Shining the Light

Dear St. Andrew's Community,

This past Friday we celebrated the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek epiphainen, which means "to manifest," “appear,” or “make known.” The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus, the Son of God, to the world.

Unfortunately, in the United States, the day of January 6 has been sullied by the calamitous events of 2021. But many Christians around the world annually celebrate Epiphany on January 6. It is a public holiday in many countries and marks one of the two critical events in Jesus Christ’s life, according to the Christian Bible. The first event was when the three wise men, or magi or kings, visited infant Jesus. The second event was when St John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

In Spain, children traditionally do not receive their presents on Christmas Day but instead on January 6, in commemoration of the day the Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos) arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The beauty of this tradition is that it separates the celebration of Christmas from the exchange of gifts. Another aspect of this tradition is that it exposes children to the three kings in all their meaningful diversity. [See the The Adoration of the Magi below.]

As we prepare for 2023, the Vestry is discerning about a Planned Giving Program for St. Andrew’s. We will have more information in the weeks ahead and hope you will want to engage with us in shaping this important undertaking.  We thank you for your support of St. Andrew’s. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Vestry if there is anything you need in the days ahead, as we await to welcome Rev Dorota back among us.

In Peace and Joy,

Rosalía Rodriguez-García

10:00 a.m. Choral and Family Eucharist

Readings: Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42

Duty officer January 15 - January 21: Mike Rauseo

Each Wednesday at 8:30pm members of St. Andrew's meet via this Zoom Compline link for a brief service of contemplative nighttime prayers. All are welcome to join. For those who do not have a copy of the Book of Comon Prayer at home, you may download this Compline booklet.

When Jesus asked John to baptize him, John felt confused, perhaps overwhelmed. "Why me? Am I worthy?" Rev. Rachel Rickenbaker notes that we often ask the same questions about our performance as parents, as friends, or as Christians. Our society values people based on what they do, but God bases our worth on who we are, and baptism begins the work of God in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. So the answer is yes: we are called, and we are worthy.

The St. Andrews vestry held its January meeting on Tuesday. This was the first meeting coming off the Christmas season. We had lots to talk about in preparation for the upcoming Annual Meeting.

Key points of discussion centered on the Annual Meeting agenda, a St. Andrew's Planned Giving Program, the projected final 2022 budget, and the 2023 budget.

We look forward to another great year and continue to go out with a sense of mission, love, and hope.

After several days of auditions and a read and listen-thru of the dialogue and music, our spring musical production of “Whistle Down the Wind” is on its way. We can’t wait to share this powerful, human story with you. Casting wise, we need more people to play parents and grandparents to our wonderful cast of children and youth. Perhaps even more urgent is the assembling of a production team to deal with the set, lighting and sound, and stage management.  We hope to meet on Sunday January 15 at 12:30pm for a more specific discussion. If you think you might be able to contribute in any way, please feel free to join us.  There is no commitment for those who just want to get more information.  As always, if you have questions, you may reach out to our Director/Producer, Jane Massant by email, or 703 975-6615.

Ministry leaders, please remember to send your reports for the Annual Meeting to Emily by Friday January 13 for inclusion in the Annual Report. Thank you!

For our Glorious Companions meeting on Wednesday, January 18, at 10:30 am in the Lounge, we’ll read chapter 3 in our book—Paul Among the People by Sarah Ruden.

For years our Undercroft has housed two large, heavy, and unwieldy wooden tables. Because their legs do not fold, these tables are so large that they stay in the Undercroft. Dragging them across the new flooring risks scratching it. B&G proposes to get rid of these tables in the near future. St. Andrew's has many rectangular plastic tables that are far easier to handle, and that can support food and other items as needed. If anyone feels strongly that St. Andrew's should keep the old wooden tables, please inform Jim Williams or Richard Knight ASAP.

We need volunteers for Coffee Hour. Please sign up outside of Dorota's office or using Sign-up Genius.

This week we pray for: Henry Schmidt, Paul and Kate Bayes, the people of Haiti, the people of Ukraine, the Meade family, the Gibbons family, Curtis and Betty Powers and Noe Henriquez.

Would you like to add a name to the prayer list? If so, please email the church office with your request. Names will be kept on the prayer list for about a month unless otherwise specified, and will be published weekly in Shining the Light.   

If you are able to drive the donations to AFAC for a contactless delivery, please sign-up here.

Here is a list of items AFAC accepts.