People Look East
It’s one of my favorite Advent hymns -
People, look east. The time is near of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today: Love the Guest, is on the way.
The hymn anticipates many ways Love has come into the world through Jesus. Love the Rose (all creation). Love the Bird (the Holy Spirit). Love the Star (to guide and enlighten us). Love the Lord (God incarnate).
Advent marks the beginning of the Church Year. It anticipates the coming of Christ into the world - as a baby in Bethlehem, as the one in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, as a loving judge who will come to make things right. Eleanor Farjeon (who also wrote the hymn “Morning Has Broken”) wrote this text as a children’s poem to describe our hope in the coming of Christ.
During this Advent season we will physically start looking East again. In All Saints Hall, the pews had to face West to make everything fit. When we return to the Nave, the pews will once again face East., This year, may the Advent season remind us to keep facing East, keep looking for hope, keep watching for Christ.
Blessings -
Grace
Advent and Christmas at a Glance
- First Sunday of Advent December 1- Make wreaths after 10:30 service
- Mondays- December 2,9, & 16 - Advent lunches at noon: A Healthy Community
- Wednesday, December 4- A Visit from St. Nicholas for children, youth, and adults and Christmas Outreach Project
- Sunday, December 8- Welcome Sunday, with Welcome Breakfast at 9:30.
- Wednesday, Wednesday, December 11- Carol sing, Youth pack bags for WNN, Children’s pageant practice
- Sunday, December 15- Thank you to Roxane Gwyn in the morning. Lessons and Carols and Nativity Pageant at 4:30, followed by Wassail Party
- Sunday, December 22- Contemplative Healing service at 5 pm
- Tuesday, December 24- Christmas Eve services at 4:30 and 10:30
- Sunday, December 29- One service at 10:30 in the Nave.
- Sunday, January 5- Epiphany breakfast at 9:30. Epiphany worship at 10:30.
Advent News & Events
Brewer Buddy Packs
A Great Christmas Gift Idea!
Margo Easterbrook, St. Thomas Partnership in Education Coordinator
Double your Christmas Giving by making a donation in honor or memory of someone special. Brewer Buddy Packs are packets of food that go hom...
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Episcokids in Advent
St. Nicholas Visits!
December 4, Parish Hall
Children and adults will hear about St. Nicholas and prepare for his visit. He typically visits on December 6, but we asked him to come a couple of days early this year. Let Ms. Shayla kn...
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Christmas Music and Flowers
Special donations for Christmas Music and Flowers help us celebrate this season. We hope to fill the new nave with festive poinsettias! Gifts may be made in honor or memory of someone and a listing of names will appear in the Christmas Eve bullet...
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The Music of Advent
by Debbie Anderson The glorious music of the season of Advent reminds us, once again, to pray for and prepare for the day that God will live among us. In our hymnal, Advent hymns are the hymns numbered 53-76. Some are filled with words of...
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A Healthy Community: St. Thomas Advent Lunches
First three Mondays in Advent from noon to 1 pm Gather in the parish hall for a vegetarian soup and salad lunch and a time to reflect on community health. Our renovated nave will be open for tours after each lunch on December 9 & 16. Dece...
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Outreach this Season
Opportunities for giving this season are many! Coats for Kids in East Carver Heights. Details and signup link on ECH's website here. Coats needed by December 1. Stocking Stuffer Bags for Teens in Foster Care Here's a sign up for items...
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Wynnton Neighborhood Network Needs for Christmas
WNN will serve 200 families (100 each day) for Christmas Christmas distribution dates are December 16 & 17, starting at 8:30 each day. Donations are welcome to support additional work this holiday season. Below you will see of needed items for we...
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Make an Advent Wreath
Sunday, Dec 01, 2024, 11:45 AM
Following the 10:30 service Stay after worship on the first Sunday in Advent to make an Advent wreath. We’ll order pizza for lunch, or bring your own meal. Registration is required in order to have enough materials ready. Please bring clip...
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St. Thomas Advent Lunches
Monday, Dec 02, 2024, 12:00 PM
December 2: Florence Nightingale: Health Reformer, Dr. Melissa Pritchard
A good friend of St. Thomas, author Melissa Pritchard, will speak about Florence Nightingale, founder of modern-day nursing, social reformer, statistician and myst...
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St. Nicholas Night Service Project
Wednesday, Dec 04, 2024, 6:30 PM
In honor of St. Nicholas and in his spirit of giving, we will work together on an intergenerational service project on December 4. We're planning to pack 50 bags of small gifts (like stocking stuffers) for teens in foster care. This year The ...
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St. Thomas Advent Lunch
Monday, Dec 09, 2024, 12:00 PM
December 9: Our Community’s Health - Dr. Asante Hilts & Mr. Jack Lockwood
Dr. Asante Hilts and Mr. Jack Lockwood will highlight the health of our community, including findings from the most recent community health needs assessment, and ...
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Carol Sing
Wednesday, Dec 11, 2024, 6:30 PM
As it gets closer to Christmas, we will warm up our Christmas voices. Join us for an informal carol sing. We will take requests from Hymnal 1982 that evening. If you want to sing a hymn that is not in Hymnal 1982, please send it to the church off...
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A new Church Year begins on December 1, the First Sunday of Advent. The year is Year C in the Revised Common Lectionary, with a focus on Luke's Gospel. We begin each Sunday in Advent with prayers around an Advent wreath led by new members of St. Thomas.
Our 8:30 Eucharist will be Rite I, the older language of the church, to help us center ourselves in a different way in this sea…
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Christmas Eve Services - 4:30 and 10:30 pm.
Two nearly identical services with Eucharist, candlelight, and the Christmas story. Children's chapel and nursery care are offered at the 4:30 service only. Incense will be used at the 10:30 service only. The 4:30 service will be livestreamed.
Christmas Season Services - 10:30 am on December 29
In the Book of Common Prayer, Christ…
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