A Yes for All Time

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 26^th to the 1^st of January. Payments can also be dropped in the Church mailbox at the 7^th 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.