Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
20 December 2018
Next Sunday is the last Sunday before
Christmas. We’re all looking forward to
the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus, of the coming of God into our
midst. The world has been focused on
Christmas since at least early November, but the world has focused on the
holiday not in the literal sense of the word “holiday” (a holy day, that is one
set aside for the Lord), but as a celebration of self. Even in the Church, in the weeks leading up
to Christmas, people tend to focus on Christmas more than Advent. We like to skip over the idea of penitence
and preparation, to get to celebration right away. So, on this last Sunday before Christmas, we
might expect that we’ll really be ready for the Feast of the Nativity, for
Christmas, but the Gospel lesson for the day focuses not on Jesus, but on His
mother.
Our Old Testament lesson makes clear
reference to the coming of the Messiah.
We hear her song, the Magnificat, in place of the psalm. The Epistle makes clear that Jesus made once,
for all, the atoning sacrifice. And yet,
the Gospel itself focuses on the Ever-Blessed Virgin Mary. What’s the Church up to? Why this focus on Mary?
We focus on Mary as we become ready for
Christmas because Mary is, above all, the human being, the created
being, who was and is closest to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Mary is the prototype for all faith; for the
response to God’s call that He seeks in all of us as He comes among us. Mary could have said no to the angel; instead
she said, “behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to
your word”.
When we gather this Sunday it will be to
celebrate and to give thanks for the reality that “the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us”. We will both celebrate
the Incarnation and seek to live incarnationally, as the Body of Christ. We can do this because our own hearts respond
to God. Our own hearts draw us to
confess ourselves to be the servants of God.
Mary reminds us that Christmas is not only about how we can thank God
for sending His Son among us, but is also about how we can thank God that He
counts each one of us worthy to do His work in this world. Just as she had a role to play in the history
and economy of salvation (the pivotal role for a created being), so each
of us has a role to play that God’s will may be incarnated as real to those who
do not know Him. Just as Mary’s love of
God drew her to say “yes”, so may our own love of God draw us in all ways to
say “yes” to God and to how God send us..
Grace abounds: Please thank:
§ Wayne and Pat Sather, and the Sunday School classes for
the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Scott Fabiano, Bernie Markevitch, and Bobbie May for
decorating the church.
§ Pat Ford Smith for pastoral care.
§ Mary Gallimore and Nancy Imig for Care Committee
ministry.
Call
for Contributions: If you
have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshipers
toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by
Wednesday in the week of publication.
Don’t
forget “Something Extra for Grace”:
Supplemental giving envelopes can be found in pews. If you want to give something extra, please
use an envelope to ensure that you are credited.
Music this Week: Dr.
R. Benjamin Dobey, Music Director
The Fourth Sunday of
Advent
Prelude Three Verses on ‘Creator of the stars of night’
Jean Titelouze
Entrance Hymn 72 “Our glad hosannas,
Prince of Peace” Richmond
Offertory Hymn 56 “O come, O
come Emmanuel” Veni, veni Emmanuel
Communion Motet O Virgo Virginum R. Benjamin Dobey
Comm. Hymn 60 “Creator of the stars of night” Conditor alme siderum
Closing Hymn 436 “Lift up your heads,
ye mighty gates” Truro
Postlude Venez Divin Messie French Noel, arr. Dom Paul
Benoit
Eve of the Nativity
Mass with Children’s Pageant
Processional 83 “O come all ye faithful” Adeste fidelis
Sequence H. 101 “Away in a manger” Cradle
Song
Pageant Hymns
109 “The First Nowell the angel
did say” The First Nowell
100 “Joy to the world! The Lord
is come” Antioch
Offertory H. 110 “The Snow Lay on the Ground” Venite
adoremus
Comm. H. 111 “Silent night, Holy
night” Stille Nacht
Closing H. 96 “Angels we have heard on high” Gloria
Postlude In dulci jubilo
J.S.
Bach
Midnight (Solemn, 11 p.m., prelude music at 10:30)
Entrance H. 83 “O come all ye
faithful” Adeste fidelis
Offertory H. 79 “O little town of
Bethlehem” St. Louis
Comm. Motets Infant Holy, infant lowly Polish carol, arr.
David Willcocks
Away
in a manger arr. Willcocks
Comm. H. 111 “Silent night, Holy
night” Stille Nacht
Closing H. 96 “Angels we have
heard on high” Gloria
Postlude In dulci jubilo
J.S. Bach
The
Feast of the Nativity (Christmas)
Entrance H. 83 “O come all ye
faithful” Adeste fidelis
Offertory H. 87 “Hark the herald angels
sing” Mendelssohn
Comm. H. 115 “What child is this” Greensleeves
Closing H. 96 “Angels we have
heard on high” Gloria
Parish Notices:
§ Important 2018 Pledge Information: Those who intend to
receive a tax credit for their 2018 pledge must have their final payment to the
office by Thursday, December 27 for deposit. Please plan accordingly, as the office
will be closed from the 26th to the 1st of January.
Payments can also be dropped in the Church mailbox at the 7th Street
Entrance.
§ Christmas
Pageant: The
Pageant will take place during the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass; we ask all
children on Christmas Eve to please come to the basement of the church at
3:15pm. After everyone is dressed and ready, we will proceed upstairs together.
Children participating in the pageant will sit with their parents for the first
part of the Mass, until the Pageant begins. At that time, the Sunday School Teachers
will stand up and summon them to their places.
§ Father Karl Schaffenburg will be
travelling: from
December 26 through January 1. He will be back in the office on January 2.
During this time, the Church and office will be closed. In case of an emergency,
please contact Mthr. Michele Whitford (920-918-1230) or Deacon Paul Aparicio
(920-912-6009).
§ Christian Formation: On December 30 there
will be no Christian Formation for adults or children. Christian Formation for
all ages will resume January 6, 2019.
§ Sung Compline and Potluck: On Sunday, January 6,
The Epiphany of Our Lord, there will
be a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by Sung Compline at 8:00 p.m.
Compline, or night prayer, is a Christian service of worship dating back to
monastic life in the Middle Ages. The choir sings The Office of Compline by
candlelight; this is a beautiful and restful way to nurture one’s soul. The
sign-up sheet for the potluck can be found on the Narthex table.
§ The
Annual Meeting:
This year’s Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 20, 2019. We will
have one Mass at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Annual Meeting at 10:15 a.m. If you
have been in leadership of any group or committee, please submit an annual
report to the office@gracesheboygan.com.
You are encouraged to make every effort to attend, as your participation is
valued.
§ Flower
Schedule for 2019:
Giving the gift of flowers is a wonderful way to remember a loved one or to
offer thanksgiving for your blessings. The sign-up sheet can be found on the
Narthex table. More than one person can sign up for each Sunday.
§ Coffee
Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour
in 2019. If you would like to host, please sign up for either 8:00 a.m. or 10:15
a.m. in the binder on the Nartex table or on SignUpGenius online. If you have
any questions, please see Katy Larson. Thank you so much.
§ Ushers Needed: Ushers are often the
first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular parishioners when
coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a smile. Contact the office at office@gracesheboygan.com to become part of this ministry today.
§ Bible Challenge: Videos for all 52
weeks of the year are now available on Grace Abounds. If you take this
challenge, you will find that in one year you will read all of the Bible! This
will require less than an hour of your time, six days a week. A schedule of
readings is provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries
and a weekly video summary of the readings. If you need a good study bible for
the challenge, contact the parish office. When we immerse ourselves in
Scripture, the mantle of the Lord does fall upon us. We are equipped to discern
God’s will and to lead others to know and love and serve the Lord.
§ Something Extra for Grace: Envelopes are
available in the pews if you are moved to give an extra gift, beyond your
pledge or regular plate donation, toward the life of the church. Gifts are tax
deductible if you write your name on the envelope.
