Sunday, December 13
The Third Sunday of Advent
O Come, thou Dayspring,
come and cheer our spirits by the justice here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Masks and social distancing required for all services.
Holy Eucharist Rite I, 8 a.m.
In-person attendance for up to 10 worshippers
Please register in advance here.
Holy Eucharist Rite II, 10 a.m.
In-person attendance for up to 10 worshippers
Please register in advance here.
Also live-streamed at 10 a.m.
Worship Notes, Sunday, December 13, 10 a.m.

Fr. Ben Hankinson, officiating
Kevin Babb, Jim Gillentine, Eucharistic Ministers
Henry H. Evans, Organist

  • Coffee Hour via Zoom, following the 10 a.m. service.
  • Communion station at 12 p.m. on the church lawn near rear parking area.
Readings for December 13
  • Old Testament - Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
  • Psalm 126
  • The Epistle - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
  • The Holy Gospel - John 1:6-8,19-28
The Holy Gospel | John 1:6-8,19-28

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Make Your Offering!
Schedule for the Week of December 13

  • Finance Committee Zoom meeting, 3 p.m. (tentative)
  • Evening Prayer, Sunday, 7 p.m.
  • Compline, Monday, 7 p.m.
  • Noonday Prayer, Tuesday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Advent Discussion Series via Zoom, 6 p.m. (Link and info below.)
  • Noonday Prayer, Wednesday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Noonday Prayer, Thursday, 12:05 p.m.
  • Vestry meeting, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
  • Morning Prayer, Friday, 9 a.m.
  • Compline, Saturday, 7 p.m.

Looking Ahead
  • Advent Discussion Series via Zoom, December 22
  • Christmas Eve Service, 7 p.m., Thursday, December 24 (one service)
  • Christmas Day Service, 10 a.m., Friday, December 25 (w/o music)
  • Feast of The Holy Name, Holy Eucharist, January 1, 7 p.m.
  • Feast of The Epiphany, Holy Eucharist, January 6, 7 p.m.
  • Annual Meeting, first or second Sunday in May (tbd)



Christmas Observance
As we make our way through Advent, preparing to greet the triumphant return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we also make plans for our celebration of the Nativity in just a few short weeks. I wanted to take a moment then to share with you plans for our observance of Christmas at St. Andrew’s this year.
 
On Christmas Eve, we will have a 7 p.m. service with music including a time of instrumental carols beforehand (organ only, no singing). Christmas Day will be at 10 a.m. without music. Signups are available online, and links may be found below.
 
Both services will be live-streamed on Facebook for those worshipping from home. Additionally, Communion will be made available from 11-11:30 a.m. on Christmas Day in the usual location behind the church.
 
Sadly, when plans were initially made for Christmas, we were not under the current level of restrictions, and at that time we anticipated the Christmas masses having 25 to 35 people in attendance. As it stands, we expect to remain under current guidelines at the time of the Lord’s natal day, meaning that we will be limited to 10 people in addition to those serving.
 
To address these limitations, additional services may be added as the signups above are filled out, though please note that additional services will not include music. If there are insufficient spaces available for you and/or your family to sign up, please email Fr. Ben (rector@standrews-edwardsville.com) so that he may plan accordingly.
 
May our Lord who first drew near to us in great humility continue to meet us in these extraordinary circumstances as our Advent preparations aid us to look faithfully to his second Coming, to draw near to him in the joy of the Eucharist, and to make our own humble pilgrimage to the holy creche in Bethlehem this year.

-Fr. Ben
+++
There has been some occasional difficulty regarding the online signup process for services. To sign up, please follow these steps:
  1. Navigate to the service in question.
  2. Select "Sign up" for the desired week/slot.
  3. Click "Submit and Sign up" at the bottom of the page.
  4. Fill in the quantity for the number of those attending along with the attendee's Name and Email.
  5. Click “Sign Up Now.”
St. Andrew’s Helps Children and Families in Need!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Outreach for the Angel Tree families in this topsy-turvy unforgettable year. Our parish helped six families with a total of 16 children. Because of your generosity, we were able to give $100 in Target or Walmart cards to each child and $300 to each mom. Four shoe gift cards were also donated and were given to the largest family. Meg Solon picked out books for each child and Marilyn Strangeman helped pack bags. Dianne Dudding donated hats and gloves from the Scarf Project to the family who requested them. An additional thank-you goes to Fredna and JoAnn for helping me plan this year’s giving. All in all, this year’s Christmas Outreach was a success.
-Mary Bohn
Advent Series on Tuesdays:
Becoming a Beloved Community

Fr. Ben and Dr. Liz McKenney are leading weekly Zoom discussions during Advent that focus on race and reconciliation. The series began November 29 and will continue December 15 and 22 at 6 p.m. Join the group this Tuesday at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5094879945 .
Enjoy Online Advent Music Programs!

If you missed last Sunday’s “Advent Lessons and Carols” from the Church of St. Michael and St. George or The Masterworks Chorale’s Christmas concert featuring soprano Christine Brewer, both can still be viewed online.
Both performances feature beautiful Christmas music and artwork inspired by the first and second chapters of St. Luke’s Gospel.

Upcoming Concerts

  • Tuesday, December 15, at 7 p.m. CST, The Groton School’s Festival of Lessons and Carols will be available online. Music is a vital part of the school’s curriculum, so be prepared for a beautiful performance. This notice comes courtesy of Rowena McClinton whose grandson is a student at Groton.


The St. Andrew's Week-End Update, a weekly emailed newsletter, is designed to update parishioners on church activities. Please send news items to Jane Weingartner
by 11 a.m. on Tuesday to have them appear in the following Friday's newsletter.

Newsletter Editor and Designer, Marian Smithson
Newsletter Editor Jane Weingartner | Newsletter Editor, Marianne Cavanaugh