Weekly Update 5/15/20

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

I'm sure that a number of you who have been following the news have noticed that Governor Northam has opened up the possibility for churches to begin meeting again in a limited fashion after May 15th.  In light of this, you may be wondering where this places us.  Well, following my weekly meeting with our Bishops, here's where things stand. 

Despite the governmental changes, we are going to continue not meeting for in-person worship for the foreseeable future.  As the Bishop noted in her address, there's a difference between assuming risk and creating risk.  Assuming risk is what we all do when we venture out to a grocery store or somewhere else during this time.  We know that there's a possibility of contracting the virus and we assume that risk.  Creating risk is purposely setting up a situation where the virus could be spread.  That's what we would be doing if we returned to church at this time.  We would be creating a situation in which people could be placed at risk, and this would not really be a loving thing to do.  So, seeking to act in a loving way, we are going to continue to refrain from in-person worship until such a time that it becomes safe for us to do so.

But that does not mean that there will be no changes.  In fact, just yesterday, the Bishop gave approval for all clergy who are under 65 to go back to streaming/recording services from their churches starting May 24th.  But there are some conditions to this as well.  First, there can be no singing at all.  Singing is being shown more and more to be a super-aerosolizer; that is, the force with which air is pushed out of the lungs through singing could cause the virus to project 16ft rather than the 6ft that comes through speaking.  This means that singing is quite risky right now.  Despite this, though, the playing of music alone is allowed, but that is all.

This brings me to the second condition. If there is anyone in the church with the Priest for streaming/recording, i.e. musicians, lectors, camera persons, everyone must wear a mask for the duration of the service.  That means that if I have Rochelle and Darren rejoin me for instrumental music, we all need to wear masks for the whole service.  Given that this is the case, and that me wearing a mask might make it difficult for some to hear me, the Vestry and I have decided that for now, I am going to continue going it alone during Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings.  I will, following written permission from the Bishop, start streaming from the church again on May 24th, but it will continue to be just be me.  I know that some of you are really missing music, as am I, so, in the near future, I will probably have Rochelle record some instrumental music for me to push play on before and after the service, so that I can still be the only person in the building.

This brings me to the third condition.  Since I am going to be streaming from the church again, it is vitally important that we keep the church sanitized.  So, I am asking people to please stay out of the sanctuary, and, if you do have to go in there for some reason, please make sure that you wipe down everything you touch with disinfectant and wash your hands thoroughly.  I am going to make sure that I wipe down the areas that I use after each service on Sunday, and, of course, I will be sure to wash my hands thoroughly.

While I am going to be streaming from church on Sundays, I will most likely continue to stream the weekday services from my home.  I will also be continuing to work out of my home for now, and, as always, I am available to talk by phone or email.  I am not allowed to do face-to-face meetings or visits at this time.

So those are some of the small changes that we will be making in the near future.  Otherwise, please continue to hang in there until we can begin our phased regathering process, which requires 14 steady days of decline before we can begin; we are not there yet.  For the safety of everyone, we don't want to rush this process.  It is much better to go slowly on this, so that no one is placed at risk.  

I hope that you are all safe and doing well.  You all remain in my prayers.  God's peace to you all!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Weekly Update 5/6/20

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  I hope and pray that you are all doing well, and that you are all healthy and acting safely.

First, let me apologize for not getting an email out to you last week.  As it is in "this ever-changing world in which we live in" ("Live and Let Die" -- Paul McCartney), I was working through some new directives from the Diocese and wanted to make sure that things were more concrete before I informed you of them.  That said, let me give you an update on where things stand with our church.  While there's a lot I could address, I'll try to keep it relatively short.

With all of the unrest in the general public and the desire to try to get back to "normal," and with several states now loosening up restrictions (our Commonwealth now taking the first steps in that direction), our Bishops met with us clergy this past week via Zoom to discuss a plan for phased regathering.  Put simply, what phased regathering is is this:

1. Each parish is being asked to develop a 3-stage plan for a return to in-person worship.  Each of the stages will be a gradual opening up of the church, taking into consideration any governmental directives that may be in place and the continuing need to remain vigilant and take proper precautions during this time.  That said, the Vestry and I are currently beginning to work through all the "what-ifs" that might come into play in order to develop this plan.  You should all be aware that there are no starting dates or time limits on any of the stages, but the Diocese will be requiring each parish to present a written plan for each of the stages to the Diocese for committee approval before that particular stage can be enacted.  The end goal here is that we would return to in-person worship in a way that was at least close to what it was before; there may, of course, be some things that will be different.  Needless to say, this is a somewhat complicated task as everyone's safety is of utmost importance, especially since there is currently no vaccine or medication for this illness, and there is a very real possibility for an increase in cases again.  All this is to say that we will not be returning to in-person worship quickly.  As sad as I am to say that, please note that well.  In all honesty, we are realistically looking -- at the very earliest (and I have been told by several people that this is quite optimistic) -- at a return to in-person worship no sooner than the Fall, but it will more likely be longer than that.

2. We cannot even begin the 3-stage process until two things have happened.  The Diocese has set up the application review committee (which it is doing right now) and we have had 14 consecutive days of decline in the number of new cases in VA.  That means that if we have 13 days and then a spike day, we're back at square one.

So where does that leave us?  Well, first, we going to keep on with things as they currently are.  During this time, we'll continue to have our services live streamed from my home over Facebook.  (I'm also working with a few of our parishioners who don't have computer access to implement a plan for them to participate in the service over the telephone.)  Second, we'll continue to have our Sunday morning Adult Ed. class through Zoom.  And third, I will continue to be available to you pastorally via telephone, email, and text while I continue to work from my home.  (The office will remain closed until we are able to begin implementing the 3-stage plan.)  In the meantime, the Vestry and I will be working with the Diocese to develop our own particular plan for phased regathering.

While I miss seeing all of you regularly in-person, I honestly believe that what is most important at the present moment is for us to do all that we can to keep everyone safe and healthy.  Rather than acting selfishly because we're antsy and wanting to get out of our homes so that we can do what we want to do, it's important that we act in love during this time for the sake of our neighbors.  That means not rushing back to church and thus put people needlessly at risk.  This is especially true given that the new "at-risk" age range is 55+, which means a significant number of you are considered "at-risk."

I hope that gives everyone a pretty good sketch of where we are.  Please continue to pray for all those who are sick, for the medical professionals who are caring for them, for our governmental leaders that they would act wisely for all us during this time, and for those who are struggling with loss, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.  And also, please continue to pray that God would bring this pandemic to an end.  You are all in my prayers.

Pax,

Kyle+

Weekly update 4/22

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I hope and pray that all of you are safe, healthy, and well, and abiding by the directive to stay at home.  While I certainly miss seeing all of you on a regular basis, it has been nice to see so many of your names and comments on our Facebook Live services.  I'm thankful that we can continue to keep in touch and worship together that way during this time.  That said, I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on/address a few items of business.

First, I know that many of you are probably wondering when we will be able to come back together for worship.  I wish that I had a concrete answer to that, but the reality is that I don't.  So much of the when is going to be determined by the decisions of our state government, and, at present, we haven't had any concrete dates or times put down for us about that.  Right now, we are still under the stay-at-home order until June 10th, so that is the minimum date for a possible return to worship, but, at the same time, with the continued rise of cases in our area, there are still so many unknowns with regard to that. 

As to the how, the Bishop informed us clergy today that the she and the Diocesan leaders are currently putting together a phased return program.  What this means is that when we are finally given the okay to start returning to worship, we should not expect it to be an all-at-once move.  More than likely, it is going to be a gradual process, unfolding over time, in which we will need to follow the instructions that we receive from the Bishop and the Diocese, and all of it will, of course, be structured to make sure that everyone is safe and no one is placed at risk. 

So, all of this is to say that it will probably be quite some time before we can all be back together in worship, Bible studies, etc. But that is okay.  During this time, remember, we are not closed, we have just moved.  We'll continue to gather online for worship each Sunday at 10am on Facebook Live and each morning at 9am Monday-Thursday for Morning Prayer.  If you haven't been joining us, I would certainly encourage you to do so.

The second thing I want to address with you this week is giving.  Over the past few weeks, we've noticed that our giving has dipped quite a bit.  That said, this is just a friendly reminder to please try to remember to keep up with your pledges.  I know that it's easy to forget to send in your pledges when you're not coming to church.  One suggestion is to talk to your bank about setting up an automatic withdrawal system in which your pledge can be sent from your bank to the church each week.  Holly and I personally do this, as do a number of the rest of you, and we find this to be a very easy way to make sure our pledge gets in on time.  In advance, let me say thank you to all of you for your faithfulness in this.

The third thing I want to draw to your attention is the fact that starting this Sunday, we will be offering our Genesis Bible Study online on Sunday morning at 11am.  This study will be made available through Zoom, which is an interactive video call program that can host up to 100 people.  Right now, 40 of you have signed up, which is wonderful!  If you haven't signed up, please do so by this Thursday (4/23) to make sure that I can get you added to the email list. 

Part of the reason why we're using Zoom for this, rather than me just recording a video for you, is that it allows us to have some interaction with one another.  I think that many of us are probably feeling the need for that interaction right now.  With that said, we are going to be picking up with Genesis 18, which is where we left off prior to the start of the pandemic.  I do know that a number of you will be joining for the first time this coming Sunday, but please don't be intimidated or turned away because of where we're starting.  I am going to use this coming Sunday (April 26th) to reset the scene for us, so that everyone is caught up and able to move forward together.  I'm really looking forward to this!

The fourth and last thing I want to note this week is really just a reminder that I am working from home now and that I am not at the office.  That being the case, please don't call the office looking for me and also note that if you leave a message there, I probably won't get it for awhile.  It is much better to call me on my cell or email me at frkyletomlin@comcast.net during this time.  

That's all for this week.  Please take care of yourselves and I hope to see you all online this coming Sunday!  God's peace to all of you!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+ 

Weekly update

Dear Parishioners,

I want to give you your weekly update with regard to where things stand with the parish in light of our current pandemic.  I was just directed by Bishop Goff and the members of the Standing Committee this morning that starting Easter Monday -- the day after Easter -- all clergy and lay leaders are no longer allowed to stream or record services in the church.  I am now being asked to lead all services from my home, as we, the clergy, are being asked to strictly abide by the Governor's stay-at-home order.  What this means is that Rochelle and Darren will sadly no longer be able to accompany me during the services on Sunday.  Instead, I will be leading said services of Morning Prayer each Sunday morning from my house. What it also means is that we will not be having altar flowers now either.   I know that Madeline sent out an email earlier this week asking you to sign up for them, but I've asked her to contact the florist and let them know of the change.  

Along with this, I am now being asked to work from home unless it is absolutely necessary that I come in to the office to get books or paperwork, check the mail, sign checks -- things like that. So, starting on Monday, I will be working from home regularly.  If you need to contact me during this time, please call my cell phone or email me at frkyletomlin@comcast.net.  

The Bishop's office also asked me to inform you that there are a number of scams taking place right now, both in the mail and online.  These scammers are pretending to be the Bishop or the Diocese and are asking for money.  If you receive anything like this, please double-check the address or email address.  The Bishop and her office are not sending out requests of this nature; it helps to remember that.

I believe that that is all for right now.  Please remember to follow the Governor's instructions and remain at home.  Also, please remember to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.  Most importantly, please pray for those who are sick, for those who are working with the sick, for our leaders, and pray for a speedy end to this situation. 

Stay safe and well!  Blessings to each of you.

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Further Suspension of Services

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Following the first of what will now be a series of weekly video calls between the Bishop and the clergy of the Diocese of VA, I have been instructed to inform all of you that public worship in our Diocese is now being suspended at least until Easter Day and quite possibly longer.  To be clear, this means that we will NOT be having public worship during Holy Week or on Easter Day. 

As a result, starting this week, we will be live-streaming services for our parish.  First, we will be having a live stream of Morning Prayer each morning (Monday-Thursday) at 9am through Facebook Live.  That will begin tomorrow morning (Thursday, March 19th).  If you are on Facebook, you can join in by going to our Facebook page.  But you do NOT need to be on Facebook in order to participate. This is open to anyone and everyone.  The following link will also allow you to participate. 
https://www.facebook.com/cotmfredericksburg/

In addition to this, starting this Sunday, we will be live-streaming Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings at 10am.  I will also be preaching at this service.  Madeline will be sending out a Morning Prayer booklet on Friday for you to use to follow along and join in in praying with me.  This will be our new norm for the foreseeable future -- the service will be live-streamed at 10am each Sunday morning. 

As for our Holy Week and Easter services, I will update you on how those services will work once we get a little closer to them.  Suffice it to say, without Easter Day services we will NOT be doing an Easter egg hunt this year.  That means that you don't need to keep filling Easter eggs.  My apologies to all of you who have done a lot of work on this already.

That's all for now.  I'll be sending out more emails in the near future to address how we will handle the Genesis Bible study and the Rector's Bible study. 

You are all in my prayers.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything. 

Yours in Christ,
Kyle+

Electronic Giving Option for Messiah

At the end of the email I sent out last week, I encouraged all of you to please keep up with your pledges and contributions to the church during this time. As I said before, your ongoing financial contributions are really important in helping to keep the church stable and to allow us to keep operating effectively. With that said, I would ask all of you to please send in your offerings by mailing your checks to our church office (12201 Spotswood Furnace Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22407).  That really is the best and easiest way for us to get your contribution in a timely manner.

Another option, which several of you have asked about recently is electronic giving.  The Diocese has just provided us with a special online portal through the Diocesan office that allows you to electronically give to Messiah.  If you choose to do this form of giving, please note that you must do the following: Use the link below and put the name of our congregation ( Church of the Messiah, Fredericksburg) in the memo line. That will ensure that the money comes to us.  The Diocesan staff will then send us a report of your offerings, along with a check, after the 10th of each month.

Here’s the link: https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=154469&f=133

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thank you for your faithfulness in continuing to give.  Please know that I'm praying for all of you during this time.

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

COVID-19 Coronavirus imact on services at COTM

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Yesterday afternoon, Bishop Goff  and Bishop Brooke-Davidson gathered together 185 clergy in an online video call to give us clear instruction on how we, as churches, are to proceed in light of the growing number of cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in our area.  After having sent out several emails through the early part of the week directing us to limit Communion to one kind and to eliminate all forms of physical contact with one another, in this video call both Bishops called on all the churches in the Diocese of VA to cease all activity from yesterday afternoon, March 11, until Wednesday, March 25th.  This includes meeting for worship on Sundays or other days of the week, Bible studies, prayer groups, Lenten series, etc.  As the northern part of our Diocese is currently one of the nation's hot spots for the virus, the Bishops felt that it is absolutely necessary that we do all that we can to not put the most vulnerable in our communities at risk and also to do our part in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.

With that said, I am officially calling for the cessation of all Sunday services for the next two weeks (March 15 & 22).  Along with this, all Morning Prayer services on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be cancelled during this time, as well as all Bible studies, Sunday School, Prayer and Praise, choir practice, and our Lenten series.  Although we will not be meeting physically during this time, this does not mean that we are to stop praying or worshiping.  To that end, I will be sending out a Morning Prayer booklet later this morning for you to use this coming Sunday morning and another one next week for Sunday, the 22nd.  You can use this with your families or loved ones to continue worshiping our Lord, hearing His Word, and praying for our own needs and those of others.  I will also try to record my sermon for both Sundays and post those sermons on our websites for you to listen to.

Which leads me to something important for us to note during this time.  As I said this past Sunday, during these troubling times, we need to remember to trust that God is in charge and that He is, and will be, with us through this.  In Christ, He has made us a new people who are to live, not in fear, but in faith, trusting the God who makes all things new and who gives life to the dead.  Even if the illness should increase in our area and some of us become infected, this does not negate God's promise in Christ that He has redeemed us, made us His people, and will keep us eternally safe in His hands. That means that we ultimately have nothing to fear. 

Having said that, this does not, of course, mean that we are to act irresponsibly during these times.  No, we are, in faith and, most especially, in love for our neighbors, to take all necessary precautions and to act wisely during these times. That means that we should remember to do things like wash our hands regularly, practice social distancing, and stay away from others if you are not feeling well.  At the same time, please remember to pray for those who have become infected by the virus.  Pray for those who are caring for them that they would be given wisdom in dealing with those in their care and that they would be kept safe from infection.  Pray for our nation's leaders and our community's leaders that they would make wise decisions and take right actions for the welfare and peace of our nation and communities. Pray for all of those who have a fearful heart right now that their fears and worries would be allayed and that they might find peace and hope in the Lord.  And above all, pray that this virus would be brought to a swift end.

Please note that during this time the church office will remain open with our regular office hours and I will be available to you as usual.  

Finally, following the Bishops' direction, I would encourage you all to please keep up your pledges over the next two weeks.  Even though we will not be having services together, that does not mean that our financial responsibilities as a church cease.  We still have bills to pay and two weeks worth of giving would be a significant blow to the church's finances.  I would encourage you all to either mail in your checks or bring them by the office.  We currently do not have any way to make electronic donations.  Your bank may be able to help you transfer money to us; you might wish to inquire of them how you may do so.   

Please stay safe during this time.  You are all in my prayers.  I will be keeping you updated with any changes via all-parish email.  If there is anyone whom you think might not be getting this email, please reach out to them to let them know of these developments.

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Observation of a Holy Lent 2020

Observing a Holy Lent 2020
By the Very Rev. Kyle Tomlin

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the following Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent found in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy:
“Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.


I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer” (BCP 264-265).

As the above invitation sets forth, Lent is a season of self-examination and repentance that is marked by times of prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and time spent reading and hearing God’s holy Word. All of this is done to prepare us to once again hear and rejoice in the proclamation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s saving work for us during Holy Week and on Easter Day. To enable you to enter the season in this way, I’ve included below some suggestions on how you might observe a holy Lent.

1. Spend time each day reading the Bible – If you are not already committed to reading the Bible each day, now is a good time to begin. To help give you some direction on what to read, try using the Lenten Devotional from Trinity School for Ministry which is provided by the church. This devotional contains Lectionary readings prescribed for each day of Lent – 2 Old Testament, Psalm(s), Epistle, and Gospel. Reading the Bible using the Lectionary is a great way to read through almost the whole Bible over the course of two years. If you need help figuring out how to navigate the Lectionary in our Prayer Book, Fr. Kyle would be more than happy to help you.

2. Spend time each day in prayer – A great way to spend time praying during Lent is to use the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. Both offer the opportunity to “pray” the Bible, as almost everything in each service is merely Scripture recast in prayer form. You might also want to consider coming out to church for Morning Prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Lent. These services begin at 9am.

3. Spend time reading Christian writings – There are any number of good, solid Christian books on the market these days, although not all of them are sold in places like Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million. Some recommendations of good books are: The Apostles’ Creed by Ben Myers; The Lord’s Prayer by Wesley Hill; Jesus On Every Page by David Murray; The Drama of Scripture by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen; Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren; Crucifying Religion: How Jesus is the End of Religion by Donovan Riley; and Seculosity by David Zahl. Or perhaps try reading something older, perhaps a classic by C.S. Lewis; I would recommend Mere Christianity or The Great Divorce. There are also loads of older Christian writings available for free online through sources like Google Books.

4. Attend the Lenten Teaching Series – On each of the Sundays during Lent (and the one before), we will be watching and discussing the video series based on the book by N.T. Wright titled, Surprised By Hope. This is a great opportunity to reflect on the biblical doctrines of the bodily resurrection and the promise of the New Heavens and New Earth, which we are preparing to hear about on Easter.

5. Unplug – Perhaps one of the best ways to observe a holy Lent is to disconnect from some, or all, of the electronic distractions that we have going on all around us. Instead of spending time looking at email, or on Facebook, or surfing the Web, turn off your devices for a while and try to spend time reading or praying or loving and serving your neighbors in some capacity.

6. Take up a fast – I know how it goes. Everyone wants to give up chocolate, sweets, or alcohol for Lent. They seem to be the immediate go-tos. If we’re honest, for many this is done with a slightly selfish bent; that is, to lose a little weight or get healthier for the Spring/Summer. Instead of that though, how about this: try fasting as a discipline of the body and a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and use the fasting time to feast on God’s Word.

7. Come for private confession and absolution – Although it seldom happens in the Episcopal Church today, private confession is still available and is quite appropriate to be used during the season of Lent. To unburden ourselves of our sins and to hear God’s Word of forgiveness from the mouth of a Priest can be quite freeing. If this is something that interests you, please feel free to talk with Fr. Kyle and make an appointment.
   

Rector's Report 2020

Click here to read the Full 2020 Annual Parish Meeting Booklet

Rector’s Report

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

• God is faithful and we are blessed! I think that that about sums up the year 2019 here at Church of the Messiah. Having said that, I’d like to take a few minutes to reflect on these two

  statements and to point out how they are true for us.

• God is faithful. In the Scriptures, God has made us – those who have been baptized into His Name, His faithful Body the Church – a promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He will be the One to bear fruit in and through us by the working of His Holy Spirit, and so He has done. As I look back over the past year, I see numerous places where Jesus, in all His faithfulness, is at work in this parish through His Holy Spirit giving life; bringing healing, comfort, and peace to weary consciences; bearing fruit; and working faith in all of you. From the conversations that I have with you to the attendance I regularly see at our services and Bible studies to the way that I see us praying for one another and loving one another, all of it is a sign of Jesus’s faithfulness to us to be present among us and bear fruit through us. We cannot take credit for this, and this, of course, is in no way something we deserve, but we have a gracious King and Lord who has called and chosen us and loves us, and, consequently, His faithfulness to us remains unshakeable. For that we owe Him much thanks and praise! And I have no doubt that He will continue to keep and uphold us as a church family in the coming year.

• We are blessed. Over the past year, we have seen many blessings here at Church of the Messiah. One of the biggest, of course, was the ending of our debt of $68,000, which the Vestry and I put forward as a goal for us two Annual Meetings ago in 2018. In a matter of roughly 18 months, through your generous giving, creative ideas, and hard work, we managed to eliminate our debt, thereby making us a debt-free church, something that sadly not many churches can claim. But of course, this is just the first step in a larger plan to make ourselves a financially healthy church through generous giving and good stewardship. That’s the goal that we now have before us and it’s what our Vestry will be working on in the coming year.

  Beyond this, we have also seen the blessing of new members. Over the course of the past year, we have had several new individuals and families regularly join us for worship on Sunday mornings. About 15 of those people have now asked to officially join Church of the Messiah and I am currently in the process of doing transfers and preparing Catechism classes for those who will join through Reception or Confirmation. It is such a blessing to have all of you new folks join us in worshiping our Lord!

  There are, of course, many other blessings that I could name, and I am sure that there are a number you can think of as well, but for interest of space and time I’m going to mention just a few areas where I see blessings abounding in our church. First, we have a thriving Missions and Outreach program that has been very committed to engaging more with our local community and its needs. Second, we have a great group of individuals committed to loving and serving the Riverbend High School students snacks and drinks each Tuesday. I know many students have been blessed by this ministry. Third, we have a very dedicated Vestry who has worked hard this past year to keep us financially solvent, to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us, and to work to bring better overall organization to our common life as a church. I can say that we have had two wardens, Frank Landymore and Al Creel, who have given very graciously of their time and energy to the upkeep and maintenance of our physical plant and the management of our finances. As I said before, we have been very blessed by God this past year, and for that we owe Him all thanks and praise!

  Now, this is not to say that we don’t have our challenges to face in the coming year. Much like every other church, we do. The two big ones, of course, are finances and younger members. Being a totally self-sufficient church – we receive no financial support from the Diocese or the Episcopal Church; all our finances come from your giving – we are always reliant on your generosity and faithfulness to keep this church operational, so that we can continue to share the Good News and to love and serve our neighbors. That said, I would encourage all of you to keep up your financial commitments to the church in the coming year. Together, you have pledged more this year than last, which is wonderful news (thank you for that!), and your continued giving should ensure that we are able to keep moving ahead with our calling as a parish. As for younger members, it is important to recognize that we live in a post-Christian culture today. What this means is that fewer young people are interested in church. Many have never grown up in church and have no sense of what church is about, except that they have some vague ideas that tell them it’s just a place of rules and regulations. Of course, that is not the case. The Church is about proclaiming the love and forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ and His Kingdom of grace and mercy. That said, the answer to this difficulty is not to get gimmickier as a church. No, the answer lies in finding ways to get outside our walls and engage with people. As we engage with people and get to know and love other people, then we’ll have genuine opportunities to share the hope that is in us and to invite them to join us at church. Then, when we do invite these new friends to church, it won’t be for “Christianized” versions of what passes for entertainment in the world around us, but for a Gospel message filled with joy and hope, and for a worship service that has deep roots, substance, and history in the liturgical and Christ-centered worship of the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

  So, all of this is to say that for 2020, I’d like us, as a church, to think of creative ways to get

  outside our walls and engage with our neighbors. What are some different ways that we can love and serve them in Jesus’s name? What are some ways that we can connect with those who are sick, struggling, and hurting? What are some ways that we can share the love of Jesus with our neighbors? I would ask you to please pray about this and think about this through the coming year.

  Well, the longer I sit here and write, the more I realize that there are many other things that I

  would like to say to you, but let me conclude by thanking you for your love and support for me and for my family, and for your patience and understanding as I serve both you as your pastor and the Fredericksburg Region of our Diocese as its Dean. Even though I have a lot on my plate week-in and week-out, it is always my great joy and privilege to proclaim the Gospel to you and to see God at work in and through you. For that, I give Him all thanks and praise! Amen.

What is Advent?

Advent begins on Sunday, Dec. 1st-Dec. 22nd

From Messiah's Messenger Advent edition 2015
What is Advent?

When it comes to Advent and Christmas in the world around us, things are somewhat skewed. Advent is essentially non-existent and Christmas now begins sometime in the afternoon on October 31st. There are a number of reasons why this is so, two of the biggest ones being the consumerist culture that we live in and our ever-increasing need for instant gratification. Unfortunately because of the world’s influence on the Church this mentality has tended to permeate the Church and to cause Christians to lose focus on the Advent season at the expense of gearing up for Christmas early. Thus we see many churches today singing Christmas hymns during the season of Advent or preaching sermon series on Christmas in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent, which is such an important season on the Liturgical calendar gets buried and/or pushed to the side.

So, what is Advent and why is it so important? Is it just Christmas-lite or is there a deeper meaning to it? It of course bears saying at this point that Advent is not Christmas-lite. The Christmas season on the Liturgical Calendar does not begin until December 24th and then it runs for 12 days up to January 6th (Remember “The 12 Days of Christmas?”). Advent is a season of expectation and hope that drives to Christmas but it is not Christmas. Advent is a time of looking forward to God’s fulfillment of His promises in Jesus Christ; it is a season of looking forward to the comings of Jesus. The word “Advent” itself means “a coming.” Now, we do this in two ways. One, we join with our faithful ancestors of the past and look forward to the joyful promise of the First Coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the fulfillment of which takes place on Christmas Day. This is why we hear about the ministry of John the Baptist so heavily during the season of Advent and why our Old Testament lessons tend to be the clearer prophecies of Christ. But during Advent we also join with all faithful believers across time to look with expectation and hope to the Second Coming of Christ as well. So, during Advent we also have readings that proclaim Christ’s second coming in the mix. That said, this is a joyful season of preparation. Our Lord has fulfilled the promises of God and come in the first instance to be born among us that He might die and rise for us. But we also look with great joy and hope and expectation to the fact that He is coming again when the Father wills for Him to come again. In both cases though this means that there is some patience to be had. Much like you can’t open your Christmas presents until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so we must wait to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. And we must wait with patience for our Lord’s Second Coming; He will come when it is right for Him to come and not a moment sooner.
So think on this as you celebrate Advent this year. Let the season be what it is, namely a time for preparing to hear again the Good News of Christmas Day and also a time of preparing to hear the Good News that He has re- turned. And then let your joy and praises ring out on Christmas Eve when we all gather to praise our Savior who is born for us.
Your spiritual father in Christ, Kyle+