Dearly Beloved,
As Advent now draws to a close, I would like to point you to the Collect for this coming Sunday. Up to now, in our Advent Collects, we have focused very much on the Day of Judgment, the Day of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This Sunday, the Collect takes on a much more urgent and “now!” tone as it begins with “O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us…” We, in effect, turn from the faithful hope of deliverance at the end of times to the necessity of being delivered in the here and now. It is knowing that only God can deliver us right now in the distress we find ourselves in, the distress of our sins and wickedness, which alienate us from Him. And the “right now” in all of this is that He come among us as the Newborn King at Bethlehem, for it is that Newborn King whose great power did succor us on the Cross on Calvary. Therein is the great power and mystery we actually celebrate on Christmas and this coming Fourth Sunday in Advent points us to this great Truth.
News of Note
It is with sadness that I must report to you that Fred Mosier, long-time member here at All Saints, died this week. Fred had suffered a fall a few months ago from which he was unable to recover. We will have Fred’s funeral here at All Saints Church this coming Monday, December 20, at 11:00 a.m. Please do come out to support Thelma and the rest of Fred’s family as we bid adieu to Fred. Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Thelma is now living at Cherry Springs Village in Hendersonville. Her address is 358 Clear Creek Rd., Room #22, Hendersonville, NC 28792.
Advent Ladies Luncheon
The Ladies of All Saints, both young and old, gathered at the church on Saturday, December 4, for their annual Advent Luncheon. As a special treat, the luncheon turned into a Hot Chocolate Bomb making party. One of the vendors from our annual Craft Market joined the women and taught them how to make the tasty treat. Each lady was able to build two Chocolate Bombs to enjoy during the holiday season. 30 women participated in this year’s event. Here are a few pictures.
Advent Lessons & Carols
Last year, due to the pandemic, our usual Lessons & Carols program was canceled. This year, however, it returned in fabulous form. Our Choirmaster, Todd Norfleet, and all the members of the Choir worked long and hard to prepare for this event and their efforts paid off in an outstanding evening of scripture and music to make us ready for the Coming of our Savior Jesus. In a rather disappointing development, Todd became very ill and was unable to be here that night. But all was not lost! Andrew Davis, Director of Music at the Basilica of St. Lawrence up in Asheville, took the reigns and guided the choir and played the organ for us. We were truly blessed to have him with us. If you missed Lessons and Carols, here is the video.
St. Nicholas Party
And with the return of Advent Lessons and Carols, our annual St. Nicholas Party also returned. The children of the parish followed tradition by placing their shoes by the baptismal font in the “hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” And sure enough, he showed up and showered gold coins upon all the young ones to their great delight. While St. Nick was distracting the kids, his helpers filled all the shoes to the brim with all sorts of goodies. Needless to say, the kids had a great time! Here are some pictures.
Thank you to all of you for participating in the year’s Angel Tree gift program. We were blessed to be able to provide for 10 children and their families here in Henderson County.
Coats for the Cold
Our winter coat drive was also an outstanding success. We gathered about 75 coats, as well as gloves, scarves, sweaters, etc. for those in desperate need of keeping warm this winter. I cannot thank you enough for your continued reaching out in love to show Christ to others in the world around us in such simple, yet meaningful, ways!
Come to the Table with All Saints
Our first All Saints cookbook in many years is here and available just in time for Christmas. Come to the Table with All Saints makes a wonderful gift and is a great way to introduce family and friends to our church. The cost of the cookbook is $10.00 and is a fundraiser for our ladies group. These books will sell out quickly, so be sure and grab your copies at church!
New Parish Directory!
Our new parish directory is now available and can be picked up at the church. Please take one per family. More can be made available if needed. We will also be working to get the directory posted online via our website so you always access it when necessary.
Christian Education Classes
This coming Sunday, December 19, will be the last day for Sunday School before Christmas break. All other education classes have already ended and will return in the new year. Tuesday morning Bible study will return on January 4, at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday night Bible study will return on January 5, at 7:00 p.m. All Sunday school classes will return on January 9, at 9:45 a.m.
Christmas
Christmas in now upon us, Christmas Eve is next Friday and, of course, Christmas Day is next Saturday. Here is our worship Schedule for those two days:
7:00 p.m., Family Eucharist of Christmas
11:00 p.m., Christmas Mass at Midnight
Saturday, December 25, Christmas Day
10:00 a.m., Mass of Christmas Day
The entire Christmas season schedule is included below.
May Almighty God bless all of you as we approach the Coming of our Lord as the Child of Bethlehem. May His peace fill you with all joy in the knowledge that the coming of His Son made possible our salvation. And that, truly, is the reason for the season!
Blessings,
Fr. Erich
Christmas Season Schedule
Friday, December 24, Christmas Eve
· 7:00 p.m., Family Eucharist of Christmas
· 11:00 p.m., Christmas Mass at Midnight
Saturday, December 25, Christmas Day
· 10:00 a.m., Mass of Christmas Day
Sunday, December 26, St. Stephen’s Day
· 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion
· 9:45 a.m., No Sunday School
· 11:00 a.m., Holy Communion
Monday, December 27, St. John the Evangelist Day
· 12:00 p.m., Holy Communion
Tuesday, December 28, Holy Innocents Day
· 12:00 p.m., Holy Communion
Wednesday, December 29
· 6:00 p.m., Holy Communion
· No Bible Study
Saturday, January 1, Feast of the Circumcision
· 12:00 p.m., Holy Communion
