Weekly Update 19 December 2025
Reflection
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The following Imaginative Prayer Exercise is taken from Arts & Faith: Advent, IgnatianSpirituality.com
Preparation
As we begin this time of quiet prayer, I invite you to find a comfortable place to sit with your back straight and your legs planted on the ground. Allow yourself to notice your breathing as you breathe normally. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Take a few moments and close your eyes, preparing yourself to listen to what God may be saying to you during this prayer. As you sit with your eyes closed, use these or similar words: “Here I am, Lord. Here I am.” When you are ready, open your eyes and pray.
Do not be afraid. God is with us.
It’s early morning. You are just waking up. It’s still dark outside. But you woke up because you feel drawn to take a walk in the neighborhood. There is a fresh snowfall covering everything. It’s cold but the wind is calm. As you walk, you feel the soft crunch of new snow. It makes you smile. In the distance, you see someone standing at the bus stop. He is leaning against the wall and seems tired. You think he might even be asleep as he leans against that wall.
As you approach, he looks up and says, “Good morning.” You answer, “Good morning. Nice snow this morning.” He looks at you with eyes that are tired but gentle. “Yes. The snow is nice in the morning before it gets trampled.” He looks at you with gentle eyes and says, “I just got off my shift at the factory. Time to get the bus and go home. Why are you out so early this morning?” His voice and face are so inviting. He makes you feel safe and peaceful. There is something you want to share with him, something you’ve been holding onto, afraid to let go of. What do you say to him?
His whole body seems to be listening to you. “I understand,” he says. “I too have been afraid. My wife gave birth to our son a few months ago, and I was out of work. I didn’t know how I was going to take care of them. I was scared.” You notice that he is smiling as he tells you this. You ask him, “Why are you smiling?” He looks at you with a big smile and says, “Because I knew that God would help me. I knew God was here with me.” You see the confidence, the trust in his face. What do you say to him?
He continues to look at you with those gentle eyes. You can see the joy and the strain in them. You wonder how he got such confidence, such faith in God. “When I was out of work I prayed and asked God to help me. I was tired and afraid of the future. Then one day at a bus stop, like this one, I talked to a man who let me know about the possibility of a job. When I went to look into the job, he was the one who was doing the hiring. It’s like God sent me an angel at the bus stop. That’s why I talk to people here. You never know when one might be an angel.”
What fears do I need to hand over to God who is always with me?
Who are the “angels” in my life who have shown me the face of God?
Concluding Prayer
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Sunday Service
Sunday, 21 December 2025
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Year A
Holy Eucharist
10:30 am
Christ Church Sanctuary
1216 Seventh Street, Anacortes
The service is also available on YouTube.
Servers
Presider: The Rev. Courtney Jones
Deacon: The Rev. Vicki Johnson
Homilist: Todd Fifield
Altar Guild: Martie Arnold, Jim Minton
Eucharistic Minister: Jim Minton
Bread Ministry: Stephanie Galbraith, Dan Moore
Readers: Tom Young, Sharman Badgett-Young
Ushers: MJ Barrett, Margaret Whatley
Eucharistic Visitor: John Okerman
Organist: Lynne Berg
Coffee Hour Host: Myrna McIalwain
Readings
Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
Readings may be found in the Episcopal Lectionary.
Hymns
H 72 - Hark! The Glad Sound!
LEVAS 14 - Soon and Very Soon
H 265 - The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
H 56 - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
H 54 - Savior of the Nations, Come!
Designated Plate Offering
This Sunday’s loose plate offering is designated for A Simple Gesture. Donations by check should be made to Christ Church with A Simple Gesture in the memo line. Thank you!
Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour follows the service. All are welcome.
Greening of the Church
Following the service, you are invited to join the Altar Guild for the Greening of the Church.
Youth Group
Please meet for Coffee Hour following the 10:30 am service, in the Parish Hall Gathering Room. We’ll help with the Greening of the Church, have lunch, talk about the Christmas story and what the Christmas season means to us, and make Christmas cookies. We’ll conclude our time together by joining the Winter Solstice Luminaria Walk at Washington Park.
Blue Christmas Service
Sunday, December 21
6pm
Christ Church Sanctuary
Please join us for this quiet, contemplative service held on the evening of the winter solstice.
Presider: The Rev. Diane Ramerman
All are welcome.
Bulletin Link: Blue Christmas Service
Announcements
A Joyful Noise December 2025
Find all the December news at A Joyful Noise December 2025.
Christmas Poinsettias
Altar Guild Directress Mary Gronholt invites the congregation to make a donation for Christmas poinsettias, at $25/poinsettia. Donations by check should be made to Christ Church and memoed “Poinsettia”. Thank you!
Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist Services
Wednesday, December 24
Christ Church Sanctuary
3pm
Presider: The Rev. Diane Ramerman
Homilist: The Rev. Courtney Jones
6pm
Presider & Homilist: The Rev. Courtney Jones
All are welcome.
Christmas Day Morning Prayer Service
Thursday, December 25
Christ Church Sanctuary
10:30am
Presider: The Rev. Vicki Johnson
All are welcome.
The Red Door Thrift Shop
Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Monday, January 5
11am
Red Door Thrift Shop
1019 Seventh Street, Anacortes
Help celebrate the new addition to the Red Door Thrift Shop!
All-Hands Sunday Liturgy Team Meeting
The Rev. Courtney Jones
The Reverend
Courtney Jones
Sunday, January 11
12:30–2:00pm
Christ Church Sanctuary
Who Should Attend
Everyone involved in Sunday worship. This includes clergy, worship leaders, readers, ushers, acolytes/Eucharistic ministers, Altar Guild members, and anyone who regularly serves in the liturgy.
What to Expect
The purpose of this meeting is two-fold:
1. To update and drill our safety procedures.
2. To “tune up” our Sunday morning liturgy.
We’ll begin with prayer and a brief reflection on our ministry of hospitality, followed by a practical emergency-preparedness training. We’ll then break into small groups to review best practices for readers, ushers, worship leaders, EMs/acolytes etc.
If you serve in any Sunday role, or if you would like to start, please plan to attend. Your presence helps us offer worship that is safe, welcoming, and beautifully executed.
Evening Prayer
Regular Evening Prayer services will resume in January.
Men’s Group
The Rev. Eric
Johnson
The Men’s Group meets weekly on Fridays.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Questions? Please contact The Rev. Eric Johnson.
All are welcome.
The Red Door Thrift Shop Update
Dawn Jex
Dawn Jex, Red Door Manager
Well, we are almost through the Christmas Rush. We have all of the Xmas items half price this week so that should help clear out most of those items. And then we are on to New Year and Valentine's Day next!
We will be open as usual this week and then next week we are only open on Tuesday 12/23. We will be closed on 12/25 for Christmas day and 12/26 for the Holiday weekend. Enjoy your time with family and friends.
A Happy Story:
Last Friday, our cashier Kathy Ives had a couple of ladies who were purchasing basic necessities like socks and underwear. During their interaction, they mentioned that they had been evacuated on short notice from their homes due to flooding up the river. They just needed a few things until they could get back home. Kathy - knowing our mission - called me on the radio and asked me to come up front.
When I got there, she quietly told me the situation and asked me if she could give them a discount. I told her, "Let's just bless them with what they need." So I started deleting things off of their bill until we were at zero. Kathy told them what I was doing and they started to cry - the good kind. They couldn't believe that we were giving them what they needed and I said, "Well, that's what we are here for. We are here to love our neighbors." Now I didn't mean to brag or boast but there was a long line of shoppers and after they left we got a lot of comments saying that we were awesome for what we did. I also saw quite a few dollars go into the donation jar. It feels really good to give to those in need!
Another Happy Story - Kind of related
I received a text last night from a frequent shopper. He wants to purchase $1,000 worth of gift certificates. He needs a few for some folks he knows and the rest he is going to leave with us to give out to people in need. I was surprised so I told him the above story about the folks who were flood evacuees and that his donation would go to help folks like them. He loved the story so much that he said, “I think we should make it $2,000!!!
A Call for Help
Skagit Habitat for Humanity is in need of help. They are getting a lot of requests for furniture from folks who have been evacuated or had their homes flood.
Here is what they are looking for:
bedside tables
dressers
small desks
twin mattresses
other bed sets
small furniture items
So if you have some of these items available to donate to Habitat, please call Ian at 360-428-9402 x116 or on his cell phone at 360-202-5901. Please and Thank you.
I will be working on the calendars for January and will send them as soon as they are ready. If you know you need time off in January, please send me a quick reminder.
Hugs all around and Holiday Cheer,
Dawn
Addendum
We have scheduled our Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new addition with the Chamber of Commerce and our newly elected Mayor Ryan Walters for 11 am on Monday 1/5/26. We would love to have many people from The Red Door and Christ Episcopal Church present to help us celebrate this momentous achievement.
I know that our Red Door Committee has been talking about this addition since I began here and that's been three years and it might have been in the works even before that. This addition would not have happened without the tenacity and efforts of Diane Guinn. She has been spearheading this effort for years, overseeing the construction process and cheerleading everyone along the way.
If you see her, take a moment to tell her how wonderful she is.
Please put it on your calendar now. 11 am, Monday January 5th
And remember that next week we will be closed on Thursday and Friday for the Christmas Holiday. Everything will be status quo on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Happy Holidays!
Dawn
Christ Church’s Red Door Thrift Shop is located at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes.
Red Door Thrift Shop
360.202.9966
Red Door Shopping Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Red Door Donation Hours:
Monday & Wednesday: 10am – 1pm
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Profits generated at the Red Door Thrift Shop fund Christ Church’s Community Support program.
Shoppers, Volunteers, & Donations are always welcome!
Day by Day
Day by Day daily devotions may be accessed at the following link:
Day by Day Daily Devotion.
Prayer List
John, brother of Lynne, & family
Pat, mother of Dan
Creamy & family
Jim, father of Stephanie
Gaylene
Veronica
Mary
Diane
Rev. Rilla & family
Linda, sister-in-law of Lynne
Myrna
Arra, aunt of Carol
Sandy
Dale
Zoanne
Linda
Tom
Karen
Leslie
Diana
Val
John
Foundation for Academic Endeavors
Cedar, Pete & Charlene, and Brendan, family & friends of Mary