The Season of Advent
You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why…you know the rest. Of course, even this quaint Christmas tradition isn’t original. Yes, even Advent, that most obscure season of the Christian year, has been co-opted and distorted to focus on our own desires and pleasure. This non-Christian tradition tells us to be good because we’ll get more of the stuff we want.
The season of Advent, however, encourages us to re-focus our attention and energy in the weeks leading up to Christmas. In our Advent worship and personal devotions, we get real about the possibility of death, of God’s judgment, of heaven and hell. We become uncomfortably familiar with John the Baptist and his wild ways, but also his promise of liberation, justice, and pure joy for all those who welcome the Messiah into their lives. We journey closely with Mary and Joseph to try to walk in their shoes to appreciate the gift of saying yes to God.
All of this rightly prepares us to encounter the profound mystery and joy of the incarnation. What the birth of Jesus promises is complete freedom from our fears and our sinful ways. Christmas brings hope and assurance that God is making the world whole and calling us to share in that work.
So, let’s make sure to tend to our spiritual preparation during this Advent season. Let’s make sure to keep our focus primarily on God’s redeeming work in Jesus. We will journey, Sunday by Sunday, together. We will build our crèche, light our Advent wreath, get to know John the Baptist and the Holy Family, and bring ourselves to a glorious celebration of the birth of Jesus in a few weeks!
Peace,
James+
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2
8:00, 9:00, & 11:00 a.m.
Preacher:
The Rev. Burl Salmon
*8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
8:15 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast, Parish Hall West
*9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:50 a.m. Adult Forum, Parish Hall East
10:00 a.m. Fellowship Finger Food, Parish Hall West
10:00 a.m. 3 & 4 Year Old Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. K - 2nd Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 3rd - 5th Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 6th & 7th Grade Pre-Confirmation Class, Library
10:00 a.m. 8th Grade Confirmation Group, ECW Room
10:00 a.m. 9th - 12th Grade Pilgrimage Group, Youth Room
*#11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
4:00 p.m. Advent Lessons and Carols
Fellowship Breakfast | 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. | Parish Hall West
We serve a full hot meal cooked on site, with a rotating menu, for $5 per person. After 10:00 a.m., a simpler fare, fellowship finger foods, will be provided until 1:00 p.m. with no cost to our parishioners.
This week's menu: scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, savory sausage, Grits
, buttermilk biscuits, cheese tray, fruit and vegetable tray.
Adult Forum: Civil Discourse, Complexities of Policy
| 9:50 a.m | Parish Hall East
Developed by the The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, the Civil Discourse Curriculum was created as a resource to help Episcopalians understand and practice civil discourse, particularly as it relates to discussion about politics, policy, and legislation, and why it is so important to living out our Gospel call and solving the problems facing our communities, country, and the world. Join us for this fourth in a five-part series as we learn how to engage our sisters, brothers, and the general world in civil discourse in an age when such an act seems so difficult.
PARKING: Persons attending Sunday services will be allowed to park on ALL of Barton Avenue and the south side of Pendleton Avenue without receiving a ticket from
7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
* nursery care for infants through age 2 is available from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Click here
to view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here
to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
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The Palm Beaches Marathon Sunday Road Closures
Please make sure you can find an alternate route to church this Sunday.
Sunday, December 2 until 6:00 p.m. Northbound and Southbound Flagler Drive between Banyan Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue will be closed.
Note: Westbound traffic on the Flagler Memorial Bridge (aka North Bridge) will be temporarily closed on Sunday between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m.
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Advent Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Church
The First Sunday of Advent is celebrated with our annual Service of Advent
Lessons and Carols. Sixteen years after introducing the now-famous Festival of
Nine Lessons and Carols to King’s College, Cambridge, the Dean of King’s College created this service for Advent. He stated that the purpose of the service was “not to celebrate Christmas, but to expect it.” The Bethesda Choir leads the service and offers Advent carols and anthems. Some of the greatest hymns of the church year are in the Advent section of our hymnal, and the congregation sings many of them in this service. There is no recital preceding the service, but Prelude music begins at approximately 3:50 p.m. Please come and bring your friends.
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Angel Tree
–
Help Share Christmas Joy With Those In Need
Since God created us with hearts to help those in need, will you give something to make a child’s Christmas brighter? This Christmas season we are gathering gifts for children of the Boys & Girls Clubs. We need 100 gifts, which will be distributed to these children. Gifts should not exceed $25 in value.
The Angel Tree will be in the Narthex on Sunday, December 2 and 9. Please take an Angel from the tree for a deserving child and
return your gift to the Narthex (gift-wrapped and with the angel tag attached) on Sunday, December 16
, so we can delivery the gifts by Christmas Day. On behalf of these children, thank you!
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Cast & Crew Call
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The Boar’s Head & Yule Log Festival
(January 5 and 6)
The Boar’s Head is one of the oldest continuing festivals of the Christmas season, and is a long-running tradition at Bethesda-by-the-Sea. Entire families can participate in a variety of roles for all ages. If not in the cast, you’re needed as a support member of the crew. Learn more and sign up today at the Boar’s Head table in the Cloister.
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Evangelism for Episcopalians--Surely You Jest!
Actually, it is possible, and Canon to the Presiding Bishop Stephanie Spellers is going to show us how.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Bethesda hosts the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's very own Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation.
Join us as we seek, name, and celebrate Jesus' loving presence in the stories of all people and learn how to articulate the power of faith in our own lives to tell our own stories. Lunch will be provided. Donations are accepted.
To find out more and to register for this event,
click here
.
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Christmas Memorial Flowers
We invite you to make a contribution in memory of, or in honor of, your loved ones during this Christmas season. Your gift provides for the special flowers and altar adornments during this season and throughout the year.
Your loved ones’ names will be printed in the Christmas service leaflets as long as they are received by Friday, December 14. A minimum $35 contribution is suggested per name.
click here.
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Celtic Pilgrimage
May 3 to May 15, 2019
Following in Celtic Footsteps – A Pilgrimage for The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea. Led by The Rev. James Harlan & The Right Rev. John Pritchard.
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- Wednesday, December 5 -
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6:00 to 6:30 p.m. (serving starts at 5:45 p.m.) Community Supper | Parish Hall
The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12; $25 family max (payable at the door).
This week's menu: chicken, steak, & pork bowls with assorted side options and assorted desserts.
Kindly RSVP
here
or call Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
*In order to properly plan and prepare the supper, we need your reservations by noon on Monday.
FEATURED CLASSES
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. |
Ethics in Our Time
| Guild Room
Does it seem to you like there are no ethical standards anymore? Do we live in a world of ethical relativism guided only by individualism, having forgotten the concept of a greater good? Are you troubled yourself when facing life decisions you never dreamed of in prior years? This week we welcome Kimberly Mitchell, Executive Director of the Everglades Trust, as she speaks about Environmental Ethics. Join us as we look at the world around us, from ethical decision-making in public service, the bio-medical community, the environment, business, and the application of those standards to our personal perspectives and the maintenance of an ethical culture.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. |
Walk in Love; an Enquirers Class
| Library
If you’ve ever wondered about confirmation, that mysterious sacrament offered by the bishop when he comes twice a year, and what it gets you, now is the time to find out! This eight-week study of the Episcopal Church is your opportunity to develop your faith and discover what makes our tradition unique.
RECURRING CLASSES
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Bethesda Youth Group | Youth Room
The Bethesda Youth Group is open to all youth in 6th through 12th grade. Each week we offer fun activities and lively discussions. Youth members also participate in monthly special events including our annual lock-in, service day, and camping trip to Peanut Island.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Bible Study | ECW Room
The Path: A Journey Through the Bible
… praised by biblical scholars,
The Path
is the story of the Bible, excerpted from the New Revised Standard Version so that it is clear and easy to read. Follow the path of God’s love all the way from the beginning to the end, from Adam’s creation to John’s revelation. This book stands alone as a fantastic resource for engaging and learning more about the Bible. Discover what “trails” through God’s grace you want to spend more time on and get to know as your own special way to the heart of God’s Love.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Little Way | Sunday School Hall
For all K - 5th grade kids with a curiosity for what we do at Bethesda and why. Crafts, cooking, learning games, and playful fellowship will help your little ones learn about Bethesda's traditions and have a little fun along the way.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Theology in Film - Bethesda Film Club | Choir Room
This inter-generational group will explore how the religious life is revealed through popular art. This week we look at
King Kong
(1933). If you are able, please watch the movie on your own and come ready to discuss.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Yoga | Parish Hall West
Physical therapist and yoga therapist Emily Large invites all adults for an evening of holistic worship through Christian yoga practice. Physical postures, relaxation, breath techniques, and mental focus create a holistic approach for worship as we will reflect on the themes associated with the liturgical calendar. A donation of $10 per class is requested (payable at the door).
CLOSING PRAYER
7:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Compline | Church
An ancient, brief, and contemplative liturgy of the Christian tradition, compline offers an opportunity to give God thanks for the day behind us and pray for rest and safety in the night ahead. A fitting end to the day, compline offers a peaceful and meditative sacred time in the middle of our often frenetic weeks, as well as a beautiful conclusion to our Wednesday evenings together.
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We pray for...
Angel, Angela, Ann, Anne, Barbara, Brenda, Caroline, Chill Family, Chris, Christian, Connor, Dairell, Donna, Dorothy, Edna, Elizabeth, Ellen, Emily, Ernest, Ernesto, Evan, Gary, Holly, Jack, Janice, Jeff, John, Kaleb, Kelly, Kelley, Lewis Family, Lucy, Lynn, Marcia, Mary, Mary Ann, Matthew, Melanie, Michael, Nancy, Nikki, Pat, Paul, Peggy, Phyllis, Reysean, Richard, Ricky, Robbie, Robert, Robin, Sally, Sam, Sandra, Sara, Sean, Sharon, Stephen, Stern Family, Susan, Sylvia, Tamara, Taryn, Thomas, Tina, Tristan, Virginia, Ward,
and those serving our country..
.
Alex, Benjamin, Clara, Eric, Harold, Herbert, John, Lorne, Luster Michael, and Tommy.
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This Sunday's Readings in Context
Parishioner Tom O'Brien, a Canon and Examining Chaplain for Scripture of this diocese, writes brief background descriptions of the Sunday readings. We thank Tom for sharing his learning and love of Scripture with us in this way.
Below is Scripture discusses a passage from Jeremiah that was added by the Deuteronomists, and a portion of Paul's first letter (1 Thessalonians) that encourages the Jesus Follower Community to be steadfast.
In some denominations, two different readings from the Hebrew Bible are available, and one is chosen to be read.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
After the good King Josiah (who instituted many Deuteronomic reforms) was killed in battle in 609 BCE at Megiddo (the Greek name for which is Armageddon), the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 BCE until Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in 597 BCE and destroyed by them in 586 BCE. The deportations of the Babylonian Exile occurred in two phases, one in 597 and the second in 587 BCE.
Jeremiah’s prophesy (
i.e
. speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 – 586 BCE) and the First Century. In fact, parts of Jeremiah are word-for-word the same as 2 Kings, a book written by the Deuteronomists (authors of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings). Many of the sections in the book of Jeremiah that are in “poetry style” are attributed to the prophet, and the parts in “prose style” were added by the Deuteronomists.
Jeremiah is mostly a prophet of doom and gloom, but today’s reading is in prose style and is optimistic. These verses are a repetition of Jer. 23:5-6, and are not in some other versions of the Book of Jeremiah that were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were likely added around 450-400 BCE. The verses anticipate a Messianic Age when YHWH will fulfill the promise that a righteous Branch from the House of David will rise up to bring justice and righteousness (a right relationship with God) to Israel and Judea.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Thessalonica, a port city in northern Greece, was capital of the Roman province of Macedonia in the First Century. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest part of the Christian Scriptures and was written by Paul before 50 CE, about 20 years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written.
The theme of this short letter (five chapters) is one of encouragement to remain steadfast. In the passages just before today’s reading, Paul expressed pain at not being able to visit this community. In today’s reading, he urged the Jesus Followers in Thessalonica to remain holy and blameless.
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