Greetings to all!
Christmas is upon us, and our imaginations are filled with all the
traditional characters of the season including Mary, Joseph, the
innkeeper, the stable animals, the angels, the shepherds, the magi,
and of course, the infant Jesus. In his sermon, "The Birth," Frederick
Buechner reflects on the Christmas story from the perspective of one
of the shepherds trying to describe the experience.
Can I make you understand, I wonder? Have you ever had this
happen to you? You have been working hard all day. You're dog-
tired, bone-tired. So you call it quits for a while. You slump down under
a tree or against a rock or something and just sit there in a daze for half
an hour or a million years, I don't know, and all this time your eyes are
wide open looking straight ahead someplace but they're so tired and
glassy they don't see a thing. Then, little by little, you begin to come to,
then your eyes begin to come to, and all of a sudden you find out you've
been looking at something the whole time except it's only now you really
see it - one of the ewe lambs maybe, with its foot caught under a rock, or
the moon scorching a hole through the clouds. It was there all the time,
and you were looking at it all the time, but you didn't see it till just now.
That's how it was this night, anyway. Like finally coming to- not things
coming out of nowhere that had never been there before, but things just
coming into focus that had been there always. And such things!
(as found in The Magnificent Defeat)
CHRISTMAS EVE, DEC 24, AT WALNUT HILL CHURCH
*5:00pm - Lessons and Carols - All ages are invited to gather
for this special service of scripture readings and Christmas carols to
make our hearts ready to welcome the Christ-child. Flameless
candles will be used to allow safe participation by all ages.
*9:00pm - Evening Prayer Fireside - This quiet service around
the fireplace in Trinity Hall will include scripture, carols, prayer, and
candlelight. Arrive a bit early to enjoy some hot cider and cookies.
"The Innkeeper's Offering" will be received on Christmas Eve to
support the Salvation Army's ministry to homeless women, children,
and families. Cash and checks payable to Walnut Hill Church are
welcome.
Sunday, December 28, at Walnut Hill Church
10am - Sunday Conversations in Trinity Hall
11am - Morning Worship
- Nursery Care and Sunday School for Children
Noon - After Worship Gathering in Trinity Hall (Bring a plate
of your leftover holiday treats.)
Stewardship - As you might be aware, our recent stewardship letter
included a response card that was misprinted and possibly confusing.
You may access a corrected response card at the following link:
Walnut Hill Can Count on Me! . Remember that 2014 contributions
must be postmarked by December 31 to be credited as a 2014
contribution. Thanks to all those who support Walnut Hill with their time,
talents, and resources.
Merry Christmas!
Mike Ward
*Due to the holiday schedule, this week's letter is being sent on
Tuesday rather than Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment