ST. STEPHEN’S CHURCH (CHURCH OF NORTH INDIA)

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NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2018

(For Private Circulation Only)

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Almanac and Lectionary: December 2018

Date

Theme & Readings

Liturgical colour

Sunday, 2 December 2018 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m. & 9 a.m.

Fourth Sunday before Christmas (Advent 1) Theme: Watching for Christ in patience and hope. O.T. : Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm : Psalm 75:1-7 Epistle : II Peter 3:8-15a Gospel : Mark 12:32-40 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 1

Violet

Sunday, 9 December 2018 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Third Sunday before Christmas (Advent 2) Theme: The Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ. O.T. : Deuteronomy 18:13-19 Psalm : Psalm 119:97-100,102-103 Epistle : Acts 3:18-26 Gospel : Luke 24:44-48 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 4

Violet

Sunday, 16 December 2018 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m. & 9 a.m.

Carol Service &

Sunday School Program 6 p.m.

Second Sunday before Christmas (Advent 3) Theme: The message of John the Baptist. O.T. : Isaiah 35:1-6,10 Psalm : Psalm 28:1-3,6-7,9 Epistle : Acts 19:1-6 Gospel : Mark 1:1-8 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 6

Violet

Sunday, 23 December 2018 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Sunday before Christmas (Advent 4) Theme: At Christmas we shall welcome Jesus who is like us in every way, apart from sin. O.T. : Isaiah 49:1-6 Psalm : Psalm 132:11-16 Epistle : Hebrews 2:10-11,14-18 Gospel : Luke 1:39-49 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 9

Violet

24 December 2018 Monday

Christmas Eve Holy Communion Service

10 p.m.

Christmas Eve Theme: The birth of the Saviour who is the Word made flesh. O.T. : Isaiah 9:2-3,6-7 Psalm : Psalm 86:8-13 Epistle : Hebrews 1:1-6 Gospel : John 14:1-14 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 16

White

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25 December 2018 Tuesday

Christmas Day Holy Communion Service

9 a.m.

Christmas Day Theme: The birth of the Saviour who is the Word made flesh. O.T. : Micah 5:2-4 Psalm : Psalm 98:1-5 Epistle : Titus 3:4-7 Gospel : Luke 2:1-16 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 12

White

Sunday, 30 December 2018 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. & 6 p.m.

First Sunday after Christmas Theme: How families should live together. O.T. : Zechariah 8:3-6 Psalm : Psalm 128 Epistle : Colossians 3:12-21 Gospel : Luke 2:41-52 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 18

White

31 December 2018 Monday

Watch night Service Holy Communion Service

11 p.m.

Watch night Service Theme: The Name of Jesus. O.T. : Joel 2:28-32 Psalm : Psalm 20:1-5,7-8 Epistle : Romans 10:9-13 Gospel : Luke 2:15-21 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 21

White

1 January 2019 Tuesday

New Year Day Service Holy Communion Service

9 a.m.

New Year Day Service Theme: The Name of Jesus. O.T. : Joel 2:28-32 Psalm : Psalm 20:1-5,7-8 Epistle : Romans 10:9-13 Gospel : Luke 2:15-21 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 21

White

Sunday, 6 January 2019 Holy Communion Services: 7 a.m., 9 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Second Sunday after Christmas Theme: The coming of the wise men is a sign that Christ has come for all humankind. O.T. : Isaiah 60:1-5 Psalm : Psalm 72:1-2,8,11-13 Epistle : Ephesians 3:1-12 Gospel : Mathew 2:1-12 Refer to Readings for Sunday Worship ~ page 26

Green

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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

Light dawn on our darkness “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). Isaiah foretells the birth of the ideal ruler in Isaiah 9. But who is he? Who is the light? It is clear from verse 6 - “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - that this oracle points to the coming of the Messiah, the true light.

Palestine was under the rule of the Romans when Jesus was born. People were longing for the Messiah who would come and deliver them. The shadow of gloom loomed over Joseph and Mary as they had to undertake a long travel in order to be numbered among the subject peoples of Rome. When the time came for Mary to give birth to her firstborn, they could find no place except a manger. So, in a sense, Jesus was born homeless. Later, they had to flee to Egypt with baby Jesus in the face of the threat of King Herod, forcing Jesus to live his early childhood as a refugee.

Yet, in that grim and dangerous situation, glimmers of light and even joy emerged. The news of the birth of the Saviour was first announced by an angel to the shepherds who were looking after their flocks in the fields nearby. “… the glory of the Lord shone around them…” And to the terrified shepherds, the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:8-14). Later, the wise men from the East came following the light to worship the babe.

Apostle John writes: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9-12).

In today’s world, the light seems scarce. There are shadows of fear, terror, violence, and despair all around. Even in the land of Jesus’ birth there is violence, and many are homeless. Without light, a sense of impending doom often grips our hope. As Christians, we need to be reminded of the Light, of the dawn of hope through the helpless child in Bethlehem. Would we receive him? Tragically, even today, many fail to receive him, like several people 2000 years ago. Advent is here to remind us that light has dawn on our darkness. It is also a reminder to us, the church, of the responsibility to shine the light of Jesus through us so that people walking in darkness may have hope and redemption.

Let the words of Graham Kendrick, the song writer, be our prayer: Lord, the light of your love is shining / In the midst of the darkness, shining / Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us / Set us free by the truth you now bring us / Shine on me, shine on me

Shine, Jesus, shine / Fill this land with the Father's glory / Blaze, Spirit, blaze / Set our hearts on fire / Flow, river, flow / Flood the nations with grace and mercy / Send forth your word / Lord, and let there be light In His Grace, Thomas Jacob

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NEWS & NOTES PC Meeting: The monthly PC meeting was held on 18 November 2018. Weekly Bible Study: Members meet every Thursday at 7.30 p.m. in the PHCC for a time of fellowship, singing and interactive Bible study. There will be no Bible Study on 27 December & 3 January. Harvest Festival: Harvest Festival was celebrated on 25 November. Everyone participated enthusiastically in the Thanksgiving service and the festivities. Membership: We are happy to welcome and introduce our new members:

Dennis George, Ruby & children (Full Membership) Marriage: We congratulate Riddhima Charanjeet Saini, member of St.Stephen’s Church, and Sheetal Harrison, who got married on 14 November at the Garrison CNI Church, Deolali, Nashik. Senior Citizens: We pray for all the senior citizens of our Church that our merciful God will give them good health and strength. Sick & home bound: Let us continue to pray for the following sick and homebound, namely, David C. Mathew, Prakash Naik, Olga Nazareth, Loolu Thomas, Lizzy Kurian, Padmini Abraham, Anitaa Thakur, Nancy Razdan, Thankam Venkatraman & Joyce Nichols. Pray that they are protected and healed, and that God’s hands be upon them.

Sushill Augustine Hon. Secretary

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HEARD FROM THE PULPIT

4 November 2018 ~ 24th Sunday after Pentecost Theme: ‘Humility.’

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). George Verwer in his book Hunger for reality, cites a litany by an unknown Roman Catholic saint:

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me. Deliver me, Jesus, from the desire of being esteemed,

from the desire of being loved, from the desire of being extolled, from the desire of being honoured, from the desire of being praised, from the desire of being preferred to others, from the desire of being consulted, from the desire of being approved, from the fear of being humiliated, from the fear of being despised, from the fear of suffering rebuke, from the fear of being forgotten, from the fear of being ridiculed, from the fear of being wronged, from the fear of being suspected, And Jesus, grant me the grace to desire that others might be loved more than I, that others may be esteemed more than I, that in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease, that others may be chosen, and I set aside, that others may be praised and I unnoticed, that others may be preferred to me in everything, that others may be holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should.”

11 November 2018 ~ 25th Sunday after Pentecost Theme: ‘A generous spirit.’

The context of Exodus 35:20-29 is the Lord asking the people of God to build a sanctuary, the tabernacle. In Exodus 35:4-5, Moses told the people: “This is the thing that the LORD has commanded: Take from among you an offering to the LORD; let whoever is of a generous heart bring the LORD’s offering…” And then Moses went on to spell out the specific requirements for the tabernacle. The people responded so generously that later they had to be restrained from giving too much. Exodus 36:6-7 – “So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing; for what they had already brought was more than enough to do all the work.”

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When we discuss about giving, the first Scriptural principle that we must remember is that everything we have belongs to God. He is the owner, and we are only stewards. “If you give what you do not need, it isn't giving.” (Mother Teresa). And it is only when we would give ourselves to God, when we surrender our lives completely to God that we would be able to give generously. It is only when we have the confidence that God will meet all our needs that we will give generously.

18 November 2018 ~ 26th Sunday after Pentecost Theme: ‘The partnership in Christ of women and men.’

In the Bible we have several examples of men and women working together side by side in different capacities and ministries, starting with Adam and Eve who worked together in tending the garden before the fall in Genesis 3. In Judges 4, Deborah, the female judge, and Barak, the male army commander, worked together to defeat Israel’s enemy. Early church father Jerome is best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, which came to be known as the Vulgate, which was the standard version for the Catholic Church for several centuries. What is not known, or less recognized, is the role of Paula, a godly woman, in the project. Then there was Hildegard, the Benedictine nun from Germany, who headed a monastery and worked with monks and nuns to manage the services of the monastery. Bishops, popes and kings recognized her spiritual leadership and went to her for advice. During the Reformation in England, Anne Askew worked with the Archbishop of Canterbury to promote reformation principles in London. The husband-wife team of William and Catherine Booth ministered together and founded the Salvation Army.

The theme “The partnership in Christ of women and men” is, probably, best demonstrated in the Bible by Aquila and Priscilla, the friends of Apostle Paul. Aquila and Priscilla, like Paul, were tentmakers by profession. Paul called them his “fellow-workers in Christ Jesus” (Romans 16:3). They launched the church in Corinth along with Paul. In Ephesus, a church met in their house (I Corinthians 16:19). They explained the Way of God more accurately to Apollos who was an eloquent preacher, well versed in Scriptures (Acts 18:24-28). It is interesting to also note that in four of the six references to this couple in the New Testament, Priscilla’s name appears first, before the name of her husband. Men and women serve Christ and the church the best when they work together side by side.

25 November 2018 ~ Harvest Festival Theme: ‘Thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth.’

Thankfulness does not seem to come naturally to us. We tend to take things for granted. Luke 17:11-19, tells the familiar story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, and about to enter a small village at the border of Samaria and Galilee, the lepers cried out for him to have mercy on them. Jesus asked them to go to the priests, who, at that time, had the authority to restore them to the community. Luke then tells us, that as they went, as Jesus had commanded, they were healed of that dreaded disease. We can imagine their joy and excitement when they realized that they were healed. In the midst of their joy, and their longing to be reunited with their families, only one of the ten stopped his run to the priests, and returned to praise God and to thank Jesus. And the striking point of this story, is that Luke makes it a point to tell us that this one person who returned to give thanks, was a Samaritan. Because of his nationality, he would have been the last person who would have been expected to return to praise God for the blessings which he had received. This was evident in our Lord’s response, when he said, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” This incident tells us that giving thanks to God for his many blessings in our lives is truly

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a matter of the heart, a thankfulness that naturally flows from our recognition of God’s blessings upon us. It is really helpful and important for us to regularly pause to recall God’s goodness and mercies that we have received in our lives. One such occasion that wakes us up from our complacency and pride, is the Harvest Festival, which reminds us that we must not take for granted the blessings of God. GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE We thank God for the lives and faithful service of all those who passed away in month of December of earlier years. YEAR NAME YEAR NAME 1902 MICHAEL MARGARET 1994 MARSHALL HAROLD 1915 CORKE MARIA 1995 THEOPHIL EDWIN 1944 BURBY GEORGE FRANCIS 1998 THOMAS ALLEYAMMA 1945 BLACKMORE EMMA 2002 MATHEWS LEELA 1968 BELL JACOB 2002 SHUKLA USHA 1975 CHINNERY ALBERT WILLIAM 2005 BOSE AMUL KUMAR 1980 MILLER ABRAHAM 2005 ROY ASIS 1980 CHRISTIE GRACE 2006 AARONS NILA 1986 VARKEY C.V. (JOE) 2009 SAROJINI ANCHAN 1986 MATTHAN MARIAH 2011 K.C. NAINAN 1991 MATHAI SARA 2012 SUCHITRA WAUGH 1993 PEREIRA HENRY J.

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REGULAR ACTIVITIES

Worship Services on Sundays: Holy Communion (Said): 7 a.m. & 6 p.m. Holy Communion (Sung): 9 a.m.

Church Office: Saguna Doshi (Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

26423955

Rev. Thomas Jacob, Presbyter-in-charge

9820736359 / 26428803 presbyter@stephenschurch-bandra.com

Sushill Augustine, Hon. Secretary

9820657433

K.P.George, Hon. Treasurer

9821074653

P.K. Kurian, Hon. Jt. Secretary

9820525567

Sabina Solomon, Hon. Jt. Treasurer

9820080456

St. Stephen’s Church 46, Mount Mary Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai – 400 050

E-mail: church@stephenschurch-bandra.com

Website: www.stephenschurch-bandra.com

facebook page: @stephenschurchbandra

Activity

Venue

Day & Time

Contact Person

Phone No.

Pastorate Committee

Meeting

Parsonage

9 December 10.45 a.m.

Sushill Augustine

9820657433

Sunday School

PHCC

Sundays 9 a.m.

Beulah Anand

9967170867

Bible Study

PHCC

Thursdays 7.30 p.m. No Bible Study on

27 Dec & 3 Jan

Rev.Thomas Jacob

9820736359

QCCCS:

Day Care Centre &

Study Centre

PHCC

Monday to Friday 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.

Saturday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Kumary Koshy

9820217524