Christmas Day

Dear Friends,

On Christmas morning, after a glorious day of worship at Trinity Church, I woke up around 6 AM. I went downstairs, got a cup of coffee, and sat by the tree for a while. I cherish these early hours, when the house is quiet, and everyone else is still asleep. These moments are sacred.

As I sat there, I found myself drifting back to Christmases of my childhood. I would jump out of bed at the crack of dawn and run into my parents’ room with my heart about to bust – “Get up! Get up! Santa came! Santa came!” Then we would make our way to the family room to see that indeed Santa had made a visit! What joy! So many beautiful memories.

Then, I reflected on the Christmases here in Princeton, I see our kids faces and feel their boundless energy as they ran around the house, bursting with excitement. The cookies were gone, the milk was drunk, and the presents were under the tree. Christina and I would watch with tired smiles, the result of late-night wrapping sessions. Our weariness was a small price to pay for the happiness and joy of the children.

But time moves on, and our children are now 26, 24, and 21. They no longer wake us at 6 AM, racing downstairs and shouting, "Did Santa come?" Christmas morning has taken on a different rhythm. Now, the day begins at a more leisurely hour—around 9 or 9:30. We gather quietly, chatting until everyone is awake. With the fire lit, Christmas music playing softly, we open our gifts in an “orderly” manner.

Yet, even now, the magic of Christmas morning remains. There is still laughter, jokes, and playful tossing of wrapping paper. Ribbons end up in hair, new clothes are modeled with flair, and the occasional gift sends the room into fits of laughter.

There is something profoundly beautiful about this experience—unwrapping gifts chosen with love and care. The “fanciness” of the gift doesn’t matter. (I often forget that in my desire to get the “perfect” gift – which only causes frustration.) What truly matters is the love and intention behind it.

As I sat by the tree, I thought: What if we approached each day with the same excitement and joy we feel on Christmas morning? Each morning, God grants us the gift of a new day. Like a wrapped present, the day holds possibilities waiting to be discovered.

I confess, most mornings I don’t leap out of bed with joy, eager to greet the sunrise. I don’t wake up proclaiming, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” But what if I did? What if I chose to embrace each day as a precious and intentional gift from God?

Every morning, we are given the gift of life—a new day to unwrap, experience, and savor. Each breath we take is a reminder of the potential for joy, love, and new experiences. Each day is a little like Christmas—not because of the date on the calendar, but because God has given us the gift of this moment, this life, this breath.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Merry Christmas,

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dear Beloved of Trinity,

The day is fast approaching, and soon we will celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, we will be blessed to hear the story of our Lord’s birth as shared through the voices of the children and youth of our parish.

“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you… Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:28–33)

Come and experience once more the profound story of the birth of our Savior. Let us open our hearts to hear the story as if for the very first time. Let us hear the words of Gabriel and know that God is indeed with us. Let us set our fears aside and open our souls and lives to give birth to the Son of God.

May the presence of God be ever near and may you feel irresistibly drawn to the Holy One through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Together, let us bring forth Light and Life into the world.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the Christmas Pageant and our festive Advent Brunch!

Blessings to all!

Paul

Holiday Schedule for Daily Office

Due to the seminary break, there will be no Evening Prayer until Monday, February 3. Morning Prayer continues on weekdays at 7:45 AM on Zoom (not in person). However there will be no Morning Prayer from December 24 to December 31. Zoom Morning Prayer will resume on Monday, January 3. 

If you haven't tried praying the Daily Office, our Zoom services are a wonderful way to try it out. Join us to find out how much it can add to your walk with Jesus. 

Rejoice in the LORD Always

Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,

This Sunday, we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent.  “The term is derived from the Latin opening words of the introit antiphon, ‘Rejoice (Gaudete) in the Lord always.’” * On this day, it is customary to wear rose-colored vestments and light a pink or rose colored candle, hence the alternative name for the day, “Rose Sunday.”

 From Philippians 4:4-6:

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice:

let your moderation be known unto all men:

the Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing:

but in everything, by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.”

This is followed by the first verse from Psalm 85:

“Lord, thou art become gracious unto thy land:

thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”

The Latin text:

Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.

Modestia vestra nota sit omnibus hominibus:

Dominus enim prope est. Nihil solliciti sitis:

sed in omni oratione et obsecratione

cum gratiarum actione petitiones vestræ innotescant apud Deum. 

Benedixisti Domine terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob.

As we come ever closer to the celebration of the Nativity and our Lord’s return, may we rejoice in heart and soul, in word and deed, for Christ was and is and ever shall be our hope, our peace, our joy, our love, our light.

Advent Blessings,

Paul

* “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,”

     Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

Did you notice the out-of-season hymn on Sunday? It was “All Glory, Laud and Honor,” one that we generally associate with Palm Sunday. It’s even prescribed by the rubrics of the Prayer Book for that day - one of only a few instances where the Prayer Book recommends a particular hymn. As Meg noted in her article last week, Bach’s church in Leipzig included Palm Sunday music in its Advent observances. Doing so marks the parallels between the coming of Christ into Jerusalem before he was crucified, the coming of Christ in his birth that we observe at Christmas, and the coming of Christ that we expect at the end of days. It also reminds us that Christ comes to us every time we receive the Eucharist. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” we sing at the Sanctus during the Eucharistic Prayer, and in so doing we echo the song at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 

Advent is a season when we try to think of past, present, and future at once - which is really hard for humans to do! But this is how God’s time works. One of my favorite illustrations of God’s time is in the TV comedy The Good Place, where Ted Danson’s character explains eternity as “Jeremy Bearimy.” He says, “Things in the afterlife don’t happen while things are happening here, because while time on Earth moves in a straight line — one thing happens, then the next, then the next — time in the afterlife moves in a ‘Jeremy Bearimy’.”

A “Jeremy Bearimy” loops and doubles back on itself, and the dot above the “i” is a pretty good representation of how Augustine describes eternity, where all time is present to God. 

This is where we live, especially in this season of Advent where past, present, future, and eternity loop around, double back on themselves, and where God beckons us onward in expectation of Christ’s coming. 

Come, Lord Jesus!

Kara+

P.S. I’m writing this from London, where I just saw part of a Roman wall that was built about 80 years after Jesus was raised from the dead. I also got to touch John Wesley’s pulpit at the church he founded. It reminded me in a very tangible way of the beautiful story we are caught up in, the story of God’s action for us in Jesus Christ. 

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