The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church |
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In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. “But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her (Luke1:26-38).
One of the greatest surprises in the story of God’s coming into our midst is that God did not choose a queen or a princess to be the mother of God’s Son. In fact, God chose a very unlikely person. Instead of choosing royalty from a high and mighty family, God chose a lowly maid. In a period of history that emphasized the importance of age, God chose a young virgin. In an empire where wealth was power, God chose a poor servant, betrothed to a Jewish carpenter.
God comes to ordinary people with an incredible plan to bring God’s reign in heaven on earth. As we look at the many ways God has come to people in the past, we can see a pattern in their response. Mary says, “Here I am Lord, let it be according to your will.” There is an incredible relinquishing of control that takes place when we faithfully say these words. I am convinced that giving up control to God is one of the most important keys to deepening our relationship with God and following God’s will and purpose for our lives.
God comes into this broken Covid world to make it whole. Mary was uniquely favored to be the “Holy Mother of God” the Theotokos or God bearer. God comes to ordinary people, but the grace given to Mary is especially unique, because in a short time, God will come from heaven to earth in a way that God has never come to earth before. A child is to be born very soon. God wants to heal this broken world through turning people’s lives and hearts to God’s will. God’s reign on earth can only come when people turn control of their lives over to God. At St. John’s we are drawing closer to God through out outreach, worship, and prayer. Please join us this Sunday for a zoom Christmas Concert. I know zoom and facebook live are not the same as being at church in the Christmas season, but we have a unique opportunity in a time of deep distress to turn again to God. Let’s make this Christmas extra special by patiently waiting for God to come into the world and into our hearts. God also waits patiently for ordinary people like you and me to be part of this incredible plan. We are simply asked to be faithful to God’s plan and either say yes or no to God’s will. My hope is that this Christmas our faithful response will be to say, “Here I am Lord, let it be according to your will.”.
In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan
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8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist in the church
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required.
8:00 am - Rite II Morning Prayer
https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live/
9:15 am – Rite II Morning Prayer with Music
https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live/
Sunday School will not meet this week. Join us on Christmas Eve at 4pm for our Family Service when we will all watch the Pageant together.
11:00 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required.
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Please join us for a ZOOM coffee hour this Sunday at 10:00 am. Grab a cup of your own coffee and a snack, share some time with your friends at St. Johns. This will be an informal remote gathering where we can enjoy each other's company. Join Zoom Coffee Hour:
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Christmas Eve
Thursday, December 24th
Join us via Zoom and Facebook Live!
4:00 pm - Family Christmas Service with Pageant
9:15 pm - Christmas Service with beautiful music by St. John's Choir and special guest musicians
Join us in the Church
Face masks, social distancing, and registration are required at all in person services.
Please understand that all in person services are subject to cancellation by order of the Bishop or Governor.
8:00 pm - Rite II Christmas Service
11:00 pm - Rite I Christmas Mass
Christmas Day
Friday, December 25th
Join us via Zoom and Facebook Live
10:00 am - Christmas Day Service with beautiful music
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Sunday, December 20th at 7:00 pm
via Zoom
& Facebook Live
Join us for our annual Christmas Concert, featuring many of St. John's talented musicians and some special guests!
We have 4 wonderful holiday baskets to raffle off at the end of the evening including 50 scratch-off lottery tickets. Purchase your raffle tickets by sending a check payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to the Parish Office, St. John's Church, 12 Prospect St, Huntington, NY 11743. Please include your best phone number. We will then fill out the tickets for you and drop them into the raffles. Raffle ticket prices are:
2 Tickets = $10
5 Tickets = $20
15 Tickets = $50
All proceed to support St. John's Music Ministry!
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Join us at 9:00 am for Morning Prayer, Monday - Friday, via Zoom:
Please follow along with Mission St. Clare
Morning Prayer will not meet on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Please join us Monday-Thursday, December 21st - 30th.
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We are studying the New Testament, referencing N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird's The New Testament in Its World.
Bible Study will not meet the week of December 27th. We will begin again on January 4th.
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All are welcome to join us for our Advent Series on "Celtic Christianity" on Tuesdays in Advent via Zoom. We will begin with Evening Prayer at 6:30 pm. The program will be from 7:00-8:00 pm.
Our final program on December 22nd will be presented by Claire Mis, Seminarian.
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HEARTS OFFERING PASSIONATE ENCOURAGEMENT
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We just received a generous donation of $1,000 from the Huntington Rotary Club to purchase essential personal care products for those who use access our local food pantry.
St. John’s has been actively providing food staples to the many food pantries within our community – especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. There continues to be a significant food insecurity need, however, many of us may not realize that individuals who receive benefits, from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cannot use those benefits for a large list of items that most of us consider essential.
Take a look at the following list and you will see that all items are essential for daily living and for overall health benefits. As you continue to drop off other essential items in the bins outside the church office on Prospect Street, please consider including the following items. Of particular need are items found in #7:
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
- Tissues
- Toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss
- Soap
- Diapers
- Tampons, pads and incontinence products
- Deodorant
- Shampoos
- Cleaning products
- Lotion, powder, sunscreen, lip balm
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Thank you so much for your generous spirit and continued support of the ministry of St. John’s. Please turn in your 2021 pledge card if you have not done so already. We are preparing our 2021 Budget, and pledges are vital of that process.
If you are financially able, please make sure your 2020 pledge is up to date
We have set up online giving. Using your credit card or a direct payment from your checking account, you will be able to make a one-time payment or set up recurring payments.
Or send a check made payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to 12 Prospect Street, Huntington, NY 11743.
To text your contribution (standard text message rates do apply):
Text SJEC1745 STEWARDSHIP $[Amount] to 73256.
Your stewardship is a commitment to sustaining St. John’s ministry today and going forward. Thank you for your continuing support!
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We have set up online giving. Using your credit card or a direct payment from your checking account, you will be able to make a one-time payment or set up recurring payments using our secure online system.
Using the below form, you can choose the types of contributions you would like to make a Plate Offering online:
Or send a check made payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to 12 Prospect Street, Huntington, NY 11743.
To text your contribution (standard text message rates do apply):
Text SJEC1745 PLATE $[Amount] to 73256.
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PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S |
We pray for all our doctors, nurses, and medical staff who put themselves at risk to care for us during this corona virus epidemic.
We pray for all our men and women serving in the armed services and all first responders who put themselves at risk every day, especially during this time. May God keep them safe and healthy, and return them home to their loved ones.
We pray for those who work for justice. May God give us all strength and wisdom to act for change when it is needed.
We pray for the sick: Kathy, Lynn, Fred, Ellen, Lucille, Frank and Theresa, Spencer and Sue, Tom and Stephanie, Peter, David, Nils, Margaret, Cheryl, Carol, CJ, George, Nichole, Roelie, Tom, Nelly, Marty, Irene and Jim, Debra and Carol, Bette, Justin, Hagai, Cassie, Bill, Amy, Kate, Fr. John, Amelia, Gladys, Christian, Jane, Diane, Robert Boise, Simon, May, Johanne, Katherine, Martha, Kathy and Harry, Susan, Ursula, Tyler, Allison, Al, Karen
The Perpetual Light is given this week in loving memory of Charles Butler by his family.
The Perpetual Light is given this week in loving memory of Edward Anderson by his family.
The Perpetual Light is given this week in loving memory of Bertha Lasek by David and Nelly Lasek.
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ALTAR FLOWERS & PERPETUAL LIGHT |
If you would like to remember a loved one or give thanks for an imporant event with altar flowers or Perpetual Light, Please complete an Altar Flower Form and return it to the Parish Office with your check made payable to "St. John's Altar Guild."
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St. John's Episcopal Church
12 Prospect Street
Huntington, New York 11743
(631) 427-1752
STAY CONNECTED
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