Dear friends in Christ,
I pray this finds you well and that you had a Merry Christmas, despite it looking different than most of us were used to! I also hope it’s been a time for you to feel the presence of Emmanuel — “God with us” — as Christ continues to walk beside us and offer peace and love to all of God’s beloved children.
As this season is often a time to enjoy the peace and beauty of the Christmas holiday, I’m planning to do just that by taking one of my weeks of vacation to enjoy time with my family during the week ahead. We will not have a worship video from St. Matthias this weekend, but below are some resources for you to choose from for online worship:
Online worship — First Lutheran, Carlisle:
At home Worship and Faith Formation | (firstlutherancarlisle.org)
Online worship — St. Paul Lutheran, Carlisle:
(12) St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church | Facebook
Online worship – St. Matthew UCC
(12) St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ | Facebook
The link below, provided by our synod, offers a list of some congregations that offer online worship:
Congregations offering virtual worship – Lower Susquehanna Synod (lss-elca.org)
If you have any questions or concerns, please Email me at vicarmartyjo@gmail.com – We will continue to monitor the Department of Health website and recommendations from our bishop and will keep you updated regarding future in-person worship. We have also mailed and delivered Celebrate inserts for the next several weeks of worship so that you may follow along with the readings and prayers.
We will resume our online worship next Sunday, January 3. In the meantime, you may contact Sister Davia with any needs while I am off, or phone the church office for contact information for Pastor Leber, who will be on call for pastoral emergencies during my time off.
On this second day of Christmas, may you continue to have a blessed Christmas season and a safe and happy New Year!
In Christ’s Love
Vicar MJ