St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"

The week of Jan. 4-10, 2016
The Light of the World






The Light of the World (1851-3) is an allegorical painting by William Holman Hunt representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me".
Celebrating Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
 
We celebrate Jesus' birth in December but we acknowledge the worldwide joy at this event at Epiphany, Jan. 6, when the three wise men (or the three kings) discovered him in the stable with Mary and Joseph. Epiphany will be celebrated Sunday Jan. 10 at St. Paul's.

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This week's readings
Light of the World is a phrase Jesus used to describe himself and his disciples. The images of light are commonly used to reflect the significance of Jesus' mortal appearance. It is noteworthy that he arrived during the time of year (at least in the northern hemisphere) when the days are the shortest and the nights longest. This makes all the more significant the arrival of the Light of the World.
 
Isaiah foretold the event in chapter 60 which is read this Sunday. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." It is of course amazing that the glory of the Lord has risen, but the point is that light is risen upon us for our spiritual growth and advancement.
 
Our epistle reading, the letter to the Ephesians, contains reference to Paul's commission which took place on the road to Damascus when he was thrown from his horse, the horse being startled by a bright light depicted beautifully in our "Conversion Window" above the choir loft at St. Paul's. Paul's earlier views on Jesus were not complimentary, but his conversion changed that.
 
The three wise men witnessed an amazing light in the winter sky. "(A)head of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was." And their encounter and departure remind us how fraught the political environment was for the Holy Family and for all. 

We, too, encounter the "Light of the World" in our worship and prayer. We celebrate the Epiphany as the manifestation of Christ to the peoples of the earth.
 
 
Merry Christmas: the variety pack
For those who might not know all the languages I used for the Christmas greetings, in a recent column, here is the breakdown... (besides English!)
JoyeuxN�el!                          French

Buon Natale!                        Italian
Feliz Navidad!                      Spanish
God Jul!                                 Swedish
Glaedelig Jul!                       Danish
MeleKalikimaka!                   Hawaiian
Fr�liches Weihnachten!     German
Feliz Natal!                            Portuguese
Nollaig Shona Dhuit!          Irish/Gaelic
Did you miss anything last week?
Last week I kept having the gnawing feeling that I had forgotten something.  I could not put my finger on it until Father Tyler called me Monday morning. It happened I was at the Bronx Zoo.
Pete Bedrossian
 had not written a column for the Messenger! With the holidays and a very mixed up work schedule I had blanked and did not write anything. It was a hectic time, and probably so for many of us. (I do hope it wasn't a senior moment.)
Now I am back(more or less), but I do wonder if anyone besides Father Tyler and I noticed how sparse the Messenger was last Monday. For the record it was just the readings and the calendar.
Now here is the pitch. We need your help. One, read the Messenger. It is there for the St. Paul's family and friends. Two, be part of it too. I know I am "singing an old song" here, but there is a lot going on in the Parish, and it would be great to share it. Did your committee do something you thought was great? Is your committee planning something that we all should know about? Please don't be shy - when it comes to parish news, the more the merrier. 
--Warden Pete Bedrossian 
 
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR  
 
This is the week ahead from our bulletin calendar:
 
Jan. 4-10, 2016
 
Jan. 4              3 pm    Celebration of Life: Vicky Madrid     
                        5 pm    Stewardship Committee
Jan. 5              6 pm    Evangelism Committee
Jan. 6              EPIPHANY
                        12:15   Healing service          
Jan. 9              11 am  Girl Scouts
Jan. 10            8 am    Rite I Holy Eucharist
                        8:45     Bible study
                        9:30     Choir practice
                        10 am Rite II Holy Eucharist


YOUR NEWS BELONGS IN ST. PAUL'S  MESSENGER

Help us get the word out by submitting news of parish activities. Send submittals to [email protected] or call 845 452 8440

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