Dear Friends in Christ,
With nearly half a year behind us in this new relationship as rector and parish, I can say that St. John’s is beginning to feel very much like home. As the year winds to a close and as we approach the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord, I am mindful of all the ways you have increased my faith, inspired me to deep gratitude, and filled me with a sense of hope. God is at work in our midst in truly amazing ways, shedding light and brightening our lives by the presence of his Son.
Because these are busy times, I am particularly conscious of all the many ways that many of you have participated in and edified our common life through contributions of time and talent and treasure during this season of Advent and looking ahead at Christmas. I want to say a special thank you to all of our choirs – vocal and bell, to the youth and all of the elves that helped green the church, to our altar guild and readers and acolytes who have helped us worship in the beauty of holiness, to our fellowship committee and all those who have decorated, cooked, and baked so that we might eat drink and be merry. A special thank you is in order to the excellent staff who have worked countless extra hours so that liturgies could be printed, our space cleaned, parishioners visited, and music prepared.
As I write this I can hear the organ warming up for our festal services tomorrow (4PM and 10:30PM) and Sunday (10AM) and the sounds of the altar being set with beautiful flowers. It truly promises to be a delightful weekend full of the glory of the incarnation and the celebration of God with us. I hope these days find you all in the warm embrace of family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all of you!
Faithfully,
Jered+
