The light of the season.
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Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
Happy new year to you all! I pray this holiday season has brought you renewed faith, strength, comfort and joy that will fuel you in the weeks and months ahead. Now that the rush of Christmas is over, the presents have all been unwrapped, the toys have been assembled, we've made decisions about travel and family...now that the rush is over, there are a few more days of Christmas. While we will celebrate Epiphany tomorrow in our worship, the feast itself doesn't actually occur until the 6th. Which means there are still a few days left to the season of Christmas. There are a few more days for you to revel in the light and the hope of this season...not that God's light ever leaves us - it doesn't. And there is (and should be) something special about the way we look for God's light in this season when we give thanks for the Incarnation, God with us.
I am especially thankful for everyone who participated in and helped to make our Christmas Eve celebrations so special. Each member of our staff participated fully and faithfully. Scott and our beloved Choir created festive, wonderful music to aid in our worship, to make our hearts glad and help us sing along. Among many other things, Sam offered a wonderful message for our kids and youth at the end of the main service. Nancy and Matt worked hard behind the scenes on bulletins, editing, and communication. The engineering and logistics behind all of this, to create the worship you participated in at 5pm on Christmas Eve, for lectors, choir members, and staff alike was tremendous. Max and Sandy helped to beautify our space so that you would see the sanctuary look like Christmas. And we had Don with us for both services as well (and he adds a special Christmas moment tomorrow during worship). Speaking of both services - just a little less than 200 people received communion at our late service. And I heard from many of you that the sacred moment we created together was the highlight of your Christmas season. It was for me, too. Holy and deeply meaningful. A gift to share with you. Thank you to all of you who participated and helped to make our celebrations so festive and full.
Thanks also to our lay leaders and volunteers. We needed to rely on lectors and intercessors; asking them to record early and to prepare things in advance. I rely so much on Sharon Pearson all year round to coordinate, schedule, and train our lectors (and acolytes along with John!) - but especially around our holy days. In coronatide, this has certainly continued to be true. This year, things were more complicated than they might normally have been, and I also had special help from Betsy Pettit and Jen Angerame, making sure that the altar was prepared and the space was lovely. Our Christmas flowers were arranged by Kacky Theoharides. And we were joined by local instrumentalists. And still there were more hands, more thoughts, more prayers, more moving parts behind the scenes. So thank you to everyone who lended a voice, an ear, a prayer, a lesson, a hand. Thank you for coming to worship virtually, even though it's different. Thank you for engaging in the comments on Facebook. Thank you for picking up communion kits and offering your reverence to those holy gifts of bread and wine. Thank you, thank you.
I am filled with gratitude for each one of you and for all the ways you continue to be a meaningful part of our life together at St. Matt's. Know that you helped me to see the light of this season in the ways you participated, served, gave, and loved God and each other. You help to reflect the light of Christ, which is the light of the season. May you see this light and continue to share this light all year long.
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
Tags: Welcome from the Rector