COVID Reflections

Dear friends,

Blessings to each of you as 2022 begins!  I pray that you feel God’s presence with you in this and every moment, and I continue to pray for God’s help and guidance as we navigate the pandemic.

As you probably know, Covid infection rates are expected to rise through most of January.  At the moment, it appears that the omicron variant is more contagious than the delta variant but less likely to lead to serious illness.  Meanwhile, both variants are still spreading.  Marc, the wardens, Joel Duregger (our Health and Safety Officer), and I meet weekly to monitor the situation.  We pay close attention to CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/) and diocesan guidelines (http://www.diosova.org/congregation_res/article467662.htm). 

For all of us—as individuals, as family members, as church leaders—decisions about Covid are very difficult, and we are mindful that our parishioners, like everyone else in the world, have a wide variety of opinions about how best to deal with the pandemic.  We are grateful for your patience and understanding.  As long as CDC and diocesan guidance doesn’t dictate otherwise, we plan to continue to offer in-person worship.  Meanwhile, we will continue to provide online worship, and we encourage everyone to choose the kind of service that best suits their needs and situation.  We also recommend that everyone eligible get both the vaccine and the booster. 

Given the current situation, we have made some changes to our protocols at St. Andrew’s.  As of January 1, 2022: 

• Everyone should be masked inside the building at all times except when alone in a closed room.
• Individuals and families should practice social distancing inside the building, including during worship (pews will be marked).

Friends, as much as we might have hoped otherwise, we know that Covid will be with us as we move into this new year.  Blessedly, and even more importantly, Jesus is also going to continue to be with us.  During the Christmas season we celebrate the coming of God into our very midst, into the brokenness and suffering of the world.  May the knowledge that Jesus is with you, even in the middle of the pandemic, bring your comfort, strength, and hope. 

Blessings. 

- Anne

Turtles and Christmas

Dear friends,

I saw an article in the paper the other day about turtle hatchlings in Nags Head, NC. It turns out that baby turtles instinctively head toward light when they first come above ground. They follow the downward slope of the beach and the light of moon and stars to reach the sea. 

 

But when turtle hatchlings crawl out of their nests near brightly-lit buildings, they get confused and can head in the wrong direction and miss out on the ocean altogether. So Dominion Energy and the Town of Nags Head are currently collaborating, installing amber LED lighting at beach accesses to guide those little turtles safely to their ocean home. 

 

What does that have to do with Christmas? you may be wondering. Well... Like those little turtles, we human beings were created to follow a certain light, but we too can easily get turned around, tempted by other blazes and beams that we mistake for the light we actually were created to seek: Jesus Christ, the light of the world. 

 

The gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the true light, the light which enlightens everyone. And at Christmas we celebrate the coming of that light into our world. I look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth with you, and I very much hope that you will take part in one or more of our upcoming Christmas services:

 

Christmas Eve – December 24:

As we gather as the family of God this year at 4:30 PM, we will hear of the birth of Jesus Christ as it is written in the Gospel according to Luke and as it is told in the children’s homily; sing our favorite Christmas carols, led by our Adult Choir; and light candles representing the baby Jesus as the Light of the World.

 

Christmas Day – December 25:

There will be a traditional Christmas Day service at 10:30 AM. As part of our ongoing Peninsula Ministry Partnership collaboration, we have invited the Rev Phillip Shearin and the parishioners of St. Augustine’s and St. George’s to join us.

 

The First Sunday after Christmas – December 26:

There will be one service, Lessons and Carols with Holy Eucharist, at 10:30 AM. This year’s lessons will focus on the Incarnation, from Old Testament prophecies to New Testament reflections, interspersed with Christmas music.

As is customary here at St. Andrew’s, Christmas offering envelopes will be available in the church narthex. You can also make your Christmas offering online here.

Wherever you are in your faith journey this Christmas: just beginning and wondering where the light is; attracted to Jesus’ light but wearied by the journey; steadfastly and joyously marching toward the light; or anywhere in between---wherever you are, I pray that God’s gift to us of his own Son, come to earth in the fragile form of the baby Jesus, will fill your heart with light and guide you in God’s good path. And I pray also that we as a faith community will continue our work together to help our parishioners and those beyond our doors to seek, know, and follow Christ, the one true light.

Light and blessings.  

- Anne