Let me share this to begin: a few days ago, some one asked me what exactly is the proper name or title of what we do on weekends in church.   My response:  actually, we have several names or titles for what we do.  Some call what we do on Saturday at 4:30 and Sunday at 10am the Holy Eucharist.  Others call it the Liturgy, some refer to it as the Service and still others call it the Mass.  Whatever title we choose, generally speaking, it is one and the same.  To make a point...we gather as a community of faith, as a family of believers, as the body that is St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.  As we gather to celebrate, we profess our faith in song, in prayers, in the reading of the Lessons which are, again, passages from Sacred Scripture, in periods of meditation and lastly and most importantly, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Communion.   

Of course, I could get very technical and go into great detail of how our Church works.  I'll save that for another time, perhaps a workshop on just what is the Episcopal Church and how things work in this church...stay tuned.

I began all this by announcing that we have come to the end of this church year, as next week we begin the wonderful season of Advent...Latin for "arrival" or "the coming."   Advent begins the new church year and rightly so.  Advent ushers in a new year for the church just as this four-week period of time, with our Advent wreath, the purple and blue colors throughout the church brings us to realize that we are waiting for the arrival of the Messiah.  In four weeks time we will commemorate and celebrate the Birth of the Redeemer at the great feast of Christmas.  And in no time at all, we'll be entering the most holy and sacred season of Lent which precedes the greatest of all holy times of our church...Easter.  Alright, I'm getting way ahead of myself.  But, this is how quickly our church moves:  from one church season to another...from green to blue and purple, to white and gold, to blue and purple again and back to white and gold followed by, you guessed it, green again.  Just like the seasons of nature, our Church has its seasons, too.   

We have much to celebrate, much for which to rejoice and give thanks.  Let us be mindful that our Lord is always beside us, guiding and protecting us.  As we move from Sundays after Pentecost to Advent, to the Sundays after Christmas to Lent and the Easter Season...Jesus is right here...ever so close and ever so dear and near.  Christ the King...Christus Rex...Quas Primus, Christi Regis...Christus, der König...whatever the language or tradition...it all means the same...Jesus Christ is King.  On this, we can all agree.  Seasons change...but not our Lord.  And for this we give praise and thanks.       

For all our St. Nicholas community members who are under the weather and in need of healing and prayers:  may they find peace and be blessed with sound and better health: Connie Nicholson, Joanne Mangiaracina, Vernon Forde, Richard and Mary Gans, Eunice Dohra, Dick Day, Cerna Rand, Dale Rickey, Tony Begonja, Paula O' Conner, Jim Laughlin, Jackie, Chris, Cathy Walters, Ed Baehr, Carrie, June, Harry and any one else in need of our continued prayers and well wishes.