Indoor Worship and Holy Communion

Holy Communion will be offered at both the 8:00 am and 10:00 service.
Seating is available on a first come first serve basis.

If you attend in-person, please note:
Masks are required indoors - please wear the mask over your mouth and nose. 
The service will be about 45 minutes.
After the service, feel free to stick around outside and welcome those you have not seen in a while.  

Drive-in Church - drive up, tune your radio to 107.5 FM
Walk-up Church - bring a chair/bike/beach blanket, stay six feet from your neighbor in our garden and grassy area, and listen to the service live.
Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org, click on the listen live button, and you will be routed to our YouTube channel. 
Zoom - go to https://zoom.us/j/5955701807 and watch and listen live. Be sure to stick around after the service for our coffee hour chat-with-your-neighbor time. 

All Angels' 10 am service will begin with the lighting of the altar candles. If you are participating at home, you are invited to light a candle with us to create a sacred space of worship at home. 

The bulletin can be found on the All Angels Website: AllAngelsLBK.org
or at the following link: Bulletin for Sunday, December 6
Organ Concert in the Park
First Week of Advent, 12-3-20
Flowers and Music for Christmas

There are 4 easy ways to contribute to the upcoming holiday season decorations and music:

1.For on-line giving chose the Christmas Donation button on the All Angels website

2 Send a check to the office made out to All Angels by the Sea with Christmas in the Memo Line

3. Put your check in offering plate with the above designations

4. Or, stop by or call the office, 941-383-8181, with donation information. 

If you would like to designate as Memorial or Thanksgiving of name, please enclose that information for the bulletin.

The form below will help us to make sure your flowers are designated correctly. Please return it to the office by December 16th.
Children First  

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DEADLINE FOR CHILDREN FIRST GIVING AND HAVE YOUR ITEMS IN SANTA'S BOOT BY DECEMBER 7

Children First, a longtime recipient of ECW fundraising and Outreach grants could use our help this year. For Christmas every child receives a book and pajamas. This may be their only gift this year as many parents have lost their jobs and may not be called back. Please bring your unwrapped gift of pajamas and /or book appropriate for children infant to 5 years to the Christmas bin located in the narthex by December 7. We will see that it is delivered.
You can find these items on Amazon or stores that offer at home delivery. Please shop safely. 
Look for additional hours when the church will be open for reflection and prayer so you can safely bring in your items.
Questions? Call or email Gail Clay, Elaine Smith or Alison Jones
December Birthdays

4 Katzy Nager
11 Downs Spitler III
13 Bob Kopeck
17 Ethan Marshall (turning 18!)
21 Christina Swain
24 Pam Blanton
25 Ann Mumford
25 David Bishop
29 Gloria Blackman
December Anniversaries

11 Jeff & Laurel Vaughn
14 Terry Cobb & Holly Bruce
18 Graham & Pam Toft
22 Chris & Luanne Collins

December 3rd is the 26th anniversary of Rev. Maggie's ordination to the priesthood.
Thank You of the Week

Many thanks to the Altar Guild who lovingly prepared the church for Advent, especially Jan Web, Gail Clay, Daphne Walker, Katzy Nager, Jane Perrin, Catharine Burke, and
“associate Altar Guild members” Bob Erker and Don Judd.
Discussion Group Readings

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times asking an important question - when should federal inmates get vaccinated for Covid-19? 
It is about general public health as well as an ethical; and spiritual; question. I'd like to hear what you think about it. 
God's peace to you,
- Dave 

For the Zoom meeting, go to https://zoom.us/j/5955701807

Online Giving
All Angels now has an electronic offertory plate! You can find the online giving link on our All Angels website by clicking the link below:
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer invites you to pray with them, every day,
at 8 am, wherever you are. When you enter into prayer at 8 am (Eastern), you will know that others are praying at the same time. 
Prayers for our People

Send prosperity in health to those who are in need, especially: Downs IV, Holden, Nikolai, Brian and Joan. Grant healing and recovery for all who have gone through surgery especially Holly Bruce and Sandy Wood.
Give peace and strength for those going through cancer treatments, especially John, Victoria, Andres, Ginny, Alex, Colleen, Jack and Breanna.
Visit and comfort all who are under the care of skilled nursing, especially Bob, Timothy, Don, Barbara and Mike.
Be near to all who are in hospice care.
Gallery Artist

The artist for November is Linda Larisch. Please stop by and enjoy the work of this talented artist.  

All checks should be written to "All Angels by the Sea."
Art Sale

Is your closet full of old art? 
We are asking you to search your closets and storage rooms for nice artwork you no longer display. Bring it to the church office in December and it will be displayed and potentially sold during the month of January. If your art sells, 100% of the proceeds will go to the mission and ministry of All Angels. Who knows, maybe you'll find a piece of art that you would like to take home. 
All previous services, discussion group readings and Bible study classes may be found on our website:
Reflection
Lamb or Lion?

One of my favorite posters is a collection of biblical phrases that describe God. The background of the poster is purple and the words are in gold; except for the bright white bold phrase in the center that reads I AM. It reminded me then, and now, that God has many names. The same is true with Jesus. He is master, Lord, savior, Christ, friend, shepherd, Messiah, and, as our Eucharistic prayer names him, Firstborn of all creation, Head of the Church, Author of our salvation. There are two names, however, that I would like to reflect on – Lamb of God, Lion of Judah.

How can Jesus be both lion and lamb?

God is described in psalm 84 as both sun and shield – the one who makes the day hot and the one who covers/shields/protects one from the harshness of the sun. In the early church period, when followers were trying to figure out what they had experienced, some had suggested that God is the sun and Jesus is the shield from God’s burning hot anger and wrath. Thankfully that theology didn’t survive long; nevertheless, God is so big that titles and names fall short of describing our Creator, even a poster full of them. But that still doesn’t explain how Jesus can be both lamb and lion, prey and predator, herbivore and carnivore, friend and feared adversary, overt and covert, both pet and apex predator.

The title, Lion of Judah, has many Biblical references. Judah is the southern territory of Israel, containing both Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The “lion” is the one who is in charge, like a king. Matthew’s Gospel tells of the Wise Men who traveled to Jerusalem looking for the Messiah. They were told he is to be from, or is to be born in, Bethlehem. Thus, the Lion of Judah is a way to describe the Messiah.

The Lamb of God reference is from John’s Gospel and the Book of Revelation. The overtones are of the Passover lamb that is sacrificed for sin. There is, of course, the additional imagery of the kind, warm and fuzzy God-in-Christ in contrast to the vengeful angry image of God.

One way to solve the lion and lamb riddle is to look at it through the lens of who someone is and what someone does. The Lion of Judah is a title for the messiah that expressly describes who Jesus is. The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, is an aspect of what Jesus does. St. Paul, in his wonderful use of imagery and language that transcends time and peoples, brought the two distinct images together by describing Jesus as the Crucified King. In other words, both lion and lamb. 

- Fr. Dave