NOTICE: St. Paul's website is currently not accessible, and our staff email is experiencing inconsistencies in being able to send or receive messages. We are working with our IT provider to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, you may notice that some of the links take you to a different website: https://stpaulsindy.squarespace.com. This is a carbon copy of our site and safe to use. Our phones are functioning properly; feel free to call staff if you need assistance.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Dear Friends,
If you use an Advent calendar starting on December 1, the length of the season will be the same each year, 24 days. If you follow the liturgical calendar, the number of days of Advent will vary from year to year. For example, this year Advent lasts 28 days, the most days possible for the season. Next year, Advent will last only 22 days, the shortest it can be.
The only invariable number in Advent is four, the four Sundays of Advent. When December 25 falls on a Sunday, as it does this year, we get four full weeks. When December 24 falls on a Sunday, as it will next year, Advent is only three weeks plus one day.
This may be nothing more than an answer to a trivia question for you. Whatever the number of days of Advent, December is just as full this year as it was last year as it will be next year. But psychologically, this Advent feels long for me. During this third week of Advent, I find myself waiting for Christmas as if it’s never going to get here. With a full week between the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Day the pace of church life feels almost calm. This may have something to do with the fact that my children are adults and live far from home!
Advent may be the only season of the church year in which waiting is paramount. Even Lent, the most analogous season, is more about preparing for Easter than waiting for it. Yes, of course, there is lots of preparation going on during Advent. But at the heart of the season, we wait, and not simply for the birth of a child. We wait for the birth of eternity, for the moment when God’s time and our time intersect, when divinity breaks forth from the womb.
In The Shaking of the Foundations, theologian Paul Tillich writes, “Our time is a time of waiting; waiting is its special destiny. And every time is a time of waiting, waiting for the breaking in of eternity. All time runs forward. All time, both history and in personal life, is expectation. Time itself is waiting, waiting not for another time, but for that which is eternal.”
If we accept Tillich’s premise, waiting in Advent becomes a microcosm of waiting in life. These days in December remind us that “every time is a time of waiting.” Waiting in Advent teaches us to practice patience, to make time to breathe, to accept occasional boredom as a gift, to find joy in our hope for the promise yet to be fulfilled. Advent invites us to wait expectantly for the birth of eternity, so we will be ready to receive the Christ who comes, not only in December but every day of the year.
As the French theologian Jean Danielou writes in The Advent of Salvation, “Since the coming of Christ goes on forever — Christ is always the one who is to come in the world and in the church — there is always an Advent going on.”
Your Friend in Christ,
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UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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GREENING OF THE CHURCH
Sunday, December 18, 10:15 a.m.
All are welcome to stay after the 9 a.m. worship service and help us decorate St. Paul's for Christmas! Light refreshments will be provided. Please note that, due to the Greening, there is no 11:15 a.m. service on Sunday.
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CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
Sunday, December 18, 4 p.m.
Sign up below if your child would like to participate in this year's Pageant where children act out the story of Christmas. All ages are welcome and encouraged to be in this service that includes carols and prayers. Walk-on roles are available as well and visiting friends and grandchildren are invited also! All children are welcome to watch or participate as they wish. Questions, email Laurie Pierce.
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'TIS THE SEASONG FOR GIVING
The seasons of Advent and Christmastide are traditionally times of thanksgiving and remembrance, and we give gifts to celebrate our lives in relationship with others. It is also a perfect time to reflect on the importance of St. Paul’s in our lives and support the mission and ministries that continue to make Christ known in our world, not just on Christmas Day, but throughout the year. There are only a few days left in the calendar year, but your gifts today provide for our ministry tomorrow and beyond. Won’t you please consider making a special gift this season to ensure our ability to live more fully into our call to be a church transforming the world around us? Giving is easy:
- Text MYGIFT to 97000
- Give with cash/checks
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Make your gift online here
- Automatic debit
- Online banking
- Stock
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Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from an IRA (details here)
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CHRISTMAS EVE & DAY SERVICES
All are invited to join us in joyful celebration for one or all of the following Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services:
Saturday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Services
Family Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist: 3 p.m.
Festival of Lessons & Carols: 5 p.m. (prelude begins at 4:30 p.m.)*
Festival Holy Eucharist: 11 p.m. (prelude begins at 10:30 p.m.)*
Sunday, December 25 - Christmas Day Service
Holy Eucharist with Carols: 10 a.m.
*These services will also be available to watch via livestream on Facebook or YouTube. Details below:
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RECTOR'S FORUM
Sunday, January 8, 10:15-11 a.m., Parish Hall
Join the Rev. John Denson, D.Min. as he looks backward to 2021 and forward to 2023. John will share data on membership and attendance in the Episcopal Church, looking at trends over the past few years. He will also look ahead to what you can expect at St. Paul’s in the new year. Please note: there will be no adult formation on Sundays, December 18, 25 or January 1.
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CHORAL MATTINS AND EPIPHANY LESSONS & CAROLS
Sunday, January 8, 11:15 a.m. (Mattins) and 4 p.m. (Lessons & Carols)
Choral Mattins
St. Paul's Choir sings the music of Richard Webster, Charles V. Stanford, William Walton and H.C. Stewart.
Epiphany Lessons & Carols
St. Paul's Choir sings a reflective service of scripture and song. Featuring music by Dieterich Buxtehude, Bruce Neswick, Mack Wilberg, Kenneth Leighton and Gustav Holst.
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SUPPORT OTHERS AT CHRISTMAS
Outreach Committee members will be in Burrows Commons on Sunday, December 18 (before and after the 9 a.m. service) to answer questions and accept donations for:
Christmas Sponsors through Damien Center:
Damien Center's Holiday Assistance Program provides annual gifts to clients of local AIDS service organizations through generous community partners. Over 200 applications have been received and there is an urgent need for individual and family sponsors this Christmas. Sponsor funds will purchase three to four gifts for each household member based on wish lists provided by those in need. Questions, contact contact John David Patrick.
Christmas Families Project:
Outreach is sponsoring kindergarten children from School #43, and their siblings, who are in need. Parents of 70 children will be provided with a $100 Target gift voucher to help with Christmas. Please help us reach our goal by donating. Online donations may be made below.
Alternative Gift Market:
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ST. PAUL'S APPAREL
Order now and pick up on Sundays or during Church Office hours
T-shirts and 1/4 zip pullovers with our St. Paul's logo are available in several color/size options; items may be picked up at St. Paul's. Visit here to see apparel and order online now, or fill out an order form at St. Paul's on Sunday.
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JANUARY OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEWCOMERS
Sundays, January 8 & 15, 10:20 a.m.
January 8
Are you new to St. Paul’s, perhaps feeling a bit overwhelmed, not knowing where things are? Maybe you are not new but have no idea of all the places and spaces that we call St. Paul’s. Whatever is your experience, you are invited to join the Rev. Jeffrey Bower for a guided tour. All will meet in the nave/sanctuary after the 9 a.m. service.
January 15
The Rev. Jeffrey Bower will provide an instructed eucharist for those who are new to the Episcopal Church or to St. Paul’s, and would like to know why the eucharist (Holy Communion) is central to our sacramental faith and our tradition. We'll walk through our weekly liturgy together. All will meet in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, to the left of the nave/sanctuary as you face the altar.
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LUNCH & LEARN
Wednesday, January 11, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Parish Hall
Join Parishioner Sally Flint for an introduction to Native American flute. Sally has been enchanted by the Native American flute's peaceful and soulful sound since childhood when she attended powwows in Wisconsin each summer. Spending time at the Milwaukee County Museum, she was further intrigued by splendid examples of old Native flutes. Sally hopes to tell the story she learned about the creation of the first flute and how — through dreams and prayers during a dark time of her life — the flute became part of her ministry and spiritual path. Some examples of different Native American flutes will be shared with a chance to hear them. Sally aims to teach that the Native flute's simplicity, modesty and power truly make it an instrument accessible to anyone for prayer, healing and meditation. The cost of lunch is $5. Please RSVP to Tana Hunnicutt by Friday, January 6.
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CRAINE HOUSE FUNDRAISER - Save the date!
All are invited to join for a fun-filled evening of great prizes and raffles to support the programs and services of Craine House. Details to follow.
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