HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY EPIPHANY!
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| One of several valiant Christmas pansies in our Memorial Garden |
This coming Sunday, January 4th,
the Second Sunday after Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany, we are scheduled to have ONE
service only at 9 a.m., with coffee hour hosted by the Pastoral Care Committee.
But… the weather situation for Sunday morning is a
bit “iffy.” Expect an email from me
sometime Saturday evening and a final decision on possible changes by Sunday
morning at 6:15. The church voice mail will also be updated at that time. If it
should be necessary to cancel the morning service, it will probably be
postponed to 5 PM.
Readings for this Sunday: Jeremiah 31:7-11, 13-14, Canticle
11: The Third Song of Isaiah, Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a, Matthew 2:1-15, 19-23.
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Don't miss the Photo Gallery below from June and George's 70th anniversary honoring.
Coffee Hour Hosts are needed: Please check the signup sheet in the
Parish Hall for dates that need to be filled for after the 8am and 10 am
services. There are people who will gladly show you the ropes if you have never
hosted.
ALL ARE WELCOME every
Wednesday at 9 AM, for a service of Morning Prayer held in the church led by
one of our three licensed worship leaders.
Women’s Lunch Bunch will be meeting
this Wednesday, January 7th at noon at the Mountain View Station
Restaurant in Center Ossipee. Need a ride? Call Dale at 539-3761.
Are you new to Saint Andrew’s in the past year? We
are glad you are here. If you would like to formalize your
membership by transferring into this parish from your previous church or having
the record of your baptism (at the church where you were baptized) recorded in
our register book, please talk to the rector. This is the procedure by which
you become a voting member at our Annual Meeting.
Mark your calendar: Plan to attend the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, February 1st.
Debra will be looking for Annual Reports from committee chairs as
soon as you can get them to her. The final due date is January 15th. Please don’t wait until the last minute. Send
them via email to the office or drop off a hard copy to her in-box. If you need a
copy of last year’s report, please send your request to her and she can either
email it to you or provide a hard copy.
Food for thought and contemplation as we live the 12 Days of Christmas…
Going to God with the
Shepherds
by Louis William Countryman
by Louis William Countryman
If you want to go to God, go without
your certainties. Take your graces. Leave
your certainties behind. If you go looking
for a Triangle inside a Trefoil inside
a Conundrum, you’ll miss he greatest sight
of all, the Holy Trinity playing
children’s games on the lawns of heaven. If
you only look for the Virgin of the Window,
you’ll walk right past Our Lady, laughing and telling
stories with a group of friends.
your certainties. Take your graces. Leave
your certainties behind. If you go looking
for a Triangle inside a Trefoil inside
a Conundrum, you’ll miss he greatest sight
of all, the Holy Trinity playing
children’s games on the lawns of heaven. If
you only look for the Virgin of the Window,
you’ll walk right past Our Lady, laughing and telling
stories with a group of friends.
The disciples
knew not the Lord Jesus in his resurrection
flesh. They were expecting someone else,
someone they knew for certain. And this was like,
but was it he? They knew him only when
he handed them their bread.
knew not the Lord Jesus in his resurrection
flesh. They were expecting someone else,
someone they knew for certain. And this was like,
but was it he? They knew him only when
he handed them their bread.
Go to God, then,
taking in the hand of memory
the silken light of a clear dawn after
wet weather and say, with tears if need be,
“You made this.” Take the name of your beloved
and say, “You made him and in him you remade me.”
Take the goodness of your life. And take
some moment of uncertain and life-giving
hope, like an angel whispering or – sometimes –
trumpet in your ear. These are your guides.
taking in the hand of memory
the silken light of a clear dawn after
wet weather and say, with tears if need be,
“You made this.” Take the name of your beloved
and say, “You made him and in him you remade me.”
Take the goodness of your life. And take
some moment of uncertain and life-giving
hope, like an angel whispering or – sometimes –
trumpet in your ear. These are your guides.
And so
go with the shepherds on their angelic quest.
Go to that hick town that David left
as soon as he got the chance, go to the stable,
see what you never expected to see, the doors
to God opening in that manger against
all certainty.
go with the shepherds on their angelic quest.
Go to that hick town that David left
as soon as he got the chance, go to the stable,
see what you never expected to see, the doors
to God opening in that manger against
all certainty.
And then return to find
anew the tracks of grace: the beauty of men,
the beauty of women, the delight of children,
the running of a swift dog, the flight of birds,
the sweetness of a pear, hands held in quiet.
If you want to go to God, leave your certainties
behind. But be sure to take your graces.
anew the tracks of grace: the beauty of men,
the beauty of women, the delight of children,
the running of a swift dog, the flight of birds,
the sweetness of a pear, hands held in quiet.
If you want to go to God, leave your certainties
behind. But be sure to take your graces.
Celebration of June and George Donovan's 70th anniversary.
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| The book is a collection of photos of their house of many years. They recently moved to the Center for Community Living on Whittier Road. They welcome visitors. |
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| Four generations of Donovans |
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| The family with members of the parish |
See you in church!
Blessings,
Heidi+
Blessings,
Heidi+
