This is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Readings for today: Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 The Collect of the Day: 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. Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon for today can be streamed or downloaded below.

One of the many fun things I did as a kid at Christmas was to join other kids in building a Christmas hut with palm branches. Since we were at liberty to design our hut the way we wanted, we were very creative in what we built. The fun part is that since it didn’t take much effort to build this, we could construct one, pull it down, redesign, and rebuild. We could have a hut with just one room, or one with multiple rooms. The main purpose for building our Christmas hut was to create a space for ourselves - a place where, as kids, we can gather in community to enjoy the blessings of Christmas. Looking back, I realize that, unconsciously, we were expressing all that was at the heart of Christmas - community. I knew about Christmas trees - but they were all artificial. I don’t remember having a Christmas tree in my house, and so I didn’t know its purpose. It wasn’t until I relocated to the United States that I finally saw a Christmas tree that wasn’t artificial. When I came to know about the Christmas tree, I learned that we are supposed to put gifts at the bottom of it. The gifts at the base of each Christmas tree tells a much bigger story about the love that holds a community together. Yes, we may not agree all the time - we may even dislike each other - but we go out of our way to deliver a piece of ourselves at the bottom of the Christmas tree. Our acts unconsciously reinforce the idea at the heart of Christmas - community. Like many of you, we buy a Christmas tree each year but because I have some affinity for fresh trees over artificial ones, we do tend to get the former. This year, however, we had our oldest daughter choose the Christmas tree... and guess what? She chose an artificial tree. As beautiful as the tree is, it still isn’t like the fresh ones that I have gotten in the past at a Christmas tree lot. Central to what we do at Christmas is the tree, but its mostly the fact that the base of the tree holds together our expressions of love. Often times it isn’t even the gifts themselves that matter, but rather the thought behind each gift at the bottom of the tree. You only have to drive to the Columbia Mall to experience the organized chaos during this time of year. Why? Because it’s the holidays, and for that reason many of us are there buying the gifts we will deposit at the bottom of the Christmas tree. But guess what? Just as the malls are filled with people, so is the Christmas tree lot packed with Christmas trees - small, medium, and large. Before and after Christmas, the mall maintains at least some reasonable traffic, but the Christmas tree lot is completely emptied until the following year. This brings me to Rikk Dunlap, whose story the Christmas Tree Lot has been turned into a Hallmark movie Christmas Under The Stars. Rikk, who had battled with substance abuse, has always had a passion to write. "The pencil is his savior" he has said. Rikk tells a story of passing by a Christmas lot twice a day. Each year in November, the lot comes back to life. The sight of the trailer, tent, and trees was always his introduction to the Christmas season. He was always fascinated about this yearly occurrence, and he always thought to himself that he would write a story about that. Even though he didn’t know what he was going to write, he found time to write his story when he lost his job of thirty seven years. The story begins with an investment broker, Nick, who squanders some money and loses his job because of it. He happens to meet Clem, the old man who runs the Christmas tree lot. The two characters are polar opposites; Clem is a humble, wise, old man and Nick is a cocky, know-it-all kind of guy. Clem offers Nick a job at the Christmas tree lot. Working with Clem, Nick learns as much about people -- their dreams, their struggles, their imperfections-- as he does about himself, who he is, and what he wants to do with his life. Through his experience working for Clem, Nick is able to make connections with people who’ve been missing in his life - that was his gift under the Christmas tree he sold. There is no doubt that Christmas can be a dreary time, especially if you are alone, have no family, lost loved ones, or are estranged from them. But know this - insofar as the Christmas tree lot doesn’t stay open all year round, so would all the seasons in your life - no situation in your life would last forever. For that reason, as difficult as it may sound, we should always endeavor to find the tree under which we may leave our gifts - gifts that tell of the sacred human abundance and not of any limitation under which we find ourselves. For at the heart of Christmas is community. The exciting Christmas tree can be freshly cut or artificial, but there’s always a gift neatly wrapped for you at the bottom. Merry Christmas, my beloved. ~Manny

Looking for an opportunity to recommit yourself to prayer during this season of Advent? The season of Advent is about waiting in anticipation for the wonderful story of human hope. Join us for Advent Compline this Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. in Old Brick for a quiet and contemplative time of prayer and reflection as we wait the coming Messiah.

This is the Third Sunday of Advent. Readings for today: Isaiah 35:1-10 Psalm 146:4-9 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 The Collect of the Day: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

This past week has been somewhat challenging. A couple of visitations and phone calls left me wondering about what’s on the other side of life. I was reminded of a story about a sick man who turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door a dog sprang into the room with his tail wagging and an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside… he knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough.” On Saturday, December 14th, we will hold a Rosemary Service of Remembrance for parishioners who have lost loved ones and for whom this holiday season may be a difficult one. This service is meant to provide comfort, solace, and the assurance of God’s abiding presence. In as much as we may not know what’s on the other side of life, we are motivated by a different kind of knowledge that springs from an eternal hope - that our Master will be there, and that should be more than enough. As I called parishioners and invited them to the Rosemary service, what got me thinking was when I felt myself asking the same question as the sick man in the story - What lies yonder? It is a crazy thought, I said to myself. But the sad reality is that, for many of us, it is an incredibly helpless position because that is a part of our human story that we have absolutely no control over, but one which we want to maintain control, if possible. We like to be in charge, and like to be the determinants of what happens to us at every stage of our lives. And so to be confronted with our own helplessness is often the last reality we want to deal with. For many of us this is the period when we even shut down and become despondent. But we need not be! To the contrary, in fact. This is the moment of our lives when we have to reach out and re-dedicate ourselves to the Master, the God to whom Isaiah sings this praise: “Surely, it is God who saves me; I will trust in him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, and he will be my Savior.” Finding ourselves in that position is when we have to reach out for the hand that has always its character of being outstretched and waiting to be touched. And so as I mulled over all these disparate thoughts flooding my mind, I made a visit to the hospital - in part because it is always a reality check for me, but more importantly to offer comfort, solace, and the assurance of the ever-abiding presence of the Master. God. When I walked into a room, surprisingly sitting on the windowsill of the parishioner was a card with a pithy message “Life is slippery. Here, take my hand.” It was surreal. I kept looking at the card and read it over and over again. There was this amazing sense of freshness and warmth that enveloped me. My countenance changed as I was fixated on it. It was as if I had been awoken from a deep sleep…Here, take my hand. I could feel myself reaching out to take the hand of the Master, stretched out for my sake and for yours. "Who doesn’t need a hand?" I asked myself. We all need a hand. We may be in denial about it, but whether at this very moment or in the future, you will need a hand. Maybe, even, at that point of helplessness. I also asked myself, "Which organization doesn’t need a hand?" All organizations - including Christ Church - need the hand of faithful parishioners like you and I in order to stay alive, to be active, and to proclaim God’s redeeming grace in this part of God’s kingdom, and beyond. “Life is slippery. Here, take my hand” It was a new one for me, but within those words, I could hear the doctor’s reassuring words to the sick man. Within those words, I could hear the antidote to our helplessness. Within those words, I could feel my burden being lifted. Within those words, I behold the assurance of the ever present hand of God. Those words are deeply promising, just like the season of Advent. Yes, Advent is about waiting, preparation, and anticipation for the little Child whose hands remains outstretched to hold us on our slippery path just so we do not fall. Indeed, all of our life is slippery, and there’s never been a day when we do not need a hand. If I thought I was going to cheer someone up, I found my spirit being uplifted by a simple card with a powerful message. May the message on the card lift your spirits up. ~Manny

The season leading up to Christmas can be a pressured time when frazzled nerves can help cause us to get beside ourselves. Christ Church offers Rosemary Service of Remembrance, a quiet worship that helps us to slow down and recover ourselves. We especially invite individuals and families for whom Christmas will generate painful memories of loss to join us in a comforting and meditative service of prayer, music and readings. In candlelight, sprigs of rosemary will be given as remembrances of those who are missed at this season of Jesus’ birth. The title for this worship comes from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, in act IV, scene V: “There’s rosemary; that’s for remembrance. Pray, love, remember.” This service is intended to help worshipers “pray, love, and remember.” All are welcome to join us on this special afternoon in Old Brick.

The Advent and Christmas season at Christ Church is a time of waiting and of watching, of listening and of breathing, and of focusing on our search for Christ’s peace in our lives as we prepare ourselves to celebrate his birth. This focus encourages us to slow down; Advent challenges the commotion that is commonly found around the holidays, and helps us stay grounded. This month, there are many opportunities for you to join in and celebrate the Advent and Christmas season. Whether gathering for a contemplative service, enjoying moments of festive song and dance, viewing our extraordinary youth during their Christmas Eve pageant, or peacefully ringing in the new year, there is something for everyone at Christ Episcopal Church. Our December outline is on the Christ Church website - https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/advent-and-christmas-2… and if you have any questions, reach out at info@christchurchcolumbia.org. We look forward to seeing you!

This past week, millions of us traveled far and near to be with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Of all the people I have spoken to, each had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a part of me believes that they’d like to do it once more if they could. I stayed home and celebrated with my family, dining on a set of plates we’ve owned since before our first daughter was born. Those plates aren’t china, nor do they bear any semblance of sophistication, but we treasure them nonetheless and use them twice a year - Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am sure you can say the same for yourself... you have plates, maybe ones made of china, that you use on special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, this occurred last week as I had lunch with a colleague friend and his father. My friend shared with me that they would, for Thanksgiving dinner, be using a china set given to them by his deceased mother. The wonderful part of the story is that the memory of a wonderful mother and wife is kept alive with a set of plates that had once felt her warm and tender hands. Thankfully, we didn’t break any plate, glass, mug, pottery, or anything else this Thanksgiving, but I cannot say same for everyone. An interesting part of all we share in common is that our plates, glasses, mugs, or pottery reduce in number - we break them - either by accident or by negligence. And for many of us, when these and many others break, we either sweep them up and find a resting place for them in the nearest trash bin, or we find other suitable ways to dispose them. I need you to take a moment and reflect on your own brokenness, as I also reflect on mine. The question is, what do we do with what we break? Better still, what does the world do with something that’s broken? We discard it. We throw it away. We consider it to be useless because it no longer serves any purpose. While you and I throw away things that are broken, there’s an art in Japan called Kintsugi. It is the art of repairing broken pottery. For any pottery that is broken, they put it back together and then use gold paint or gold filler - something precious - to put the broken pieces together. That broken piece then becomes an art piece in itself. Think about why the broken and mended piece becomes an art piece in itself…and it so happens because every broken piece has a story, every broken piece has a history, and out of brokenness the story of this broken piece of art is revealed. Come to think of it, our lives are like plates, cups, mugs, glasses, and pottery of every kind; they break, and they are fragile. We can often feel this sense of brokenness where we are shattered into a million different and disparate pieces - similar to a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle I once saw at an assisted living facility. We often try, desperately and on our own strength, to fit these broken pieces together again. What we seem to miss is that when life is broken into many different pieces, we ought to surrender that broken life to the Master Craftsman, and the Master Repairer of our lives is none other than Jesus. He is not only the one who puts the gold paint or filler into our broken lives but he is, himself, the gold paint and filler that mend our brokenness, and calls us my beloved, my precious one. Listen to what 1 Peter 2:9 says: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are way too precious to God to dwell on our brokenness. If you are, or feel, broken and do not surrender your brokenness to God, you remain broken. The only change that is possible, especially during this Advent season, is to surrender your brokenness to the Master Artist, who would make something beautiful out of your broken life - Kintsugi. My beloved, we may not be hungry but we may be spiritually hungry. And so the question is, where do you feel broken today? Where would you want the gold filler and gold paint - the healing Balm of Gilead - touch, soothe, heal and mend your brokenness? What’s in you that cries for release? What is it that takes you to the bosom of your bedroom, your inner temple, and breaks you down to the extent that your own brokenness overwhelms you? How much load are you willing to carry all by yourself? The questions are many, but the answer to these questions are one and the same. God. It is my prayer that this Advent season would be one of opening our own brokenness to God’s healing and mending grace. Kintsugi... God takes our brokenness and makes something beautiful out of it. ~Manny

Looking for an opportunity to recommit yourself to prayer during this season of Advent? The season of Advent is about waiting in anticipation for the wonderful story of human hope. Starting this evening, December 5th, Christ Church offers Advent Compline on each Thursday evening during Advent. Please come and make yourself comfortable in Old Brick at 7:00 p.m. as we share a calm and contemplative time of prayer and reflection during this most hectic and hurried time of year.

Advent Quiet Day will take place in Old Brick this Saturday, December 7th. This time together helps us to focus and retain our perspective in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Prior to the morning session, we’ll gather in Old Brick for breakfast and conversation from 8:30-9:00 a.m. We are blessed to have The Reverend Robert Bunker to lead this morning retreat. The theme of our gathering together will center around our Christ Church Spiritual Life theme for the coming year - Arise, for the task is yours. Take courage, and do it. We will have readings and discussions, as well as times for quiet meditation. This morning together will then conclude with a Holy Eucharist in Old Brick. Please join us for an enriching time at the start of this blessed season. Christ Church's Advent and Christmas outline is located here. Take a look, and join us often during this most festive and blessed season.

It's the final few days before the Christ Church Wreath Sale of 2019 comes to a close. More details about the wreaths can be found on our Youth Group page, or you can simply click here to go straight to the order form. Don't miss out!