A Message from the Rector 

In his wonderful poem, "The Journey of the Magi," T.S. Eliot's narrator reflects back upon the experience of finding the child in the place where the star led him. He writes:

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

One of the great mysteries of our faith and of life itself is that birth and death are not as different as we might initially think. Or perhaps, more accurately, at some point it begins to dawn on us that life is not a straight-line that begins at the moment of birth and ends with our last breath. As the Prayerbook says, "in the midst of life we are in death..." (BCP 492) In the circle of life, birth is a transition toward death, and death is a transition toward new birth. Each of us is on our own journey to Christ and the path is rarely "as the crow flies." Usually it takes us on a far more labyrinthian route.

But like the magi, we also journey together as a faith community. The magi, after all, did not travel alone. Like them, each of us bear gifts as we set out to find the Christ-child. The Scriptures don't tell us how many there were, just that they brought three gifts (So tradition assumes there were three.) Two or three or more, they (and we) gather together in Christ's name and where that happens, God is with us. That is the gift and promise of Christmas.

This great season of Epiphany-of insight and light and new possibilities-is upon us. On the first Sunday after Epiphany (the weekend of January 7 and 8) we will remember the Baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan River, and celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Baptism at 10 a.m. and renew our own Baptismal Covenant at all three liturgies. As always, this season gives us a chance to reflect on our journey as Christ's people at the corner of Phillips Road and Highland Street.

As you will read elsewhere in this news, we will have our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 22 after the 10 a.m. service. It provides us with a chance to reflect on where God has led us this past year and to dream with God on where we are being led next. That agenda will include a report from some of those who most recently travelled to El Salvador. Four groups of pilgrims-twenty-one persons in all-have now travelled there with Fundacion Cristosal. Among other things, they will update us on what has been happening there, and to them, as they have set out on this journey.

And so the journey continues, always with the promise of God's presence-in birth, in death, in the new life that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Blessings and peace in a New Year of Grace,

Rich

Worship on New Year's Eve and Day

This year, New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday and New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. We will celebrate all three services at their normal times: Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at both 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. The focus of these liturgies will be  The Feast of the Holy Name. According to Luke's Gospel, on the eighth day, Jesus' parents took him to be circumcised and he was given the name, Jesus. (See Luke 2:21)

In the midst of the holidays, we end 2011 and begin a new year of grace by breaking the bread, and saying our prayers. Please join us! 

Open Budget Meeting

"Awakenings"

A Quiet Day offered by St. Matthew's Church in Worcester

Saturday, January 7, 2012

9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Led by The Rev. Janice Schuyler

A light lunch will be served

Please register by calling Charlotte at 508-756-1704 or email charleysag@aol.com

Prayer Shawl Ministry

 This group sends our good wishes for a very happy holiday season to you all. Our meetings will start up again in January.

PS4FS (Prayer Shawls for Fallen Soldiers)

We've heard from Dover this week and they have requested more Shawls. Please continue to pray that all our service men and women will be kept safe, that their work will be of peacemaking and that they will be brought home soon.

Hats for Troops

The good news. Some troops will be home for this holiday season. BUT many are being sent on to Kuwait or elsewhere. Their mail has been stopped as of November 17th. The Chaplain does not have a forwarding address at this time. Several Congressman and Senators offices have been in touch with us asking if we had heard of any changes.

If anyone has a new address please let me know ASAP. This is a really big issue - the fact that they are basically cut off. So they will not receive any Christmas mail OR phone cards in order that they may phone home. We need to show our service people that we care and that they are not alone.  Thank you.

May you all share joy and wonder and have a healthy happy New Year

Beryl Turner 

 2012 Educational Grants

Bement-Waterfield Educational Grants help young people who are active in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts to pursue their educational goals after secondary school.

Grants may be used at accredited training and technical institutions as well as for undergraduate study at 2 and 4 year accredited colleges. The deadline for completed applications is February 15, 2012.

Click here to obtain the necessary application forms.

Monthly Lectionary