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Why the Hurry?
Not because there are only ? Shopping days until Christmas!
Not because she is late for an appointment!
Mary is not in a hurry for either of these reasons. She has just received shocking news and she has gone to her cousin Elizabeth to check it out.
When I look at the map, it seems like a very long journey for a 12-13 year old girl to make. It was several days travel. It would have been dangerous. Why did she go?
I think she went because her cousin was the only person she could talk with. She was the only person who had a similar story of divine intervention. She was probably the only person who was not predisposed to rush to judgment. The two pregnant women share their joy together and wonder with each other – what in the world is God doing? The rest of Luke’s Gospel tells that story: What God is doing through their sons, John and Jesus. That story is set in the midst of a difficult and dangerous world, not outside it. At the heart of that story is hope.
We hurry for all sorts of reasons. Some of them are important. Some seem important, but are not. And other aren’t important at all, but we still hurry. Hurry allows us to stay on the surface of things.
All of us have heard the shocking news of the brutal killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It breaks our hearts and we wonder. In our wondering we hurry. I don’t want to think about it for too long, because it is too hard to contemplate. I hurry past it because it scares me when I don’t understand, or don’t have answers. I hurry past it because it makes me wonder what God is doing when horrible things like this happen.
When I wonder, when I am scared, when I need to examine the questioning in my heart, I pray. Last week, the Rev. Rick Morely wrote prayers to lift up all our hearts to God. We used them in our worship and I invite you to use them at home. Click here to read the prayers
These prayers and this week’s Gospel remind me that hope is what I count on when I am short on answers and find myself in a hurry. Slow down and join us in worship this week as we hope together and pray for one another.
Fr. Andrew
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Luke 1:39-45(46-55)
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
To read entire scripture-click here.
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The Desert Convocation:
Building a Community of Conversation
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The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson
January 6-22, 2013
V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003. He was consecrated a Bishop on All Saints Sunday, November 2, 2003, and was invested as the Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004. A variety of activities are planned. Bp. Robinison will preach and preside. He will have an evening presentation and possibly a film screening.
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Give the Gift of Social Change
Cristosal for Christmas!
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Foundation Cristosal are hands at work in our companion diocese of El Salvador. Help us walk together with our brothers and sisters there. This Christmas, you can give a gift of social justice and social change in honor of someone you care about. The best gift of all is the gift of a better life to those who need it the most. You can give a Christmas gift of lasting impact and meaning by making a contribution to Foundation Cristosal in honor of someone special to you. Cristosal will send a beautiful electronic Christmas card to all you honor indicating that a gift to the Salvadoran people has been made in their name. To donate or for more info: www.cristosal.org/index.php/give-now.
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Help Needed – Decorating for Christmas
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Christmas is upon us! A heartfelt Thank You to all those who helped decorate the exterior of the church, the Christmas trees in the Parish Hall and the church office. The trees look beautiful! We still need your help! On Sunday, December 23rd at 1:00 PM, we will decorate the inside of the church. To volunteer, please contact Rosa Zing at 760.408.7796 or rozingg@yahoo.com.
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Ray Cross, husband of Betty Cross, passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 17th at the age of 98. Cards can be sent to Betty Cross, Wood Glen Hall, Apt. S-16, 3010 Foothill Rd., Santa Barbara, CA. 93105. Her phone contact is 805.770.2455.
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“Sundays at 9:15”
In The Library
The Hebrew Scriptures – The Book of Genesis
12/23 “Luke’s Canticles” led by David Abernethy-Deppe
12/30 NO CLASS
01/06 Gospel of Luke hosted by David Abernethy-Deppe
01/13 Gospel of Luke hosted by David Abernethy-Deppe
01/20 Gospel of Luke hosted by David Abernethy-Deppe
01/27 NO CLASS – Annual Parish Meeting
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“Tuesdays at 7”
In the Library
Faith & Reason Series: Anselm and Abelard, hosted by Jerry Di Noto & Craig Ewing
12/30 NO CLASS
01/01 NO CLASS
01/08 Anselm’s Proof that God Exists: “I think, therefore God is”
01/15 Anselm on Freedom and the Fall: When Lucifer fell, was he
pushed?
01/22 Abelard on Understanding the Trinity: Hints from Heloise’s Lover
01/29 Abelard on Understanding Redemption: “There, but for the
Grace of …”
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Diocesan Executive Council is Planning Ahead
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The diocesan executive council has endorsed the findings of our recent feasibility study and voted to move ahead with initial planning for an eventual capital campaign to provide mentorships for new clergy, to fund congregational loans and grants and to renovate the Episcopal Church Center. This is an exciting and challenging time for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, but many hands make light work. We want everyone to feel involved and have the opportunity to participate. So when someone asks you to help out, please say yes.
To learn more about the campaign initiatives, visit the diocesan website: www.edsd.org/feasibility and watch this space for future updates.
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“A Welcoming, Empowering, Supportive”
Ministry!
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Our mission statement calls us to be “a welcoming, empowering and supportive community.” We are currently forming a new ministry at St Pau’s to support that mission. Volunteers are needed from all three services to donate approximately 90 minutes of their time per month. That time is split into 3-30 minute segments: 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the service you attend, once per month, to support the Welcoming Table located in the Narthex and another 30 minutes a month assisting with name badge organization. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact Mike Funke at 760.-409.0986 or mike.funke@yahoo.com!
Help us live our mission statement!
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Roy’s Desert Resource Center & SOS
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Christmas for the Homeless.
St. Paul in the Desert is planning a repeat of the very successful Christmas in-gathering we had for the men, women, and children at Roy’s Desert Resource Center last year. Our parishioners made Christmas so much merrier for those less fortunate through their donations to Roy’s SOS Fund. We were able to provide $25 gift certificates for most of the homeless at Roy’s, and the staff facilitated their use.
YOU can be a part of this Christmastide happiness for the homeless by donating to our Roy’s SOS Fund. Make your check out to St. Paul’s and designate it for “SOS Christmas.” For more information about this program, call Hap at 760.323.5726.
Please call Hap Blaisdell at 760.323.5726 for additional information and ideas. SOS is the ministry of St. Paul’s at Roy’s.
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Christmas Worship Schedule
December 24
Carols – 5:45 PM
Family Service – 6:00 PM
Carols – 10:45 PM
Midnight Mass – 11:00 PM
Christmas Day
Holy Communion
with Carols – 10:30 AM
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Emergency Update:
Hurricane Sandy
Episcopal Relief and Development is helping to meet the need.
Your help is urgently needed.
Click here to donate.
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Holy Communion Service for
Local Care Facilities
Holy Communion will be hosted by the Nursing Home Ministry on the second Wednesday of each month at Windsor Court. The next service will be January 9 at 10:15 am. Father Dick Merrill will preside and welcomes assistance from parishioners.
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Come to Convention!
All people of the Diocese of San Diego are invited to attend the 39th Annual Diocesan Convention on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 at St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert. Especially appropriate for all members is the Friday evening gala dinner at the Hyatt Regency featuring Reggie McNeal as our keynote speaker. Another highlight open to all is the festive Eucharist, featuring a diocesan-wide choir, on Saturday morning and the bishop’s address on Saturday afternoon. For information or to register, please visit: www.edsd.org/diocon2013.
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Volunteers Needed for Diocesan Convention Registration
February 8th from 5-6:30
8 Volunteers are needed to register guests for the Convention Banquet.
The Banquet will be held at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells.
The volunteers will assist the Diocesan Staff in registering guests.
The cost of the dinner is $55.00 and the diocese is not able to offer complementary dinners for the volunteers.
Contact Susan Jacob at 760-320-7488 x 227 or susan.jacob@stpaulsps.org to volunteer.
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Daughters of the King
The meeting schedule skips December, but we wish everyone in the parish a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year. We’ll continue to pray daily during the holidays. Save the date of January 29th for our next meeting. The Annual Tea and Ingathering will happen in February this year. New members are welcome to join our prayer order. Call Bonnie Stroock at 760.324.7949 for more information.
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Coffee Hour Celebration
Coffee Hour hosts after the 8 AM service are Jerry DiNoto & Ron Thomas.
Coffee Hour hosts are still needed for future Sundays. To sign up to host a Coffee Hour, please use the binder on the entrance table in the Parish Hall. If you have questions, please call Ray or Cheryl Kelley at 760.778.1725.
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Prayer Shawl Ministry
. . . meets every Wednesday from 10 am – 1 pm in the Parish Hall. This peace-filled stitching circle gives members fulfillment and spiritual sustenance in creating prayer shawls to comfort those in need of prayer. For more details contact Valerie Ferguson at 760.799.5927, Barbara Hawkins Villani at 760.322.3987, or Audrey Spencermorris at 760.835.5506.
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Sign Up for Flowers,
Coffee Hour and
Roy’s SOS
To make is easier for parishioners to sign-up for Flowers, Coffee Hours, and the Desert SOS Dessert Ministry, the sign-up sheets are in binders that are on the entrance table in the Parish Hall. The 2012 binders are filling fast, so if you have a special date that you want to commemorate, be sure to sign up early.
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The 2013 Budget has been revised. Please read and reflect upon it.
Your Input Welcome
Your Vestry would like your input on the 2013 Budget. The Draft Budget is being evaluated and a copy is available here. Share your comments here.
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Report Sexual Misconduct.
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe haven for everyone, please remember that our diocese values the tenet of our baptismal covenant to “respect the dignity of every human being.” Part of the way we live into that is to train people in the prevention of sexual misconduct and to encourage all to report any misconduct. All reported incidents are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced sexual misconduct of any kind, please contact the Rev. Canon Suzann V. Holding immediately: sholding@edsd.org
or 619-481-5452.
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Bullies Not Welcome Here
At St. Paul in the Desert we want to welcome all worshipers to a place that is free of violence and bullying.
Physical, verbal or emotional violence against others or against oneself is not acceptable.
“It Gets Better” is a series of video messages to encourage Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender youth and let them know that they are loved as they are.
“A Blessing for Those Who Are Bullied” was written by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, a Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
It is not enough to say “NO” to bullies. It is important to stand up for people and to provide resources for those who have been the targets.
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