Dear Friends,

Tis the season... It seems I have caught a nasty "bug" that has been going around which required me to be absent from Sunday's services. I am well on my way to recovery and should be "back in the saddle" in a day or so.   I really love the Advent season and especially Advent Lessons and Carols and regret missing this moment in our Advent Journey.

As I consider consider the world in which we live there is a great deal of unrest, uncertainty and apprehension. There seems to be a constant threat of economic turmoil. There is violence and wars, tensions between nations and peoples.  There are natural, environmental calamities.  There are personal trials and struggles.  In short there is a lot of darkness and sin in this world.

Advent is a season of longing.  We should be longing for the Righteous King to return and reign and to establish His Righteous Kingdom in this world - in us and through us.  While we live our lives day by day we should keep keep hope alive for a world yet to come where pain, sorrow, sin and death, violence, hatred, malice, evil and darkness are no more.  The church and specifically Incarnation should be a place where we find relief from the struggle and hopefully a place where the light of Christ shines.  As our Advent journey moves to its final steps may we with expectation prepare our hearts to embrace the coming King Jesus, the dawn of our salvation.  I am reminded of a song that Stephanie Seefeldt did at a concert we sponsored a couple of years ago...

God of glory what a story, gracing us this day
Born in a stable, this no fable, God has come to stay

      Beating heart of Baby Jesus, miracle of grace
      God above, What glorious love,  

             to take a sinner's place

We believing now receiving,
     we watch redemptions dawn
Thank you for our Savior Jesus born on Christmas morn

You can check out Stephanie's website and download a new project CRADLE & CROSS that has this song on it... CLICK HERE  

We should look for and long for the coming Christ moment by moment.   Do we see Jesus in the day to day occurrences of life?   I hope and pray so.  

May God grant us grace in the journey and may He find us faithful in each moment...   

in the mission,

Father Jon+   

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Saint Nicholas visits Incarnation...

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Gary and Christina Jackson are looking to rent their home (very close to Canterbury)  Click here for a description  If interested please contact us @ (863) 534-3179 or (407) 810-8474.   

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 CHRISTMAS PAGEANT 
One of my favorite moments in the celebration of Christmas is the pageant and this year Lisa Hines and Heather Starr are coordinating and directing a wonderful production. They need volunteers, so here is an opportunity to get involved and help tell the amazing story of the INCARNATION!  To volunteer and assist in this effort contact Heather Starr or Lisa Hines