6 December 2022

It would be hard to imagine the Christian faith without any stories of the birth of Jesus. This is because Jesus’ origins are central to our understanding of who he is and what he means to us. Part of the power of Christmas is that we are not just telling a story about an amazing person who did amazing things. We are telling a story about someone who was both human and yet more than human. Our mortal life and God come together.

The story of the birth of Jesus gives us many things to think about. One of those things is that this birth is a great, divine act of self-giving. The Son is willing to be born, to somehow squeeze his godly essence into the incredibly vulnerable and limiting body of a human person. Such a gift!

It is that Godly example which also inspires us to give gifts of all kinds this season. Most of us will give gifts to relatives and close friends as tokens of love and affection. This letter is a small reminder that your church also has great need of your gifts – of all kinds – to continue to tell the story of Jesus among us and to do ministry in his name. 

And so, I ask that you consider giving a Christmas gift to St. Thomas’s. If you have already given all that you can this year, please do not worry or feel guilty.  Instead, I ask for your prayers for the ministries of our church. If, on the other hand, you can give a special Christmas offering, know that your gift will be received gratefully and applied faithfully to the work we all wish to continue.  There are a number of ways to give, including our secure on-line donation form.  A gift of your time and skill would also be most welcome.

Please join us at Christmas  – at 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and 10:00 AM on Christmas Day. Please invite those close to you to come along. And thank you for remembering St. Thomas’s at Christmas and all through the year.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Howell Sasser
Rector

Celebrate someone special in your life with a memorial or honorary dedication in the Christmas service booklet.  Everyone is invited. “Honorary” gifts are often given to show appreciation for someone’s kindness or to recognize their impact on your life, or to mark an anniversary or other special event. “In Memory” gifts are a special way to memorialize someone special who has passed away. A donation with your dedication turns your expression of love into a sign of hope. All names received for dedications will be published in the Christmas and Christmas Eve booklets, and all donations received will be used to support St. Thomas’s mission of following Jesus into loving, liberating and life-giving relationships with God, with each other and with the world.

Please use the dedication form or one available in the office and in the lobby. Please have everything turned in by the end of next week – December 12, 2021.  You can mail, email, or drop your dedication in the mailbox on the office door, or use the Giving form.  The suggested donation amount is $25, however, there is no required minimum or limit. The greening of the church building will again be modest this year; in this season, our priorities are staying safe and helping our neighbors. So, the donations collected will go towards those priorities.

Please let me know if you have any questions. This has been a year when we have experienced losses, and also a year when we have experienced new joys.  This is a nice opportunity to reflect and share those significant events and special individuals with our faith family.

Kind regards,
Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
StThomassOffice@googlegroups.com or (302) 368-4644