December 18, 2025 l ISSUE 51

Sunday service

at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Adult Formation Conversations

Join us Sunday

from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m.

in the Parish Hall

as we listen to God's Holy Word

and discuss how it impacts our personal lives.

9:30a.m. in the Parish Hall

"... the virgin shall conceive

and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel."

Matthew 1:23

UPCOMING SCRIPTURE READINGS

SUNDAY LEADERS

A Note From Fr. Jeff

The Prophet Isaiah has been such an inspiration over the past three Sundays in Advent, bringing to us the full hope and promise that God intends for us to have, a vision of a new way of living in God's abundant creation. In addition to my preaching on our Old Testament Scripture passages these past three Sundays, our adult formation time at 9:30a.m. has also explored deeper in what Isaiah's message might mean in our everyday lives.

Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Our St. Paul's 2025 Advent journey will take us Through the Wilderness to find Healing for a Weary World

This Advent, I invite you into a season of sacred reflection and prophetic imagination centered on four visions of Isaiah. Each of these visions arises from the pain and longing of God’s people – realities that echo our own struggles with fear, division, and injustice today. Our Sunday morning Adult Formation time will encourage those who participate to courageously name the brokenness around and within us; explore what it means to embody prophetic love and courage in today’s world; and dream of a world made whole – and begin to walk toward it.

The four 50-minute sessions will be based on the Old Testament reading from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A), that will be read later at our morning liturgy. 

Adult Formation will begin promptly at 9:30a.m. in our Parish Hall. Please try to arrive a few minutes early so that our conversations and discussions can begin on time.

Session 4, December 21st, will focus on Choosing Vision Over Fear (Isaiah 7:10–16) – This session will invite us to reflect on the temptations we all face when fear takes hold – especially the temptation to trust in power, comfort, or status quo solutions instead of God’s deeper call to justice and peace. We will explore how to root our decisions not in fear and scarcity, but in God’s larger vision of healing, wholeness, and collective flourishing.

Join in

this Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.

before our service.

May we each encounter special blessings during this Advent Season as we engage in these special opportunities to enliven our faith and bring us closer to Christ's manger on Christmas Day

There will be no Adult Formation

on December 28 and January 4.



As I sat at home on Saturday morning watching the snow come down, and then turn to rain, and as the temperatures moved up and down, I felt mystified as to how it would all turn out overnight and into Sunday morning. Would the streets and sidewalks be iced over creating hazardous conditions for getting out and driving or would it all melt and dry up. Who can predict the weather? Certainly not me. But I had faith. The sidewalks around church got cleared by our tenant on Saturday afternoon, and the streets seemed to dry overnight, so icy conditions weren't the problem they could have been. Thanks be to God!

But in the future, during the winter season, I want to have a plan for communicating if the Sunday service would be cancelled. I believe our best tool for communication is our weekly electronic newsletter. We distribute it on Thursday mornings and a quick reminder again on Saturday mornings. Going forward, if a service is going to be cancelled it will be communicated no later no later than 8:00am on Sunday morning, hopefully sooner than that. Either our Saturday brief newsletter will indicate the cancellation, or it will come to you as a separate electronic announcement, again, no later than 8:00am on Sunday morning. Always check your email please, before heading to church if you are unsure of the weather conditions. I want everyone to be safe, especially during this winter season!  

A special thanks to Jim Harris and Randy Wicks for getting our front yard sign to light up once again!

Last Sunday -

The Third Sunday of Advent and Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent, a mid-season pause for joy and rejoicing as Christians await Christ's birth, marked by a shift from penitential violet to celebratory rose-colored vestments and candles, signifying the nearness of Christmas and the hope of salvation. "Gaudete" means "rejoice" in Latin, from the opening scripture, reminding the faithful to find gladness in God's impending arrival, even amidst preparation.

And it was UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER SUNDAY!

New Year's Eve Taizé

at Christ Church Cathedral at 5:00 p.m.

Join us for prayers, scripture readings, and chants in the style of Taizé in Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust Street, St. Louis. 

It is a deeply spiritual way to close 2025 and open our hearts to 2026.

Stay for refreshments and a toast to the New Year afterward.

• This Taize service is offered by Confluence Spirituality St. Louis.  
• We hope you can join us and bring friends and family. 
• Secure parking is available at the Cathedral.