Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Greetings to all!
As we move further into Advent, our thoughts begin to gather at Bethlehem
around the characters of the Nativity, including Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Kathleen Norris offers thoughts about Mary…
No small part of Mary's emotional weight for many women is the way in
which the church has so often used her as an ideal of passive, submissive
femininity. But others claim her as a model of strength. I treasure Mary as
a biblical interpreter, one who heard and believed what God told her, and
who pondered God's promise in her heart, even when, as the Gospel of
Luke describes it, it pierced her soul like a sword. This is hardly passivity,
but the kind of faith that sustains Christian discipleship…Depictions of Mary
as a wealthy Renaissance woman far outnumber those that make her look
like a woman capable of walking the hill country of Judea and giving birth in
a barn…I wonder if, as Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, seek to
reclaim the Mary of scripture, we may well require more depictions of her as
a robust, and even muscular, woman, in both youth and old age.
(adapted from Amazing Grace)
The lectionary texts for December 17, the Third Sunday of Advent…
What Are We Waiting For?, a series of conversations about Advent virtues,
continues on Sun, Dec 17, 10am, in Trinity Hall. Sunday's conversation
will focus on the virtue, "peace".
CHRISTMAS PARTY, 3pm - 5pm, at the Hilliard Residence - Join us for
this festive holiday season gathering. Bring an hors-d'oeuvre or dessert
item to share. This gathering is intended for adults. Use reply email for
more information and/or directions.
The Giving Tree - If you picked up a Giving Tree "ornament", please
return the suggested gift (wrapped), with the ornament attached, by this
Sunday, December 17. Thanks to all our Giving Tree givers.
Christmas Eve Schedule -
10am - What Are We Waiting For? - Advent conversation
11am - Morning Worship and Holy Communion
5pm - Lessons, Carols and Candlelight
Kits - The Walnut Hill Sunday School is gathering supplies for Church
World Service Hygiene Kits and School Kits. These kits are distributed
in communities affected by natural disasters. Visit
Hygiene Kits and/or
School Kits for a list of eligible items. Bring items to Walnut Hill over the
next several weeks. The kits will be assembled and shipped in January.
Being Christian is the title of a book by Rowan Williams (former
Archbishop of Canterbury) and the focus of our Sunday (10am)
conversations beginning Jan 7. Use reply email to request a copy.
What do the films The Matrix, The Truman Show, Man of Steel, Dogma,
Dark City, Altered States, Star Trek V, Avatar, Pi, Pleasantville and
Out on a Limb have in common? They will all be part of our Sunday
(10am) conversations in Lent, starting Feb 18. Between now and then
you might want to search your dvd bin or your online streaming service
and refresh your memory of them.
Peace to all,
Mike Ward
