T H E B E N E D I C T I O N
Newsletter
of St. Benedict’s Anglican Catholic Church
O WORSHIP
THE LORD IN
THE BEAUTY OF
HOLINESS
Our parish (founded in 1979) has maintained the
Liturgy of the traditional Book of Common Prayer. Our preaching and teaching
draw on the Holy Scriptures in light of the Tradition of the Church from the
earliest days.
Advent and
Christmas 2019
From the Rector’s Desk
Advent
is the first season on the Church calendar. I ask each of you to resist the
pressures of the world. The world says that the time between Thanksgiving Day
and the Feast of St. Stephen is Christmas, and then it is all over (because the
next big money maker is Valentine’s Day – a day in which that saint and martyr
himself is forgotten, of course). But, the Church says that when Christmas Day
comes then it will be Christmas for twelve days, and until then it is Advent.
Advent is older than Christmas, as
feasts and fasts go. The real emphasis is not to prepare for Christmas, but to
prepare for the second Coming of Jesus Christ. And, so, in this penitential season, we recognize those
four inescapable last things (for each and every individual): Death, Judgment,
Heaven and Hell. Contemplating eternity and facing Christ Himself is a very
different emphasis from shopping, the pressure of arranging parties, etc.
There is nothing wrong with those
things we do, like buying presents for loved ones. There is, however, something
downright exhausting and unhealthy about how our culture goes about it. So, in this
penitential season we have extra pressures distracting us from prayer and
serious contemplation. It is that pressure I urge you to resist for your own
peace. It is time to reflect on eternity that awaits you. It is time now to
know you are fully reconciled to God and ready to see Christ Himself without
fear or dread. It is time to repent and believe, and so anticipate His coming
again with joy and hope.
When Christmas comes, we will remember
that the babe in the manger is no one less than God the Son, the Word made
flesh here to pitch His earthly tabernacle among us, and so reveal the glory of
the Father. The night of His birth is also the night that echoes the night in
which He was betrayed. The shadow of the cross falls across the joy of the
manger; for He comes to die for your sins and mine in the greatest act of love
in all history, before triumphing over death for us in His glorious
resurrection.
When Epiphany comes we will rejoice in
the fact that God’s salvation has been revealed to all nations on the face of
the whole earth. All the prophets foretold that the glory of the Lord shall
cover the whole earth.
That is a lot more exciting than
reindeers with red noses, and a lot more meaningful than shopping until one
drops from exhaustion. A holiday is a holy day. Let’s all keep it in
perspective.
And,
have a blessed and merry Christmas.
Fr. Hart
Baptisms
Since the last newsletter I have
baptized the following people here at St. Benedict’s:
Jill Michelle Sides (Sept. 8)
Sedem Fifi Kploanyi (Oct. 29)
Worlasse Kofi Kploanyi (Oct. 29)
Confirmations
On Oct. 29, Archbishop Haverland
Confirmed Paige Elizabeth Smith and Annetta Glynn Burgess.
Organ Recital and Evensong
Our organist Mr. James
Lazenby will present what has become a tradition in our parish: The Advent
Organ Recital. It will begin at 4:00 PM
on the Second Sunday in Advent (December
8). It will be followed by a
traditional Anglican Evensong, a chanted or sung Evening Prayer. It is a very
popular Anglican form of Service, and offers a rich experience.
Christmas Offering
Enclosed please see the
envelope for your Christmas Offering. This is included every year in our
budget.
Annual Meeting
Please take note: Every
member of the congregation is hereby informed that the Annual Meeting for 2020,
at which decisions are made by the voting members of the parish (those of you
who come regularly, are over eighteen, have been Confirmed, and will have
pledged to contribute financially to the parish) will be on Sunday January 26, following
a potluck luncheon immediately following the 10:00 AM service of Holy
Communion.
Food Basket
Please remember items for the Food
Basket. It goes to help people in need of food.
Schedule
for Christmas Services
Christmas
Eve
11:00 PM Holy Communion (Traditional
Midnight Mass)
Christmas
Day
Holy Communion 10:00 AM
Feast of the Epiphany Monday January 6
Holy Communion 7:00 PM
Regular
weekly schedule
Sundays
8:30 AM Morning Prayer
9:30 AM Sunday School for children
10:00 AM Holy Communion 11:40 Bible Study
Wednesdays
Holy communion 12:00 noon
Evening Prayer 6:30 PM
Saturdays
3:00PM
Holy Communion at the Stratford
Rev. Robert Hart, Rector
Mr. Michael Murray, Senior
Warden
Dr. Gordon Inbeanu, Junior
Warden
Mr. James Lazenby, Minister
of Music
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