11 posts from 2006

Caroling for the Kensington

by Jessica Moreton

 

            Last Sunday, a total of over twenty middle- and high-school students, accompanying chaperones, and a few parishioners trekked over to the Kensington to spread a little holiday cheer to the residents.

            Choir member Lauri Goldenhersh, a woman of many talents, provided the group with leadership in singing and lent her talent of constructing objects from long, thin, blown-up balloons to create hats for the carolers and roses which we distributed to the residents at the Kensington.

             After a short rehearsal in the Fellow’s Hall, we all piled into various cars and made our way to the Kensington, where we were greeted by the chaplain, The Rev. Sally Monastiere. She proceeded to lead us through the dining rooms of the different residence halls while we sang christmas carols such as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” for the residents who were taking their lunch. We greeted quite a few former parishioners of St. Edmunds along the way, and wished a “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy Holidays!” to many, receiving many in kind.

            I’m sure the whole group got the same sense of accomplishment as I did at the conclusion of the event; with a little effort on our part, we were able to bring smiles to the faces of seniors who rarely leave the retirement home.

            When we returned to church, we split off into middle- and high-school groups to celebrate with pizza, sweets, christmas music, and a gift exchange! The middle schoolers made cookies, and the high schoolers settled down to the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story”.

            All in all, the day was successful in reviving the holiday spirit in our hearts; we hope the residents at the Kensington enjoyed our caroling as much as we did! Many thanks go to all the carolers, including Lauri, Anne Herold, the caroling teens, and the many parents who provided transportation to and from the Kensington. Merry Christmas!

Photographs for this article are available here:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/42/25/acns4232.cfm

Anglican Church News Service SPECIAL REPORT 22 December 2006

A special pilgrimage of religious leaders for these last days of Advent to
Bethlehem has been welcomed by local Christians as a "sign of hope" in the
midst of a devastating situation. As Christians dwindle in numbers in
Bethlehem, it is becoming an increasing concern for the future of what one
bishop calls "the living stones" as well as the great shrines that one
Christian from Beit Jala told the Archbishop of Canterbury, "must not become
museums".  The streets, shops and hotels are "virtually empty" said one
civic leader. The pilgrims met a couple from Australia, two people from the
USA and one young man from Canada who simply stated "I wanted to spend
Christmas where Jesus was born". The local authorities hope many will share
this young man's decision and do so all through the year.

Along with the Most Revd Rowan Williams, the other pilgrims are the Cardinal
Archbishop of Westminster, the Armenian Primate of Britain and the head of
the Baptist World Alliance. All are co-presidents of Churches Together in
England.  Baptist leader, the Revd Dr David Coffey said he hoped many "would
follow their example and come to Bethlehem on pilgrimage".

The pilgrims held stational prayers complete with English carols in
Bethlehem after walking across the check point, "the wall", midday after a
visit to the Tantur Centre. They prayed in St Joseph's Roman Catholic Chapel
and ended their vigil in the Church of the Nativity grotto. The day began
with a liturgy  in the Notre Dame Chapel in Jerusalem, a visit to the Church
of the Resurrection and a lecture by Jerome Murphy O'Connor, a well known
expert on the Holy Land.

Leaving Heathrow on Wednesday after a 6 a.m. prayer service in St George's
Chapel, the pilgrims experienced what many others on pilgrimages face,
delays, two hours in hot plane, thus pushing their full programme into a
busy start once they reached Tel Aviv. On their first night the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate offered the pilgrims hospitality. The were presented
with icons, crosses and locally made Mother of Pearl Nativity sets. They
ended the evening by saying Compline (Night Prayer).

The constant theme in prayer and in speaking is solidarity with and hope for
the Christian community and "encouraging Christians to come on pilgrimage
and open Bethlehem to the world".  The empty streets are particularily
"shocking so close to Christmas" said one local merchant whose shop was
bedecked Christmas lights, Santas,  olive wood crib sets, statues and
jewelry, but no shoppers.

The Anglican bishops and some Anglican clergy joined the pilgrims with
people from many denominations, all taking part in the walk into the town of
Jesus' birth.  The four pilgrims were made honorary citizens by the Mayor of
Bethlehem in the Peace Center that houses the Anglican Communion Christmas
Crib exhibition.

The pilgrims were the guests of the International Lutheran Center in
Bethlehem Thursrday evening. Christmas Lutheran Church  has a vital role in
the local communities with its numerous programmes, elegant guest house and
activities.

On Friday the pilgrims will visit Christian operated ministries of care and
will offer prayers at the Shepherd Fields grotto with the YMCA leaders and
people from Bethlehem Bible College.  They will visit the Christians in Beit
Sahour and Beit Jala, home of the famous Orthodox Church of St Nicholas,
where legend says the saint lived for some time in his life in cave
preserved in the church.

The pilgrims return to London Saturday after a visit to the Armenian Quarter
and St James Cathedral in Jerusalem.

The pilgrims and their companions ended their prayers in the grotto of the
Holy Child. The experience of entering Bethlehem was deepened as the
pilgrims and their followers made a station close to Manger Square. At that
point they sang the following carol;

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may his His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Remarks at the International Peace Center in
Bethlehem on 21st December

Your excellencies, dear brothers and sisters we are I think a little
overwhelmed by the welcome that we have received here.  And although we are
used, we have visited here before to be welcomed with this generosity today
has been exceptional.

We are indeed here to say to the people of Bethlehem they are not forgotten.
We are here to say that what affects you affects us.   We are here to say
that your suffering is ours also - in prayer and in thought and in hope.  We
are here to say, in this so troubled, complex land, that justice and
security is never something which one person claims at the expense of
another or one community at the expense of another.  We are here to say that
security for one is security for all.  For one to live under threat, whether
of occupation, or of terror, is a problem for all, and a pain for all.

The wall which we walked through a little while ago is a sign not simply of
a sign of a passing problem in the politics of one region; it is sign of
some of the things that are most deeply wrong in the human heart itself.
That terrible fear of the other and the stranger which keeps all of us in
one another kind of prison.

In one of the hymns which we sing in English during the Advent season we
sing about Jesus Christ as the One who comes the prison bars to break. And
it is our prayer and our hope for all of you that the prison of poverty and
disadvantage, and the prison of fear and anxiety will alike be broken.  We
are here on pilgrimage because we trust that 2000 years ago an event took
place here which assured us that these prisons could be broken, broken by
the act of a God in whose sight all are equally precious: Palestinian,
Israeli, Jewish, Christian and Moslem.  A God for whom all lives are so
equally precious that the death of any one is an affront to all.  That is
why we are here.

We are not here to visit an ancient and interesting site. We are not here to
visit a museum and we are not here to visit a theme park.  We are here to
visit a place and people whose very existence speaks of the freedom of God
to set human beings free. That is a truth which remains day after day, year
after year, millennium after millennium.  It is that good news that has
driven us here.  It is that good news which has teaches us not to despair
even in the terrible circumstances in which so many of you now live.

Thank you once again for what you have done to make us feel at home here.
We who are now fellow citizens with you here in this place. Pray for us in
the western world, for us in England, that our faith  may be strengthened by
yours.  That you are a gift – remember- to us.  Unlike the wise men who came
from the East 2000 years ago, we not very wise men from the West have not
come to pour out our gifts.  We have come to receive the  witness of your
faith, your endurance and your hope.  To receive the gifts of God from you.
So pray for us.  Pray that we may be strong.  Pray that we may be loyal
friends to you and to all the peoples of this land and we shall pray for you
also.

By Canon James M Rosenthal
Merry Christmas from Bethlehem

CHRISTMAS is best approached in Poetry and Prayer:

And all well-lived life is first begun in prayer, which then gives rise to poetry...

 

Celtic Night Prayer for Christmas

Christmas Eve at dusk, to be repeated again before midnight (*denotes a change of voice.  All say the words in bold type.)

*This night is the long night

when those who listen await His cry.

*This night is the eve of the great nativity

when those who are longing await His appearing.

*Wait, with watchful heart.

*Listen carefully, through the stillness,

listen, hear the telling of the waves upon the shore.

*Listen, hear the song of the angels glorious -

e're long it will be heard

that His foot has reached the earth,

news - that the glory is come!

*Truly His salvation is near

for those who fear Him,

and His glory shall dwell in our land.

*Watch and pray, the Lord shall come.

*Those who are longing await His appearing.

*Those who listen await His cry.

*Watch...

*Wait...

*Listen...

This night is the long night.

After midnight as Christmas Eve turns to the Feast of the Christ Mass, the Nativity of the Christ Child:

This night is born Jesus

   son of the King of glory.

This night is born to us

   the root of our joy.

This night gleamed sea and shore

   together.

This night was born Christ,

   the King of greatness.

*(sung)

Though laid in a manger,

   He came from a throne;

on earth though a stranger,

   in heaven He was known.

(sung)

How lowly, how gracious

   His coming to earth!

His love my love kindles

   to joy in his birth.

*Sweet Jesus, King of glory!

*Now You sleep in a manger,

in a stable poor and cold;

*but for us You are the highest King,

making our hearts into Your palace.

 

Christmas Day (After it has grown light)

*All hail! let there be joy!

Hail to the King, hail to the king.

Blessed is He, blessed is He.

*The peace of earth to Him;

*the joy of heaven to Him.

*The homage of a King be His,

Lamb of all glory:

The Son of glory down from on high.

All hail, let ther be joy.

*Deep in the night

the voice of the waves on the shore

announced to us: Christ is born!

Son of the King of kings

from the land of salvation,

the mountains glowed to Him,

the plains glowed to Him,

then shone the sun on the mountains high to Him,

All hail, let there be joy.

*God the Lord has opened a Door.

Christ of hope, Door of joy!

Son of Mary, hasten thou t help me:

In me, Lord Christ, let there be joy!

Celtic Night Prayer (from the Northumbrian Community, Marshall Pickering, Harper Collins, 1996 by Marshall Pickering)

 And on to poetry, first, from Cyril:

At the first coming we said,
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord."
At the second we shall say it again,
when with the angels we shall rush to greet Him,
And we will cry out in adoration,
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord."

— St. Cyril of (315-386)

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe. 

--John Donne

O Oriens
Splendor Lucis Aeternae
Et Sol Justitiae . . .

O Day-Spring
Splendor of Eternal Light
And Sun of Justice come
enlighten those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

— Roman Antiphonary (circa 600)

O magnum mysterium
et admirabile sacramentum . . .

O great mystery!
O sacrament most wonderful! —
That animals should see the Lord new born
Lying in a manger.
Blessed be the Virgin whose womb was worthy
To bring forth Christ the Lord!

— Matins of Christmas

Heaven rejoice! Earth clap your hands
Let none refrain from praise . . .

O Star glimmering in the East,
Pursuing shades into the West,
O Dawn before the Sun proceeding,
And Day unknown to night!

— Peter the Venerable (d. 1155)

Indeed, under the reign of Caesar Augustus,
The quiet silence of universal peace brought such serenity

 to an age previously so distressed that through his decree

 a census of the whole world could be taken.

The solicitude of divine providence brought it about
that Joseph, the Virgin's husband, took to the city
of the maiden of royal lineage who was with child.

— St. Bonaventure (1221-1270)

Virgine Madre, figlia tuo figlio

Virgin mother, daughter of thy son,
humblest of all things and yet most high,
Eternal Counsel's peerless paragon,

Thou alone could truly dignify
human nature, so that by its making
our Maker to be would not deny.

— Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), Paradiso XXXIII

No la debemos dormir . . .

No we must not sleep
This holy night;
We must not sleep.

The Virgin, all alone, is thinking
What will she do
When she gives birth
To the King of Immeasurable Light;
If, before His Divine Essence,
She will tremble.
O what will she say to Him?

No, we must not sleep
This holy night;
We must not sleep.

— Fray Ambrosio Montesino (circa 1500)

I sing the birth, was born tonight,
The author both of life and light;
The angels so did sound it.
And like the ravished shepherds said,
Who saw the light, and were afraid,
Yet searched, and true they found it.

— Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

The Shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
My God, no hymn for thee?

— George Herbert (1593 - 1633)

Three Holy Kings from the Orient
In town after town did appear:
"O where is the way to ,
You maidens and lads so dear?"

Neither the young nor the old could say;
The Kings traveled farther on.
They followed a pure and golden star
That brightly glittered from afar.

Over Joseph's house the star stood still,
The three Holy Kings entered in;
The oxen lowed, the little child cried
And the kings began to sing.

— Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)

The sky is black, the earth is white.
O bells, ring out in resonance!
Jesus is born! Towards him the Virgin
Turns her blessed countenance.

— Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

Was this His coming I had hoped to see
A scene of wondrous glory, as was told
Of some great God who in a rain of gold
Broke open bars and fell on Danae:
Or a dread vision as when Semele,
Sickening for love and unappeased desire,
Prayed to see God's clear body, and the fire
Caught her brown limbs and slew her utterly.
With such glad dreams I sought this holy place,
And now with wondering eyes and heart I stand
Before this supreme mystery of Love:
Some kneeling girl with passionless pale face,
An angel with a lily in his hand,
And over both the white wings of a dove.

— Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

It all happened beneath the clearness of
the skies —
The angels in the night had assembled into choirs,
The angels in the night sang like flowers.
Far above the shepherds, far above
the Magian Kings,
The angels in the night sang eternally.

— Charles Péguy (1873 - 1914)

A stable lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky;
And stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
And straw like gold shall shine;
A barn shall harbour heaven,
A stall become a shrine.

— Richard Wilbur (b. 1921)

 

On the Morning of Christ's Nativity

On the Morning of Christ's Nativity This is the month, and this the happy morn Wherein the Son of Heav'n's eternal King, Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born, Our great redemption from above did bring; For so the holy sages once did sing, That he our deadly forfeit should release, And with his Father work us a perpetual peace. II That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable, And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty, Wherewith he wont at Heav'n's high council-table, To sit the midst of Trinal Unity, He laid aside, and here with us to be, Forsook the courts of everlasting day, And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay. III Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein Afford a present to the Infant God? Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain, To welcome him to this his new abode, Now while the heav'n, by the Sun's team untrod, Hath took no print of the approaching light, And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright? IV See how from far upon the eastern road The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet: O run, prevent them with thy humble ode, And lay it lowly at his blessed feet; Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet, And join thy voice unto the angel quire, From out his secret altar touched with hallowed fire.  --John Milton

 

Harris Hall forwards this timely, edgy article from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901282_pf.html

The Children's Christmas Pageant is always held Advent III at St. Edmund's Church, and this year was a great success thanks to Director Suzanne Holder, Children's Choir Director Richard Seymour, Sunday School Director Cassandra Kirby, Assistant Leslie Clayton and all the Sunday School Teachers!  (This list will probably be modified in future days).  I brought my brand new Casio EX-2700 to the event, and, as the quality of the photos below betray, I still don't know what I'm doing.  Does anyone else in the Parish have better photos to share?  Send them to me at EdmundHowls@aol.com for posting!  GFW+

On December 12^th, as much of California observed the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a hopeful celebration of cultural and religious fusion and assimilation, a quite different spirit was at work in Tehran, Iran where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted a conference devoted to the denial of the Nazi Holocaust and the extermination of six million Jews (and sundry others).  A Washington Post News summary of this unhappy conference may be found at:

http://washingtontimes.com/world/20061213-120143-8384r.htm

The American Enterprise Institute’s Ayaan Hirsi Ali offered commentary in an article which appeared also in the December 16th issue of the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.25318/pub_detail.asp

Tony Karon comments in  Time Magazine Online on how Holocaust Denial hurts the Palestinian cause:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1570116,00.html

Echoed by Aretz Sheva in Israel National News, addressing setbacks this deals the general perception of Arabs:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=117210

For Episcopalians still wondering why we find such stress on repentance in the Lectionary Readings for Advent (isn’t this supposed to be a joyful Season?), Mr. Ahmadinejad’s soiree reminds us that there is much wickedness afoot in the earth, and much preparation required to make a way for God’s arrival in our midst. 

GFW+

 

December is Convention Time!

By Carol Irwin; Parish Delegate

 

This year I attended the Convention of the Los Angeles Diocese for the third year, and I am so happy that I was there!  Looking back at the three years, it is interesting to see how different each year can be.  All three had different tones, different issues, different views expressed, and were quite different experiences all the way around.  There are always interesting resolutions, and anyone in attendance gets a chance to watch Church politics in action.  Some years nearly everything is positive and the voting goes quickly and without much discussion, but other times, the comments are passionate and diverse with people from both sides sharing animated stories and opinions.  Even though each year I  read all the resolutions before going to Convention, I discovered there were aspects to each that I was unaware of and did not understand until hearing the discussion.  Even with the guidance of our able leader, Fr. George Woodward, I was sometimes unable to vote with confidence that I had the right answer.  As with all politics, the issues are often thorny and require some consideration of the different aspects.  In short, being a Convention delegate can be a challenge!  I urge anyone interested in understanding the authority of our Church to participate at least once.  It is highly enlightening!

Our Convention speaker this year was Phyllis Tickle who was both entertaining and highly informative.  She discussed religion and culture from a historical perspective showing how each influences the other and changes the way we live and think.   I came away from her presentations with much thought provoking material, and in my enthusiasm for the concepts, have shared a good bit of what I learned with my family and friends.  I would go to hear her again in a heartbeat, and hope that more of our Church family will be exposed to her ideas and teachings in the future.

A highlight of this year was that I was finally able to stay at the historic and renowned Mission Inn which celebrates the Christmas season with the Festival of Lights.  It is spectacular to say the least, and my pictures don’t do it justice.  It is so beautiful at night that one just stares in wonder.  It is truly a fantasyland!  What a great way to begin the Christmas season!  Thank you, people of St. Edmund’s, for giving me this opportunity.

Bethlehem is on all our minds this Season, perhaps heightened by President Jimmy Carter’s recent trip to to promote his book “: Peace Not Apartheid” published last month by Simon and Shuster.

President Carter knows how very difficult it can be to suggest in the United States that Israel ought to treat the Palestinians better than it does.  Americans are disposed to favor Israel, and President Carter is not universally appreciated for suggesting that a more fulsome view of the situation might be in order.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, will be joined by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of London, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, and the Primate of the Armenian Church of Great Britain, the Most Reverend Nathan Hovhannisian, on a four-day visit to Bethlehem the December 20^th – 23^rd.  The focal point of their visit will be a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem.

Our own Bishop, the Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, made similar pilgrimage this past October, and found his perspective profoundly altered, which seems to happen often to pilgrims who venture beyond Israel to Palestine.

The Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem Rt. Rev. Riah H. Abu El-Assal, says of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit,
"This historical and ecumenical pilgrimage to and
demonstrates that the bonds of faith are stronger than any divisions
between our churches. To Christians on the ground, it renews the hope
that they are not forgotten, despite their current imprisonment behind
walls and fences. This Christmas, we will pray alongside the
distinguished pilgrims from in the certainty that there is
always hope in this world."

The visit has also been welcomed by "Open Bethlehem" www.openbethlehem.org which campaigns to
keep the city open to the world at a time when the Israeli wall and land
annexations are causing hardship for its inhabitants.

Open 's chief executive, Leila Sansour, said:

"We pray that this pilgrimage will help focus world attention on the
challenges faced by our communities on the ground and that it will
inspire Christians as well as people of other faiths to take an active
role in safeguarding a two-thousand year old tradition that is shared by
millions in the world. We hope that this visit heralds the rebirth of
pilgrimage to , a city that has survived because it has been
open to the world."

"The need to open to the world has never been more important.
Bethlehem is witnessing serious waves of emigration due to the economic
hardship imposed by the system of closure and the practices of Israeli
occupation. The emigration is particularly pronounced among the
Christian community. Our failure to act now will have a devastating
effect on the cause of open democracy in the and on
Christianity world-wide. We want to remind the world that all of us are
citizens of . In the New Year, we urge everyone to follow in
the footsteps of these distinguished pilgrims and take up their
citizenship by visiting our town."

Facts about Bethlehem:

The Wall in and around has reduced the district to its urban
core. It severs the built-up areas from thousands of acres of
agricultural land and water resources. There are 27 Israeli settlements
in the district built on land confiscated from 's
private owners. It is predicted that once the wall is complete
will lose 70% of its territory altogether.

A system of cement walls, electric fences, settlers only roads and
checkpoints creates a prison-like environment for the people of
Bethlehem. The World Bank cites the closure regime as the direct cause
of the humanitarian crisis.

70% of the population in lives below the poverty line.
Unemployment is higher than 60%. Tourism, which accounts for 65% of the
economy is now almost entirely controlled by Israeli
companies, meaning that the few tourists that come to don't
stay for more than a few hours. The Hotel Association in has
reported that only 2.5% of rooms were booked in 2005 in comparison to
22.1% in 2000.

The Christian population in accounts for 41.3% of the
Bethlehem population in town proper and 26% in the whole district.
Following Israeli invasions in 2001-2002, lost 10% of it
Christian population as 3000 Christians left the city. UNOCHA report,
December 2004:
http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2004/ocha-opt-20dec.pdf

The emigration of Christians is a serious threat to 's mixed
heritage which embraced diversity for centuries.

The Jerusalem-Bethlehem dioceses of the Latin (Catholic), Anglican and
Armenian Churches - in common with the Eastern Orthodox and Syriac
Orthodox Churches - is centered on the various cathedrals of Jerusalem.
The Israeli wall cuts these ancient diocese’ into parcels, separating
churchmen from their congregations and families from each other.

During Open Bethlehem's launch in November 2005 Churches Together in
and stated: "The short road between Bethlehem and
Jerusalem has always been the great high road of the Christian faith,
linking as it does the cities of Our Lord's birth and resurrection. It
has been trodden by countless millions of pilgrims in the last 2,000
years. We are dismayed that the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is
now closed to the great majority of Palestinians, Christian and Muslim,
and passable only with much inconvenience and expenditure of time by
pilgrims visiting the . We view this closure and the barrier
being built around Bethlehem as a grave injustice to its people, a
serious threat to its economic life and social fabric, and an affront to
all Christians."

For more information please contact:

Open Bethlehem. office: e-mail: admin@openbethlehem.org

office: e-mail: Charlottecarson@openbethlehem.org

 

I had breakfast this past week with Iyad Qumri, an Anglican Christian from Jerusalem, and I know first hand of the sufferings he and his family experience.  He is confused that American Christians don’t trouble themselves to better understand the plight of Christians in Palestine and Israel.  We who are committed to security and peace for the Jewish people who have recently come to the lands of Palestine should pray and strive also for the security and peace of the displaced peoples, many of them Christian, who have millennia of lineage in that Land.  People of good will, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, are the best hope that may once again mean Peace, and that “Holy” might one day seem a more apt word for this troubled part of our world.

 

For more information, visit Anglican Communion News Service at http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/42/25/acns4228.cfm

 

GFW+

 

 

We are told by the Church to prepare for the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in these four weeks of Advent, but we are sometimes unclear as to how we might best proceed to make spiritual preparation in the midst of so many other seasonal demands!  The answer, I think, is not so much to add “Spiritual Disciplines” to our To-Do list as it is to tweak our walk through December in simple ways which serve to focus our households on our Faith and the “reason for the season.”  Christmas is, after all, the celebration of the Incarnation, God with flesh and bones, and we ought to strive for a flesh and bone spirituality to inhabit.

Music is powerfully evocative, and a proven tool for the enhancement of the spiritual life. While tending to other tasks in house or car or office, the music of Advent and Christmas can act as a wonderful acolyte, quietly igniting the candles of the soul’s Altar.  Here is a list of some of my favorite December CDs:

 

FR. WOODWARD’S DECEMBER MUSIC FAVORITES!

 

• Panis Angelicus (Robert & Robin Kochis, , CA. 91723)
• The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music (Taverner Consort, Choir & Players, Andrew Parrott), EMI Records
• O Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols and Motets (Anonymous 4), Harmonia Mundi

• Advent to Candlemass (St. Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir, James Thomas), Lammas Records

• Christmas Masterpieces and Familiar Carols (The Choir), Gothic

• The Holly and the Ivy ( Choir, John Rutter) The Decca Record Company,

• Star of Wonder ( Choral Artists, Ralph Hooper, Director) Reference Recordings

• Handel MESSIAH (Choir of Cathedral, , The Music, Christopher Hogwood) The Decca Record Company

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1997 The Starbucks Corporation)

Family Devotions are a fine way to anchor the home to spiritual  rhythms, and two simple and helpful seasonal tools are The Advent Calendar, and The Advent Wreath.  Advent Calendars, as most know, mark each day with a “door” or “window” which, when opened, reveals some dimension of the Advent Mystery.  This offers a tremendous opportunity to discuss aspects of our Faith with children in a measured and daily manner.  Advent Calendars can be found online from the Washington National Cathedral Bookstore for under $10

https://commerce.cathedral.org/exec/ms/index.html

The Cathedral also offers an online version, with window panes for each day of the Advent Season which may be opened online as the family gathers around the computer!

http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/

The online version can be a helpful form and personal devotion in an office setting.

Advent Wreaths can be incorporated into Grace before the shared family dinner (something we all strive for!) or prior to bedtime.  A simple prayer may be said in unison, or read by one member of the family, as the Advent Candles are lit…one violet candle the first week, two the second, three (this one customarily pink) during the third week, and four (back to violet!) the fourth week of Advent, culminating in the lighting of the White Christ candle on Christmas Day and throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Advent Wreaths may be purchased or created from scratch.  The wreath is round and may be decorated with evergreens, with five candle holders (usually the White Christ candle is larger than the others, and it is always arranged in the center of the wreath).

Devotions may be taken from the Sunday Bulletin at St. Edmund’s, or the following may be used:

 

The First Week of Advent:  The Prophet’s Candle

A Scripture Lesson

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of , from you shall come forth for Me one who is to rule , whose origin is from of old, from ancient of days.”  Micah 5:2

A Prayer

“O God, You have worked in every generation preparing people to receive Your Light.  Work in our hearts and in our homes so that Christ may come anew into our lives.  We thank You for Your holy prophets, and we ask that You would help us speak Truth in our time, through Jesus Christ our Savior.”  Amen.

 

The Second Week of Advent:  The Forerunner’s Candle (John the Baptizer)

A Scripture Lesson

“In those days John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness of , proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”  This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”  Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then the people of and all were going out to him, and all the region along the , and they were baptized by him in the river , confessing their sins…(and John said:) “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”  St. Matthew 3: 1-6,11

A Prayer

“Almighty God, You sent Your servant John the Baptizer to preach repentance from sin.  Help us to amend our lives and to turn away from those things that are wrong, so that we will be ready to do the things You have given us to do in the world.  Help us live well with brothers and sisters, family and friends, and to treat them always as we want to be treated, through Christ our Lord.”  Amen.

 

The Third Week of Advent:  The Annunciation Candle

A Scripture Lesson

“The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in called , to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, “Greetings favored one!  The Lord is with you!”  But Mary was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The Angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will give him the name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the House of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  St. Luke 1:26-33

A Prayer

“God of mystery, speak to our hearts as the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, so we, too, can know how we are to live, and the ways we are to serve You.  As Mary was faithful when You asked hard things of her, help us also always to be faithful when You call, through our Savior Jesus Christ we pray.”  Amen.

 

The Fourth Week of Advent:  The Visitation Candle

A Scripture Lesson

“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted .  When heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me:  For as soon as I heard the sound of your gretting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”  And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant.  Surely, from this time forward all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.  His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm;  He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;  He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.  He has helped His servant , in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”  St. Luke 1:39-55

A Prayer

“O Merciful God, like our sister Elizabeth, we are astounded that You have come among us in Jesus.  Help us, like our sister Mary, tell of the good things Christ is doing in the world.  Make us ready for our own Christmas song every night and all day long!”  Amen.

 

Christmas Eve and the Twelve Days of Christmas

A Scripture Lesson

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Then the Angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the Angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to