December 2017
St. Mark’s News Volume 21/Issue 11
The Spirit of Advent-ure We begin a new Church year Sunday, December 3, with the season of Advent, and changing to Lectionary Year B. There are many and varied sources of this opening phase of our life together—each rooted in the particular circumstance of the early church in east and west. It is not as if our calendar with its colors and rituals just appeared. Rather, it took centuries for these rhythms to develop and have characteristics of the traditions in which they were born. They continue to evolve. For example, the Advent wreath, a distinct marker of our life before Christmas is fairly new, especially in America. We have four Collects for Advent, the special prayers offered at the beginning of worship. Two of the Collects date from the 8th century, one from the first prayer pook in 1549, and one that is brand new to the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Marion Hatchett, a great authority on the Book of Common Prayer, points out that eventually both Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated throughout the Christian world. An anticipatory element appeared in the weeks before Christmas, and a time of preparation developed prior to baptisms in Epiphany. Advent resulted from the joining of these two traditions—a mixture of joy and penitence. Some might say that joy and penitence are the anchoring emotions of every day of Christian life, fully captured in our Eucharistic celebrations.
In this Issue From Fr. Bill .............................. 1 Vestry Highlights........................ 2 Advent Schedule ....................... 3 Caffeine Ministry ........................ 3 Outreach .................................... 4 Parish Life.................................. 4 Music Notes ............................... 5 Christian Formation ................... 7 Parishioner Highlights ................ 8 Celebrations .............................. 9 ROTA ...................................... 10 Seen Around St. Mark’s ........... 11
The word “Advent” meaning “arrival” or “about to come” shares (depending on who you consult) a common root with the word “adventure.” I love the sense of anticipation and excitement that this implies. We are preparing for the greatest adventure of human life, not only with the celebration of Christ’s birth but also looking forward to his coming again, bringing the Kingdom of God into a hurting world. May we capture this hope as we begin a new year together. Bill
Mark Your Calendar: Bishop Visitation Bishop Dena Harrison will be at St. Mark’s on Sunday February 4th for our annual Bishop’s visitation and service of Confirmation/Reception at the 11:00 service.
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