St. Mark's News - December 2012

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December 2012

St. Mark’s News Volume 15/Issue 11

From the Rector Dear People of God: in the season of Advent, it is our responsibility and joy to prepare ourselves to hear once more the message of the Angels, to go to Bethlehem and see the Son of God lying in a Manger. Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought to us by his holy Child Jesus, and let us look forward to the yearly remembrance of his birth with hymns and songs of praise. But first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world, for peace and justice on earth, for the unity and mission of the Church for which he died, and especially for his Church in our country and in this city. And because he particularly loves them, let us remember in his name the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and unloved, the aged and little children, as well as all those who do not know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, let us remember before God his pure and lowly Mother, and that whole multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in Jesus, we are one for evermore. (A Bidding Prayer for an Advent Festival, The Book of Occasional Services, p. 33)

In this Issue From the Rector ..................................... 1 Vestry Highlights .................................... 2 Advent Schedule .................................... 3 Christmas Schedule ............................... 4 Parish Life .............................................. 4 Outreach ................................................ 5 Music Notes............................................ 6 Christian Formation ................................ 7 Parishioner Highlights ............................ 8 Caffeine Ministry..................................... 9 Birthdays & Anniversaries .................... 10 ROTA: Christmas Eve ......................... 10 ROTA: Rest of December..................... 11

This is the bidding prayer that we will hear prior to our service of Lessons and Carols on Advent 3 (December 16) but it is a prayer that we need to be reminded of as we begin the season of Advent on December 2. We are reminded that Advent is a season for both preparation and anticipation. It is a season for hearing and heeding the Holy Scriptures. It is a season for praying for the needs of the world (a good start to this would be to join the Daughters of the King for the Quiet Day they are hosting on December 1). And it is a season for remembering the “good news of great joy.” The good news of the Incarnation is the same good news that was conveyed to the Neurosurgeon, Eban Alexander, during the seven days he spent in a coma. Some of you may either have read the excerpt of his book printed in the October 15 issue of Newsweek, or read something about it on the Internet. Alexander had a near-death experience during which a young woman accompanied him on his journey. Without using words, she conveyed a three-part message to him: “You are loved and cherished, dearly, forever;” “You have nothing to fear;” and “There is nothing you can do wrong.” This is, quite simply, the message of Emmanuel: God with us. The birth of Christ reminds us that God sent his only begotten and cherished Son because we are “loved and cherished, dearly, forever.” When the angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds, around whom the

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