Catherine reminded us today was “stir-up” Sunday from the Collect – “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.”
Third Advent was a celebration of thankfulness for our Christian community together with suggested ways to further it. The sermon (found here) reminded us our work in community to be healers, stewards and reconcilers to each other. There were suggestions for doing so from the book of James.
Today, we lit the pink candle on the advent wreath. The advent wreath is made of evergreens reminding us of Christ ever alive in our life, in our community as well as the immortality of our souls. The lighting of the pink candle for this Sunday by Terri Harrison reflects a lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season.
Second it was a celebration of the ordination of Catherine on Dec. 11, 2010 at St. Mary’s Goochland. There is a gallery here of the event. Linda Beck presented a purple stole from the Church in honor of this event. Today, was Catherine’s first Sunday doing the confession and celebrating the Eucharist.
Thirdly, we celebrated the talents of our musicians – Helmut playing his violin on "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus", accompanied by Brad and the anthems sung by the Choir.
Fourthly, it was also the fall ingathering for the UTO. The UTO was founded and is administered by women and has focused on eradicating poverty, promoting universal education, reducing children mortality, improving maternal health and combating contagious diseases. It is a constant reminder of our obligation of outreach as a key component of Christian community.
After the service, Linda Beck, the Heimbachs, Terri Harrison, Cookie and Johnny and others contributed to a reception of cheeses, cakes and punch in honor Catherine. A gallery of this Sunday can be found here