Friends,

It is Thursday, December 26th, and per my contract I am officially off, and spent the last two hours assembling a Lego train set with my eldest son. He is five and is on the cusp of being able to do all of that stuff by himself, but still needs me to help, for which I am grateful.

I am grateful for being needed, and I am also grateful for those whom I need. I am not sure how I could have made Christmas as joyful as it was without my wife, parents and infinitely energetic mother-in-law, and I am finding hope in all of the Christmas cards Leandra and I have received, something for which I have taken for granted in years past. I must confess, that we haven’t done a Christmas card in two years now, but we are determined to start the good practice next year.

The Christmas services were glorious, and I feel an overwhelming sense of appreciation for everyone who let themselves be as tired as I had to be for the sake of the season. I am going to make the mistake of making a list, knowing full well that making it comprehensive is futile. I apologize in advance for anyone I have omitted.

The staff has been incredible. Everyone went above and beyond, but I am especially thankful for the extra work Kate Weber-Petrova put in to make our worship so incredibly joyful. It doesn’t matter how well I do the priest-stuff. People will always remember the music the most. Sue Bentley is usually the central nervous system of the Church, and she made sure that everything happened without a hitch. You would be surprised at how much extra time she puts in around this time of year. In addition to all of the worship related tasks, she also has to make sure our finances are in order. Stephanie Kaye is tasked with making the bulletins and assembling all of our communications. Christmas might her busiest time of year, and her calm, cheerfulness and drive made it a pleasure to slog through the bulletins.

There was a marathon of events leading up to the big day, and Courtney Jukuri, Alan and Thresa Hope, Kim Witzman and the J2A crowd made the Advent Wreath making event and Christmas market a joyful and meaningful tradition for everyone as they prepared for Christmas. Opening up my present from my five-year-old that he got at the Christmas market was a highlight of Christmas morning.

Most Churches hire heavy hitters to help out with the music whether that’s professional musicians or vocalists, but we had all of that talent in-house. Our choir has always been top-tier, and every year they get better and better. We are also blessed to have incredibly musicians like Matt and Hilary Harding, and Chris McFarlane who dialed up our Christmas Music to 10.

Just a few years ago, it would have been odd to include an AV team to a grateful list, but ever since I have arrived at St. Luke’s, they have been perpetually on my list. They started their ministry from scratch, and have recently spearheaded a major overhaul of our equipment and broadcasting ability. This ministry has had to figure out everything from the ground up, and they consistently go above and beyond without complaint. Thank you for helping people worship, even when they cannot be with us in person.

The outreach committee does a tremendous amount of work to help the most vulnerable behind the scenes this time of year, and they do not get enough recognition. They helped up shop for families in need, collect food for Rising Hope Methodist Mission and engage with the greater congregation to help. Thank you for your tremendous ministry!

Last, and certainly not least, is the altar guild, who were omnipresent behind the scenes making the Church look beautiful, and preparing the table for us to put the “mass” in Christ’s Mass. Jumping from the Fourth Sunday of Advent to three back-to-back Christmas services takes a toll, and the altar guild is often the first to arrive and last to leave, and I am perpetually thankful for their ministry. Something I have only seen at St. Luke’s is having the poinsettias delivered to our homebound members and other who could use a reminder of our love for them. This is a ministry done in conjunction with Carol Bloom and our Pastor Care team led by Dawn McMillin.

Thank you for all of those who do special ministry this time of year, like Lee Gilmore and the crew who hangs the greenery, and all of those who always help this place run, like Cathy McPeek (our treasurer), the vestry, our sexton and our Building and Grounds committee.

Thank you for helping us embrace the wonder that comes the coming of Christ in a manger.

Blessings,

Nick