Weekly News - December 16, 2022

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Dear Friends,

You have to love Christmas traditions, right? We all have them...

When I was little, I loved this time of year. So fun to bake Christmas cookies and dim the lights while my dad and I sat on the couch and watched the Christmas tree lights blink off and on. I also loved watching Christmas classics on TV - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I mean, who doesn't love Linus and his famous recitation of Luke's Gospel? Here is the dialogue shared between Charlie Brown and Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas:

Charlie Brown begins with, "I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree, Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I don't really know what Christmas is all about. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

"Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,"

said Linus.

We get to see Linus walk to center stage and he says,

"Lights, please."

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:

and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14 KJV)

This was the first Charlie Brown animated special and the producers and executives involved were convinced it would be a flop. The slow pace, the overly simplistic animation, and the jazzy music were worrisome. When Charles Schultz, the cartoon animator, insisted on having Luke's Gospel read, they were positive this special would die after it's airing.

They were wrong! So wrong!

A Charlie Brown Christmas has been watched and cherished for over 57 years. You can find the scene I'm talking about here. What's not to love about a little kid reciting scripture and reminding us about the meaning of Christmas! In this scene we are reminded of how mean people can be as the kids all laugh at Charlie Brown. But we also see the hope we have in God as Linus explains how God recognized the need for pure love to come among us and came to us in the form of a child - Jesus. We call him our Savior, our Lord who leads us into hope and joy.

I hope to see you at one of our Christmas Eve services to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As a reminder - we will not be having a Christmas Day service but you can join us on the 24th at either 3:30pm or 6:30pm. On New Year's Day we will only have one worship service at 9:30am. We have Dinner Church this week with a Chili Cook-Off on the 21st. Our classes and small groups are taking a break until the New Year.

I hope and pray you have a blessed and merry Christmas. I pray God will surround you with peace and joy as you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus who is with us, guiding us, loving us, and blessing us.

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Beth+

Special events at St. Nick's

Kids Choir!

Kids and Youth of all ages are welcome to come and practice from 9:00 to 9:15am on Sundays. We are singing Joy to the World and preparing for our Christmas Eve worship at 3:30pm. Come and make a joyful noise!

Christmas Eve 3:30

Family Worship and Pageant

We are inviting all families and those young at heart to our 3:30pm Worship on Christmas Eve. During the sermon we will have a "pick-up pageant" which is a pageant where props and costumes are set out and people are invited to come and be the character they want - Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Animals, Angels, Magi. During the pageant the different characters are invited to stand by the altar as we read and sing the story of the birth of Jesus.

Communion Instruction

Kids and Youth of all ages and their parents are welcome to come to the church on the 23rd at 10:30am for a special time of communion instruction and a pottery workshop. We will be making a Chalice and Paten for St. Nick's and individual crosses. All are welcome but Rev. Beth must know if you are coming. Text her at 214-213-0739 to let her know you will be coming.

Serving Our Community

Mug, Hot Chocolate and Candy Drive

In the spirit of St. Nicholas and his generosity we will once again be collecting coffee mugs and hot chocolate, candy canes, and candy to go in them. This year we will be spreading joy to local Bulverde Civil Servants and Employees. We will continue to collect mugs until December 21st.

Flat St. Nick

Don't you just love Flat St. Nick with the Giant Gingerbread Snowman? He has been decorating, going to Christmas parties, studying, and played a cheeky game of Hide and Seek. Don't forget to send your St. Nick pictures to us (Rev. Beth at 214-213-0739) or use the hash tags -

#stnickshillcountry.org or #flatstnick.

Provisions Outreach

Provisions Outreach is looking for volunteers to help them. If you are interested please visit their website or call them at 830-438-7899.

This Week at St. Nick's

Sunday, December 18: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday Scriptures (click here to see the full Scripture texts): Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

Collect for the 4th Sunday of Advent:

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Christmas Break Schedule

Merry Christmas to all! We will have Dinner Church on the 21st , special Communion Class on the 23rd and Christmas Eve Worship on the 24th. All Classes and Dinner Church events will take a break for the holidays and we will resume after the New Year.

Sunday Worship

Come and Worship with us!

8:30am - Outdoor Worship

9:30am - Indoor Worship

You can also livestream our 9:30am worship on YouTube, our website, our Facebook page, or on Twitter.

Worship Assistant Training

Sunday, December 18

After 9:30 Worship

Are you interested in being a lay reader and a greeter but aren't sure what's required? Stay after the 9:30am worship on the 18th and learn what is needed for both of these ministries.

Holy Hangout

Wednesday - December 21st at 4:30-5:30pm

Come and play some games, hear stories, make some Christmas ornaments, and play before Dinner Church. All ages welcome!

Dinner Church

Wednesday - December 21st at 5:30-7:30pm

Come and join us for conversation, laughter, worship and lots of food!

On December 21st - bring your favorite chili or chili side.

Communion Instruction and

Pottery Workshop

Friday, December 23, 10:30am

All Youth and Children are invited to attend. Come for Communion Instruction and a Pottery Workshop at St. Nick’s at 9am. We will be making a chalice and paten and individual crosses.

Winter Break

No Small Groups and Classes

All Small Groups and Classes are taking a break util the new year. Holy Hangout and Dinner Church will return on January the 11th. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve Worship

December 24th – Join us for one of our two services this year! We will have a family friendly service with a pick-up Christmas Pageant at 3:30pm and our traditional service at 6:30pm.

Church and Diocese Information

Epiphany Art

Looking for Artists

For the season of Epiphany we want to change out the art on our walls. We are looking for artists who would like to create a painting that captures the joy of Epiphany.

Epiphany means "to show" or "make known." The beginning of the Epiphany season is celebrated with the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child.

If you would like to create a work of art that shares the symbols of Epiphany or reveals God's love in the world around us, please contact Rev. Beth for more information. She can be reached at 214-213-0739 or at revbeth@stnickshillcountry.org

St. Nicholas Episcopal Church

2265 Bulverde Rd.

Bulverde, TX 78163

Phone: 214-213-0739