December 2, 2012

Good morning and welcome to St. Mary’s Church

“St. Mary’s Craft Fair, Dec 8th & 9th” Mark your calendars! Take a flyer at the back of the Church! Bring a friend! And sign up to help!.

Christmas Schedule; December 23, Advent IV at our 10am service                                                                         of lessons and carols, 8am service as usual.

December 24, Christmas Eve at 7pm, Festival Service                                                                       with Carols and special music,

December 30, Christmas I at 10am Eucharist                                                                          with a Kwanza celebration.

In recent years St. Mary’s  has had a Blue Christmas Service; If you have any interest in continuing this service please let Fr. Tom know!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              IN THE BEGINNING, Fr. Tom will be hosting a three part Advent Bible study at his home, 2186 Fifth Ave. (135th St.), Apt#7D. On three Wednesday nights in Advent.   The evening will begin at 7:30PM with supper (please bring soft drinks, and desserts. Main course, salad and wine all supplied by Fr. Tom) and at 8:15pm we will begin a study of the three Gospels which deal with the Incarnation, -The birth of Jesus. Please let Fr. Tom know if you are interested in attending one or all three of these meetings!

Wednesday December 5, The Gospel of Luke Chapter 1-2; Wednesday                       December19, The Gospel of John Chapter 1

Spirit and Strife Peer Trauma Support Group. If you are a trauma survivor, please join St. Mary’s in a new ministry to co-create a safe, loving, faith-inspired space in which to develop strategies for resilience and recovery. Meeting date is Wednesday Nov.28 and every other Wednesday after that. See Lysander Puccio for more information.

Bulletin announcements: If you need an announcement listed in the bulletin for the next Sunday, email Ms. Gwen by 5: pm at allowances1@gmail.comon Wednesdays.

Father Tom’s days off are Monday and Tuesday, he is available those days by phone in cases of emergencies only… Thank you for your co-operation!

Commentary on the Readings by Arthur Cash

First Reading: Jeremiah 33: 14 – 16

Today we begin the third year of the three-year cycle of readings. These readings are the outcome of an ecumenical movement to drew together various sects in the US and Canada. The resulting schedule is now followed by many Roman Catholic parishes, the entire world-wide Anglican Communion, and numerous other sects.

 Today’s Old Testament lesson: Disaster awaits Jerusalem.

The Babylonians and their allies the Chaldeans have taken the northern nation of Judah and are now marching toward Jerusalem. Jeremiah begins to prophesy. Jerusalem will fall, he tells the people, for God is now punishing the Israelites for their wickedness; but eventually, guided by some descendant of David, Jerusalem will rise again. The city did fall, and its walls and Temple were destroyed. Yet half a century later they emerged from captivity with a Bible, a holy book, which they called the Torah (meaning law), the first five books of the Bible we know. The Torah not only laid the groundwork for a unified Judaism, but served as a political constitution for the new state they formed, called Judea.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3: 9 – 13

The first letter to the Thessalonians is generally regarded as the earliest written of Paul’s letters and, consequently, the earliest-written piece in the New Testament. The Christian congregation has not been established very long, but is proving itself strong in faith.