Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
5 December 2013
Unless the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain
that build it.
But, built on the
sure foundation
of the apostles and
prophets,
the household is
joined and rises,
a holy temple to the Lord.
With Christ Himself
the cornerstone,
blessed are they that
dwell in the house.
They will evermore
praise Him, and say
“His mercy endures,
forever!”
These words (paraphrased from
Scripture) were set to music twelve years ago in connection with the
celebration of the centennial of a parish.
But the words instruct us here and now, as well. When we discern God’s will, and do it, He
will bless us. Unless we do our Lord’s
will, we labor in vain.
In this Advent season, in a time
when we pray that, by God’s grace, we may so turn to Him that we may greet His
coming with joy, may we be so Christ-centered that any and all other matters
and worries are encountered only through the lens of grace. As we gather this Sunday to revisit in lesson
and song the record of God coming among us, let us keep Christ as our one
focus. May this be a blessed Advent! May Jesus Christ ever be our sure foundation!
Grace Abounds: Please thank Mary Massey for the wonderful coffee
hour this past Sunday.
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 (noon) each week.
An Advent Meditation from Bobbi
Kraft: Being joyful at this time of
year is hard for me. It used to be
easy. As a kid, I remember baking
cookies, making gifts, wrapping them, practicing for the Christmas pageant…so
much excitement and anticipation. As a
parent, I remember baking cookies with my girls, making gifts with them,
reading Christmas stories each night to them…so much excitement and
anticipation seen by me through their eyes.
“Traditions”. Then one day five
years ago it all changed for my girls and me when our family was broken apart.
Suddenly, our “traditions” were cast asunder.
We’re not alone. There are many who find this season of Advent
difficult for a variety of reasons; death, divorce, health crisis, joblessness,
financial hardships. They too want to be
joyful, but it’s not easy. Finding ways
to accept the “new” or “current” when we hunger for “tradition” is
difficult. We all just want it to be
easy. In response, some get depressed,
others get angry. Personally, I struggle
with “Advent Anger”.
How wondrous that Advent is the
beginning of our church year. Wondrous
too that morning prayer for Monday and Tuesday of this week had us reading
Psalms 1, 2, 3, 5, & 6. If you
haven’t read them yet, please do. So
much strife, hunger, anger, and yearning found in them. “Hearken
to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I make my prayer to you. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you.” Psalm 5:1-2.
It’s given me great comfort to
know that our church year and advent begins with our cries for help. Suddenly, I’m reminded that it’s okay to
occasionally feel angry at what is gone from our lives because I can, as found
in so many psalms, cry to my Lord for help.
We each make our appeals to God and watch.
In the collect, we are instructed
to “cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light”. Such wondrous instructions for each of us as
we begin this new church year, this Advent, this new life. For those of us who struggle with depression
and anger during this season, casting away the darkness can be difficult. Yet we yearn to put on the armor of light so
that we can not only make it through the season, but also be joyful and joyous
at the knowledge that we have a risen Lord who hears our voice.
We have each other…the body of
Christ on earth is His church.
Pray for one another. Pray for
those who are suffering with depression and anger that they may be able to cast
away the darkness and put on the armor of light.
Advent Lessons &
Carols will be offered, again, this year on Sunday, 8 December, at 4 p.m.,
followed by High Tea. This is an ideal
introduction to Anglican piety, as well as just a wonderful opportunity to
gather in worship. This year we are
inviting community leaders from outside the parish to serve as our
readers. Please invite your friends to join us!
Small Group
Discussions: Small Groups with
questions reflecting on the lessons for the Day will be held between services
and after the 10:15 Service this Sunday, the Second Sunday of the Month, as
usual.
Episcopal Youth
Community: In film school we will be finishing Apollo 13,
and with it our discussion of courage in the face of danger, team work, and
dealing with disappointments. In the last weeks of this calendar year we will
finish our film, and then we will have a service project and team building
exercise, and we will finish with my own compilation of "A Very YouTube
Christmas" and we will discuss the way Christmas is being portrayed in our
culture with both Christian and secular examples.
Have a happy
Advent! ―Nick
Music this week:
Prelude Partita
on ‘Comfort, comfort ye my people’ Pachelbel
Entrance Hymn 76 “On
Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry”
Offertory Hymn 75 “There’s
a voice in the wilderness crying”
Communion Motet Isaiah the Prophet Early American
Comm. Hymn 67 “Comfort,
comfort ye my people”
Closing Hymn 73 “The
King shall come when morning dawns”
Postlude Toccata on ‘Winchester New’ Neswick
Lessons & Carols at 4 p.m.
Prelude Benedictus Karg-Elert
Introit I look from afar Palestrina
Entrance Hymn “O
come, O come, Emmanuel” verses 1-4
Genesis 3:8-15, 22-14 O Sapientia Plainsong
Adam lay ybounden Ord
Hymn “Creator
of the stars of night”
Isaiah 40:1-11 Behold, a Star from Jacob shining Mendelssohn
Hymn 75 “There’s
a voice in the wilderness crying”
Jeremiah 31:31-34 O radix Jesse Dobey
E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Manz
Isaiah11:1-9 Isaiah the Prophet Early
American
Hymn 73 “The
King shall come when morning dawns”
Zechariah 9:9-10 O Oriens Dobey
Hymn 444 “Blessed
be the God of Israel”
1 Thess. 5:5-11 O Rex Gentium Dobey
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth arr. Willcocks
Luke 1:26-38 The Blessings of Mary Appalachian carol
Hymn 265 “The
angel Gabriel from heaven came”
Matthew 1:18-23 O Virgo Virginum Dobey
Hymn 59 “Hark!
A thrilling voice is sounding”
Mark 1:1-15
Hymn 56 “O
come, O come Emmanuel” verses 5-8
Hymn 57 “Lo,
he comes with clouds descending”
Postlude Toccata on ‘Veni Emmanuel’ Carter
Parish Notices
§ Second
Sunday Small Groups: Small groups
will meet between services at 9:00am and after the 10:15 service on Sunday.
Questions will be provided to reflect on the lessons for the Day. Please
meet in St. Nicholas Hall and the groups will be divided up and rooms will be
assigned.
§ Advent
Lessons and Carols: Sunday, 8
December, a festival of Advent Lessons and Carols will be offered at Grace
Church, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The festival prepares us for the coming of the
Messiah by following the scriptural record through nine lessons, each followed
by a seasonal carol offered by choir and congregation. The choir will also
offer seasonal anthems, and music will include Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey on organ.
The service is followed immediately by a High Tea reception. The offering taken
will go towards the Salvation Army Emmaus meals. There will be works of art by
emerging artists in Croatia on display. Proceeds from the sale of this art will
go towards the ministry to at-risk teens in Osijek, Croatia. Missionaries Aaron
Horvat and Winnie Coleman-Horvat are with us today to enjoy fellowship and
answer questions about this ministry.
§ Stewardship: If you received a pledge card and haven't
responded yet, please do so. Even if your response is that you don't have
a 2014 pledge, we still need to hear from you as soon as possible. We are in
the process of assembling the 2014 budget and need your pledge
information. Starting the week of December 1, members of the Vestry will
be personally contacting parishioners who haven't responded. Thanks in
advance for your assistance and for supporting Grace Church.
§ Salvation
Army Adopt a Family Gift tags:
Thank you to all who participated in Adopting a Family, the response has been
overwhelming and there are many families who will benefit. Please return
the gifts to Grace Church by today, December 8th. If you have any
questions please call Nancy Yurk at 453-9948.
§ Youth
and Children’s Choir: Youth and
Children’s choir rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service are at 5:30-6:00pm
beginning this Wednesday December 4th, downstairs in the choir room.
Additional rehearsals will be on December 11th and 18th
these will be just before the Pageant rehearsals. The final rehearsal
will be Sunday, December 22nd at 9:00am. The choir is open to 2nd
graders through high school, and will sing for the 4pm service on Christmas
Eve.
§ Christmas
Pageant Rehearsals: will be on
Wednesday December 4th, December 11th and 18th
starting at 6:00p.m. 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. Please sign up
on the sheet in the Narthex. If your child would like to participate but cannot
make rehearsals please note that on the sheet or call the office.
§ Director
Needed: If you would like to spend
some time with shepherds and angels have I got a job for you! A volunteer or
two are needed to direct the Christmas Pageant. The more help keeping little
feet in place the better. Please speak with Pat Ford Smith or Nicci Beeck.
§ Christmas
Castle Volunteers: Tuesday,
December 17th from 1:00 – 3:30pm help make Christmas merry for
hundreds of children this year by volunteering. As a volunteer you will have
the opportunity to walk the aisles of the “toy store” with clients to help them
find the perfect gift. The Christmas Castle is located on the west side of
Memorial Mall in the old Walgreens’s. Please sign up on the sheet in the
Narthex.
§ Christmas
Joy: is scheduled to meet
on Thursday, December 19th at 11:00 AM in the church kitchen. At that time we
will assemble winter greens and flowers and bag cookies, and then make
deliveries (there is a sign up sheet in the narthex.) We need helping hands and
money (to buy for packaging supplies and flowers.) Can you bake, make a
delivery or help arrange? Please join us for this fulfilling ministry to our
shut-ins. They will appreciate it. If you have questions please call Barb
MacEwen at 467-6909.
§ Study/Discussion
Group: This group decided to
study of Galatians. They plan to meet after the 10:15 service starting December
1, hoping to meet every two weeks in the conference room. Contact people
are Mary Massey and Fr. John Ambelang.
§ Canticle
of Christmas: Mark your calendars
for the Lakeshore Chorale & Lakeshore Youth Chorale Christmas Concert.
Sunday, December 8, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at St. Peter Claver Church, 1444 South 11th
Street, Sheboygan. Lakeshore Chorale & Youth Chorale celebrate the
Christmas season with a variety of holiday music, an audience sing-along, and
conclude with a reception of punch and Christmas cookies! $15.00 adults; $8.00
students OR included in Season Ticket.
§ Meals On Wheels Christmas Cookies: Meals On Wheels
volunteers will be delivering a box of homemade cookies to our clients again
this Christmas season. (As many of you know, for some clients, this is the
only gift they will receive). So all we need are the cookies. If you
would like to donate some of your goodies to our project please call or email
Maureen at Meals On Wheels at 451-7011 or client1@shebmow.org. We have
cookie drop off sites in both Sheboygan and Plymouth and we will be packaging
cookies on the 17th of December. Your response in the past has
been overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
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