St. Matthew's Midweek Update December 20, 2018 Welcoming all, growing in God, serving our neighbors! Native American Acknowledgment

Transcription

1 St. Matthew's Midweek Update December 20, 2018 Welcoming all, growing in God, serving our neighbors! Native American Acknowledgment As Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, I speak on behalf of our community that we acknowledge the traditional peoples of the land on which we stand especially the Pascua Yaqui, Sobaipuri and Tohono O'odham nations. We pay our respect to them for their care of the land. - Fr. Rick Note from the Rector The season of Advent has been quite short this year. This Sunday, we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent on Sunday, Christmas Eve on Monday, and Christmas Day on Tuesday. The fourth week of Advent is only a day long. We have three liturgies for Christmas. The first one is at 6:00 pm (Christmas carols sung from 6:00 to 6:15). The second one is at 11:00 pm (Christmas carols sung from 11:00-11:15). And of course one on Christmas Day at 10:30 am. I believe each liturgy has its own spirituality. Let me explain what I mean.

2 Christmas Eve 6:00 pm - The Liturgy of the Shepherds. Our Christmas liturgy which is most heavily attended is this one. We have 15 minutes of singing Christmas carols followed by a joyful celebration of Jesus' birth. We read in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, that the shepherds received the revelation of the holy child's birth from a single angel who is joined by an entire chorus of angels. "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom God favors!" This liturgy joins with the shepherds visiting the newborn and his parents. As I imagine this scene, I think of the shepherds being excited about this precious life. They were the first to whom the announcement came. Shepherds were not seen as the most respectable members of the community yet here they are. A further reminder that the message of Jesus is to be proclaimed to everyone. This liturgy has the spirit of those fortunate shepherds. Christmas Eve 11:00 pm - The Liturgy of the Angels. A longstanding Christmas tradition is the Christmas Midnight Mass. At St. Matthew's our 11:00 pm Christmas Eve liturgy ends around midnight. That is as close as we get. I call it the Liturgy of the Angels because I can imagine the celestial choir proclaiming the glory of God joyfully as Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day. Christmas carols such as Angels We Have Heard on High, Silent Night and It Came upon a Midnight Clear are reinforced by the silence and the beauty of the night sky. For me, it is a contemplative liturgy. The incense which arises through the church, an ancient symbol of prayers being lifted before God, helps me sense the holiness of this night. And when I leave after midnight as I walk under that dark and expansive sky, I imagine the first cry of a newborn child, the relief of his mother, and the joy of his father. All to which the angels sing out, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom God favors!" It is a holy moment.

3 Christmas Day 10:30 pm. The Liturgy of the Holy Family. The shepherds have come and gone. The angels have sung out the Gloria repeatedly and now offer it quietly. The fanfare has come to an end and it is time to rest. I am sure we can all relate to experiences of celebration in our homes and although it be a most festive time, we are ready for people to leave. This is how I imagine the holy family's time to themselves is welcomed. The only other presence is that of the animals who are sharing their home with this itinerant family. St. Francis of Assisi gave us the imagery of the newborn and his parents staying in a stable. But within the imagery of the story itself, it would be most likely a cave where the animals were sheltered. I find this image powerful as it has the holy family kept within one of nature's shelters, a womb if you like. The animals are sharing their home with the three. Nature shelters and welcomes this new life and his family. It is time to enjoy a more peaceful moment, God's peace. This is the spirit of this Christmas Day liturgy. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are almost here. Enjoy this time of year and what the birth of Jesus means, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom God favors!" God favors us all. May we live into God's favor. Merry Christmas! Fr. Rick

4 ST. MATTHEW EVENTS CALENDAR Christmas Luncheon December 25 following 10:30 Liturgy Our annual Christmas Luncheon will be held following the Christmas Day 10:30 liturgy. Seasonal beverages will be available until the meal starts sometime between 12:15 and 12:30. It is a potluck and the various items that can be brought are stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, yams, vegetables, fruit salad (i.e. Ambrosia or Waldorf), pies and rolls and butter. There are sign-up sheets in the parish hall or contact the office at or Fr. Rick at saintmatthewsrector@live.com. It is always a joyful feast! Christmas Season Liturgies Schedule December 24: 6:00 pm Liturgy of the Shepherds (6-6:15 Christmas carol sing) December 24: 11:00 pm Liturgy of the Angels (11-11:15 Christmas carol sing) [incense alert] December 25: 10:30 am Liturgy of the Holy Family Sunday, December 30: 8:00 am Festival of Lessons 10:30 AM Festival of Lessons and Carols

5 Matty's Angels Mark your calendar on January 5, 2019 Matty's Angels will meet in the Parish Hall on January 5 at 9:30 AM to plan our Calendar of Events for the upcoming year. Please bring your ideas for service projects, field trips, luncheons, breakfasts or any activity that you think we would enjoy. ANNOUNCEMENTS Third Sunday Food Collection Needs for Gale Elementary Recently, Eleanor Sergi, our Service Commission Chair and I spoke with Ms. Osollo, the principal of Gale Elementary. One of the things we asked her was regarding the food collection we have every third Sunday for Gale Elementary. We asked if there were certain foods that were needed more than others. She said breakfast items are always needed such as cereals. Peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce were other items that are always needed. Ms. Osollo expressed appreciation for the food collection for the students' families.

6 Imago Dei and Tax Credit Program 'Tis the season to demonstrate your commitment to educating Arizona's most vulnerable children - at no cost to you. The Arizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit Program allows you to put your state tax dollars to work changing lives through education at Tucson's Imago Dei Middle School (IMDS), offering an Episcopal private-school education to lowincome 5th-through-8th-graders. Unlike tuition-driven private schools, Imago Dei serves only children living in poverty, so all of our students receive full scholarships. We meet our students where they are and offer the structure and resources to help them grow into all that they can be. Imago Dei relies on the support of friends like you to fulfill our mission. Learn more about helping through the Tax Credit Program at Merry Christmas, and Thank You! from all of us at IDMS. Appeal for Ordination Gifts for Bishop-elect Jennifer Reddall "God willing and the people consenting, we shall soon gather to celebrate the consecration of our new bishop. This will be our first true opportunity to show Bishop-Elect Jennifer Reddall our support and the joy we have in calling her as our shepherd and guide. The Standing Committee of the Diocese wants every member to have a chance to contribute to her ordination gifts, such as vestments, with any overage going to the new Bishop's discretionary fund. In the first weeks of Advent, you will be given several opportunities to contribute, directly through your local congregation, online at this secure website: or by making your checks payable to the Diocese of Arizona. Please make your contribution at the level you can to ensure as full and robust participation of all members of the diocese as possible. Please talk to your church leadership for more information. Any additional funds gathered by us will be used for the discretionary fund for the new bishop as she begins her ministry with us." - The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Arizona

7 Paper or Binder On Sundays as you come to worship, you will have the option to use either the prayer binders which we have been using since October or use a paper bulletin for your worship experience. The choice is yours. MINISTRY NEEDS Altar Guild Recruitment The Altar Guild works behind the scenes to prepare our beautiful spaces for the various liturgies of our parish. Altar Guild members find great satisfaction and fulfillment in this vital service to our congregation. The ministry commitment is usually one weekend per month, with other services as scheduled. Particularly needed are those who are 8:00 service attendees, but of course everyone is welcome! If you would be interested in learning more about serving our parish in this way, please contact Caroline Wolstenholme at or nickandcarolinew@msn.com. Money Counters An opportunity has arisen, we are in need of Money Counters. This opportunity consists of counting all of the proceeds from collection from the Sunday Services. Counting takes place on Mondays in The morning. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should contact: Allan Jones Telephone # or adjones9966@yahoo.com

8 Sunshine Club For the past year Matty's Angels have been sending out around 60 Birthday Cards every month to women who are incarcerated in Arizona as part of the diocesan Prison Ministry "Sunshine Club". These women may not ever receive any mail from their families; this is one small way to share the love of Jesus and let these women know that are being remembered and lifted up in prayer. Recently we received our first "thank you" from an inmate. It read in part "You ladies help to brighten my day. Hope this is something you do for lots of people. Everyone should feel special. Again, thank you and God bless you!" COMMUNITY EVENTS INFORMATION Help save lives. Join Tucson Samaritans. Every year nearly 200 people die in a disaster region near the Arizona-Mexico border. There have been over 2,000 known deaths in the last decade. Every day, Tucson Samaritans travel to the desert carrying water, food, and medicine. We drive back roads and hike trails looking for people in distress.

9 Think you might like to join us on a desert trip? Come to a training session and find out. Led by experts from several fields, our monthly training includes a fascinating economic and political history of the borderlands, an overview of legal and medical issues, and descriptions of what to expect on a Samaritan trip. Please bring a gallon of water and join us for one of the next sessions. We appreciate your RSVP: please leave your name and phone number in a voice or message at or sam.southside@gmail.com. Where: Southside Presbyterian Church 317 W. 23rd Street, Tucson When: Sunday, November 4 Sunday, December 2 Sunday, January 6, 2019 From 1:30-5:00 pm Questions & RSVP: Website:

10 E-Bulletin Announcement Procedures Procedures for Submitting Announcements to the E-Bulletin and/or Sunday insert Submit to the office or via to and copy to no later than Tuesday at 4 pm for the weekly e-bulletin and/or Sunday Bulletin. Identify yourself and the reason for this particular St. Matthew event or activity. Activities and Events other than St. Matthew's require the approval of the Rector. Include how long to run the announcement. The announcement will be printed as you submit so make sure everything you want to say and how it is to be said is in the announcement. Do not forget to place in your announcement the name of the contact and that person's contact information if a response is requested.the announcement may be edited for space requirements. Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew 9071 East Old Spanish Trail Tucson Arizona (520) stmatthew.azdiocese.org Instagram: Saintmatthews_Tucson Mailing address PO Box Tucson, AZ 85731