Sunday, November 19, 2023

Thanksgiving Every Day

Jennifer and I pray before every meal; it’s something we’ve done since probably our second date, and definitely by our third. Our prayer is simple, “Thank you Jesus for this food, for our love for each other, and for your love for us. Amen.” But in the last few months, Archie has added a new line to the end, “And for all our blessings, and for all our blessings!” This is typically said with gusto or even shouted.

It’s not unusual for Archie to ask to say a second prayer; the other day he seemed to be speaking in tongues, each phrase punctuated by, “It’s in the BIBLE, the HOLY BIBLE!” If Archie prays again, then Rachel wants to say a prayer; when there’s a pause Jennifer and I say Amen, so we can eat food that’s still sort of warm. When I was growing up we didn’t pray before dinner; it was only when we had dinner with our grandparents that we prayed.

During my first week of seminary I went out to eat with several classmates, and when our food arrived one of them said, “The Lord be with you…” I froze. Praying in church was normal. Praying before holiday dinners was normal. Praying in public, in a restaurant? That was not normal. It felt like every eye was on us and that we had made ourselves the center of attention. But we were in a restaurant in the town right next to the seminary, in the middle of rural Tennessee; nobody noticed us. It’s so habitual now that I don’t worry about what anyone else might think; I’m not thinking about the people around me, but rather, the people sitting with me, and the food before us.

This Thanksgiving most of us will give thanks before we eat; some families may even go around the table and name something for which they are thankful. Jesus gave thanks before every meal; our word Eucharist is Greek for thanksgiving. If you don’t pray before dinner during the week, give it a try. It doesn’t have to be long or drawn out, and if you don’t have the words, the Book of Common Prayer does (page 835).

Make thanks-giving something that happens every day, wherever you are; every meal is a blessing, and it is right and good that we thank God for all our blessings, and for all our blessings.

—Fr. Jason

Fr. Jason's Week in Review

November 8: Bulletin review; wrote for the e-news; pastoral phone call; did wedding planning for an upcoming service in December (off-site, friends of parishioners).

November 9: Service planning; pastoral phone calls; admin tasks.

November 10: Diocesan Convention at Riverside Convention Center.

November 11: Veterans Day; both kids sick with a cough and cold.

November 12: Sunday services, kids still sick.

November 13: Stayed home with sick kids.

November 14: Warden’s meeting; pastoral visit; caught up on emails; pastoral phone calls.

November 14: Staff meeting; worked on Sunday bulletins; prepared for vestry meeting; pastoral visit/home communion; finance meeting; vestry meeting.

November 15: Worked on Sunday bulletins; worked on budget/goals for 2024; caught up on email.

Coming Events

“Come See” Concert & Variety Show

Saturday, December 2 at 5:00 pm (Doors open at 4:30 pm)

Come support our first-ever Concert & Variety Show! We’ll have an assortment of talent joining us and showing off their skills, from silly pet tricks to musical performances! Have a talent and wish to join? Talk to Ed Hinz 310-418-8138

Art Under the Arches

Saturday, December 2, and Sunday, December 3 at 10:00 am

Help fundraise for Harbor Interfaith through art!

Advent Sunday Breakfast & Wreath Making

Sunday, December 3 at 11:15 am

All families and parishioners are invited to our annual Advent Sunday Breakfast and Wreath Making Event happening Nov 3rd, in the Parish Hall. Bring in your old metal, or foam wreaths and gently used candles to create your arrangement this year! If you don’t have any, we will have plenty of supplies for you to use.

St. Anne’s Christmas Auction

Wednesday, December 6 at 6:00 pm

Join us for our St. Anne’s annual Christmas Auction for some food, fun, and fellowship!

Christmas Eve Services

Sunday, December 24 at 10:00 am, 4:00 pm, and 9:00 pm

Christmas is almost here! Join us to celebrate Christmas Eve at our 10:00 am service, the Children’s Pageant/Story Service at 4:00 pm, and the traditional Christmas Eve service at 9:00 pm.

Christmas Day

Monday, December 25 at 9:00 am

Celebrate the birth of Jesus with us on this holy day!

Communications and Notices

Please send all notices you wish to be included in the enews or bulletins to Rev. Jason.

Nursery and Sunday School

Sunday school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will be held in the Parish Hall from 9:50 am to 10:40 am (ish ... the kids typically come in at the Peace). There is a nursery for children 6 months to 5 years old.

Contact: Kristina Pelá

Watch and Listen!

We livestream Sunday 10am worship on Facebook and YouTube. You can view past sermons or entire livestreams on our YouTube channel:

Weekly Worship

Sundays - Holy Communion

8:00 a.m. - Rite I in-person worship in the Chapel, with hymns. This service is not live-streamed.

10:00 a.m. - Rite II in-person worship in the main church with music. Live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube, and available for watching later.

Following the service we have coffee, tea (or plain, warm water), donut holes and other yummy nibbles. We also have a children's social hour in the St Francis' Garden, to the right of the church. There the kids enjoy juice, water, cookies and fruit. If you're reading this, odds are good you've been to at least one service - or someone surreptitiously gave us your email address. If you have any questions about what we do or why we do it, please don't hesitate to make an appointment with Father Jason, who loves talking about church (also Jesus, his kids and Star Wars, though not always in that order).