St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA

These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah 56:7

A Word From Mother Pat+: The Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is a circular ring symbolizing the unbroken and unending love of God. The green symbolizes life everlasting and the four blue candles mark our earthly time of waiting and anticipating the coming of Christ.

In the last 20 years, the Church has elected to use sarum blue in Advent instead of purple to mark the difference between the purple of Lenten penitence and the Advent season of waiting and preparation. The tall white center candle focuses our attention on the light of the world, Jesus, whose presence is central to our lives. The white center Christ Candle is not lit until all the other candles are burning, so in a way it reminds us how important our own lives are in helping bring light to the world while we wait on Christ’s return. The Advent wreath continues to be used through the Feast of the Epiphany, with all the candles blazing to mark the light of God in the world during the season of revelation – Epiphany.

The four blue candles can symbolize many things; however the themes of each week tend to reflect the lectionary readings – Week 1: Anticipation of the coming Messiah – Christ child; Week 2: Preparation for the Light of Christ coming into the world; Week 3: Rejoicing for God is near us; and Week 4: Hope for the Prince of Peace comes into the world. Others see the four candles as reminders of the four gospels or the ever brightening light of Christ coming into the world to banish sin and darkness. When purple and pink candles were used, the purple was for penitence and the third week pink candle was a “lighter” purple to allow for Joy to lessen the penitential nature of the season.

Since the change to Sarum Blue for the Advent season, the focus has been one of anticipation, preparation, joy and hope that we might wait expectantly for God to act in our lives and in the world. May this Advent provide you a quiet space so you can prepare your heart and mind for the gifts God has for you. In this first week of Advent simply take time to wait in prayer for God to guide you – Anticipate with joy the days to come.
Have a blessed and holy Advent. Mo Pat+



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Sunday Worship Services Christmas Day 2020 Through January 3, 2021

On Christmas Day (Dec 25) , 10:00 a.m . we will gather via Zoom from the Coil chapel. Drive-by Communion will be available for 45 minutes after the service at the back entrance to the church.
Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/5572242746
Meeting ID: 557 224 2746

Christmas I (Dec 27) : 10:00 a.m. One service, Holy Communion via Zoom . Drive through Holy Communion from the back church entrance for forty five minutes following the service.
Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/5572242746
Meeting ID: 557 224 2746

Christmas II (Jan. 3, 2021): 10:00 a.m. One service livestream from the sanctuary with music (carols). Drive through Holy Communion from the back of the church for forty five minutes following the service.

2 Services Online 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. with SS and CE resumes Jan 10, 2021



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Drive Through Nativity December 20, 4 – 5:30 p.m.

Drive-Thru Nativity – December 20th @ 4 pm – Experience the story of Christmas from the comfort of your car. A drive-thru nativity is a live nativity experience with actors and “animals” and all the sights and sounds of the birth of Jesus, but you drive past while practicing safe protocols. If you and your family are interested in participating in the Drive-Thru Nativity please contact Liz Livermont or Fr. Tommy.



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Musings: Advent 2, The Coming of Jesus In Our Midst

December 4, 2020
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the time of Hitler. Bonhoeffer worked with the resistance to try and overthrow Hitler and he was arrested and sent to one of the camps. That did not stop his voice, however. He wrote to family, friends, and to his fiancée from prison and many of his writings are still with us. Bonhoeffer was executed in prison, about two weeks before US troops liberated the camp.
In two books that I read and meditate on during Advent, there is an excerpt from one of his writings that I would like to share. The title is called “The Coming of Jesus in Our Midst”, and it is found in a book called, “Watch for the Light.”
Bonhoeffer writes,
“We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience. Only when we have felt the terror of the matter, can we recognize the incomparable kindness”. 
These words grab my attention. They affirm what I know deep down – that from time to time I fall short of being Jesus’ hands and feet in the world. At times, I know the right thing to do, and yet fail to do it. And if you read the Letter of James, you will realize that this is his definition of sin (James 4:17). What is amazing to Bonhoeffer, and to me, is that knowing that God loves me without restraint, even as imperfect as I am, is cause for both deep gratitude and overwhelming hope.
As we move into this season of Advent, I encourage you to take time to read and digest these words that Bonhoeffer wrote from prison, and that you may feel inclined to do your own inventory of areas that I fondly call “growth opportunities”. The goal of the reflection time should not be to come away feeling badly, but rather to realize the gift of God’s love, which is unconditional and infinite. That is our hope as Christians, that the God who loved us first and loves us still, wants us to prepare a sacred place in our hearts to receive him, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
Mother Liz+



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Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Worship Schedule

We invite you to worship with us this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ:

Christmas Eve — Tuesday, December 24

— 4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist with Christmas Pageant

— 7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Incense

–10:30 p.m. Christmas Music

–11:00 p.m. Festive Holy Eucharist with Incense

Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25

10:00 a.m. –Holy Eucharist

Sunday, December 29 

Holy Eucharist  10:00 a.m.



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Santa / St. Nick Breakfast Was So Fun!

Check out the photos from our Santa/St. Nick Breakfast held Saturday, December 8. Santa and St. Nicholas paid a visit to talk to the children about God’s love and to tell the story of God’s greatest gift to us–Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. Yummy pancake breakfast, crafts and stories made it a really fun morning!



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Musings From Mother Liz: An Exceptional First Week of Advent

As some of you are aware, I took quite a tumble on Wednesday and ended up in the Emergency Room at Eastside Hospital. I was having lunch with Lynne Kiker when my foot hit a chair or table leg on the way back to my table and I fell, hitting my head on one of the wooden tables and landing hard on my left shoulder. Two men whom I did not know helped me to my feet and the manager of the Panera brought me an ice bag for my throbbing head. It only took about three minutes to realize that the size of the lump on my head suggested that I get it checked. And I needed something for the headache!

Lynne drove me to the ER and stayed with me and she was joined by Susan Carson, who later drove me home in my own car and arranged for her daughter-in-law to help coordinate the collection of cars. Everything checked out as okay, and they gave me a script for headache medicine, which Susan was kind enough to pick up from the pharmacy. John Eberhart stopped by to see how I was doing and prepared a snack along with a giant glass of ginger ale.

Samantha Renfro, my senior warden, suggested that I take some time to recover; Vicki Conway brought me soup and bread from Panera the next day, and I have heard from many of you wanting to know what you can do to help me mend. I am much better, but at the same time, I am very glad that Mother Pat Miller has agreed to take the services this Sunday.

Since I have been doing little besides sleeping and reading since the mishap on Wednesday, there has been time for reflection. I realized that what I experienced this week is the action that comes with Advent. We think of Advent as a quiet time, and it is. But it is also a time of becoming more and more aware of the gift given by God in the coming of Christ. What I learned this week is that Advent is also about recognizing Christ when he comes through the love of others: through Lynne, and Susan and Anne and Vicki and Mother Pat, nurse Renee and the staff at Eastside, Charmaine, and John and Diane and Samantha and Deborah and Mitch, those two men whose names I will never know, Marjory the manager at Panera and all of you who have offered prayers, cards, text messages and warm thoughts for my recovery. Jesus comes to us constantly through the love of others, and that is especially true in this community of Christ we call St. Matthew’s.

This month, four years ago, I started to serve as your priest. It has been an amazing four years and you have taught me much and given me even more. As I reflect on the journey that brought me here, and the love and care you have shown these past four years, I am grateful to God for revealing a side of Advent I had not thought about before – how Christ comes through the loving action of others. May this Advent be full of God’s profound Peace, and may Christmas fill you with God’s profound joy. Liz+



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At St. Matthew’s, our MISSION is to continue the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, by serving the greater community through loving its children, caring for the unfortunate and witnessing to the healing power of God’s love.

The St. Matthew's campus is in the process of re-opening following the pandemic shutdown.Click here for details