Angelus
The Christ Church Bordentown Weekly Newsletter
www.ccbtown.com - 609.298.2348 - Fr. Matt (pastoral emergencies) 732.859.5823
Prayer for Christ Church
In This Issue
Christmas Letter
Lessons & Carols
Adult Ed
Blue Christmas
Pageant
Christmas Mass Schedule
UTO
Thirsty Thursdays
Upcoming Events
The Propers
Serving This Week
Quote of the Week
Church Schedule
This Week in Church History
Saint of the Week
Parish Prayer List
Sermon Blog
Posting in the Angelus
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Advent Feria
December 10, 2015

Christmas Letter
 
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."   Isaiah 9:2
 
As I am writing this, the world is in turmoil. ISIS has much of the world in a grip of terror; our own nation is working through longstanding issues surrounding race, gender, and the manner in which we treat refugees; and to top it off, this morning Turkey shot a Russian warplane out of the sky. The recent attacks in Paris captured our hearts and days of the resulting news cycle, all the while forcing us to contemplate what it means that other large-scale attacks in Beirut, Kano, and Yusufiyah, captured neither. It's enough to make you wonder where God is in all of this, if He cares anymore, if He is bothering even to watch it all unfold.
 
One wonders if those questions are common to mankind throughout the world's tumultuous history. Two-thousand years ago, the Jews of Roman Palestine most likely wondered where God was in their turmoil. With Roman occupation came corruption, widespread distrust and fear, and the general malaise that infects a conquered people. As Kurt Willems wrote in The Pangea Blog, "Augustus, who was hailed as the bringer of Pax Romana, ironically sustained the so-called peace of Rome through instilling fear within the conquered territories. In other words, the peace that Rome claimed was actually from "military exhaustion rather than virtue," and one Roman cynic did put into the mouth of a conquered foe, a century later, the accusation that the Romans "created a wilderness and labeled it 'peace.'"
 
Even if the faithful did wonder where God was in that wilderness, they didn't cease to cry out to Him - they never stopped looking for a savior. In the fullness of time, God did enter that wilderness, not just in the shouts of the prophets or the whispers of angels, but God Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ.
 
God didn't just watch and care for us from afar; He chose to be with us in our turmoil, to enter into a world divided and enslaved by sin, to live and die as one of us. After His death and resurrection, Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of time, and He has not broken His promise. Jesus can still be found in the Christmas manger, in the hearts of our fellow believers, in His Body and Blood, and whenever two or three of us gather together in His Name.
 
This Advent and Christmas, I invite you to find again the peace that comes only from Christ, that peace that cuts through the anxiety and disquietude, that peace that passes all understanding.
 
I wish you all a blessed Advent and a very merry Christmas.
 
--MT+

 
Advent Lessons & Carols
December 13, 7pm 
 
Join us as we recite the history of
salvation in lessons and carols. 

Advent Lessons and Carols
w. Vox Fidelis
December 13, 7pm
Reception in the Rectory    
 
Adult Education
Last Session This Sunday, 9am
 

This fall we will be exploring the Nicene Creed as a means of learning about the basics of our Faith.


Blue Christmas Service
 
Advent Pageant
Saturday, December 19, 5:30pm

Join our Parish children on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 5:30pm for our annual Advent Pageant and Vigil Mass. All are invited to the Pizza and Bring a Dessert to Share Party following the pageant and Mass.
Christmas Mass Schedule
 
Christmas Eve 
6pm: Family Mass 
11pm: Sung Mass

Christmas Day 
10am: Said Mass w. Hymns

If you or someone you know cannot make it to Mass due to frailty or illness, please let Fr. Matt know so that he can offer the Blessed Sacrament this Christmas.
 
United Thank Offering
 
Did you get your UTO Box?

The Christ Church ECW challenges us to show our thankfulness this Advent and Christmas! By placing your loose change in your United Thank Offering box each time you are thankful for something, your gratitude goes on to help the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church where funds are needed most. Boxes are available on the tables in the front of the Nave and by the Office.

More about the United Thank Offering can be found at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/united-thank-offering
Thirsty Thursdays for Bordentown's Bravest
Every Thursday!

Join us at the Farnsworth House to have some fun and raise money for our city's fire companies.

From 5pm to 10pm any beverage purchased (even coffee and other soft drinks) will result in
a $1 donation to Consolidated Fire Association
or Hope Hose Humane. See you there!
Upcoming Events

December 11, 7:30pm: Blue Christmas Service (St. Mary's)
December 13, 7pm: Advent Lessons & Carols w. Vox Fidelis
December 19, 5:30pm: Advent Pageant, Vigil Mass, Pizza Party
December 24, 6pm & 11pm: Christmas Eve Masses
December 25, 10am: Christmas Day Mass w. Carols
January 3, 10am: Christmas Lessons & Carols
January 6, 7pm: Sung Mass w. the Blessing of Chalk, Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh    
The Propers
For Sunday, December 13

This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent

OT:  Zephaniah 3:14-20            
Psalm 85:7-13
NT:  Philippians 4:4-7           
Gospel:  Luke 3:7-18
  
Collect:
 Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.  
Serving This Week
For Sunday, December 13                                           
 
Lectors:
5:30pm: Eliza Peterson
8am: Emma McDaniels
10am: Ed Ackerman & Mary Ellen Carty

Ushers:
8am: Linda Voorhees
10am: Susan Preston

Acolytes:
5:30pm: Julia Peterson
8am: Richard Trout, Wayne Voorhees, and Alex Vigh
10am: Mary Ellen Carty

Altar Guild:
Preparation: Joan Corbo
Linens: Christie Peterson 
Quote of the Week
 
"Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be - and becoming that person."
                                        -St. Thérèse of Lisieux
 
Church Schedule
The Week of December 13, 2015 
           
Saturday, 12 December :: Our Lady of Guadalupe   
· 5:30 p.m. - Vigil Mass (Lady Chapel) 

Sunday, 13 December :: The Third Sunday of Advent
· 8:00 a.m. - Low Mass
(Church)
· 8:00 a.m. - Church School (Church & Classrooms)
· 9:00 a.m. - Adult Ed: Teaching Through the Creed
· 10:00 a.m. - Sung Mass (Church)
· 11:15 a.m. - Coffee Hour (Parish Hall) 
· 7:00 p.m. - Advent Lessons & Carols w. Vox Fidelis (Church) 
· 7:00 p.m. - A.A. Meeting (Parish Hall)

Monday, 14 December :: John of the Cross
· Church Office Closed
 
Tuesday, 15 December :: Advent Feria
· 8:00 a.m. - Morning Prayer w. Angelus (Lady Chapel)
· 12:10 p.m. - Low Mass (Lady Chapel)   
     
Wednesday, 16 December :: O Sapientia (Ember Day
· 8:00 a.m. - Morning Prayer w. Angelus (Lady Chapel)
· 6:00 p.m. - Tai Chi (Parish Hall)
· 6:30 p.m. - Rosary (Lady Chapel)
· 6:50 p.m. - Low Mass (Lady Chapel) 
· 8:00 p.m. - A.A. Meeting (Parish Hall)

Thursday, 17 December :: Raising of Lazarus
· 8:00 a.m. - Morning Prayer w. Angelus (Lady Chapel)
· 10:00 a.m. - Low Mass w. Anointing  (Lady Chapel) 
 
Friday, 18 December :: Advent Feria (Ember Day) 
· Normal Friday Abstinence   
· 8:00 a.m. - Morning Prayer w. Angelus (Lady Chapel)
· 12:10 p.m. - Low Mass (Lady Chapel)   

Saturday, 19 December :: Advent Feria (Ember Day)   
· 5:30 p.m. - Advent Pageant, Vigil Mass, Pizza Party (Church) 

Sunday, 20 December :: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
· 8:00 a.m. - Low Mass
(Church)
· 8:45 a.m. - HomeFront Meal Prep (Kitchen)
· 10:00 a.m. - Sung Mass (Church)
· 11:15 a.m. - Coffee Hour (Parish Hall)   
· 7:00 p.m. - A.A. Meeting (Parish Hall)

This (Past) Week in Church History
 
December 3, 1552: Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, one of the founding members of his order and one of the greatest missionaries ever, dies awaiting admission to China. Before that, he had converted 700,000 people in Portugal, India, Indonesia, Japan, and elsewhere.

December 3, 1846: Presbyterian widow Leslie Prentice leads a pro-life rally outside the home of New York City's foremost abortionist, Anna Lohman, a.k.a. Madame Restell.

December 4, 749: Greek Orthodox theologian and poet John of Damascus dies near Jerusalem. The last great doctor of the Greek church, he wrote comprehensively on the theology of Eastern Christianity and fought against those who wanted to rid the church of icons.

December 4, 1674: French Jesuit missionary Jacques Marquette erects a mission on Lake Michigan-the first building in what would become the city of Chicago.

December 5, 532: Sabas, a monk since childhood, dies at age 91, five days after returning from a diplomatic mission to Constantinople. Though his primary desire was always for solitude with God, he founded a monastery in Palestine, Mar Saba, that still stands today.

December 5, 1484: Innocent VIII issues a papal bull giving two German inquisitors jurisdiction over witchcraft. He probably didn't mean for it to be a major change of policy, but the Germans used it to promote their book, Hammer of Witches. Its publication led to the (often-exaggerated) witch-hunting from the 1500s onward.

December 5, 1933: Prohibition comes to an end as the twenty- first amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified. The ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages had been fervently sought by fundamentalist Christians in the social reform movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

December 7, 374: Ambrose is consecrated bishop of Milan, Italy. The first bishop to stand up to the emperor and win (thus creating a church-state precedent that would influence the West for a millennium), he was also an influential theologian, especially regarding the Holy Spirit. His preaching led to the conversion ofAugustine.

December 7, 1598: Sculptor and architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, best known for "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa," is born in Naples.

December 7, 1965: Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift mutual excommunications in place since the Great Schism of 1054.

December 8, 1691: English Puritan minister Richard Baxter dies in London. One of England's most renowned preachers and author of nearly 200 works (including several hymns), he was known as a peacemaker who sought unity among Protestants.

December 8, 1934: American missionaries John and Betty Stam are beheaded by Chinese communists. The couple had met while attending Moody Bible Institute and married just the year before their death. Publication of their biography prompted hundreds to volunteer for missionary service.

--taken from Christianity Today
Saint of the Week
St. Osmund of Salisbury
Bishop, 1099               
 
Bishop of Salisbury who helped compile the Domesday Book. A member of the Norman nobility, he was the son of Count Henry of Seez and Isabella, half-sister of King William the Conqueror of England. He took part in the Norman Conquest and served Williamas his chancellor. In 1078, he was appointed bishop of Salisbury, completing the cathedral there and founding a cathedral chapter of canons regular and school for clerics. Osmund also assisted the king in assembling the massive census which became the Domesday Book. In the dispute over investiture between King William II and St. Anselm of Canterbury, Osmund initially sided with the king, but later he admitted he had made a mistake, and he begged Anselm's forgiveness. Osmund also collected manuscripts for the cathedral library, was a copier and binder of books, authored a life of St. Aldhelm, and was thought to be responsible for drawing up the books governing the liturgical matters for the diocese such as the Mass and Divine Office, the so called Sarum Use. Canonized in 1457 by Pope Callistus III, he was the last English person to be declared a saint until the canonization of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher in 1935.

-Catholic Saints & Angels
Parish Prayer List

Of your charity, please pray for:

the sick: Charlotte Norcross, Bob Bernard, Pat Temple, Danielle Morgan, Jai Autar, Emma Burris, Gloria Jones, Kelley Gilger, Sister Gussie, Nancy Biocco, Michael Chahanovich, Lori Forenson, Michael Vaughan, Zachary Forsberg, Jack Young, Carol Pfieffer, Maria Stout, Mary Dallman, Emma Carver, Gloria Garfinkle, Clare Biagini, Rita Haney, Irene Fithian, Michelle Miloscia, Michael Cook, Peter Sala, Charles St. George, HollyJones, Wade Ronin Sipler, Bill Webb, Carlton Jones, Jim Tucker, Roxie Clark, Sister Angela, and Dee Watkins.
 
and those who have long term illnesses:  Barbara Fusco, Stella Eichinger Paula Flesch, John Moscatiello, Mark Casais, Kevin Kintner, Arthur Jukes, Dixon Leavers, Robin Kintner, John McCoy, Gary Rutherford, Jane Humble, Charles Martin, Lyza Lyon,The Rt. Rev. George Councell, Michael Slaper, Alice Ward Carriger, Karen Campbell Hillman, Carla Douglas, Ryan Murray, Raymond Witte, William Sweeney, Justin McCafferty, Zachary McCafferty, Jeanine Walker, Mario Batist, Robert Ackerman, Paul Wesley Morrison, Kelly Bergen, Bill Yale, Hannah McNinch, Gabe Fresco, Fr. Ted Anderson, R. Loraine Burke, Katherine Carter, Shawna Catarinicchia, Mackenzie Sutter, Daniel Applegate, Alma Poksay, Roberta Cash, Patti Beddia, Jennifer Vigh Daniels, Peggy Tunney, Jean Fithian, Jim Tranter, John Lobos, Jonathan Okeson, John O'Malia, Eileen Cantwell, Jean Greenwood, Shaun Neiderman, Cheryl Leavers-Morrow, Morgan Ackerman, Carol Boggs and Patricia Dixon.
 
those in military service:  Ben Skarzynski, USMC; Maxwell W. Warrack, USMC; Col Kelly Scott, USAF; Neil Gerrish, USNG;  Abbygale Albert, USN, CSM John Seelhorst, USA, James F. Preto, USNG,  Frank L Blades Jr, USA. 
Sermon Blog
Domine, non sum dignus

In case you missed it, couldn't hear it, or wish to send it to a friend, Father Matt's sermons can be found online at:

http://etsanabituranimamea.wordpress.com
Posting in the Angelus

Please let Fr. Matt know if you would like any announcements to be included in the weekly Angelus. Submissions must be made by Tuesday noon.
Grace and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, His Excellency William H. Stokes, Bishop. Our parish reflects the joy found in Anglo-Catholic worship and tradition, taking the joy and strength found at the Altar and bringing it out into the world in service to our neighbours.    

In Christ,

Fr. Matt+
Rector