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St Thomas

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

By Sermons

Stephen V. Sprinkle, Ph.D. Professor of Practical Theology Brite Divinity School, and Theologian-in-Residence The Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle December 20, 2020 (St. Luke chapter 1:35) The angel said to her…
 1:37 “…Nothing will be impossible with God.”
 1:38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.  The Book of the Prophet Isaiah commencing at chapter 6:1 and concluding with verses 8 & 9: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
…

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December 20, 2020

2020 Outreach Grants awarded

By News, Outreach

At its Monthly meeting, the Vestry of St. Thomas the Apostle approved our parish’s Outreach Grants. For several years, we have provided funds to various organizations to assist them with their programs and special projects. We had budgeted $5,000 for 2019 but no grants were awarded in that year so the amount was rolled into 2020 to accompany our budgeted $5,000 for this year. Here are this year’s recipients: Dallas Hunger Relief – a partnership through the Diocese of Dallas and the Greater Dallas Coalition. Each food truck holds 448 boxes of groceries (50 pounds each); each box contains produce, meat, and dairy and each family gets one box. Each food truck costs $600. We are paying for 5 food trucks for $3,000! Christmas Toys for Dallas Children in Need – another partnership with the Diocese of Dallas and the Greater Dallas Coalition. We are contributing $1,000. This is in…

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December 17, 2020

Sleepers, wake!

By Rector's Corner

“Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us, the shout of rampart guards surrounds us: “Awake, Jerusalem, arise!” – Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608) Dear Doubters of Great Faith, One of my favorite Advent carols beckons us out of our drowsed slumber, warning of the immanence of the in-breaking of light into what seems eternal darkness, and heeding preparation, so that we too may share in the great gift of Immanuel, God among us. The time is nigh. In rising up, we become active co-conspirators, co-creators, as it were, with God, in the dawning of this new age. And so, we awake, to go out and greet this baby, who is, in many human ways, like us, and yet in so many other ways, so radically, divinely different! God becomes like us, flesh, 10 fingers and toes, a beating heart, and a brain. And yet, in many ways, so different from us, at least…

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December 17, 2020

Pandemic Marathon Tips

By Christian Formation

A well-known saying among marathoners is that “There are two halves to every marathon—the first 20 miles and the last 6.2.” While not mathematically accurate, this saying is correct in that it takes as much effort to complete the first 20 miles as it does the last 6.2. I have been fortunate to complete a few marathons over the years, so I know how difficult the final miles can be. Actually, it’s miles 20-25 that are the most difficult because once you get to mile 25, you get a psychological lift that the finish line is not far away. At mile 20, though, you are exhausted. The runners are no longer talking to each other (a complete change from earlier in the race) as they are conserving every ounce of energy they have in order to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. The people cheering them…

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December 13, 2020

Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A – 12/13/20 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Canticle 15 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 I am always and forever fascinated by language, by words, what words mean, what they stand for. Because words are simply, merely representative of actions and feelings and realities that reflect and actually go beyond our mortal human experiences. Words are mystical, bordering almost on magical, because they transcend linear time and space; sometimes we tire of them, but they don’t have a shelf-life and expire; no, no words are past, and present, and future. And that excites me! Anything that transcends, that breaks the bounds, the boundaries, the limits of linear time, excites me, because it lifts me out of my own mortality, if even for a moment, and gives me brief glimpses of God’s arc of time and space. And so, as we light…

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December 13, 2020

Dates do Matter!

By Christian Formation

Dates matter to me.  The 10th of December is the Feast Day of Karl Barth and Thomas Merton.  They both died in 1968.  Barth was a theologian and Merton, a Trappist monk.  When I arrived at The General Theological Seminary in September of 1969, I did not know anything about either of these two men.  However, during my years at Seminary they both became important to me in my own spiritual growth…even though it has taken many years of living beyond those years for me to come close to understanding why that would be so. My fleeting memory of anything about Barth comes from a professor at GTS who, commenting on something I had written for his class, wrote in a comment that my thoughts were “Barthian.”  Unfortunately, Dr. Carpenter who wrote that note did not elaborate and, more unfortunately, since I was not a very good student, I had…

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December 10, 2020

Christmas Message 2020

By News

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
 extends his Christmas Message for 2020 Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.
 Perhaps like me, you’ve sung this hymn for years – in church,  at home with your family,  gathered with friends and neighbors. Perhaps you’ve sung it to yourself  –  in your car, on a walk, or quietly in the dark of night.
 Joy to the world!
 While we may not feel joyful this year – as the pandemic of disease continues to bring sickness and death, when fear and mistrust – a darkness – threatens to overcome the light – we, as followers of Jesus Christ must bear joy to this aching world. We must shine light into the darkness.  Joy to the world!
 Like much in our lives, proclaiming joy is difficult work – also  good …

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December 10, 2020

Lighting One Candle

By Christian Formation

Living Compass is currently hosting an Advent group on Facebook. It is based on our booklet of daily readings for the season of Advent, and its theme is Practicing Hope with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. In case the idea of Advent is new for you, please know that it is a four-week season that many Christians observe to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. It is similar to the season of Lent, which is a time to prepare for Easter. What follows is a reflection I wrote for our Advent booklet. It speaks of the power of love and hope. Have you ever found yourself, perhaps when the power has gone out at night, in a completely dark room where you can hardly see at all? Now imagine yourself in that same situation but with a single candle and some matches. You light the candle and then,…

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December 6, 2020

Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Second Sunday of Advent, Year B – 12/06/2020 Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God… The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is not, in fact, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at least according to Mark, is John. John, you know him. I feel sure you’ve seen him. I know I have. You know the one I’m talking about. John. He used to stand under the canopy of Foley’s Department Store on Main Street in Houston, Texas. “Repent!” “The end is near!” “For you know not the hour or the day that our Lord will make his return!” “Prepare the way of the Lord!” He’s the one I would studiously avoid making…

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December 6, 2020