Dear People of Gloria Dei:

Happy December! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, even as we move into Advent and all the busyness of our Lucia Fest, O Brother performances, and Christmas Eve celebration. I am grateful to have spent a few quiet days with family and friends – and that my wife and I got to see a new movie together. This was our first time getting out to a theater in years, and we certainly picked a good moment to make it happen.

Wake Up Dead Man is the third in a series of murder mysteries that began in 2019 with Knives Out. These films are loosely connected (you don’t have to see one to enjoy the others), and they are all delightful mixes of clever mystery, witty humor, and beautiful cinematography. However, Wake Up Dead Man goes deeper, exploring faith and grace in profound ways. While being careful not to spoil things, I can say that this movie ¹⁾ wrestles with Christian nationalism and the many other failings of the institutional church, ²⁾ reminds us that grace is offered even to those who least seem to deserve it, and ³⁾ depicts a moment of repentance and absolution so powerful that I was literally weeping in my seat.

All of this makes the movie a potentially beautiful way to engage with the themes of Advent. This is a season, like Lent, when we are invited to repentance and preparation, so that we might be ready to joyfully celebrate the Christmas miracle of God’s presence among us. Advent means arrival, and during this season we are reminded that God arrives in unexpected and surprising ways, challenging the powerful, showing mercy to those in need, and calling us all to more faithfully reflect Christ’s love. Whether at the movie theater or in the pews, I hope you’ll join me in looking for Jesus throughout the coming weeks, and that you’ll come celebrate with us on Christmas Eve (5pm service, with a community meal following!).

Celebrate a beautiful Swedish tradition in it's 88th year!

Lucia Fest is a colorful, musical pageant, representative of St. Lucia, the bearer of light during the dark Swedish winters. It is a unique opportunity to witness this authentic holiday tradition, performed in a 300-year-old church built by Swedish settlers.

A Scandinavian Christmas bazaar - St. Eric's Fair - will be open before and after each showtime, with imported goods, food & drink available for purchase.

Tickets will be available online from October 1 to December 3.
After December 3, tickets will be sold at the door only.
Showtimes are 2:00, 3:30 & 5:00. $15 for adult, $10 youths 12 and under.

Click here to buy tickets.

As in years past,  we are hosting an "Angel Tree" which provides Christmas gifts for the needy, immigrant and refugee children at Snyder Avenue Congregational Church (https://saccphilly.org/). You are invited to take an name from the tree, located in the back of the church and purchase a gift or gift card from that child's wish list. Please be sure to claim your child by filling out the sign up sheet next to the tree. 

We ask that all gifts be returned by Wednsday, December 10, so that we can deliver them in time for the celebration at Snyder Avenue on Saturday, December 13. You are also welcome to attend that celebration, which runs from 3:00-5:30; contact Jill Duink (jillddd@hotmail.com) for more details. 

If you would like to make a monetary donation to support this ministry, please click on this link (https://www.old-swedes.org/give) and designate your gift as "Angel Tree".

Sexton Sideshow presents a tribute to O Brother, Where Art Thou? This is the 7th year for this wildly popular show.  Two nights available - Friday, Dec 12 & Saturday,  Dec 13. Both shows sold out in 2024, don't miss out this time around!

Doors open 6:30, show begins 7:30. 

Click here to buy tickets!

Remember your loved ones with a memorial or in thanksgiving gift to Gloria Dei. Envelopes for the flower donations are located in the back of the church, or you may donate online at https://www.old-swedes.org/give. (You may include names in the memo, or email to info@old-swedes.org).
Please have all requests in to the office by Thursday, December 18th.

You are also welcome to dontate to support special Christmas music! We are hoping to have a choir for our Christmas Eve service, complete with some incredible musical selections. Donations can also be made on our website or by including a note with donations in the Sunday offering. 

Every Monday at 9:00am, a small group gathers for a time of prayer for each other and our community. Praying together points us to Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus reminds us of the power of community prayer: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Are you interested in brainstorming, discussing, planning and participating in Gloria Dei missions?  We meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 9:00 on Zoom
(Meeting ID: 897 2826 6283   Passcode: 098374, or use the link below).  
Join Zoom Meeting: Click here to join the Zoom.

Current Outreach Efforts Include: 

• Monthly Lunch Packing Ministry
  Next Date: Sunday, December 28
• The Angel Tree Collection 
  Details elsewhere in this newsletter
• Collecting Donations for the Food Pantry
  at Snyder Avenue Congregational Church, which serves many local immigrant and refugee families. Donation basket available in the back of the church.
• Volunteering with the Philadelphia Ukranian Cathedral
  sorting clothing for Ukranian Immigrants and Refugees. Contact info@old-swedes for more details.

We are also starting to explore other meal ministry opportunities, and the possibility of collaborating with POWER Interfaith to advocate for affordable housing. If you have any questions, or want to get more invovled, please contact Jill Duink (jillddd@hotmail.com) or Rev. Chris (rector@old-swedes.org). 

Update: The last Musical Meditation before the holiday hiatus will be December 2. Join us after that on January 6th!

Join us for a refreshed version of our popular service.  Keep an eye out for some interesting guest guitarists, a drum circle, poems, and discussions that we hope will inspire you throughout the rest of the week. The program is led by our sextons, Jim & Paula Minacci, who work to create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere that everyone will enjoy. 

On January 6, we will be celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, using a special set of prayers and gathering to share food after the service. 

Advent starts on Sunday, November 30 at our 10:00am service, when we begin to prepare for the arrival of Jesus, and continues each Sunday through December 21. 

Christmas Eve is Wednesday, December 24, with a 5:00 service and a choir of local singers and festive music. Immediately following we will host a meal in Riverside Hall. Pasta and bread will be provided, but everyone is invited to bring something to share. 

There will be no service on Christmas Day. 

Please join us on a monthly basis to pack meals for people in need in Kensington. Lunches are packed in Riverside Hall immediately following Sunday services. The meals are then delivered to Prevention Point for distribution. To learn more about the work of Prevention Point, see their website at: https://ppponline.org

Future dates: January 25, February 22, March 29, April 19

In the late 18th century Philadelphia saw a large influx of musicians from London and other areas of the British Isles – many coming at the personal invitation of the theater impresario and composer, Alexander Reingale. Musicians who performed with Joseph Haydn and Johann Peter Salomon, who played at the Drury Lane and Saddler’s Wells Theatres, church musicians, and musicians of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens converged on the capital of the new nation, bringing skill, grit and an entrepreneurial spirit that changed the face of Philadelphia’s musical life. They founded the Musical Fund Society and cultivated musical culture, laying the groundwork for later organizations, such as The Philadelphia Orchestra. Music of Joseph Haydn, Rayner Taylor, Benjamin Carr, JGC Schetky, Hugh Reinagle, and Ignace Pleyel.​

This event is hosted by the Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation, the non-profit organization that preserves and interprets Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church and its graveyard. A portion of the proceeds will help fund these initiatives. Click here to buy tickets.

Jazz & Joe is a "coffee-house" style venue. Active listening and quiet conversation is welcome throughout the evening. Refreshments are served, and attendees are welcome to BYOB. This event is free, but donations are appreciated to help defray costs. Music starts at 7:30pm, and wraps up by 9:30pm. 

Please note: Jazz & Joe is not held in July, August, November, December.

Our service is comprised of uplifting music, Episcopal worship and spiritual/biblical teachings. While we are always a work in progress, Gloria Dei strives to be a place where all will feel welcome in faith and spirit.

December 7 – Second Sunday of Advent

• Isaiah 11:1-10
• Romans 15:4-13
• Matthew 3:1-12
• Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

Collect: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

December 14 – Third Sunday of Advent

• Isaiah 35:1-10
• James 5:7-10
• Matthew 11:2-11
• Psalm 146:4-9

Collect: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

December 21 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

• Isaiah 7:10-16
• Romans 1:1-7
• Matthew 1:18-25
• Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

Collect: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

December 24 – Christmas Eve

• Isaiah 9:2-7
• Titus 2:11-14
• Luke 2:1-14
• Psalm 96

Collect: O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

December 28 – First Sunday after Christmas

• Isaiah 61:10-62:3
• Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7
• John 1:1-18
• Psalm 147

Collect: Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We recently finished our annual stewardship campaign, but there is still time to make a pledge for 2026. This helps our finance committee and Vestry to more effectively plan for the year to come. At the same time, stewardship is a call for us to remember that all we have is a gift from God, and that part of being responsible with the gifts we receive is sharing them with others who are in need. 

If it is helpful, please feel free to meet and talk with Rev. Chris about stewardship in your particular situation. And, in all things, let us walk with gratitude for the abundant blessings God has been providing for our community.