 Calendar of Events Advent & Christmas
SO much happening in the next few weeks! Here's a schedule to keep it all straight :) Sunday, November 29th
WHEW! That's a lot to remember, so maybe save this email or print it out and post it, or you can always check our website Events Page. I do hope you are all making plans for a fun but safe Advent and Christmas. I know no one in our family is travelling home for Thanksgiving, which is super sad but we think the best decision for us. Christmas may be the same. This will be a holiday season like no other. Let's do our best to make it meaningful and joyous despite the challenges, and do it together. Blessings, Fr. Mark+  Special Friday Updates
Three more things that I want to share before the week is out. First -- I have chosen the book "Low -- An Honest Advent Devotional," by John Pavlovitz for our Advent Study this year. It's a small book and the daily readings are short enough for even the busiest schedule. You can purchase a copy online, or I have twenty copies that just arrived today, and which I will give to anyone who makes a donation in any amount to our Christmas Family Fund (see next point). Second -- As mentioned above once again we are sponsoring two families from our community with donations for Christmas, and you can donate by check or online by text or card on our website. To do this, and to make sure it goes to the correct fund, from the home page find the "More" then "Give" then "Donate Now" links. Once there you can look at the "Fund" selector in the upper right, and make sure you have"2020 Christmas Families Fund" selected, and then make your donation, and we'll send your book right away. Next week I'll send the particulars about when and how we will meet online for what I think will be a really interesting Advent Study Third -- I am delighted to announce that our Sanctuary Seating time slots filled up within an hour yesterday, so I have scheduled another day -- December 6th 1:00 - 4:00 P.M. and you should receive another email from us soon with a link to reserve a 20 min spot to come in and just sit, or read, or pray in the space you love so much. The Christmas decorations will be up and the Nativity scene will be set. If there is interest, a third day can be offered. OK -- Have a great weekend! See you online Sunday at 10! Blessings, Fr. Mark+ Several fun things to share today. 1) Several people have expressed how much they miss being in the sanctuary, and especially this time of year, so on Sunday, November 29th we will open the sanctuary from 1:00 - 4:00 P.M. for people to come and sit and pray, either as individuals or a household group, for up to 20 minutes. The church will be decorated, and the Nativity Scene will be placed under the altar. To make sure we don’t get more than safe numbers at one time, you must sign-up with the link that was sent separately to your email and by text a short time ago. If for some reason that link doesn’t work you can email Gina and let her know your preference and she can plug you in. If all the slots fill up and more would like to participate, we will do this again on the following Sunday(s) in Advent. 2) We are looking at hosting a St. Francis Drive-In Movie Night! The date is being worked out, but we are hoping early in December. This will be open to all St. Francis folks and families, and will start sometime around sundown. It’s a chance for our families to get out and have some fun together. The weather is unpredictable, but we’ll all be inside our vehicles, so cuddling and sleeping bags and blankets will only add to the experience. There will be concessions, or you can go “old school” and bring your own. Admission is free, covered by the church. The movie is titled “The Star,” a 2017 animated movie about the birth of Jesus. Here’s a link to the RT trailer: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_star_2017 As soon as the date and time are nailed down, I’ll communicate it. FUN! 3) Starting on Sunday Nov 29th, we will be offering “Drive-By Communion” for the Sundays in Advent. Here’s how it will work:
4) We continue to work on Christmas Eve livestreamed services, and hope to have more to announce soon on that. Happy Birthday!! Happy Anniversary
Gretchen Foster November 24 Peter & Jennifer Schilke November 19 Jon & Amy Meyer November 20 Prayer Requests: The prayer request sheet is still just outside the office in the church and is updated weekly. Anyone may still email your prayer requests to me at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. Now that I am working from home two days a week, the requests must be received on by Wednesday at the latest, for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Wednesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the prayer request is received, it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. ***Daily Devotion for Thursday November 19, 2020*** Welcoming Christ The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go Pause Jesus our Redeemer, teach us this day faithfulness. Jesus our Friend, inspire us to act with kindness and mercy. Jesus the Christ, calm our spirit in the ways of grace and peace. Listen “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’" Matthew 25:37-40 Think There’s a saying: “Sing like no one is listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like no one is watching, and live like it is heaven on earth.” In other words, be you, freely and whole-heartedly. It’s good advice, and I like it. The focus, however, is on the self. In today’s parable, Jesus’ focus is on the other. It’s a pivotal shift, one that is marked by a Christian understanding of humanity. Of all the ways we stand out for our faith, may we shine for the ways we treat one another. When we care for each other, we show that we care about God. More specifically, we care about the people for whom God cares deeply. Faithful living is that simple: in all we do, we do it in the name of the Holy One whose love extends to all, especially those in our society who have been ignored and dismissed. In your midst there is someone whose life experience is like “the least of these.” May today be the day we turn our energies and attention on those who need it the most. Aram Bae Pray God, I confess it’s an easy habit to become narrowly focused on my own needs. Strengthen a different kind of spiritual habit. Turn my attention on someone who is in need of a listening ear and encouragement. Open my eyes and heart to tend to someone who could use an extra dose of your kindness and love. I’ll do it, Lord. Use me. Amen. Go May Jesus the Christ bless you and keep you. May Jesus the Christ smile upon you and be gracious towards you. And may Jesus the Christ lead you on this day in the path of wisdom and peace. And all of God’s people said, Amen. ***For those of you that would like to access these devotionals daily, you can go on this website: www.d365.org Gina’s Office Hours Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from home) Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from home) Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office) FATHER MARK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) As announced, our in-person worship is paused again – this time through the holidays. Although I am confident this was the right decision, it certainly wasn’t easy, and I totally understand if you are frustrated by it. All I can say is that we are committed to keeping you, beloved members of this parish, safe by not offering opportunities for virus spread during what is obviously the worst outbreak we have had in our area. I’ll take whatever heat comes from that choice. 2) However, we are working on some fun stuff for the season that we can do remotely. Here’s one: We are asking everyone to send in their favorite stories and memories of Christmas’ past. If you have a favorite gift you ever received or gave, an all-time trip you took, the best family celebration, or even a cherished and beloved recipe. We have in mind to put together a booklet of Christmas Carols to send out and invite people to join us for an online Carol Sing, and thought it would be fun to include these memories, prayers, and recipes to share. You can send your entry to Gina at stfrancis@allophone.com 3) Again, due to COVID in Nebraska, Bishop Barker has cancelled his planned Nov 22 visitation and will reschedule soon. This means Confirmations andReceptions will also be postponed. I do apologize to our great kids who have been so faithful in attending and participating in our Catechism Classes. I’ll be in touch with the families soon about our next session. If you were hoping to be Received on the 22nd, again . my apologies. But he will be out here as soon as possible, and we will get to celebrate this great sacrament. 4) Don’t forget to link in to Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:15 A.M. for an online Coffee Break. It is the same link every week – and the best way it to copy and set it for a recurring meeting and have it there at your fingertips. It’s been fun the two times we’ve done it so far. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82691384316?pwd=Z2FtUFZNZVRqQzZXY3QxL28rZCtNZz09 Meeting ID: 826 9138 4316 Passcode: 039923 GINA’S ANNOUNCEMENTS Happy Birthday!! Christian Bach November 13 Nina Betz November 15 Margaret Chase November 15 Linda Mitchell November 18 Kathy Shambaugh November 15 Ralph Moreno November 18 Prayer Requests: The prayer request sheet is still just outside the office in the church and is updated weekly. Anyone may still email your prayer requests to me at stfrancis@allophone.com. If you do not have email, just call the church and leave a message. Since, I am back in the office, the requests must be received on by Wednesday at the latest, for them to be included in the Sunday Bulletin for that week. If the request is received after Wednesday, they will be added to the next Sunday Bulletin. We will follow the same process and keep the names on for two weeks. Once the prayer request is received, it is added to the prayer list and then I email the names to have them added to the Prayer Chain and to the Daughters of the King. ***Daily Devotion for Thursday October 29, 2020*** Using our Time Wisely The 5 Steps – Pause * Listen * Think * Pray * Go Pause Tick. Tick. Tick. That’s the clock. Measuring time in seconds, minutes, hours, days… Time that we schedule and manage and spend. The Ancient Greek word for this time is chronos. Take a minute to feel the chronos passing by. But there is another kind of time. It’s the right moment for the right action. It’s God’s time – and our time with God. It’s when Eternity meets our experience. The Greek word for this sense of time kairos. Breathe in and out, sensing God’s presence, and enter into kairos – knowing that God has words you need to hear today Listen “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey. “After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.” Matthew 25:14-18 Think What does this parable have to do with time management? Do we go with the adage, “Time is money?” Or maybe the reverse? We do talk about spending both. So, what are we to make of this today? Some scholars estimate that the coins were each worth approximately $1,000,000 in today's money. Serious money. That tells us two things: the landowner was very rich, and he trusted his servants. God is generously entrusting us with this day, and to make it worth living, God has given us our interests, passions, energy, and time. How will we manage all that today? Even if we don’t think so, our talents and energy are treasures; we can use them to make the world better. Can we help a struggling classmate with a subject we understand and love? Teach someone to read? Partner with a friend to collect food or visit our grandparents safely? Choose one thing you can do for another person today. Don’t “bury” your gifts; use them for God. Kay Zimmerman Pray God, sometimes I don’t think I have anything to offer. I don’t even have a lot of power to change anything in the world. Help me remember that I do have gifts you have given me, because I am powerfully and wonderfully made by you. Help me to use them for you today. Amen. Go Thank God for today. Open yourself to God’s surprises. Do what is most important. Accept that you can’t do everything. You are blessed and loved. ***For those of you that would like to access these devotionals daily, you can go on this website: www.d365.org Gina’s Office Hours Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from Home) Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Work from Home) Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (In Office) Just some humor for everyone to hopefully laugh and smile today!!    WHERE WE STAND ON IN-PERSON WORSHIP
Dear Friends and Members of St. Francis, I write this morning with an update on the status of in-person worship and work in our parish. There is really no good news here, except the news that we are watching the data and following the science and the diocesan guidelines closely, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep this parish and its people as safe as possible. This is undoubtedly the most dangerous time we have seen in our community regarding COVID-19 cases and transmission. Yesterday, the PPHD dashboard needle moved into red "severe" status, and the Healthy Nebraska tracking site we use for the diocese shows our 7-day moving average of daily cases at 277, fully 23 times the number of cases with which we could safely reopen (for reference, a month ago on October 9th that number was 14). Our local health system is being stressed substantially, and every week I get word about a new case or two among the people of our parish. By now, most or all of us have had someone close to us test positive. Some are thankfully symptom-free, some have been mildly affected, but some are suffering more serious affects. Please keep the entire parish, and especially those on the prayer list, in your daily prayers for health and healing, as well as our local healthcare workers, who are literally risking their lives at this time. A couple of changes, then, in how we are working and worshipping at St. Francis. First, this week I asked Gina to return to working remotely, except when she needs to be in the office for specific tasks such as printing, bookkeeping, etc. One of us will be checking voice messages and mail daily, but the best way to reach Gina for now is through email. My days and hours haven't changed, but I will be in the building office less and in the home office more. Much of my work these days is online, and phone, emails, and text have always been the most reliable ways to reach me, so this will be not that different. Keep doing what you're doing to communicate with me and I'll be re-upping my efforts to reach out to you, and together we'll stay connected. Now about in-person worship. This is the thing we all miss the most and are most anxious to get back to as quickly as possible. Based on current and forecasted trends in local cases, we have made the difficult decision to be online and live-streamed only through January 10th. This means, of course, that there will not be in-person worship on Christmas Eve. This breaks my heart. I cannot tell you what being with you and your families means to me at those two services. I have so many fond memories of that late candlelit service, and the early service with the church filled to capacity with adults and children and hymns and laughter and prayer and love -- this is truly the highlight of my year, and maybe yours, too. Sadly, this year we will not have that experience. HOWEVER -- please know that your clergy, vestry, worship leaders, and musicians are all committed to making Christmas worship this year beautiful and meaningful in spite of our COVID limitations around gathering. The details are being worked out as I write this morning, and the creative ideas continue to come in. We will do our level best to connect this year even though distanced. I will have more to say this Thursday in my email, but for now, since the decision has been made, I wanted to communicate it as quickly as possible so we can all plan appropriately. Stay safe. Stay home. Wear a mask when you go out. Wash your hands and keep your distance. Connect online and on the phone. Let's take care of one another. Blessings, Fr. Mark+ LETTER FROM BP. BARKER On Friday our beloved Bishop J. Scott Barker sent a letter containing his thoughts on the Presidential Election -- not the outcome exactly, but the way Christians might view a way forward no matter the outcome. As he recommended, I offer it to you here and invite you to read and reflect on his words as our spiritual leader. I think all of us can find something here to agree with as well as something that challenges us. I know it is sent with the best motive and intention. I am looking forward to sharing worship with you online at 10:00 A.M. this morning. Blessings, Fr. Mark+ The Diocese of Nebraska
The Right Reverend J. Scott Barker, Bishop 109 North 18th St. Omaha NE 68102 November 6, 2020 Beloved in Christ – This past week, nearly 150,000,000 million votes were cast in the election of our new president, the largest turnout for a US election in over 100 years. At the time I write to you, our votes are still being counted, and the result of the election is not 100% sure. It is likely the outcome will not be certified for days or weeks, as lawsuits and recounts play out. So let me be clear that for the purposes of this short letter, it makes no difference who wins the presidential election. My aim is to encourage you to follow Jesus no matter who becomes president, or in what direction the political winds of this country might blow in the months and years to come. I write to you not as Republicans and Democrats, nor even as citizens of the United States. I write to you as disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus, we are a people called to kindness and goodwill, including loving others as ourselves and even loving our enemies. Yet for too long now we have allowed partisan media and predatory commercial interests to influence our hearts and minds with false narratives about who our neighbors are and what our neighbors believe. We have allowed ourselves to be poisoned, and that poison – the lies we are told and have come to embrace about our neighbors – have transformed us like Dr Jekyll into creatures who too often think and act out of anger and fear rather than grace and hope. As disciples of Jesus, we are a people called to seek out the person of Christ in the poor and the marginalized, and to sacrificially care for others. Yet heartbreakingly, our addiction to comfort and our selfish and fearful grasping at whatever little wealth we have, has rendered us unwilling and unable to follow after the one who taught that caring for the least is the way to the kingdom of heaven, and that using our money to enrich the lives of others is among the most deeply faithful ways that we can follow after him. As disciples of Jesus, we are a people called to make no peace with oppression, and as this morning’s collect reminds us, “to destroy the works of the devil.” Yet like too many generations who have gone before, we daily succumb to the temptations of the evil one, compromising our own cherished moral standards and even the faith we hold dear. We support deeply flawed public policies because they advance our own narrow, political interests. We excuse unconscionable behavior on the part of our leaders. Since, “nobody’s perfect,” why should expect more? Well, we should expect more. Of our country, of our leaders and of ourselves. We can do better. We can be better. Half of the those who voted in this election – fully half – will be disappointed in the result. And while there have been many close elections before, this moment is noteworthy because the chasm of the divide between those who voted for different candidates is presently so great, that we’ve already given up hope on finding common ground in the next chapter of our national life. Indeed, our political leaders are already making plans to continue to sew division between us, and to stop at nothing to annihilate the other side. This is not who we are called to be my sisters and brothers. This is not how we are called to act. And in the kingdom to which we have pledged your deepest allegiance and our best selves, this is not how citizens behave. You are beloved: cherished of God, known by your name, and assured of God’s companionship in the person of Jesus across every precious moment of your life. You are provisioned: not with everything you need to make your way alone and in comfort, but with gifts and treasure to share, so that you can play your essential part in building a beloved community where all are fed, cared for and able to flourish. And you are called: as followers of the one true God, who becomes incarnate in the person of Jesus and bids us to follow after him by loving boldly, caring deeply, forgiving limitlessly ... and bravely battling together against any form of evil including in the ones we chose to lead us, and in ourselves. As the results of this election become clear, let us pledge ourselves to acting first and foremost as disciples of Jesus: By holding our leaders to account, By loving all our neighbors with determination and grace, By embracing God’s greatest gift and the deepest truth we know, that Jesus Christ comes into our lives to save us from the evil that is in the world in that is in ourselves... That if we truly know and love and follow after him, we have nothing in the world to fear. Faithfully Yours in Christ – The Right Reverend J. Scott Barker, Bishop 109 North 18th St. Omaha NE 68102 |
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