2nd Sunday of Advent Worship

Good afternoon, Church!

Happy Saint Nicklaus Day!

December 6th is the day the Church commemorates St. Nicklaus, who was a bishop in what is now called Turkey.  He was the son of wealthy parents, who died in an epidemic while Nicklaus was still young.  They raised him to be devout in the faith, and hearing deeply Jesus’ words to “sell what you have and give to the poor,” Nicklaus is reported to have used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.  
He was known to care for children and families in distress.  One tale describes a poor man with three daughters, for whom he could not provide a dowry.  If they did not have a suitable dowry, they could not marry, and may end up being sold into slavery.  Nicklaus is said to have anonymously tossed a bag of gold for each daughter through their window, so each had a dowry and would be spared the prospect of being sold to cover debts.  The story further says the gold may have landed in their shoes, giving rise to the tradition of leaving your shoes, or your stocking, out for gifts to appear in them.  Sound familiar?  Over time Saint Nicklaus became known as Santa Claus, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Or perhaps legend.

For those who could not gather Outdoors or on Zoom, here is a link to a recording of today’s Zoom service:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ddik-YjJOf_lIbK-_R2l6lSvsOsiSaoa/view?usp=sharing

Continue in this Advent season to Watch for the coming of Jesus, Wait with active patience for him to appear, and Work for the coming reign of God!

Pastor Karl Richard