Spirit of the Eagle – December 2015

Spiritual Tidbits for December from Father Tim

Advent arrived in a blink of the eye this year. The close of the old church year, the beginning of the new. we now quickly approach that holiest of days, Christmass, the day which we celebrate God’s most generous gift to mankind — His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. How are we to return such generosity? How are we Christians to give back? The medieval English Christian Mystic, Richard Rolle the Hermit of Hampole, had something to say about “giving”: “Take heed also: to seek more than enough is foul covetousness; to keep back necessaries is frailty; but to forsake all things is perfectness.” Christians should never think they don’t have enough. Christians should never be stingy with that which they have been given. Christians should never fall prey to believing it is only God’s place to give us things, and not us giving anything in return to God. Our Heavenly Father has given us salvation, eternal life, and the Spirit as precious gifts. In a few weeks we will celebrate God giving us the Christ-child, perfectness in the flesh. Thus we should be generous in return and give ourselves to God, His Kingdom, and yes — even our neighbors. What other gifts should we give? The gifts could be monetary, or we could give our time to Holy Church or neighbor in some needful manner. There is no set in stone list, only a desire to be self-giving which springs out of a love to honor God. I hope and pray that each of you, and your loved ones, find perfectness this Christmas Season — and then share it everywhere with endless generosity. ~ Father Tim

“A merry Christmas to us all, my dears! God bless us!” Which all the family re-echoed.”God bless us every one !” said Tiny Tim, the last of all. [Stave Three, “The Second of the Three Spirits,” p. 27]

~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

December Spirituality Class

Please join me on the 20th of December after Holy Communion as we continue an in depth study of The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Many people today regard Revelation as the hardest book in the New Testament. It is full of strange, lurid and sometimes bizarre and violent imagery. As a result, many people who are quite at home in the Gospels, Acts and Paul find themselves tiptoeing around Revelation with a sense that they don’t really belong there. But they do! In fact, Revelation offers one of the clearest and sharpest visions of God’s ultimate purpose for the whole creation, and of the way in which the powerful forces of evil, at work in a thousand ways, can be and are being overthrown through the victory of Jesus the Messiah and the consequent costly victory of his followers. Please come and bring a friend to visit our parish!

When the blessed Virgin was so ascertained, that she should be a mother and a maid, and that two glories, like the two luminaries of heaven, should meet in her, that she might in such a way become the mother of her Lord, that she might with better advantages be his servant; then all hopes and her desires received such satisfaction, and filled all the corners of her so much, as indeed it was fain to make room for its reception. But she to whom the greatest things of religion, and the transportations of devotion, were made familiar, by the assiduity and piety of her daily practices, howsoever she was full of joy, yet she was carried like a full vessel, without the violent tossings of a tempestuous passion, or the wrecks of a stormy imagination: and, as the power of the Holy Ghost did descend upon her like rain into a fleece of wool, without any obstreperous noises or violences to nature, but only the extraordinariness of an exaltation ; so her spirit received it with the gentleness and tranquility fitted for the entertainment of the spirit of love, and a quietness symbolical to the holy guest of her spotless womb, the Lamb of God. . .

~ Jeremy Taylor, 17th Century Anglican Divine

Ministry for Children

Savannah will be holding the Ministry for Children twice this month, the first Sunday (6th) during the St. Nicholas visit, and the 3rd Sunday (20th) during the spirituality class in December after Holy Communion. It is designed for age 2 through 12 years. Please make every effort to bring all related children in your family for these fun and educational classes. The children will participate, enjoy, and learn the foundation and building blocks of the Christian faith through bible stories and created crafts. Savannah will bring the crafts and refreshments are provided.

Lessons and Carols

Please come join in the holiday festival spirit at St. John’s Lessons and Carols! We will gather at 4:30 PM on Saturday afternoon, the 12th of December, read the nine Christmas lessons and sing carols. There will not be a Mass, but we will have some guest choristers, some parish lay readers (who may want to dedicate their portion of reading to the memory of a loved one), and plenty of hand candles to light up our final carol. Afterwards we will meet in the parish hall for a meal and joyful festivities! This is a great opportunity to introduce friends, family, and neighbors to our church family!!!

December Birthdays & Anniversaries

Jim Barnett – Birthday – December 3
+ Fr. Timothy Butler – Birthday – December 4
Lori & Rich Seyberth – Anniversary – December 9
Paige Smith – Birthday – December 17
Sally Whalen – Birthday – December 21
Michael T. Whalen – Birthday – December 22
Joan & Gary Blade – Anniversary – December 22
Artie Robbins – Birthday – December 24