For those of you who have been following along with the sermons or Trinity's Facebook page, there has been a lot of discussion about creches, the Nativity scenes that many people decorate their homes with. There are so many different kinds of creches, different materials used, different Biblical representatives present in the scenes, different ways to set up a creche.

This year, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. had a virtual creche collection exhibit. The creches are exquisite! If you want to check it out, especially since today is the actual Feast of Epiphany, the celebration of the wise men's visit to Jesus in the manger, you can click on this link.

We're taking a few weeks off of virtual sessions to reevaluate our approach to programming while we cannot meet in person. Please check out the at-home resources and activities below, that we'll continue to share, and stay tuned for what's next!

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany! You can celebrate by chalking your door! Pull out that sidewalk chalk and write 20+C+M+B+21 on your door (or next to your door) as an Epiphany blessing. What do those letters and numbers mean? The first and last numbers simply refer to the current year. The letters C M B come from the traditional names for the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Some also suggest “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means, “May Christ bless this dwelling!” The + is a cross.

You can learn more about this tradition in this article on Build Faith.

This weekend we remember The Baptism of Our Lord. Sometime this week or weekend, open up your Spark Story Bibles to page 242 and read the account there. You can also read the story of Jesus' baptism in Mark's Gospel at Mark 1:4-11. (Other accounts of the baptism are found at Matthew chapter 3 and Luke chapter 3.)

I wonder, do you know that God delights in you, too? How does that make you feel?

I wonder, are you baptized? Ask your parents! If you are, have them tell you the story of your baptism day. Do they have a baptism story of their own? Maybe your grandparents have a story to share with you.

Baptism is one of the most important sacraments, holy rituals, of our faith. It is always done in community. You can read through our baptismal liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer beginning on page 298, or online here. What are some of the promises we make to each other in baptism? Which ones stand out to you?

If you are not baptized, and your family would like to know more about what it is and what it means in the Episcopal faith, call up Pastor Sabrina or Father Ted for a chat!

Looking for more? Check out this week's reflections, with content for a variety of ages, at Faith at Home.

The summer service trip for all interested high school and middle school students will be to Niagara Falls, NY from June 20 - 25, 2021. The trip will involve numerous service projects, such as building, painting, and working with young children in need.

In honor of the legacy of the late Dr. King, Trinity Swarthmore will host its 7th annual Morning of Service in support of Aid For Friends, a non-profit organization which provides meals to 1,700 home-bound individuals who have little to no means of support. Due to COVID restrictions on in-person gatherings, this year we ask participants to assemble breakfast bags with enclosed hand-made note cards at home, and then drop the breakfast bags off on the morning of January 18th at Trinity. Trinity volunteers will then bring the breakfast bags to Aid For Friends to distribute to those they serve. Our goal is to collect 1,000 breakfast bags! This inter-generational morning of service event is family friendly, please consider gathering volunteers of all ages to help create compassionate community by coming together in support of those in need.