Come Among Us

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

19 December 2013

We began this third week of Advent with the famous “stir up”collect:

Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.

I have used the traditional language, here, to highlight the age of this collect (which first arose in the 8^th century) and to highlight the stark contrast between the viewpoint of those who turn to and rely on God, and those who do not.  Note that in the collect we acknowledge that we need help, and that our help is in God.  (The collect echoes the piety expressed in Ps. 80 and Heb. 12.)  The collect expresses the hope that is fulfilled in Christmas:  that God will come among us and deliver us.

What about the other viewpoint, that of the world?  Those who do not know God usually want to better themselves and the world.  They recognize that there is manifold dysfunction in the world, even if they do not acknowledge that we are fallen.  They recognize dysfunction, but believe that any solution lies in human agency.  But what’s the problem with this thinking?  The problem lies in the truth that any improvement we seek to effect is improvement only as measured against some standard of goodness, and if we don’t have an objective standard—and rely only on what we humans try to determine to be goo—then we add to dysfunction, because in a “relative” system we are each either “one up” or “one down”.  We can’t make the world better on our own, but we can coöperate with God as He makes creation new.

And God does make creation new!  He comes among us—the Word made flesh!  Our Advent petition and hope is fulfilled in our Christmas joy.  We pray that God may come among us, and at Christmas sing “Joy to the world!” because “the Lord is come!”  Let earth proclaim her King!

Grace Abounds:  Please thank:

• Beth and Cory Bouck for a wonderful coffee hour.
• The participants in our Christmas Cheer program (who visit our shut-ins with Christmas treats, flowers, and fellowship):  Jessica Ambelang, Darlene Bain, Mary Clabots, Debbie Gagin, Mary Gallimore, Mary Hafner, Anne Hanlon, Jennifer Keller, Leslie Kohler, Bobbi Kraft, Scott Lubbers, Barb MacEwen, Bernie Markevitch, Francoise Pietzner, Pat Sather, Mary Beth Snyder, Joyce Wessel, Michele Whitford, Danie Wilson, and Nacy Yurk.
• Please thank Barb MacEwen for organizing Christmas Cheer.
• Nancy Yurk for organizing the parish response to the Christmas Castle campaign for The Salvation Army.

Call for Contributions:  If you have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshippers toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday in the week of publication.

Episcopal Youth Community:   

Music this week:

Sunday, December 22^nd

Advent 4A

Prelude                                    Two Magnificat Antiphons                                           Dupré

Entrance Hymn 72                  “Hark! the glad sound!  The Savior comes”

Trisagion S-102                                                                                                        Archangelsky

Offertory Hymn 56                 “O come, O come, Emmanuel”

Communion Motet                  O Lord, how shall I meet you                                      Crueger

Communion Hymn 60            “Creator of the stars of night”

Closing Hymn 436                  “Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates”

Postlude                                  Chant de Paix                                                             Langlais

December 24^th

Christmas Eve at 4pm

Prelude                                    Lindsay Fischer, cello

Processional Hymn                 “O come, all ye faithful”

Gloria                                      New English Folk Mass                                         Timms & Warrell

Sequence Hymn                      “Away in a manger”

Carols during the Pageant:

                                                “O little town of Bethlehem”

                                                “The first Nowell”

                                                “Joy to the world”

Offertory Hymns 110             “The snow lay on the ground”

                             115             “What child is this”

Communion Hymn 111          “Silent night”

Closing Hymn 96                    “Angels we have heard on high”

Postlude                                  In dulci jubilo                                                              Bach

Prelude of Christmas Music at 10:30pm

Choir                                       Unto us is born a Son                                                  arr. Willcocks

Organ                                      In dulci jubilo                                                              Bach

Choir                                       Coventry Carol                                                           arr. Shaw

Organ                                      Interlude on the Coventry Carol                                 Webber

Hymn 81                                 “Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming”

Flute duet                                Sinfonia from the Christmas Oratorio                          Bach

                                                            Sandie Palmer & Sutton Cecil, flutes

                                                            Lindsay fischer, cello

Hymn 105                               “God rest ye merry, gentlemen”

Organ                                      The shepherds at the manger                                      Liszt

                                                Prelude on Shepherds come, their praises bringing    Walcha

Solemn Mass at 11:00pm

Introit                                      Dominus dixit                                                              Plainsong

Processional Hymn 83            “O come, all ye faithful”

Gloria in excelsis                                                                                                        Willan

Offertory Hymn 79                 “O little town of Bethlehem”

Sanctus                                                                                                                       Willan

Agnus Dei                               Missa de Angelis                                                         Plainsong

Communion Anthems             In the bleak midwinter                                                  Darke

                                                Manger Carol                                                             arr. Sowerby

Communion Hymn 111          “Silent night”

Closing Hymn 96                    “Angels we have heard on high”

Postlude                                  In dulci jubilo                                                              Bach

December 25^th

Christmas Day at 9am

Entrance Hymn 83                  “O come, all ye faithful”

Offertory Hymn 87                 “Hark! the herald angels sing”

Communion Hymn 115          “What child is this”

Closing Hymn 96                    “Angels we have heard on high”

Parish Notices

§  Interested in joining a local CHURCH VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE ?

Several area churches are involved in a volleyball league made up of church members age 14 and above. Play is Sunday afternoons, 1-4 p.m., Jan 5 - Feb 16, exclusive of Feb 2, at the Sheboygan Falls YMCA.  Teams can have up to 10 players, team cost is $100.  Sign up deadline is Dec 31st.  Anyone interested in playing or wanting more information contact Ed Clabots, 762-0500 or clabots@wildblue.net.

§  Small Groups: On the fourth Sunday of November, at 9 am between services, several small group discussions were begun to add to our life together here at Grace.  This coming Sunday, the fourth Sunday of December, is an opportunity for these groups to meet again to continue the conversations & firm up the establishment of these groups.  You are invited whether or not you were in attendance last month to come & join them.  The groups that will be meeting this Sunday are these:

o   ​Caregiver’s Support Group with Mary Snyder & Scott Gedemer as facilitators & organizers

o   ​Healing Team & Ministry with Dc Mike Burg

o   ​Grace Adult Group with Tasha & Tom Crouse

o   ​English as a Secondary Language with Scott Lubbers

​            The other groups who won't be meeting Sunday but remain open to further interest are

o   The Film Study Group is facilitated by Jane Hanson.  The series will restart on Wednesday, 15January, 6 p.m., with the 2011 release For Greater Glory. 

o   The Depression Support Group won't be meeting this Sunday as Ed Clabots has to be absent.The Galatians Bible Study is meeting next on January 5^th in the Conference room following the 2^nd Service – Talk to Mary Massey or John Ambelang

If you have any questions, please talk to the people listed with the group.

§  End of Year Pledge Reminder: Please make every effort to pay the remainder of your pledge before the end of the year. If you need to know your balance, please call the office at 452-9659. If you want tax credit for your pledge paid in 2013, you must have the payment in the office by Monday, December 30^th. A check dated the 30^th, but arriving later cannot be counted as paid in 2013. All payments received after the 30^th will be credited in 2014. Thank you so much.

§  Stewardship: Thank you for supporting Grace Church with your generous pledges. If you still have a pledge card and plan to pledge please return it at your earliest convenience. It will be helpful even if your response is you are unable to pledge that we hear from you as we are in the process of assembling the 2014 budget and need all the information. Thank you so much.

§  Youth and Children’s Choir: The last Youth and Children’s choir rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service is today, Sunday, December 22^nd at 9:00am. downstairs in the choir room. The choir is open to 2^nd graders through high school, and will sing for the 4pm service on Christmas Eve.

§  Christmas Pageant Rehearsals: today, Sunday, December 22 at 9:00am will be the final rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant. The rehearsals will begin in the church and then go downstairs for costumes. Participation is open to youth of all ages. The Pageant will take place during the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. If your child would like to participate but cannot make rehearsals please come to church at 3:00pm on Christmas Eve and they will get a costume and part in the pageant. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.