​At the heart of Holy Week is God’s heart. At the heart of Holy Week is also our hearts. Really it’s about God’s heart meeting the human heart, the sacred heart of Jesus meeting our hurting hearts.

Holy Week is one great story of God’s never-failing, never-giving-up, always and forever love (as one of my favorite books, The Jesus Storybook Bible, puts it).

So, how do we get our hearts in the right place? We bring them just as they are to the services and allow God to love us and to transform us.

And while you are at it, you might invite a friend or two to come with you, and just trust God to do what God does - love.

During this season we are invited to take up “ascetical” habits or practices, such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. But why? And what’s the meaning of it?
The word ascetical comes from the Greek word askesis. This word originally meant training, as in athletes training for a competition.
As Fr Mike Schmitz says, exercising is one thing, but training is something different: there is a goal to training. You train for a marathon or a big race or a competition or a game.
During Lent, we train to be more like Jesus! So, what is keeping you from being more like Jesus? What is keeping you from experiencing heaven? Those are the questions for Lent. And those are the questions to ask yourself, and to train from. Always understanding that the Holy Spirit is your coach and your strength.
So whether you’re like the person in the picture above, or feeling more like this…

Let’s all start and finish this race together.

Ash Wednesday is almost upon us. While Ash Wednesday is a beautiful, powerful, and beloved service in The Episcopal Church, there is an aspect of Ash Wednesday that is not always as beloved - fasting. There are two fast days in The Episcopal Church: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. So here is a very brief intro to fasting.

Why?! Many people say, why will going without food do any good for me or for God? And, when looked at that way, the answer might be, It won't. Nevertheless, fasting is a universal human thing. Throughout history, in different religions and different cultures, humans have always practiced some form of fasting. Why? Because going without food - when done with love of God and neighbor in mind - puts us in a humble and prayerful space like nothing else can. Jesus himself fasted.

How do we fast? Yes, fasting can look different for everyone. But the one consistent thing is that it means going with less food than is comfortable. With that in mind, consider planning your Ash Wednesday with one meal and a snack, or maybe two meals, or maybe none at all with some light snacks in the morning and afternoon. Fasting is different for everyone. (And of course, those who are too young or those who are elderly, pregnant and nursing women, those who are sick, and those for whom medication prevents fasting, are all excluded. Theirs is an interior fast of the heart.)

Remember the goal: to draw near to God in heart and body. The goal is not to prove one's strength, nor is it to harm the body, nor is it to earn God's love or to make a deal with God. God already loves you perfectly. God already listens when you pray. Fasting is simply following Jesus's example, in body and spirit, to approach God with special intention and love on these sacred days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Please reach out to a priest if you have questions about fasting and preparing for Ash Wednesday.

Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church:
Among the Christmas Gospels, Luke is surely the crowd pleaser. Nearly our entire visual vocabulary of Christmas—the manger, the shepherds, the angels—comes from the second chapter of Luke. Thanks to Luke, we all know the answer to the trivia question, “Who was Quirinius?”
But if you go to church on Christmas morning, or if your congregation’s custom is to read a last Gospel on Christmas Eve, you will hear the beginning of the Gospel of John, which includes other words we all know: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” Christmas does not truly begin for me until I hear those words.
While Luke paints us a picture of a noisy and chaotic birth, in John we encounter the powerfully quiet mystery of the Incarnation. John brings us the astonishing truth that God lived among us as a person, “full of grace and truth,” ready to share the pain and sorrow of being human.
Especially this year, our hurting and divided world is desperate for the Incarnation. We live, as have many generations before us, in a time of fear, division, and instability. The Enemy has turned us against one another, sometimes in our own families and communities. The land of Jesus’ birth is torn apart by violence and tremendous suffering, and across the globe, we have hardened our hearts against the strangers among us. All too often, we hear voices that claim the mantle of Christianity calling most loudly for exclusion and conquest.
As Episcopalians, we must resist the urge to retreat from this broken world. Instead, we have been called to model our life together on a different vision of God’s kingdom. Contrary to the world’s expectations, we have bound ourselves together in a global community, following the Risen Christ together despite our differences. We know that death, suffering, and enmity are not the last word, and we proclaim it every time we gather at God’s table.
At Christmas, we can make our unity a witness to the world. Every day, in congregations and communities across our church, you are feeding the hungry, binding up the brokenhearted, caring for the vulnerable, and transforming lives through the power of the gospel. We can also proclaim God’s presence by giving to our church’s historic ministries that are working to alleviate suffering at home and abroad:

• Episcopal Migration Ministries, which is working to resettle refugees and create welcoming communities for migrants in the face of fear.
• American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which brings hope and healing to vulnerable families across the Holy Land.
• Episcopal Relief & Development, which advances lasting change in communities affected by injustice, poverty, disaster, and climate change.

Most of all, we can commit our lives to creating a world that is more just and more loving, in which the grace and truth that came down to us at Christmas is kindled all year long. Especially this year, as we begin our ministry together, I am grateful to be working toward this vision with you.
May God bless you and all those you love this Christmas and always.


The Rt. Rev. Sean W. Rowe
Presiding Bishop

Christmas can be a glorious time, filled with the wonder of children, religious devotion, and abundance. Christmas can also be a time of let downs, a time of dryness in our spiritual life, and loneliness or want. Christmas is always Good News, but our experience of the season may differ year to year, or person to person.

So it would do us good to remember the grace of the first Christmas and how that continues to today. Jesus, the Son of God, could have been born to a royal home. He could have been a great leader. He could have had influence beyond measure. As God, He could have chosen any path to impact the world. But he chose to be born as a peasant, to a poor family. He chose a normal, ordinary family. He chose to be born to this family under difficult circumstances (who wants to give birth to the Messiah in a barn?).

His trajectory did not change. To be his followers, he chose ordinary people. He made these ordinary and broken people the Apostles of his church. This is how he was going to change the world?! Yep.

And his trajectory still has not changed. For he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He still chooses to be born in the hearts of ordinary people, a Light kindled in one heart at a time. It is not an efficient way to change the world (by our standards at least), but it is His way. This is how he wants to bring about his kingdom of justice and peace and love?! Yep. One heart at a time.

And to each heart that welcomes him, he gives the gift of making that person a son or daughter or child of God. Yes, a child of the Most High.

So wherever you are and however you are this Christmas, let us not forget the humble way of God. Maybe we can take a little courage and joy from it, and make the world around us a little better.

​Merry Christmas!

There's an old adage Episcopalians use when it comes to Confession (The Rite of Reconciliation): "All may, none must, some should." This is generally the stance The Episcopal Church takes towards Confession. It is not a prerequisite for Holy Communion, so no one has to go. It is available to everyone, all year long, and also during special times set aside in Advent and Lent. And finally, for those whose hearts are burdened heavily by sin or guilt, it is recommended to go to Confession.

It has been my experience that while I know God loves me and forgives me, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) has been the thing God has used to help me overcome sin and experience God's love time and again. It's a great gift to know that Confession is a Sacrament, in which Christ is truly present, offering forgiveness through the words and presence of the priest.

So as you prepare for Christmas, seek God in your heart and see whether you might not benefit from meeting Christ in a unique way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

​-Fr Alex 

Each Advent our parish encourages charitable giving by selecting one or two organizations to support. This year our Vestry has chosen Episcopal Relief & Development and Puesta Del Sol Elementary School. What is the purpose of charitable giving, and how does it fit into a Christian's life?

It is important to remember that human needs are met in two ways: justice and charity. The normal way should be through justice, in which each person gets fair payment for their good work. When a society is healthy, every person has a job to do that benefits the community, and money is passed from person to person in gratitude and appreciation for the work they contribute. Everyone's needs are met. Justice encompasses much more than money, but let's stick with the money aspect for now.

The other way human needs are met is through charity. Charity is needed when a society is unhealthy, or when because of unfortunate events, a person/family is unable to obtain what they need for dignified human life. It is the duty of every Christian, as they are able, to contribute to charity.

This was the message of John the Baptizer, who was getting people ready for the coming of Jesus. It was also the message of Jesus and of the early Church as they awaited Jesus's return. Our own Episcopal Catechism says,

We know that our parish's charitable support this Advent doesn't take the place of justice. But we hope that (1) it helps meet real human needs, and (2) raises awareness about needs and ways to meet them that can be continued beyond Advent.

So what does this have to do with our Christian life?
We should always remember to be fair and just in our dealings, because each person is created in God's images and has the right to a productive, healthy life. We work for justice in society as far as we are able, and certainly model it in our own business and personal interactions.

As for charity, we give according to our means. It is not good to meet the needs of others but not meet the needs of one's family. But to meet all the wants of one's family without meeting the needs of others is also not good. For how we treat others is how we treat Christ (Matthew 25). If one does not have money to give, they might give time and effort instead, to help their neighbor.

What I found as helpful financial advice from another pastor is to take the amount you can give away, and give half to the church and half to other charitable causes. Of course, the Spirit may lead you to give all to the Church or most to a charitable need (especially if that charitable need is in your own family). But I found that pastor's advice helpful.

May God help us to foster a more just and charitable society this Advent as we prepare for the coming of His Son, Jesus.
​-Fr Alex

"Let every heart, prepare him room." This line from the Christmas hymn "Joy to the World" sums up the theme of Advent: preparation of the heart. However, you won't hear that hymn until December 24 when we welcome the season of Christmas and the Christ child. In The Episcopal Church, Advent is its own holy season. Here are a few notes to help you prepare to celebrate Advent.

The Advent wreath. The symbol of the Advent season is the Advent wreath. Each Sunday in Advent (there are 4) we light one more candle until all 4 are lit before Christmas. This symbolizes the Light coming into the world. We fully celebrate this Light at Christmas Eve with each of us holding candles in the service. (You can mark the days of Advent with your own Advent wreath in your home, too. We will be making them together on the First Sunday of Advent following services, in the Parish Hall.)

Advent hymns. If you come from a Protestant background, you may be surprised at the lack of Christmas songs in our services in December. Now, let me assure you, my family and I enjoy our share of Christmas music during December, but we try to do so in the spirit of Advent - as a joyful expectation and preparation for Christ's coming among us. But when it comes to our Sunday services, we really dig in to the spirit of preparation by singing beautiful and unique Advent hymns. (You can search "Advent hymns" or "folk Advent" or "rock Advent" on your favorite music streaming apps to help keep you in that spirit throughout the week.)

Saint Nicholas. Yep, jolly ol' St. Nick is actually a saint, and his feast day is December 6. Nicholas of Myra was a bishop in the 300s in what is now Turkey, and there are many wonderful legends of all the good he did. We honor his feast day with a potluck, bringing cookies to pack for care packages, and for learning a little about him (as well as other fun activities like pictures with Santa). We will celebrate his feast together following the 1030am service on December 8.

Special giving projects. Keep your eyes out for special ways to show generosity this season. This year we will have opportunities to donate to Episcopal Relief and Development and a special Giving Tree for a local school. If you have extra income to share, please consider donating to one or both of these.

However you mark this holy season, let us all undertake to have the spirit of Advent with us each day, preparing our hearts for Christ's coming among us. So that at Christmas, and at his second coming, we may greet him without fear but with confidence and joy.

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