeiaOx7Wr6PxncH1s7vCXflSnSdzcmKEKh7cKkLaGnOKYR8DUY7ctteCvE5RN7aW5dQhDJ-BO0Cxq72-1H0SMYU2DoOfK8BMiV3-pP6MD2d7-DJbjoh6aDNzIzdft9S4Pxw40qYs_A=&c=QEhM5qymsZR4vcuIaS2P5P4a8uS_RX4MoFTrhW_5oo1oZqOPzpbDHA==&ch=d-uo7Gh1pSSjXjQbZO0TrSt3NapplWESbwJWgFuCLJjq_6C3Px_yXw== From the Diocese As we have been mentioning, the diocesan Advent Retreat will take place TOMORROW Dec 4 either in person at St Pauls / San Pablo Church in Salinas or via Zoom from 10am to 2pm beginning with Morning Prayer. There is a required Registration - see diocesan webpages at www.realepiscopal.org. The Diocese of El Camino Real’s School for Ministry is opening a course in the winter of 2022 to prepare individuals to apply for a Lay Preaching license. We are seeking adult learners of all ages and educational backgrounds who are actively involved in ministry in their congregations and demonstrate gifts in lay leadership. Full details, a Q&A, and an online application link are available in today’s news announcement in English and Spanish, available to read and download here. The Rev. Katherine Doar has been named dean of ECR's School for Ministry. Join in for a virtual event Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. PT. The last two years have upended many of the assumptions about what The Episcopal Church is and where it is going. Join Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and his canons for a conversation about how the past two years will inform the ministries and mission of The Episcopal Church in 2022 and beyond. There will be time for questions, and the event will be recorded for later viewing. Registration is free, but required. See diocesan webpages at www.realepiscopal.org ff. Copyright © 2021 St Matthews Episcopal Church, All rights reserved. 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WILLIAM BARTOSH
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