Upcoming Events

Dec. 14 - 20

Hypothermia Shelter at St. Pat's

Sunday, Dec. 21:

Service of Light in the Darkness at 4:00 PM

Greening of the Church after 10:30 service.

 Wednesday, Dec. 24

Christmas Eve Service

Music at 7:00 PM

Service at 7:30 PM

 Saturday, Dec. 27:

Feed the Homeless

10:30 AM

Birthdays

November

1   Bennett Miller

4    Brian Dubas

7    William Herbert

9    Colby Leonard

10    Tom Auld

12    Nhung Dang

18    Nam-Tran Mai

24    Thomas H. Wetrich

25   Kiet Samuel Tran

December

 4    Irene Graham

 5    Jennifer Moya

 6    Jean Pierre Chanu

10    Winnie Lebo

11    Graham Parvinkarimi

14    Lois Cascella

15    Laurie Los

15    Moi Phan

24    Jane Chapman

25    Amelia Nicholson

28    Paul Los

30    Patricia Phan

31    Trang Diep

31    Chon Kim Huynh

Our Prayer List

We remember in our prayer:

Cathy Anderson, Dee Bailey, Mary Anne Bogie, Rachel Burgess, Jane Chapman, Marie Cosimano, Tim Clary, Dorothy Connelly, John Davis, Michael Dickinson,  Loretta Dougherty, Luis Garay, Pat Gardner, Carolyn Gawarecki, Louise Gibney, Jean Graham, Katherine Hafele, Margaret Ellis Harris, Alek Hensley, Leslie Hogan, Cindy Hogman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael Horn, Lindsay Johns, Jamie Kaplon, Iona Kiger, Quinn Kimball, Alice King, Jeff King, Michael Knowles, Ashleigh Kohlitz, Peter Kosutic, Susan Lawrence,  Thai Lee, Bruce Lineker, Sharon Lineker, Felicia Mitchell, Evelyn Morgan, Danielle Morgan, Que Nguyen, Chick Nixon, Mary Esther Obremskey, Olive Oliver, Jim Owens, Gary Owens, Valerie Parkhouse,William Ross, Fern Shuck, Irene Skowron, Josh Smithers, Inez Stanton, Candi Stewart, Patrick Stefl, Kara Stryker, Walter Sushko, George Thomas, Elizabeth Trigg, Tammy Vanphung, Michael Weekes, Warren Weinstein, The Westfall Family, Meredith Wiech, Bernard Williams, Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, Rudy Zimpel, Dena.

               ____ 

Note: If you have a loved one or friend who needs prayer please call the church and leave a message at 703-532-5656, or write to Winnie Lebo at

thelebos@verizon.net  or call her at 703-536-2075.  Also, should a name need be removed from the list, please let Winnie know promptly, and give the reason.  

Saint Patrick's Ministers 

The Ministers of Saint Patrick's Church are the People of this Parish

supported by

The Rev. Marian Humphrey, Interim Rector

We serve our Lord as part of the Diocese of Virginia

led by

our chief pastors

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff

Bishop Suffragan 

and  

The Rt. Rev. Ted Gulick,

Assistant Bishop 

The Vision of St. Patrick's

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church is a community of care, called to be Christ-centered and multicultural in worship, Christian education and action to proclaim  Christ's love to the world.

St. Patrick's Organized for Missions and Ministry 

SAINT PATRICK'S ORGANIZED

FOR MISSIONS AND MINISTRY

Other members of the Vestry:   Elisabeth Nguyen, Milton Thomas, Victoria Kennedy, Ann Nelson. 

GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES

The Propers 

Given by The Rev. Marian Humphrey  

December 14, 2014

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me and has sent me to bring good news"

Today is traditionally referred to as Gaudete Sunday which means, "Rejoice" in Latin. We rejoice this morning because Jesus is coming into our world once again. Our Scripture readings reinforce the theme that the time for our salvation draws near. The temporal and the cosmic (eternal) meet in the person of Jesus Christ. A downtrodden humanity that has lived in the shadow of death is about to see a great Light coming into the world. That is a cause for a celebration that rings through the core of creation itself.

The context for the words of the prophet Isaiah we heard today comes from the aftermath of exile and the historically modest beginning of Israel's restoration in the land. The prophet is addressing those who have returned from their long captivity in Babylon who have returned to their homeland only to find it in ruin and the people who remained behind in desolation.

It is to them that the prophet speaks. Isaiah is the messenger who "proclaims Good News for the victimized, the imprisoned, and the despairing (literally the 'the brokenhearted'). His message is one of liberty and release.[1] Israel is released from the suffering and humiliation that characterized the nation during their oppression at the hands of the Babylonians.

All the nations will see the vindication of Israel. They will see what the Lord God has done for them. Israel's renewed status as the beloved people of Yahweh will speak loudly of God's grace that comes to cover the earth.

Isaiah speaks of a time of "favor from the Lord" which is a time known as a Jubilee year. In the Jubilee year, the land is returned to the original owners of the farms that had been taken in ransom, and all slaves are set free. All debts are forgiven! Imagine your mortgage being canceled resulting in no more payments owed! What a time of rejoicing!

Jesus the Word made flesh, the Incarnate Word of the Father, embodies these words of Isaiah in Himself. Jesus the Anointed One is coming anew at Christmas. Jesus proclaimed the good news of love and freed the prisoners of fear and despair from their isolation. He healed the sick and the brokenhearted from a life of feeling battered by events and circumstances. And now that work has been entrusted to you and me.

John the Baptizer appears in our Gospel today as witness to the light that is coming into the world. John told his inquisitors that he was not the light of the world. He told them, "I am not the Messiah". He is baptizing others in the Jordan River so that they will be ready to recognize the One who is the Light of God and He who will dispel the darkness of the world with His Light. John recognized his role as the witness to Jesus "the One who is coming into the world". A witness is an important person in any dispute. It is the veracity of their word that can make the difference in the outcome of a decision.

John was able to accomplish his mission to testify to Jesus because he was "a man sent by God." Through his relationship with God, John realized his vocation was to call people to repentance and to witness to the arrival of Jesus.

It is the same for you and me. The Spirit of God has already been poured out upon us in Pentecost. It is our mission to bear witness by our words and our deeds to the saving words and love of Christ for all creation and for all people.

Our task as disciples is to give witness to the presence of Christ in the world by the way we live our lives. We are not Jesus but rather we testify to His love and mercy and grace present in the here and now. Our lives must testify to the light of Christ by the way we respond to the hungry, and the sick, and the homeless in our midst.

We cannot remain comfortable in our lives assuming we already know God but rather continually allow Christ's grace to transform us into the persons He has called us to be. Author Flannery O'Connor wrote, "All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and change is painful."[2] Our vocation is to become more like Jesus who gave Himself to others completely.

Jesus comes to us as one of us. In Him, God knows the pain of addictions, the loneliness of losing a spouse of many years, and the heartache of losing a child. There is nothing of our human life unknown to our God. God with us, Emmanuel, assures us that whatever we do for others we are doing for Him. What more do we need? What are we waiting for? The time grows near!

May God be praised. AMEN!