The Third Sunday of Advent
|
|
|
.
Join us online or in person this Sunday to continue our Christmas series
The Christmas season is a perfect time to work on individual spiritual growth. Extra activities, extra stress, extra attention to relationships all make it easy for negativity to slip in. The four Sundays before Christmas will be focused on the decisions we can make to choose four positive practices traditionally associated with Christmas: HOPE, PEACE, LOVE,
and JOY.
This Sunday, I invite you to work on making a decision to love
Of course, the Lord said it plainly: "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34) But "the devil is in the details." Sometimes we just don't WANT to love someone else. And it's so easy to make up stories about how so-and-so doesn't deserve our love, at least right now. "I'll just withhold it for a while. Why waste my energy?"
But the Lord didn't say, "I neglected to love you a while back, so it's OK if you don't love that person right now." I don't think so! It's not a matter of whether to be loving or when. It's just a matter of how.
The Advent season is an opportunity to practice the advent-ure of being loving. And that includes loving ourselves in the best sense and loving others as much as humanly possible. With the Lord's help, we can improve!
I hope you can attend and participate on Sunday or tune in through You Tube!
---------------------
Our Special Meeting last Sunday, December 6
Thank you to everyone who participated in person and online! We accomplished our goals!
Here is what we did:
1. Voted to approve a proposal to amend our by-laws to allow for electronically remote participation in meetings
2. Elected a committee to discuss pastoral succession. The first meeting of the committee is this coming Sunday at 12:30 pm (in person and via Zoom)
3. Satisfied our By Laws with voting in Board members and approving the budget for this fiscal year
Thank you for making the effort to participate in this important meeting!
--------------------------
I love being your pastor, and I think about you a lot! Yes, you, dear reader. Please stay in touch. I would love to hear from you, and I am happy to meet in any way that makes the most sense.
And one way to stay connected to your church family is to jump on the You Tube livestream Sunday at 11 am, check in and say "Hi" on the chat feature, and be part of our community.
And I send my prayers for everyone's well-being, physically and spiritually. Please let me know how I can help or serve AND how you might want to help or serve the church.
Nathan
|
Yay! to each and all of us for purchasing 120 raffle tickets!
|
|
|
.
The "virtual" raffle drawing is Fri. Dec. 11 at 10 am
Visit the Raffle Facebook page. Either search Facebook for "Millions for Tucson Raffle" or try this link:
“Like” the page and then tune in on Friday, December 11 at 10:00 am.
THANK YOU to each and all of you who helped us surpass the number of tickets sold last year! This year we sold 120 tickets, which is 15 more than last year! And hopefully one of those tickets will be the grand prize winner!
If you missed your chance to purchase a ticket, but you still want to support our cause, here’s how:
Just go to choosejoynow.org and click our “Donate, or Buy Decks” page to use our PayPal button to make a donation either with a credit card or through your own PayPal account. (You don’t need a PayPal account to use your credit card.)
Be sure to provide contact information and any additional information so we can follow up if needed! AZ Spiritual Growth Foundation
8421 E Wrightstown Rd, Tucson, AZ 85715
BONUS - For each ticket purchased in honor of Frank Rose, a generous donor will give a matching gift - up to $10,000 - to Sunrise Chapel!
|
We are holding a modified (drive-through) Path To Bethlehem
|
|
|
Photo by Guy Atchley 2012
Based on the availability of volunteers and the current precautions about CoViD-19, we will be holding a scaled-down, drive-through Path to Bethlehem
A drive-through event is what our volunteers are willing to be involved in, and we hope that it will serve as a special Christmas greeting from Sunrise Chapel to the community.
This is how it will work:
* Actors in each scene will be from the same family (or pod), and guests to each scene will remain in their cars, a safe distance from all actors
* Guests drive in to the paved parking area and then follow a clearly lighted path guiding them to each scene
* Parking attendants provide guidance and safety throughout the event
* No guides, no animals, no gathering in Friendship Hall, and no refreshments
Please contact me with any questions or any offers to help!
Nathan nathan@sunrisechapel.org
cell 520-820-5148
|
Last Sunday's topic ~ this week's Task
|
|
|
Here is the task from our "second Sunday of Advent" theme.
|
Community Angel Tree at Sunrise Chapel
|
|
|
Thank you to a few more people who have responded to this special Christmas activity! Please join the fun!
Join in creating a Community Angel Tree at Sunrise Chapel
This Christmas Season we will have a lovely tree at Sunrise Chapel to be decorated with angel ornaments to remember and acknowledge the people in our lives who are either like angels to us or actually are angels in heaven.
We would love to fill the tree with angel ornaments that represent current friends, acquaintances, family members, OR people who have already passed on to the spiritual world and their angelic lives. We just need your creative participation!
You can bring your own angel ornament to Sunrise Chapel, you can mail one, or you can contact me (Elise) for a pick up. You can also arrange to have me choose one and put it up for you. Ornaments don’t need to be fancy, and can be homemade or store bought.
If you would like to donate toward the cost of the tree, you can mail a check to Sunrise Chapel, bring your donation to church, or use the PayPal account on the sunrisechapel.org website.
Angels are a big part of the Christmas story. One of their main roles is to bring good news. Gabriel brought the happy news of Jesus’s birth, appearing to Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and the shepherds out in the fields. And there is nothing like the hope expressed by the heavenly host: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to all people.”
During these difficult months of the pandemic it is good to be reminded of people and angels who are with us, thinking of us, supporting us, and giving us messages of hope.
We’d love to fill our tree with a whole community of angels!
Contact Elise Gladish, for more information: 520-820-1284 or elisegladish@gmail.com
|
Poinsettias to decorate the Chancel
|
|
|
Sunrise Chapel has a tradition of decorating the chancel during the Christmas season with poinsettias that are dedicated in memory of a loved one. If you would like to participate, let Elise know to whom you would like to make a dedication, and send a check to Sunrise Chapel for $15, and Elise will purchase the poinsettia for you.
She is also coordinating the purchase of a Christmas tree. If you would like to donate towards that, just let her know.
You can contact her at elisegladish@gmail.com or 520-820-1284
Thank you so much!
|
Christmas Daily Readings now available
|
|
|
Each year the pastors of the Glenview New Church in Chicagoland put together a collection of Christmas Readings around a different theme. These readings are very thoughtful, educational, and inspiring. They include quotations from the Bible and the teachings of Swedenborg, and each one concludes with a brief reflection and questions for application to life.
To receive the readings via daily e-mail, go to newchurch.org and click on the green Christmas Readings button on the home page.
Or click here to go directly to the overview page where there is a link for subscribing.
You will be subscribed from year to year. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Nathan
|
A new group - in the new year - to study the basic teachings of the New Church
|
|
|
Want to start the year with new resolve to learn more about the basic teachings and the history of the New Church in a small group setting?
This hybrid group is for anyone who wants a "101" type course, or anyone who has taken this course in the past but might have missed some sessions.
I plan to run the group - starting in January - on Monday afternoons. The exact start time will depend on the preferences of the participants. I can do it early in the afternoon or in the middle, whichever is more suitable for the majority.
Please contact me to let me know of your interest and your time preferences.
Nathan
|
Your financial support is greatly needed!
|
|
|
Please consider Sunrise Chapel in your year-end charitable giving
This year, our income for the operations of our church is about 35% less than normal.
If you haven't been giving because of not attending in person, please consider setting up a recurring gift through your banking preference.
Thank you to everyone who gives any amount!
Every church organization has many financial obligations, but the most important thing your gift supports is a the opportunity to gather locally either in-person or online to develop meaningful relationships with the Lord and one another. Sunrise Chapel relies on the generosity and dedication of donors to keep the various uses and ministries going.
When you give an unrestricted gift to Sunrise Chapel's General Operating Fund, you are supporting this spiritual community as well as our down-to-earth efforts to serve more people.
Thank you for considering Sunrise Chapel in your charitable giving
If you write a check, make it to Sunrise Chapel.
The PayPal button here takes you to an option for either a one-time or a monthly donation.
Thank you from our Treasurer, Bill Smith
|
Guidelines for reopening for in-person church activities
|
|
|
The Sunrise Chapel monument garden 2012
Welcome! The doors are still open. Come when you are ready
With appropriate caution, I welcome anyone to attend church services in person who feels safe within the guidelines outlined below. I realize that many people will not attend in person, yet, so I'm glad when I "see" you participating through the livestream option! Please use the YouTube chat
feature to "check in" and let your church family know you care about our faith community.
We have space for at least 20 people in the seating area of the Chapel. There are also the "overflow" rooms to view the TV monitor in the Vestry (off the front lobby) and in Friendship Hall.
Specific guidelines for in-person attendance
1. Stay safe while being kind and respectful. Observe the guidelines. If you are uncomfortable for any reason, please take care of yourself first; feel free to leave without any negative judgments.
2. Do not attend in person if you are sick, or if you are concerned about getting sick, or if you are at high risk. Instead, please continue to participate remotely.
3. Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth. Please bring your own face covering (mask, scarf, bandana, etc). A face covering will be provided if you forget to bring your own.
4. Practice social distancing while on the church property (inside and buildings) including friendly no-touch greetings.
5. On entering and leaving the buildings, please wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizer (provided in the lobby).
During the church service:
• I wear a mask before and after the service and while I am singing. I remove my mask for prayers, the children's talk, the readings, and the sermon, with the understanding that the closest participants are over 8 feet away from me.
• Sanitary wipes are available for individuals to wipe down chairs and surfaces they use.
• Bathroom use is limited to the main bathrooms at the entrance to Friendship Hall, one person at a time.
• No printed bulletins or songbooks. Instead, song lyrics are projected on the monitor and announcements will either be projected or verbal.
Please, let me know whatever you think. It's good to hear from as many people as possible. I'm doing the best I can, and I don't want to put any volunteers or visitors in any unsafe positions. I appreciate your help and patience!
Looking forward to your participation either in person or online!
Nathan
|
|
|
|
|
Photo: laptop + coffee
Weekday Meditation (9:00-9:30 am MT) This is the link for the Monday meditation that I lead, but it is also the same link for the rest of the weekdays, led by other folks. Try it! You might like it!
ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:
New Church Vineyard (This is a RICH source of KID-ORIENTED content for all sorts of stories from the Bible and the teachings of Swedenborg. Use this for family worship and for "Sunday school" type activities to enhance your spiritual lives at home.)
***********************************
|
Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy
www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
|
|
|
