VERITAS,
CARITAS, ET RISUS
One
of the true blessings I have experienced this church year, among many, is the
helpful counsel of so many members of the congregation. With a community storied in traditions, it
would have been a terrible lapse on my part to have ignored or forgotten those
traditions, and those helpful people, as we enter into Advent. While some traditions can become stale with
mere repetition, the best endure because they are memorable and their meanings
are remembered.
Christmas
is a time rich in such traditional observances, and I must confess to being a
Christmas lover. My daughter, son, and I
would often drive in the car singing Christmas carols, regardless of the
season. At first this was an effort to
distract restless children, but eventually it became our tradition. Invariably,
we would misplace pipers piping and maids a-milking, but it was even more
special as our eternal mistakes became indelible memories.
Some
of us can unfortunately take on a curmudgeonly quality as the season becomes
confused with its more commercial distractions. I personally detest the scrum
of the shopping season, and this is as a former rugby player. I prefer my Christmas with the sound of
carols and bells, the smell of cinnamon and pine, and the look of frost and
garlands. If we focus on the crass
elements of the holidays, whether by immersion in them or by monastic retreat
from them, we may risk losing the underlying message of Jesus’ birth into this
world.
We must
recall the lyrics of carols; lest we forget, Joy to the World, the Lord Is
Come. The joy is not only from the birth
of Jesus, but the meaning of that birth within a time dedicated to peace and
joy. But peace and joy require our
participation, for we are the authors of that peace and the seekers of that
joy. Our Christmas calendar this year
includes a new tradition, a time of caroling at the church after our service on
Sunday, December 13. I invite you all to
come as you are able to sing over a cup of cider and maybe a Christmas cookie
or two. We will then hang the greens and
wreaths, and place the crèche, to prepare ourselves for the birth of our
Lord. All are welcome, even those like
myself whose voices may be more eager than accomplished.
This
past year has been filled with hardships for so many, but we owe it to one
another to dig into our souls and memories to remember the spirit of this
season. There are so many simple
pleasures, like singing, that we can enjoy without giving into the monetized
undercurrent of holiday excess or straining family budgets. As we celebrate our
time together as a church community, in this most festive of seasons, we should
also share our own stories and traditions as we mark the season’s passage. As further good counsel, please let me know
if there are any favorite carols we should be preparing. Our hymnal has many but not all of these
songs—poor King Wenceslas. I will do my best to gather this music for our
enjoyment. As I begin to meld my
traditions with those of this church, please let me know what I can do to make
this Christmas sing to you.
God
bless and a most Merry Christmas to you all,
Mark
OUR SCRIPTURES FOR THIS
SEASON
December 6: Malachi 3:1–4; Philippians 1:3–11; Luke
1:68–79; Psalm 126.
December 13: Zephaniah 3:14–20; Philippians 4:4–7; Luke
3:7–18; Psalm 85.
December 20: Micah 5:2–5a; Hebrews 10:5–10; Luke 1:39–45;
Psalm 80.
December 24: Isaiah 9:2–7; Titus 2:1–14; Luke 2:1–20; Psalm
96.
December 27: 1 Samuel 2:18–20 and 26; Colossians 3:12–17;
Luke 2:41–52; Psalm 148.
CHRISTMAS
CELEBRATIONS AT THE
Sunday, December
Sunday, December 20: Morning Prayer and the children’s
Christmas Pageant.
Thursday, December 24:
Sunday, December 27:
RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
“And
she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and
laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke
2:6).
This
year, before November was even over, Christians throughout the world began the
season of Advent. For Sunday schools
everywhere this means one thing: the telling of the story of the birth of
Jesus, a.k.a. the Christmas pageant!
By
tradition the
Throughout
Advent we are conducting a food and sock drive. Boxes in the Parish Hall await
your donations of nonperishable food items and new socks (all sizes). Thank you
in advance for your generosity. Though
there was no room for Jesus at the inn those many years ago, let us all find
room for him in our hearts this Christmas season.
Peace,
CHRISTMAS
PAGEANT SCHEDULE
Sunday, December 6 Regular Sunday school; pageant
preparations
Sunday, December 13 Regular Sunday school; rehearse pageant in class
Sunday, December 20 CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
9:00 a.m. Children arrive to get into costumes
9:30 a.m. Children rehearse pageant with quartet
10:30 a.m. Service with Christmas Pageant
COFFEE
HOUR AFTER THE SUNDAY SERVICE
After
the morning service each Sunday there is a coffee hour with coffee, tea, fruit
juice, crackers, and cookies. All are welcome, and volunteers are warmly
invited to help with setup and cleanup. To lend a hand Call Dorothy Baldini
at 617-566-5876, and thank you!
ALTAR
FLOWERS FOR DECEMBER 2009
December
6: The
flowers are given in loving memory of Isabelle Marckwald Bushnell by her
family.
December
13: The flowers are given
in loving memory of Dr. and Mrs. Fillmore Ketola by Arden, Jason, and Sue
Reamer.
December
20: The flowers are given
in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin S. Webster by Dorothy Baldini.
December
27: The flowers are given
in loving memory of Katharine and Edwin Hiam by Dorothy Baldini.
BIBLE STUDY
Bible study, an informal discussion group addressing a
wide range of topics, meets in the parish hall at 10:00 a.m. each Thursday.
READING GROUP
We are
reading March by Geraldine Brooks and
will gather at Susan Welch’s (
USHERS
December
6: Werner
Lohe December 24: Patricia Timothy
December
13: David Brooks December
27: G. West Saltonstall
December 20: David J. Gabel
THANKSGIVING
FOOD AND FLOWER
The
Thanksgiving fair on November 24 was a wonderful success, and our thanks go to
everyone
who
helped make it such a fine morning. We
especially appreciate the spirit and participation of
this
year’s new volunteers —as well as the enthusiastic presence of many neighbors
and members
of the
wider community.
Deborah
Brooks and Isabelle Evans
THE
In
conjunction with the
In November,
members and friends of the
Looking
ahead, The Alliance will host or sponsor the following activities:
·
Delivering our donation of $2,000 to the
Women's Lunch Place some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas (date to be
determined).
·
Supporting a speaker series on a variety of
topics. We will alternate between the time after church and an evening during
the week, preferably Thursday. The first forum, led by Mark, will take place
after church on Sunday, January 10.
·
Hosting a Sunday afternoon musical event
(tentatively set for February 7) with the inspirational choir pace (Park's Adult Community Ensemble).
·
Supporting two important church
celebrations—Mark’s formal installation on the afternoon of Sunday, April 25,
and the Church Centennial following the service on Sunday, May 23.
·
Pioneering a "jumble" (flea
market–type) sale on Saturday, May 1, from
·
Wrapping up the year with our Annual Meeting
on Wednesday afternoon, May 26.
Specific
details about each event will be announced from the pulpit and in the bulletin.
We look forward to a full and engaging program of activities this year and
encourage attendance at all of them. Sally Baker,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music
for decemBER 2009
December
6 (Advent II)
Preludes: “Jesus
I will never leave” ― Walther
“Noel
for the Reed Stops” ― Daquin
Anthem: “Welsh
Carol” ― arr. Gomer
Response: “The
only Son from heaven” ― Bach
Anthem: “When
the Lord turned” ― Batten
Choral Amen: “Twofold” ― Ramsey
Postlude: “Praise
to the Lord” ― Walther
December 13 (Advent
III)
Preludes: “From
heaven came the angel host” ― Bach
“Sleepers,
wake” ― Bach
Anthem: “Sans
Day Carol (Cornish)” ― arr.
Gomer
Response: “From
heaven above to earth I come” ― Bach
Anthem: “Rejoice
in the Lord alway” ― Purcell
Choral Amen: “Twofold” ― Anonymous
Postlude: “Trumpet
Tune” and “
December 20 (Advent IV—Christmas Pageant)
Preludes: Prelude
of Christmas Vocal Music
Anthem: “Gaelic
Carol (Scottish)” ― arr.
Gomer
Response: ”What
can I give Him?” ― Holst
Anthem: “Glory
to God in the highest” ― Pergolesi
Choral Amen: “Sevenfold” ― Stainer
Postlude: “In
dulci jubilo” ― Bach
December 27 (First Sunday after the
Nativity)
Preludes: “Noel
for the Flutes” ― Daquin
“In dulci jubilo” ― Bach
Anthem: “Wexford
Carol (Irish)” ― arr.
Gomer
Response: “O
rejoice ye Christians, loudly” ― Bacb
Anthem: “Benedictus” (Requiem) ―
Mozart
Choral Amen: “Twofold” ― Traditional
Postlude: “In
thee is gladness” ― Bach