From the Rector

From the Associate Rector

November 26, 2025

“What other time or season can or will the Church ever have but that of Advent!” –Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics IV/3.1 (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1961), 322.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer 1979 p. 159

We often think of Advent as a season of preparation for Christmas, a kind of communal delayed gratification until we can finally belt out our “glorias” and our “go tell it on the mountains.” And there is some truth to that, but there is so much more to Advent. Fleming Rutledge, Episcopal priest and theologian, has argued that Advent is a special season in the life of the church. All other feasts and seasons, except for Trinity Sunday, commemorate specific events in the life of Christ or the life of the early Church.

Advent is different. Advent is the season of eschatological hope. That is the season that anticipates not just Christ’s first coming as a babe in a manger, but also as the one who is coming as the judge of the nations to set all things right. The readings and the collects of Advent keep this emphasis though it isn’t often reflected in our preaching and practice of the season.

But Advent also has a present dimension in time as can be seen in the collect for the First Sunday of Advent quoted above. “…now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;” This is the time or season in which we, the church, live in our daily lives. This time of the mortal life in which the works of darkness are most apparent, and in which we await the final rectification of all that oppresses and destroys the creatures of God.

And we are not left without God’s visitation, God’s advent even now. For God comes daily to us in Word and Sacrament to sanctify us, to make us effective witnesses of God’s reign which is coming into the world. Though it continues to be an exercise in faith to await the fulness of that reign, and this is sometimes a very hard exercise indeed.

So, Advent is the three-fold commemoration of:

The Adventus redemptionis: of the Christ child born in a manger for our redemption.

The Adventus sanctificationis: the present coming of Christ in Word and Sacrament for our sanctification.

& the Adventus glorificationis: the coming of Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead to bring the final rectification of all things.

This Advent, let us enter into the fullness of these mysteries. Advent begins in the dark, but it certainly doesn’t end there. Let us accompany the marginalized who eagerly await justice coming down from the heavens as we witness to one another and as we await our final redemption.

Peace and love,

Padre Toni Alvarez

Visit our Advent & Christmas page for more ways to participate in Advent this season.

From the Rector

November 6, 2025

Dear Friends,

We are well into our 2026 Stewardship Campaign, with the theme “Many & One, in the Spirit.” These words emphasize the wide open doors of inclusion for all and each unique person who comes among us, and also that the Spirit draws us close together in a community of mutual love, care and support to be interconnected in one parish family. This dream is what we pledge to uphold with our gifts in the coming year.

I didn’t grow up in a church that emphasized pledging. In the faith tradition of my childhood and youth, giving was taught as an obligation — a rule to follow — more than a practice of the heart. Over the years, generosity has become deeply embedded in my spiritual life. It’s not about meeting a requirement, but about opening our hearts and hands to God and to one another.

Before I ever thought about becoming a priest, I discovered what pledging could mean in community. As a new Episcopalian, nearly 20 years ago now, I was unexpectedly invited by my then-rector to help lead the annual stewardship campaign. It was during a time of deep conflict and loss for that faraway parish. I barely knew what pledging was. Yet I witnessed how it became a source of healing and hope. The folks generously pledged, not because everything was perfect, but because they believed in what we shared and what God could rebuild among us. That experience taught me that pledging is a sign of trust and love—a way of saying yes to belonging, even in the midst of disrupted or uncertain circumstances.

For me now, pledging has become a way to live that openness in community. It’s both spiritual and practical. I joyfully pledge with you to uphold our common life. Together, our collective generosity sustains the ministries, spaces, and staff that make St. Michael’s a place of welcome, worship, witness, and wellness. Our pledges allow us to respond when needs arise —to feed those who hunger, to fix what breaks, and to reach out in mission where the Spirit leads.

Pledging, at its best, is a spiritual practice that transforms us over the course of our lives—shaping us into people who trust that giving and belonging go hand in hand. Pledging, at our best, enables us to grow together as the Body of Christ.

I invite you to join me in pledging generously for 2026—more if you can, and less if you need to—to bless this life we find together.

Many, and, more and more, One, in the Spirit, with you,

Scott+

The Rev. R. Scott Painter, Rector

scottp@stmaa.org

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