Led by the Rev. Denise Schiavone, Deacon​ Saturday, December 5th from 9 - 11 a.m. via Zoom This online retreat, open to all, will be a morning of respite and restoration. Exploring how we nurture the light within to allow us to shine forth in the world, we will share time in active reflection, discussion and exercises. We’ll also participate in a guided meditation session, led by guest facilitator/yoga instructor Danielle Beyers. The retreat will conclude with an online Eucharist. One of our hopes for this contemplative morning is to compile a Pandemic Journal, to explore how this ten-month period of semi-isolation has affected our lives. This retreat is a time to connect with each other expressing our concerns, our hopes and our need for joy in our lives. We encourage all interested individuals - both parish members and visitors - to participate. If you have any questions or would like to join us, please email info@christchurchcolumbia.org and we'll send you the Zoom details. We hope you’ll join us for this special day of centering, contemplation, and connection. ​ The rest of our Advent and Christmas schedule will be published on our website soon.

Earlier this year, Howard County General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine began holding several community testing events for COVID-19. They have collaborated with locations such as St. John Baptist Church, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I, and our own Christ Episcopal Church to offer these community testing events. With the colder weather approaching, more indoor locations have been introduced. This testing for COVID-19 to neighborhoods around Howard County are at no cost to the patient, and a physician order is not required for the testing events listed here. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, but same-day registration is also accepted. Children and adults can be tested. To learn more, email HCGH-J2BH@jhmi.edu or call 410-740-7601. Upcoming December Test Locations: Howard County Fairgrounds 2210 Fairgrounds Road, West Friendship 21794 Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 from Noon – 4 p.m. Howard Community College - West Garage 10650 Hickory Ridge Road, Columbia 21044 (from Hickory Ridge Road turn onto Campus Drive) Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 from Noon – 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, 2020 from Noon – 4 p.m. You can click here for a PDF of other testing locations in Howard County. To learn more about upcoming testing locations, what to expect when you get tested, and other resources can be found at https://bit.ly/2HCR6rV Howard County General Hospital ofrece pruebas para detectar la COVID-19 en Howard County. Por favor, reserve su plaza para la prueba con anterioridad. Se administrarán pruebas para adultos y niños. Por favor regístrese aquí https://bit.ly/39aitTX Consultar cualquier pregunta, las personas interesadas pueden contacto Tehani Mundy a 410-720-8788 o HCGH-J2BH@jhmi.edu

Today is the Feast of Christ the King. Collect of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 Psalm 95:1-7a Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46 Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon text can be read here. Sunday Worship Livestream:

I do not know what happened to John. I knew him to be a very dedicated sacristan at the church where I grew up. One day, it was reported that John had been hospitalized, and that one of his legs would be amputated. It was a scary thought to me - to have a leg amputated. After a rather long period of time, we finally saw John again and, indeed, one of his legs was amputated and he was using crutches. Although I was about nine years old at the time, I still remember seeing John having a hard time with the crutches. You could tell that he was in pain. John still made it to church, though, and although his duties as a Sacristan were scaled back considerably, John still desired to serve like he used to before his leg was amputated. I remember so well that the church raised funds to get John a prosthetic leg because neither John nor his family had the resources to get him one. The new leg that was acquired made a lot of difference for John. He could now acolyte again - albeit with some difficulty - but that was not an issue for John, for he simply loved to serve and did not consider himself disadvantaged in any way. He always wore a big smile, and that relayed the assurance that his present situation was not an impediment to him, or to his desire to serve. There is another story, this time from China.... A British diplomat, Stephen Ellison, was walking by a river and heard the screams of a woman who had slipped into the water. This woman seemed to be on the verge of drowning. Stephen knew how to swim, and so without any hesitation he jumped into the river and saved the woman. The reality is that Stephen did not know the woman who was drowning, nor did that matter; all he knew was that he had a gift, and that he could use that gift to save another person’s life. Therefore, he sprung into action. A few days ago, there was a story of a man, Anthony Capuano who, in the past, was struck by a train and lost one of his legs. Capuano saw a group of people watching a car sink into a New Jersey bay. While doing so, he heard a loud shout: "Does anyone know how to swim??" Capuano took off his prosthetic leg and dove into the sea in order to save the man in the sinking car (pictured in the image above). What follows is the part of the story that fills me with such humble pride. When Capuano heard the aforementioned question, he did not wait for anyone to personally ask him if he, himself, knew how to swim. He just believed that the question was directed at him. Capuano did not ask himself whether his life would be in danger as he jumped into the sea or not. He simply took off that one impediment - his prosthetic leg - and jumped into the sea. Capuano didn't know the man in the sinking car, nor did it matter to him. All he cared about was that he had a valuable gift, and that he could overcome an impediment to use that gift in saving another person. The question I have for you today is, what is that one impediment that prevents you from jumping into the river or sea of life, to save another person, to serve another person, or to offer your possible best to another person? Name that impediment, for that may be your prosthetic leg. The real gift, however, is in knowing that you can take it off, for it is artificial, and you can overcome what may be perceived as an impediment if you yourself are willing to answer the call that you hear from the shout, "Does anyone know how to swim??" During these difficult times, we may have more than enough reasons to find the easy way out, to find an excuse not to commit to that one thing which may lead us to serve or save a life. We can always say, "You know, I have a prosthetic leg and cannot simply get into the water with that, and so I’ll take a pass. Let someone else do the saving or serving." This past Saturday, we held our live auction. This annual auction, a tradition three decades strong now, is an important part of our common life. But because of the restrictions of COVID-19, and our desire to ensure the safety of each other, we couldn’t gather together. We had a prosthetic leg, if you will. But that reality didn’t stop Suzanne, Jill, Gail, Steve, Patrick, Carolann and many others from taking off the prosthetic leg and jumping into the sea in order to make sure that we hold this important event, even if it is only online for the very first time. It was a blessing to see so many of you bidding, and being outbid. To all those who contributed towards the auction, I express our most sincere gratitude. To all those who did bid - whether you won your bid or not - we offer our gracious thanks. To all who gathered to be a part of this event, we thank you. And to the organizers, we cannot thank you enough for taking off that prosthetic leg in order to save and to serve. There is one fact that I want you to take with you from the two stories from New Jersey and China: Stephen Ellison and Anthony Capuano did not know the people they saved. They simply did what they knew, and believed, was right - in using their gifts of life to help save another life in distress. In the same vein, you do not have to know who it is you are to save or serve. You only must have the desire within you to serve and save the other, simply because you can. We can find plenty of reasons not to jump into the water to save or to serve. We can often find more than enough reason not to commit to our church, to our family, our community, and relationships. We can find more than enough reasons not to extend a hand of fellowship, friendship and brotherliness. We can find more than enough reasons not to share those gifts that have been freely given to us. But I have come to believe that those reasons, however justified you think they may be, are often not and have never been enough. Like Stephen and Capuano, if we can dare to save someone we do not know, how much more someone we know? Like John the sacristan, we can wince in pain, and like Capuano, we can graciously take off our prosthetic legs. We do so because we have to live life with the gracious hope that others can save us just as much as we deign to save others. ~Manny.

Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Drive Nears Completion As we close in on the collection drive to help feed families at Thanksgiving, we’re counting on you to bring the goods we still need, or to make donations. In collaboration with the nonprofit organization FISH of Howard County, Christ Church once again is providing menu items for turkey dinners for thirty households. As promised, in order to fill gaps or report a sufficient supply of some items, we are updating you as follows: ▪ Please bring instant or fresh potatoes, canned or fresh yams, jars or cartons of gravy, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and desserts. ▪ Off the wish list: stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruits, applesauce, and cookies. We have received plenty at this time. Thank you. ▪ You are invited to bring the rolls, pies, and/or pound cake on the final collection day, given their perishable nature. The drive ends this Sunday, Nov. 22 at noon. Please don’t be late! ▪ Those who wish to drop off items in the outdoor bin may do so curbside, near the entrance to the Parish Hall under the breezeway. You should not need to enter the building unless you encounter a problem with the bin, such as an overflow of items. ▪ If you wish to donate toward the cost of the dinners, please designate Outreach/turkey dinner online in Realm or mail a check to the office with Outreach/turkey dinner in the memo line. The cost of a frozen turkey is approximately $20. The cost of side dishes for one family’s meal is about $26.00. Among our pandemic-related safety precautions is one arranging for the online purchase and direct delivery of the frozen poultry. Our order is set to arrive on Friday, Nov. 20th. The goods will be assembled at the FISH pantry by its volunteers, who also handle deliveries to the families. Once again, Shahra and George Toth of the Outreach Commission are leading the drive, but if you have questions, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.com. Thanks to everyone for considering a donation of food or funds to help make this a special Thanksgiving holiday for our neighbors in need. Save the Date -- Dec. 21-- to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots Christ Church has claimed the slot for the third Monday next month, which means we’ll be providing the evening meal on Dec. 21st at the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Please mark your calendars to be at Old Brick at 3:30 p.m., when volunteers may drop off their contributions safely in the parking lot. Please wear masks and plan to practice social distancing. Additional volunteers -- and the resulting side dishes, desserts, fruit, and granola bars -- are welcome. On Monday, Nov. 16th, Christ Church once again provided the evening meal for 50 people at Grassroots’ live-in facility on Freetown Road. They were treated to a menu of fried chicken, side dishes, and tasty desserts. During the months of the pandemic, this rendezvous has become routine for co-coordinator Nancy Winchester. She acquires the chicken at Weis, meets the other volunteers as they drive up to Old Brick, and then transports the items to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. A generous donation of $200 from the Women of Christ Church is helping to pay for the chicken. On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal on several evenings this month for the 50 adults and children. Consider pitching in, by picking a date during December to provide an entrée and side dishes. Grassroots encourages an order of six pizzas -- two with cheese and four with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal, plus sides), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list, maintained by Grassroots. Meanwhile, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center remains closed due to the coronavirus, except for curbside distribution of non-perishables. DreamBuilders - New Build Dates! We have had to delay our third DreamBuilders Desk Build by one week, due to a delay in the delivery of building materials. Please note the new dates of November 21st and December 5th. The DreamBuilders’ first two efforts at building portable and foldable desks for students was so successful, and we want to continue to get these desks out to those who need them. Our work site will be indoors, at a large warehouse facility and will include social distancing, masks, and other measures to mpsainimize potential exposure to the Coronavirus. To learn more about the Build Days, and to register for either weekend, please visit www.dreambuildersmd.org/volunteer-registration Springfield Hospital Christmas Gifts We will once again be collecting Christmas gifts for our friends at Springfield Hospital. This has been a particularly difficult year for them, as they have been unable to have visits due to the pandemic. Though we haven’t been able to make our usual visits, we will be gathering gifts for them to bring a little Christmas Joy. If you would like to contribute, we have placed a large container in the Tower Room to accept your unwrapped donations, before December 14th. If that’s inconvenient, please contact Cathy Gold and we will find a way. heycathy@verizon.net or (410) 440-4178. Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Donations The Seafarers charity is again requesting donations from Christ Episcopal Church. The group is asking for warm hats for men, 2021 Calendars, and copies of the following magazines : Time ; People; Sports Illustrated; National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, New Yorker, Baltimore Magazine and travel magazines. These items may be placed in the bin marked 'Seafarers'. Because lower brick will be open for drop off and pick up of auction items this weekend, the bins will also be available during those times for donations. Please have your donations in by Monday, November 30th. Thank you for your attention to this important community outreach. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community, would like to get involved, or if you need any assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

CONVERSATIONS ON RACE a multi-week discussion series Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. 2020 has seen an uptick in the racial tensions within our country, and within the world. As a community of faith - and more than that, a very diverse community of faith - our task in dealing with issues of and about race will be to tell our individual and communal stories with the ultimate goal of seeking healing, reconciliation, and deeper community building within our church and beyond. We have an emerging ministry within our church, a ministry with the sole mission of leading us on the paths of racial reconciliation. This ministry's offering will be comprised of seminars, workshops, and book discussions. We are thankful that The Reverend Canon Christine McCloud, Canon for Mission of the Diocese of Maryland, has led our first two sessions this past summer, and now we are proud to announce the next several installments of this ongoing discussion series. Race in America October 13th We will begin our fall program with an examination of race in America with Phil Vischer, author, filmmaker, and speaker, and perhaps best known as the creator of the children's series VeggieTales. Participants are highly encouraged to watch a video presented by Phil prior to the meeting. Our discussion will mainly center on some of the video's dominant themes. The video can be found here. How Black Lives Matter is Changing the Church October 20th I am sure you have heard a lot about Black Lives Matter. The question is, how is this movement changing the church? On this day, we will reflect on the profound article How Black Lives Matter is Changing the Church, which appeared in the New Yorker. We highly recommend that you read the article prior to the meeting, as this will make sure that we all can fully participate in a facilitated discussion. The article that is the focus of this week's conversation can be found here. White Privilege, and the Diocese of Maryland November 3rd At the last Diocesan Convention, the diocese of Maryland voted to set up a one million dollar fund to help with reparations. The seminar will examine how White privilege has affected, and continues to affect, the the Diocese of Maryland, and the role that Black parishioners have played in its long history. We will also examine the reparations passed by Convention, and the extent of its impact in the Diocese of Maryland. Book Discussion - I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness November 10th & 24th December 1st, 8th & 15th We plan to dedicate the rest of the year to a book study.  We're interested in the book I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown.  Please let us know if you will need a copy of the book, also we will like to encourage all parishioners to try as much as possible to purchase from an independent bookstore. Whether you can join us each week or once in a while, we invite everyone to take part in this insightful and engaging discussion series. If you would like to join us for this Zoom discussion series, sign up for our weekly Gatherings email by emailing us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org and you'll then receive the links in an email each week, as well as details about Christ Church's other in-person and virtual gatherings and services.

Today is the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 Sermon for Today: Deacon Denise's Sermon can be read here. Sunday Worship Livestream:

Christ Church has Launched Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Drive We have begun our annual collection to help feed families at Thanksgiving, and we’re counting on you to bring goods or make donations. In collaboration with the nonprofit organization, FISH of Howard County, Christ Church once again will provide the menu items for turkey dinners for 30 households. But we are taking safety precautions due to the pandemic. We’ll order the frozen poultry directly from suppliers; for non-perishables, a collection bin has been set up outside. If you wish to remain totally hands off, you can donate toward the costs. Here’s what you need to know: ▪         The Thanksgiving Dinner Drive, which began Nov. 8, will end at noon on Sunday, Nov. 22. Those who wish to drop off items in the outdoor bin may do so curbside, near the entrance to the Parish Hall. You should not need to enter the building unless you encounter a problem with the bin, such as an overflow of items. The breezeway is expected to offer shelter from bad weather. ▪         Needed non-perishables include: boxes of stuffing; jars or cartons of gravy; instant or fresh potatoes; canned or fresh yams; canned vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans; applesauce; canned fruits such as peaches, pears, fruit cocktail; jars of pickles and olives; cans of cranberry sauce. ▪         You are invited to bring dessert items, but, given their perishable nature, please do so only on the final collection day, Sunday, Nov. 22 until noon. Needed desserts include: pies, pound cake, cookies, donuts, and brownies. ▪         If you wish to donate toward the cost of the dinners, please designate Outreach/turkey dinner online in Realm or mail a check to the office with 'Outreach/turkey dinner' in the memo line. We anticipate the cost of a frozen turkey to be approximately $20. The cost of side dishes for one family’s meal is about $26.00. If we need particular items or have an oversupply of others, we will update everyone in the Gatherings email next Thursday, November 19th. Once again, Shahra and George Toth of the Outreach Commission are leading the drive, but if you have questions, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.com. The goods will be assembled at the FISH pantry by its volunteers, who also handle deliveries to the families. Thanks to everyone for considering a donation of food or funds to help make this a special Thanksgiving holiday for our neighbors in need. Save the Dates-- Nov. 16 and Dec. 21-- to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots On Monday, November 16th, Christ Church once again will provide the evening meal at Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, where 50 people at its live-in facility on Freetown Road are no doubt anticipating a menu of fried chicken, side dishes, and tasty desserts. Co-coordinator Nancy Winchester will be at Old Brick at 3:30 p.m., when volunteers may drop off their contributions safely in the parking lot. Please wear masks and plan to practice social distancing. During the months of the pandemic, this rendezvous has become routine (see photo, above) Nancy acquires the chicken at Weis, meets the other volunteers as they drive up to Old Brick, and then transports the items to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. A generous donation of $200 from the Women of Christ Church is helping to pay for the chicken. Christ Church has also claimed the slot for the third Monday next month, which means we’ll be providing the Grassroots evening meal on December 21st, so please mark your calendars. Additional volunteers -- and the resulting side dishes, desserts, fruit, and granola bars -- are welcome next week and next month. On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal on several evenings this month for the 50 adults and children, so please consider pitching in by picking a date during the remainder of November, or in December, to provide an entree and side dishes. Grassroots encourages an order of six pizzas -- two with cheese and four with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal, plus sides), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the restaurant workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list that's maintained by Grassroots. Meanwhile, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center remains closed due to the coronavirus, except for curbside distribution of non-perishables. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you. DreamBuilders UPDATE We have had to delay our third DreamBuilders Desk Build due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. We will keep you posted of any updates as we have them, or you can regularly check www.dreambuildersmd.org for the latest. Springfield Hospital Christmas Gifts We will once again be collecting Christmas gifts for our friends at Springfield Hospital.  This has been a particularly difficult year for them, as they have been unable to have visits due to the pandemic. Though we haven’t been able to make our usual visits, we will be gathering gifts for them to bring a little Christmas Joy.  If you would like to contribute, we have placed a large container in the Tower Room to accept your unwrapped donations, before December 14th.  If that’s inconvenient, please contact Cathy Gold and we will find a way. heycathy@verizon.net or (410) 440-4178. Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Donations The Seafarers charity is again requesting donations from Christ Episcopal Church. The group is asking for warm hats for men, 2021 Calendars, and copies of the following magazines : Time ; People;  Sports Illustrated; National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, New Yorker, Baltimore Magazine and travel magazines. These items may be placed in the bin marked 'Seafarers'. Because lower brick will be open for drop off and pick up of auction items this weekend, the bins will also be available during those times for donations. Please have your donations in by November 30th. The schedule is as follows: Friday November 13th from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday November 14th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Thank you for your attention to this important community outreach. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community or want to get involved, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Charles Mojapelo was colorful, charismatic South African, someone who could talk his way out of any problem. It was as if everyone at Yale knew him. He could stand and talk with a student, professor, and staff, and forget that he was already on a mission with another person. Charles simply had time for everyone, but most of all, he had time for me. I met Charles at Yale. He had been at the Yale Divinity School for a few years before I arrived, and so knew his way around town at a time when I did not. A few weeks after our first meeting, he asked if I had been to the cafeteria at the corner of Prospect and Grove Street. I responded that I had not. He went on to describe this elaborate place where you could get any food under the sun. "Can you get some food from Africa?" I asked. "Mehn, what planet are you on? There’s no Africa food. But there’s rice. Different types of rice, and Africans love rice, so there you have it," he responded. "I will take you there," he said. "I am ready, when you’re ready. Let’s go," I said. "By the way, you pay to eat but I eat for free. I know everyone at the cafeteria. I will make you eat for free," he concluded. Charles walked me to the cafeteria, and introduced me to the associate at the cash register: "Hello, this is my brother from Africa. Like me, he is a good guy but doesn’t have money. Let him come in and eat.’" The associate responded, “Oh sure. Come in and eat. You’re always welcome to come and eat.” I was taken aback by his introduction, but thankful for the blessing of being in a cafeteria where I can choose what I want to eat. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked in. I was shocked to see all of the different types of food under the sun! I didn’t know which food to pick. I was so blinded by the variety and richness of all that I saw that choosing what to eat became my immediate burden, although I knew I was at liberty to choose whatever I wanted. Looking back, I have no issues with the idea that life itself as a cafeteria, and the events of the past several days has given me one more reason to think about Charles, the cafeteria at Yale, and life, itself, as being like a cafeteria. Why don’t we all eat the same food at the cafeteria? How can we, if there’s so much to choose from? More to the point, how come the cafeteria doesn't serve just one kind of meal to everyone? This seems very basic, but until you believe at your core that we cannot all have everything at the cafeteria, if you believe that we cannot all believe in one thing, if you believe that we cannot all eat the same appetizer, entrée, and dessert, or even drink the same beverage at a cafeteria, you may not appreciate the richness of your own life’s story of God’s blessed diversity. Many of you have been to a cafeteria before, a place where there is no one dish. There is a variety of dishes, and you do get to choose what you want. If we can learn something more deeply about the recent elections - and most importantly about our own lives - you’d come to realize that life is like being in a cafeteria, in that we get to choose what type of food we want. More importantly - to get what you want, you have to pick it yourself. This choice is at the heart of what it means to be an American, and it reminds me of a story a grandfather told his grandchildren of how he came to live and become successful in America. He told them about the many trains, and the large ship that took him from his home in Eastern Europe. He told them of being processed along with other immigrants at Ellis Island, and how he had gone to a cafeteria in lower Manhattan to get something to eat. He had sat down at an empty table and waited a long time for someone to take his order, but nobody came. Finally, a woman with a tray full of food sat down opposite him, and she explained how a cafeteria works to him: "You start at the end," she said, pointing towards a stack of trays. "Then you go along the food line, and pick out what you want. At the other end, they will tell you how much you have to pay." The grandfather reflected for a moment and said, "I soon learned that this is how everything works in America. Life is a cafeteria here. You can get anything you want - even very great success - if you are willing to pay the price. But you will never get what you want if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself." You have the glory of making your own choices. People choose one thing today, and choose a different thing tomorrow - and there’s nothing bad about that. People begin from the back, or the bottom, and work their way up the ladder. The triumph of one political party, or individual, over another doesn’t mean the end of that story. Oliver Goldsmith, an Anglo-Irish poet wrote this many years ago: He who fights and runs away. May live to fight another day; But he who is battle slain, Can never rise to fight again. As far as many of us can attest, no one was slain during our recent elections. As far as many of us can attest, no one person was killed in his or her attempt to vote. As far as many of us can attest, the ability to cast a vote is our pride and joy. And being a successful country primarily depends on our ability to vote and change leadership in a legal, peaceful, and transparent manner. The beauty of democracy is that it invariably gives life - even to the vanquished. That’s why Goldsmith’s words ring true…He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. In so far as you have life, you can fight another day... and so why act as if this is the end of the story? Our collective success depends on our ability to believe that we still have life, and so can work our way back, to win hearts and minds. For me, as far as the elections are concerned, this should be our defining story. Like our ongoing auction and the Christ Church Live Auction this Saturday, we get to make choices like we're at a cafeteria. In that same way, our elections are over. But on the menu at the cafeteria going forward is healing, reconciliation, collaboration, compassion, compromise, brotherliness, and love. On the menu is also bitterness, hurt, hatred, rancor, disappointment, contempt, and disdain. Remember, you can pick what you want at the cafeteria. But if I were you, I will pick the values (the food) that fills, nurtures, and leaves me yearning for more. ~Manny.

Due to updated directives from the Diocese of Maryland and recent increases in confirmed cases in Howard County and elsewhere, Christ Episcopal Church will provide online-only worship until further notice. This is effective immediately, and so we invite you to join us online every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. Father Manny and Deacon Denise will lead us in worship, with hymns and musical accompaniment from our Director of Music, Adam Detzner and Cantor, Kareem Mack. Everyone is welcome to safely worship online as we host these Sunday livestreams on our Christ Church website, YouTube, and Facebook pages. Broadcasts will go live a few minutes prior to the start of service, and the links for the livestream, our Virtual Coffee Hour which follows, and the Sunday bulletin will be in an email sent later in the week. As always, we continue to have Morning and Evening Prayer livestreams each weekday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Facebook, and on the home page of www.christchurchcolumbia.org We'll keep you informed with updates as we have them. In the meantime, please feel free to email us with any questions at info@christchurchcolumbia.org.

Today is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: Amos 5:18-24 Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 Sunday Worship Livestream: