Christmas night! | St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,

With all my love, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope that you have had a wonderful celebration and that you are able to welcome the joy of this day, the joy of Jesus, into your heart and into your lives. I give thanks that so many of you were with us last night for worship, even though the day didn't go quite as any of us planned. And I pray that all of you who were traveling or found yourselves far away were either able to join us online or to worship somewhere else to welcome the newborn King.

I want to offer my thanks as well to the many people who made last night so beautiful. I'm so grateful to our staff, to our wonderful choir, to the lay leaders who participated in planning and celebrating, to the Altar Guild, the Ushers, to the extra musicians who joined us, and to all of you who came to worship and pray. I was especially glad that the members of our Young Adult Guild came up to light the Advent wreath and Christmas candle - what a gift to us! Thank you all for your presence, your leadership, and your love.

Wherever you are tonight, whoever you're with, however you're keeping this feast - whether it is pure joy, or bittersweet, or even if you find yourself struggling tonight - know that God is with you. And God loves you endlessly. You are never alone. And nothing is ever finished until God has had the last say, the last word. Know that for you, that word will always be love. The promise of life. Of wholeness, belonging, and abundance.

This is my prayer for you tonight. That no matter where you are on your journey, you will feel tonight the abundance of God's love for you. God bless you and keep you these twelve days of Christmas. I hope to see you for worship at 10am on New Year's Day.

Faithfully,

--Marissa +

Tags: Welcome from the Rector

Sermons

Mar 19 | The Rev. Dr. Linda Spiers
Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 19, 2023
Mar 5 | The Rev. Dr. Linda Spiers
The Second Sunday in Lent: March 5, 2023.
Feb 26 | The Rev. Dr. Meg Stapleton Smith
The First Sunday in Lent: February 26, 2023.
Feb 22 | The Rev. Dr. Linda Spiers
Ash Wednesday: February 22, 2023.
Feb 19 | The Rev. Dr. Linda Spiers
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany: February 19, 2023.

St Matthew’s is a community of disciples and we are on a journey together. We are called to participate in God’s mission. We learn and dream, worship and pray, laugh, cry and serve together. St. Matt’s is a place where we learn about God and learn to be disciples. It’s a place to call home. A place to belong. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome.

Welcome from the Rector

At St. Matthew’s, we are committed to cultivating a faith-filled space that warmly welcomes all, as we seek to grow in our knowledge, love and pursuit of Jesus and his way, together. We believe our Children and Youth, rooted in Christ, are equipped to start leaving their mark in our communities and across the world.

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Sundays at 8:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II
A quiet, informal service held around the Altar

Sundays at 10:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II with choir & organ (September–June)
Church School & Nursery Care during worship

Summer (July and August): Sundays at 10:00 am (click here for details)

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We are located at 36 New Canaan Road in Wilton. After you park your car, walk ahead through the walkway to the courtyard, and we our sanctuary is located on the left side of the complex.

Our parish office is located in the middle building connecting St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and Wilton Presbyterian Church, and you can enter through the door marked Parish Office in the courtyard.

Directions

“For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you” (1 Chronicles 29:14, NRSV)

Many Episcopalians know this line of scripture because we say it in our Eucharistic liturgy every week. It reflects our deepest understanding of thanksgiving and stewardship - God gives us everything! When we give to God, others, and the church, we are really giving back what is originally a gift from God. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities, and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and s caretakers of these gifts, we support our church and God’s mission by using our time, our skills, and our financial resources.

Donate Now Learn More about Giving

A pledge is a spiritual promise, a commitment to the life of a faith community, a commitment to which God calls each one of us. Pledges help with orderly financial planning and they make possible all the programming and fellowship that we enjoy together, including: children’s and youth ministries, music, building operations and maintenance, clergy and staff compensation, mission engagement, fellowship, and much more. YOU are the heart of St. Matthew's. Your generous gift makes all of our programming possible.

Make a Pledge Pay 2022 Pledge Pay 2023 Pledge

It is the tradition of St. Matthew’s to use fresh flowers at our altar every Sunday for worship as well as other special occasions. Prepared by our Flower Guild, you may sponsor the flowers on a date of your choosing in memory of a loved one, in thanksgiving, or other purpose for a suggested donation of $75. Those named in memory or in thanksgiving are also included in the prayers of the people on that Sunday. Following worship, our Petal Pushers deliver the flowers to members or friends of St. Matthew’s, bringing our prayers from our altar to their home.

Flower Donations

Your Amazon purchases can help to support St. Matthew's! For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to St. Matthew's!

How to Set Up Amazon Smile

Title III, Canon 9, Section 6(b6), of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church (2015) is generally interpreted to mean that, at a minimum of one Sunday a month, the loose offering at the Holy Eucharist is designated for the clergy discretionary fund. Congregations may wish to set aside a budgeted amount for the discretionary fund in addition to or as a substitute for the above method. Congregations may designate that all fees or gifts received for weddings, funerals, and baptisms are contributed to the discretionary fund. Individuals may also contribute to the fund with occasional gifts.

Rector Discretionary Fund