Dear friends,
I hope you are well and enjoying the beautiful sunshine this weekend! Even though it’s quite chilly in Carlisle, the sun reminds us that spring can’t be far behind…or is at least on its’ way. At least that’s what warm weather-loving me is telling myself!
This weekend as we head into the first Sunday after Epiphany, we celebrate the feast day that is the Baptism of Our Lord. The season of Epiphany takes its name from the Greek word for the appearance of a god to heal and rescue. The Gospel readings of the Epiphany season – beginning with the visit of the Magi and this opening of Jesus’ earthly ministry with the appearance of the Holy Spirit – use the early stories of the Gospels to describe how Jesus’ person and work shine with the obvious glory of God. We hear that in our Gospel as the heavens break open and reveal the presence of God and Christ as the Son of God. We also remember our own baptisms on this day — which is why we have Thanksgiving for Baptism as part of our worship service — and we reflect on our baptismal promise and what that means for our identity as beloved children of God.
We continue to worship online to help ensure the safety of our St. Matthias family and we invite you to worship at home with us. Worship will be available Sunday morning, Jan. 10, anytime after 9am by clicking on one of the following links:
(71) St Matthias Lutheran Church Carlisle PA – YouTube
(Please click on the video for January 10)
(20+) St Matthias Evangelical Lutheran Church | Facebook
(You do not need to have a Facebook account to view the worship service)
Until we resume in-person worship, we invite you to worship with us each Sunday morning, or you may watch the worship service later at your convenience.
A link to the worship bulletin is attached below. 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 a date when we will be able to gather in person. In the meantime, we also invite you to refer to the Celebrate inserts that you received in the event you are unable to open or print the attached bulletin.
Announcements:
- A reminder that Church Council will meet via Zoom at 11am this Sunday following worship.
- Because we are not gathering in person, our Annual Congregational Meeting scheduled for January has been cancelled.
- Copies of the “Christ in Our Home” daily devotional for Jan, Feb and March arrived at the church at the end of this past week; if you would like a copy, please notify me at vicarmartyjo@gmail.com or call/text me at 814-934-9941 and I will make sure you receive a copy. I’ve also put some on the welcome table inside the Education Building if you’d like to pick up a copy.
- Although we aren’t gathering in person, bills to maintain our ministry and our building still continue. We have set up a secure online giving tool (endorsed by the ELCA and used by more than 4,000 churches) through Tithely. You may give online by clicking on the link below — and you may also use the site to set up recurring giving, where your gift will be automatically deducted on a day of your choosing. There’s also a green DONATE button at the bottom of this bulletin (and at the bottom of our website) that you nay click on to make a gift. If you have any questions on how to use this service, please let me know. THANK YOU for your continued support of St. Matthias and its ministry. You may also download the tithe.ly giving app through the following link: Tithe.ly Giving App for iPhone or Android | Tithe.ly
Here is the link to make a gift online to St. Matthias using the Tithely online giving site:
https://tithe.ly/give?c=2732717
May you continue to feel the presence and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whom we are claimed and called a beloved Child of God!
Peace,
Vicar MJ
