“I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”  Acts 26:17-18

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.A few weeks ago, I had lunch with one of my former students, C. W. Wollard, who is now in his freshman year at the University of North Carolina.  He had a great first semester: good grades, a decent football season to watch, lots of new exciting things to do.  What he talked most about, though, was the fraternity that he is pledging.  “They are really great guys, Father, and we have so much fun together–it’s not like a typical fraternity.”  I find it rather ironic that all my former students join non-typical fraternities and sororities-at least when they are talking to their priest, it is as if cheap beer and loud music have entirely vanished from campus life.  Continued

“You trace my journeys and my resting-places and are acquainted with all my ways.”

Psalm 139:2

 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.My grandmother gave Allison and me a baby book a few months ago to complete for our coming child.  It’s a pretty remarkable book that is designed to gather all kinds of information between the first discovery of pregnancy and the first day of school.  There’s a place in it for noting who you first told about the pregnancy, a paragraph to write about the parents’ reaction to the birth, a list of firsts like sleeping through the night, rolling over and drawing a picture, a favorite toys and stories list, a checklist for the arrival of teeth, and many, many more things.  Continued

“The voice of the Lord is a mighty in operation, the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.”

Psalm 29:4

 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

In the first year of seminary, my classmates and I all had tutorials in “voice production.”  The teacher was a grand lady of a certain age named Anne, a former actress, who had trod the boards in London’s West End back in the fifties.  I saw her every other Friday afternoon for a half hour with one or two other students.  Like all really good teachers, she was absolutely convinced that her subject was the most important in the curriculum, and she attributed most of the ills of worldwide Anglicanism to bad posture and mumbling. Continued

One of the ways to tell when we are upon a new year is by the television commercials.  No, I am not talking about the January “white sales” but the get slim, lose weight, get fit, commercials. Continued

By Simon Barber

Hard times are busy times for St Paul’s vestry member Nicole Taggart. A Workforce Investment Act case manager at Martinsburg’s Career Center, Nicole helps her “customers”, as she calls them, retrain to find new work when they have been laid off as a result of the recession or because their jobs have moved offshore. Continued

Deacon Steve will be convening a Social Ministry Commission in the new year to formulate a strategy for helping us share God’s love with our community and with the needy around the world.  The Commission will work according to the pattern used for the Evangelism Commission in 2007 and should produce a three year strategic plan to coincide with Deacon Steve’s tenure at Saint Paul’s.The Commission will study the Biblical and theological mandate for social outreach, assess community needs, interview leaders from parishes with successful programs and develop a list of short and long term goals.  It will consider targets for benevolence contributions and hands-on projects to be pursued by different parish groups.  The Commission will meet monthly, for a total of four or five sessions.  If you are interested in serving on the commission, see Deacon Steve or Father Mark.

“Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

St. Matthew 2:11

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Many of you will remember the rather infamous sermon I gave last Christmas Eve.  In passing, as a minor part of the argument I was making, I mentioned that I was disturbed by the increasing number of gift cards that are being given out as Christmas presents.  For weeks afterwards, almost every time I turned around, someone was telling me how much they enjoy giftcards, or how they think they are really thoughtful gifts.  Continued

Join us for a special celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord on Tuesday, January 6 at 5:30.  This feast celebrates the visit of the wise men to the Infant Jesus, and marks the end of the Christmas season.  The Eucharist will feature the singing of Epiphany Carols and will use incense, as we recall the gift of frankincense to the Christ Child.

“…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Christmas morning at the McCarty residence was somewhat normal. Our oldest son Rhett and daughter-in-law Elizabeth who where married in July and have moved into a recently purchased house (went to settlement on Christmas Eve day) and now only reside two blocks away came by for the opening of presents. Continued