Peace
Prepare
the Way
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is
written in the prophet Isaiah,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 1:1-8
John
the Baptist Preaching
MARSH,
Thomas
2000
Mission
San Juan Bautista
San
Juan, California
United
States
Wherever there is a human being,
there is an opportunity for kindness.
~
Seneca
One should examine oneself for a very long time
before thinking of condemning others.
~
Moliere
Artists Only!
Wednesday,
December 6, 2017
Janet
Rundquist Quinn had a reception in her studio
for
Artists Only!
Interesting
people!
http://www.osmosisartgallery.com/janet-quinn
Fine
Abstract Artist
Janet
Rundquist and Kathy Beekman in a more candid (and typical) shot.
Silver Sneakers Holiday Luncheon
Thursday,
December 7, 2017
Susan
Wescott, Ellen O’Connor, Executive Director, Kendra Lind, Recreation Supervisor
Rotary Holiday Party
Mount Vernon Canyon Club
Thursday,
December 7, 2017
Santa
greeted each of the children in the crowd of 130 Rotarians
and
guests with a special present!
Adrian
Stone, on the right, and I wore our matching (thanks to Adrian) sweaters.
Spares and Pairs Christmas Party
Marilyn
and Bill Sandifer
Friday,
December 8, 2017
Marilyn
and Bill Sandifer
Bill
laughed when he opened his spiked ball and chain.
Judi
Quackenboss found a turkey in her present!
Old-Fashioned Holiday Evening of Song and Laughter
The
Lovin Home
Saturday,
December 9, 2017
Linda
and Dale Lovin,
our
gracious hosts.
It
was indeed an evening filled with song and laughter.
Schaunon
and Mark Gilman with their girls,
Sierra
and Schyeler.
They
used to be members of our church when the girls were little.
Lord make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O divine master grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it’s in dying that we are born to eternal
life.
Amen
St. Francis of Assisi
December
10, 2017
Second Sunday of Advent Year B
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
An Advent Meditation with
James Finley
James Finley offers a short video meditation. What does the
story of Jesus’ birth teach us about how God is present in our lives? “God is unexplainably
born in our hearts moment by moment, breath by breath.” Click here to watch
the video (about 7
minutes).
https://cac.org/faculty-advent-messages/
Or here for the transcript:
https://cac.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/2017_Advent_James-Finley-Meditation_transcript.pdf
Dr. James Finley is a contemplative teacher and writer and a retired
clinical psychologist. He leads retreats throughout the United States and
Canada, attracting men and women from all religious traditions who seek to live
a contemplative way of life in the midst of today’s busy world. Early in his
life, James lived as a cloistered monk at the Trappist monastery of the Abbey
of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where the world-renowned monk and author, Thomas
Merton, was his spiritual director. He currently lives with his wife in Santa
Monica, California. James is the author of Merton’s
Palace of Nowhere, The
Contemplative Heart, and Christian
Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God.
Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Mark 1:1-8