ADVENT II
An Excerpt from a sermon of The Most Rev. John T. Cahoon, Jr.
Metropolitan, Anglican Catholic Church: & Rector of St. Andrew & St. Margaret of Scotland Church, given at the parish on December 8, 1996
In today's Gospel, Jesus is talking to the disciples about the end of the world, and he mentions some of the events which Revelation describes in more lurid and complete detail. He concentrates his attention on how people will react to the strange things God is going to do in nature just before he comes back. "Signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ... the sea and the waves roaring ... the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory"
Jesus says that people who do not know what is going on will be afraid. There will be, "On the earth distress of nations with perplexity; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth..." When this all starts to happen, we Christians will know what is going on, so we will not need to be distressed, or perplexed, or afraid.
Jesus advises us, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near."
Christians do not need to fear the end of the world. We welcome it, and we hope it comes soon. Why do we keep on praying, "Thy kingdom come," if we don't want the world to end?When the world ends, we are going to go to heaven. We have been smart enough to make that commitment now, so God won't have to try to convince us later on by destroying the earth and unleashing havoc in the skies.
The only way we know that the world is going to end and how it is going to end and how we are supposed to react comes by reading about it in the Bible. That explains why Advent--with its focus on the end of life and the end of all things--is when we have Bible Sunday.
St. Paul endorses the Bible in today's Epistle, but he does not realize that we might think he is blowing his own horn. He didn't know he was writing "THE BIBLE," he was just dashing off letters to his various problematical congregations to tell them how to straighten themselves out. The scriptures to which he refers are the Hebrew scriptures--what we call the Old Testament--but what he says about them applies to the New Testament as well.
The first thing St. Paul says about the scriptures is that they are supposed to teach us--they "were written for our learning." They teach us about God, they teach us about ourselves, and they teach us how God has acted for our benefit in human history--particularly in the history of Israel, and again in the life of the church.
The next thing he says about the scriptures is that they give us patience and comfort. Patience is steadfastness, the ability to hang on when things seem to be falling apart. The scriptures provide that patience by their testimony that God is in charge of what is going on and in the end it will all turn out according to his plan.
Comfort is strength--encouragement--the certainty that if we put ourselves on Jesus' side and in his hands we have nothing to fear--as St. Paul himself asks in another part of his scripture, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Finally the teaching and the patience and the comfort the scriptures provide add up to hope--which brings us full circle to the end of the world. Christian hope is the guarantee that in the end we will are going to be in heaven with God. When you know the story has a happy ending, you can put up with any twist in the plot that may present itself along the way.
So "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Read your Bibles!
All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee
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SERVICES & EVENTS
This Saturday December 6, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, DMAS Advent Retreat, St. Alban's Church, 4006 Hermitage Rd., Richmond, VA 23227, The theme "The Coming of Christ,” invites us to reflect on His arrival in three dimensions: looking back to His first coming, forward to His Second Coming, and embracing His presence in our lives today. A children’s program will be focused on Advent, featuring crafts and activities. Each child will receive a kit to create their own Advent wreath to take home. A continental breakfast and lunch will be served. $20 for adults, free for children. Registration form at http://www.dmas-acc.org
Sunday, 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM & 11:15 AM Services (for online participation for the services go to: https://www.facebook.com/saintsofscotland)
Nursery, 9:00 AM & 11:15 AM Services
Sunday School, 10:30 AM
This Monday, December 8, Fr. Bragg continues his study and discussion on the Saints, 7:30 PM, undercroft. If you couldn't make it to the first one, you're still welcome to attend this one and the following ones.
Wednesday, Noon – Holy Communion and anointing for healing
Saturday December 13, 8:30 AM, Men's Breakfast, church undercroft, breakfast Chef Extraordinaire Claude Crump and Bible study by Fr. Bragg. Great breakfast, great Bible study, and great fellowship. Men please feel free to invite friends.
Monday December 15, 7:30 PM, VESTRY MEETING, undercroft
Friday December 19, 6:30 PM, Caroling in the neighborhood, meet at the church
Christmas Services:
Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 7:00 PM & 11:00 PM
Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25, 12:00 noon
Sunday December 28, 9:00 AM, Service of Lesson & Carols
Sunday January 25, 7:45 AM Service, 10:00 AM Combined Service (no 9 &11:15 AM Services) followed by Annual Parish Meeting
Women’s Retreat to be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Church of the Ascension in Centreville, VA. Details to follow as the date draws near
MaRIH Crisis Pregnancy Center Still Needs More!
Thank you for your help. The critical needs list below has just been updated. :
Diapers, sizes 5 and 6
Winter coats (Boys & Girls), size 2T
Winter clothing, sizes 3- 6 months and 2T
Wipes
Baby Blankets
Baby formula: Similac Advance Formula
Bibs::toddler
Lovies, Rattles, Teethers
There are two options for helping the Center with this need!
Option 1
Amazon has all the specific items needed. You can order the specific item(s) and have them delivered directly to the Center.
The MaRiH Center
3230B Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-4521
703-370-4774
Option 2
Go to your local store, purchase the items requested and drop them off at church on Sunday. We will deliver them to the MaRIH Center.
Food Bank Needs
With the cold weather here the food bank has more folks who need food. Please help this month with a food donation if you are able. Those we help feed are very thankful for the food we provide to them each month. Please also buy low sugar cereals (and not the kid's types that have lots of sugar).
Current needs include the following:
canned meats (chicken, corned beef, spam)
peanut butter
jelly
tuna
canned vegetables (corn, green beans - (regular and low sodium)
individual fruit cups (low sugar)
canned fruit (low sugar)
canola or vegetable oil (48 oz)
boxed cereal (low sugar) and instant or old fashioned oatmeal (18 oz or 42 oz)
pasta (regular and gluten-free):
instant potatoes
single serving fruit juice
macaroni & cheese
soups: Chunky or Progresso,noodle soup; chicken broth, cream of mushroom
coffee, cooking oil, flour, sugar
And in closing a parish note:
If you were unable to attend any of the November 30 Sunday services that had the annual visitation of our Diocesan Bishop Jeff Johnson and the confirmations that took place or the St. Andrew's Day Kirkin o' the Tartan (Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle 7 PM Evening Prayer) you can see them on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@standrewandstmargaret
And you can also subscribe to the channel at no cost.
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St. Andrew & St. Margaret of Scotland
1607 Dewitt Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301-1625