November 30, 2023 | VOLUME 35, ISSUE 45

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First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2023

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 64:1-9

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Mark 13:24-37

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18



Preacher: The Reverend Jennifer Wagner Pavia

Saturday, December 2, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: JoyCatchers event to decorate Christmas trees for veterans in Parish Hall

Sunday, December 3, 10:00 AM: Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols with St. Bede's Choir & Soloists in Sanctuary and Advent Wreath Making afterwards

Friday, December 8, 6:00 PM: Sisters of Bede Christmas Party at Mohler residence

Saturday, December 16, 3:00 PM: SoB Venue: A Very Merry Vegan Christmas at Murray residence

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Midweek Eucharist

Wednesdays | 7:00 PM

Sanctuary

Adult Forum: Advent

Wednesdays | 7:45 PM

Luther Hall & Zoom

As explained by J. Ted Blakely, M.Div., Ph.D., "The first season of the Christian year is the season of Advent, which is a season of eager anticipation and expectant waiting. The word advent derives from the Latin adventus, which means coming. Thus, during the four Sundays of Advent, we--both individually and as the worshipping Christian community--are preparing ourselves for the coming of God in Jesus, the Christ (that is, the Messiah).

"While we might associate Advent primarily with Christ's first coming as God incarnate, the readings for Advent 1 concern Christ's second coming at the end of history when he will complete God's work of redemption begun during his earthly life, nothing less than the restoration of all creation. Therefore, these readings prepare us to remember and celebrate Christ's birth even, as they help us reorient our lives in the light of Christ's return."

ADVENT FESTIVAL of LESSONS & CAROLS

This coming Sunday, December 3, the Friends of Music at St. Bede's will present the Advent Festival of Lessions and Carols at the 10:00 AM service. The St. Bede's Choir will sing music of Boris Ord, Charles Wood, Ned Rorem and others. There will be no sermon at this service, so the Rev. Jon Feuss will be joining us to deliver a sermon at a later time.

ADVENT WREATH MAKING

Parishioners express their delight as they learn how to make beautiful Advent Wreaths to bring home. The top right photo shows 8 O'Clockers with Reverend Jennifer. The middle depicts the Advent Wreath Making activity for some of the 10 O'Clockers. The bottom row depicts the visible gratification of a job well done by Jim, Marilyn & James.

The Advent wreath, or Advent crown, is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western church. Advent wreaths are circular, representing God's infinite love, and are usually made of evergreen leaves, which "represent the hope of eternal life brought by Jesus Christ". Within the Advent wreath are candles that generally represent the four weeks of the Advent season as well as "the light of God coming into the world through the birth of Jesus Christ" although each of the candles can be attributed its own significance as well. The four candles of the Advent wreath specifically symbolize the Christian concepts of hope, peace, joy and love, with these candles being lit subsequently throughout each week of the Advent season. Many Advent wreaths also have a white candle in the center to symbolize the arrival of Christmastide, which is known as the "Christ candle". It is first lit on Christmas Eve, the beginning of Christmastide. (source: Wikipedia)

The Advent Wreath Making activity, as shown in the above photos, will continue this coming Sunday, December 3, after each service.

This year our annual Sisters of Bede Christmas Party will take place on Friday, December 8, starting at 6:00 PM at the Mohler residence. All who identify as women are invited. With a yummy potluck dinner, a delightful, often riotous, gift exchange (where participation is voluntary) and warm, caring fellowship, the event is always festive, elegant and a blast!!! We truly hope you will join us. You can RSVP here.

(1) Verger Kathy Fairchild at last year's JoyCatchers tree trim event. (2) Men enjoy this event as well as women. (3) Sampling of trees to be given to veterans.

The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew 25:37-40 (NRSV):

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”

If you would like to be one of God’s people who contribute to the “least of these” this year, please consider joining the JoyCatchers on:

• Saturday, December 2
• Morning Tree Trim Shift: 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
• Afternoon Tree Trim Shift: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
• Location: St. Bede’s Parish Hall
• Refreshments: Light lunch, cookies, bottled water and hot cider
• Donation: Requesting $10 to help defray costs of trees & decorations
• RSVP: Email charlaking37@hotmail to let her know you are coming & whether you will have lunch or just snacks

For the past three years this organization has gathered at St. Bede’s to sponsor a holiday tree trim, where tabletop size trees are individually decorated by volunteers. Both the trees and a substantial variety of decoration materials are supplied by the organization. The decorated trees are then given as gifts to seniors, veterans, people in hospice, adults experiencing Alzheimer’s or cancer and individuals in transitional housing, assisted living or board & care homes. As stated on the JoyCatchers website, “A JoyCatchers tree is much more than a tree. It is a means to ‘catch the joy’ of the holiday season and share it with those who may be alone, lonely, or ill during a season when much of society is in an exuberant, celebratory mode. What we make with our hands, we give with our hearts.”

Good news! There is still room for parishioners and friends to sign up and participate in this lovely and unique Christmas event. You, along with your fiends, are invited to join in the fun and taste foods traditionally featured in a Scandanavian Christmas, vegan style. If you are interested, please email Daphne Moote at moote@mac.com to let her know how many in your party will be attending.

The St. Bede's Mission Committee would like to announce its fall/holiday project--and it's all about shoes! We will be collecting new and gently-used shoes -- and cash to acquire more shoes. Our advisors at the Salvation Army, where we will donate the shoes (their Santa Monica site sponsors a monthly service day, much like Neighbors 4 Neighbors used to do), have the following asks/advice:

The greatest need is for adult shoes. (Another notable need is for long/big sizes for men.) 

The shoes can be sneakers, hiking boots, and walking shoes-- as long as they are "comfortable for everyday wear." 

We will have a box in the Narthex to collect the shoes for folks who want to shop in stores --or shop their closet.

Please stay tuned for more details! Questions? Please ask any member of the Mission Committee.

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

At Diocesan Convention in November, Canon Urla Gomes outlines the history of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union, which she served for many years as CEO – and introduces Johnny Lee, her successor.

New CEO Johnny Lee pledges to continue Episcopal credit union’s mission of economic justice, service to community

By Pat McCaughan

Johnny Lee says the best part of serving as a teller, a loan officer, accounting manager, vice president of Cal-Com Credit Union throughout his career, and now, as chief executive officer of the Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union, is helping people.

“Our credit union remains committed to the fundamental principle of ‘people helping people.’ Those who deposit their funds with us enable the credit union to provide assistance to others facing difficulties securing a loan elsewhere,” Lee said. “A significant portion of our membership is comprised of individuals from underserved communities who may have been denied personal or car loans or faced exorbitant interest rates elsewhere.”

Earlier this year, Lee joined ECFCU as part of a shared employee agreement with Cal-Com, a consortium of credit unions based in Southern California. He was introduced Nov. 11 to delegates attending the 128th annual meeting of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in Riverside, by his predecessor, Canon Urla Gomes, who retired after nearly 29 years of service.

READ MORE HERE

Bishop Taylor joins panel to choose winner of Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing

By EN Staff

Bishop John Harvey Taylor of the Diocese of Los Angeles will travel to London in December for presentation of the Michael Ramsey Prize for contemporary theological writing.

Taylor, one of a panel of six judges who will determine the prize winner, will be accompanied to England by his spouse, Canon Kathy O’Connor.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby recently announced that the three finalists for the £15,000 (about $19,000 U.S.) prize are:

The Love That Is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith by Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt

God is Not a White Man: And Other Revelations by Chine McDonald

Where is God in all the suffering? by Amy Orr-Ewing.

The nominees are described on the Ramsey Prize website as “books that explore timeless questions of love, identity and suffering.”

READ MORE HERE

The Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist is one of the popular services at Washington National Cathedral that requires advance passes. Photo: Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral cancels fees to attend some Christmas services after uproar

By David Paulsen

Washington National Cathedral, after facing a social media uproar this week for requiring a $7 “processing fee” to attend some of its Advent and Christmas services, announced on Nov. 28 that it was ending the practice and would offer reimbursements to those who already paid for advance passes.

“At the cathedral, our services are welcoming and available to everyone,” the cathedral said in a written statement posted to its website. “After hearing concerns from members of the community, we realize that a required processing fee for passes to some holiday services is a barrier to worship. That was never our intent, and we apologize.”

The intense backlash developed rapidly over the prior 24 hours, ignited by the cathedral’s Nov. 27 post to Facebook that promoted “Christmas service passes now available!”

The post made no mention of the $7 cost for some of those passes, but that detail dominated most of the more than 400 comments. The responses were overwhelmingly negative – “Unacceptable!” “Shameful!” “Disgraceful!” – though some suggested they would be open to paying a minimal charge if the cathedral identified a worthy purpose for the fee.

The Rev. Hillary Kimsey, vicar of St. Antony of Egypt Episcopal Church in Silverdale, Washington, said she was “stunned” by Washington National Cathedral’s decision. “I completely understand having people register in order to deal with physical capacity and safety issues, but to charge a fee? Even a $7 one,” Kimsey said in her comment. “I am beyond words.”

READ MORE HERE

Vermont Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown

Vermont bishop speaks out against violence after three Palestinian students wounded in shooting

By David Paulsen

Vermont Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown expressed grief after last weekend’s shooting in Burlington of three college students of Palestinian descent, and she joined other local leaders in calling for the violence to be investigated as a hate crime.

The victims, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all age 20, were shot and seriously injured while out walking Nov. 25. A 48-year-old man has been jailed and charged with attempted murder in the attack.

“I grieve the hatred that fueled this senseless violence,” MacVean-Brown said in a Nov. 28 letter to the diocese. “I grieve the fact that the lives of these young men, who are about the same age as my daughter, will never be the same again. I grieve the seemingly unstoppable epidemic of gun violence that plagues our nation.

“Most of all, I grieve to think that the parents and families of these three young men sent them from Palestine to the United States in the belief that they would be safer here than there.”

The attack on the three students follows weeks of anxiety over threats of violence against Jewish and Arab communities in the United States since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel and Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas in Gaza.

It was not immediately clear, however, whether the Israel-Hamas war had inspired the attack in Burlington. The city’s police chief told reporters this week that the gunman didn’t say anything to the students “and had merely approached them while they were walking down the street, essentially minding their own business.”



READ MORE HERE

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