The Work of Christmas

by Howard Thurman

“When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.”
— The Mood of Christmas, 23

(There’s more at Spirituality and Practice.)

There’s a lot of physical and spiritual work to be done on Sunday. The farewell liturgy for the Holy Innocents building will take place, and then there will be a reception downstairs with finger foods (please bring some to share). About an hour into the party, some people will begin the work of moving the most important liturgical items to St Nicholas. They are to be installed (in the case of the Columbarium) that day. Other items will be used the next Sunday and will find new places in the sacristy there. That
day, more items will be moved into storage against the time when we’ll have a little more space to work with.

There are some who have become lost, who may be found.

There are a few of us who are feeling broken, and we have to work on healing, too.

We’ve found a purpose in feeding the hungry, and must also work on feeding our own souls and the souls of those who may come to us in the future.

We will be released from the things that hold us back, with God’s help, and we will rebuild and make a new thing together with the people of St Nicholas, and there will be peace and music again… with a little hard work and not a little prayer.

Technorati Tags: Christ , Poetry

Descending Theology: Christ Human

Such a short voyage for a god,
and you arrived in animal form so as not
to scorch us with your glory.
Your mask was an infant’s head on a limp stalk,
sticky eyes smeared blind,
limbs rendered useless in swaddle.
You came among beasts
as one, came into our care or its lack, came crying
as we all do, because our human frame
is a crucifix, each skeletos borne a lifetime.
Any wanting soul lain
prostrate on a floor to receive a pouring of sunlight
might—if still enough,
feel your cross buried in the flesh.
One has only to surrender,
you preached, open both arms to the inner,
the ever-present hold,
out-reaching every want. It’s in the form
embedded, love adamant as bone
In a breath, we can bloom and almost be you.

Mary Karr
from Sinners Welcome: Poems

Via the Daily Episcopalian

Technorati Tags: Christ , Poetry

News from St. Nicholas with the Holy Innocents

Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve

Advent and Christmas schedule. On Sunday, we have the unusual situation where we celebrate Advent in the morning and Christmas in the late afternoon and evening. I know it may be difficult for many to attend church twice in the same day, but this is a time liturgically when it makes sense to do so.

• The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24. One Advent liturgy at Holy Innocents with both congregations. 10 a.m.
• Christmas Eve, December 24.
• Family Mass at St. Nicholas, 4 p.m.
• Traditional Mass at Holy Innocents, 8 p.m.
• Traditional Midnight Mass at St. Nicholas, 11 p.m.
• December 31, Feast of the Holy Innocents (transferred). One liturgy at Holy Innocents with both congregations, 11 a.m.

Remember your Christmas flowers. The tradition at St. Nicholas has been to invite everyone to bring flowers to the Christmas liturgy to decorate the church for Christmas. We’ve found this particularly meaningful and, for those of you who like, there will be cards available to note in whose memory or honor the flowers are given. At Holy Innocents, the tradition has been to give money and have the church purchase the flowers. Thanks to all who’ve done so – and of course you can bring more if you like!

One bread, one body. Someone asked this week where I came up with the phrase, one bread, one body. Wish I could claim authorship, but Paul beat me to it by a couple of millennia. You can find it in 1 Corinthians 10:17

Thanks to all who have pledged so far. Our combined parish pledge total is now above $55,000. That is a great beginning for our new combined congregation. If you have not yet pledged, please do so. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were to reach $60,000?

Help decorate Holy Innocents for Christmas. We’ll be doing this after Sunday morning’s Advent liturgy.

Adult Education resumes in January. The weekly Adult Education program has been engaged in a comparative religion "survey" for some months now. We are currently discussing Buddhism; but we have decided to take a hiatus until after the start of the New Year, to accommodate people's busy schedules. On Sunday, January 14, promptly at 9:30, we will be getting together again in the chapel. We will have general discussion of where we have been and where we are going, on the Comparative Religion theme and the adult education program in general, before (time permitting) continuing our discussion of Buddhism.

This is an ideal time for new members, as well as any that have been absent for a while, to come and take part in our planning. Anyone who has questions, please contact Steve Gruenwald, Steve.Gruenwald@comcast.net.

Bring a non-perishable food item to church. Our food pantry will benefit greatly if we all remember to do this each Sunday.

Make yourself a name tag whenever you worship. It will help us get to know one another faster, and it’s a great way to make guests feel welcome.

Finally, a most blessed Christmas to each one of you. You are a marvelous congregation and I am so fortunate to be with you at this time in our life together. — Steve