You are cordially invited to our Christmas Eve service tonight. It begins at 7. Our children will be with us in the service. Your children are entirely welcome. Your mom and dad, your partner, your brothers and sisters, aunties and uncles, all are welcome.
In the waning light of this season, we Christians take upon ourselves a practice of preparing ourselves for the coming of the Christ, the Divine Light. This practice is done in our hearts and in community. Our congregation will practice in our services. You are invited to join us in this practice. Here is a schedule of our services.
Each Sunday morning at 10 AM.
Each Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM, Rest and Bread, a service of prayer and communion.
Every weekday morning at 7 AM, a service of morning prayers.
Our Christmas Cantata will be on Sunday Morning, December 20 at 10 AM
Christmas Eve Services will be on Thursday, December 24 at 7 PM
In the waning light of this season, we Christians take upon ourselves a practice of preparing ourselves for the coming of the Christ, the Divine Light. This practice is done in our hearts and in community. Our congregation will practice in our services. You are invited to join us in this practice. Here is a schedule of our services.
Each Sunday morning at 10 AM.
Each Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM, Rest and Bread, a service of prayer and communion.
Every weekday morning at 7 AM, a service of morning prayers.
Our Christmas Cantata will be on Sunday Morning, December 20 at 10 AM
Christmas Eve Services will be on Thursday, December 24 at 7 PM
Elke Jahns, excellent flutist will play our prelude, offeratory, and postlude in Sunday Morning Services. Elke’s playing is divine. We hope you can come hear her play.
Our choir, let by Thom Whittemore and accompanied by Joe Turbessi, will sing Cecil Frances Alexander’s setting of “All Creatures Great and Small.”
Here are the musical notes for this Sunday’s service music:
“We are blessed to have flautist Elke Jahns with us today.
The prelude and postlude today are from La Flute de Pan, sonatas for flute and orchestra by Jules Mouquet (1867-1946). Like many other French composers at the turn of the century, Mouquet favored subjects from Greek mythology, as a sort of neoclassical reaction against the fervent treatments of Norse legend in Wagner’s operas. In Greek mythology, Pan is the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. He is recognized as the god of fields, groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring.
The Native Americans believe that their flutes, being made of wood, have a spirit, and with their breath they are breathing life into that spirit.
The ocarina, or vessel flute, is one of the oldest known musical instruments. It has been dated back to 3000 BC, and found in cultures around the world, including the Mayans, Egyptians, Chinese, Italians, Sub-Saharan Africans, Javanese, and Pakistani. It has been played in Buddhist ceremonies, rain forest hunting rituals, and Ocarina Orchestras. It comes in many shapes and sizes, but it is always made of clay – its sound literally the music of the earth.
“I Greet You, Sure Redeemer” is a well-known Reformation Hymn often attributed to John Calvin, a major player in the Protestant Reformation. The original French text, “Je te salue, mon certain Redempteur”, was published in the 1545 Strasbourg Psalter during Calvin’s ministry in Strasbourg, France. Though Calvin edited the psalter, his authorship of the hymn is not likely.
Today’s anthem is a setting of the familiar hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” by Cecil Frances Alexander. The hymn was first published in Alexander’s Hymns for Little Children in 1848. The modern arrangement sung by the choir today is by noted English composer and conductor John Rutter.”
Dear Beloved,
This week we finish up our sermon series on the Bible.
This is what I’m preaching – when we pick up our Bibles and read them, we often find ourselves connecting with the most poignant, powerful, basic, golden, loving, divine movement. This movement, whose name is “I Am,” a verb, is so compelling that we will do whatever we can to remove all that dis-connects us from this power source. This connection propels us into action, for example, climate change action.
This weekend, across the globe, we are being called into action, to connect with the earth. Our scripture for Sunday from Romans says that God’s eternal power and divine nature is invisible, but can be understood and seen through the things that God has made. Connecting with creation, connects us with God. We are also called by scripture to care for the least of these, and so we can act on behalf of those who bear the brunt and pollution of our desires and even entitlement to cheap oil resources, precious metals, and inexpensive labor.
Tomorrow, you can participate in the International Day of Climate Action. With Somerville Climate Change Action, an group with whom Andrea has been working, you can join the underwater activities at Christopher Columbus Park, http://groups.google.com/group/somervilleclimateaction/browse_thread/thread/f52b8d6fd99e0e32/0ef117a153f0af0d?lnk=raot&pli=1.
On Sunday night, with Massachusetts Power Shift, you can join the Sleep Out, www.masspowershift.org/events/boston-common-sleep-out, a move to catch our Senator John Kerry’s attention as he prepares to negotiate at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December, http://en.cop15.dk/.
You can join Somerville’s Transition Town, http://group.google.com/group/transitionsomerville. Our own Althea, who is a part of Transition Town, is working specifically on how to make the Climate Change movement work across race and class.
Our connection to God often happens in nature, when we are alone, this is true. But our Christian practice also calls us to community. Come, let’s be community to each other this Sunday morning. Oh, and also come for a musical surprise.
Jason, our newest Ph.D., is our liturgist. Molly will read our scripture and lead our prayers. Our Stewardship season begins as well.
And come for BRUNCH and bid in the Goods and Services auction – to fund our missionary action in Mexico, just after services.
Love,
Laura Ruth
–
Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett
Minister of Outreach
First Congregational Church of Somerville, UCC
An Open and Affirming Congregation
W. 12-9, Th. 2-8, Su. 8:30-2
Dear Beloved,
Well, we’ve made it back home, all of us! The summer is over, our new school year has begun, we lived through the first two weeks! Praise be to God!
We will linger together twice this Sunday – Sunday Service and Block Party.
Our service on Sunday at 10AM includes welcoming five new members, Mariah Hout, Chris Levins, Jackie Kerstner, April Evans and David Douglas.
Where is your Bible? Can you find? Dust it off? Open it without six holy cards and a four leafed clover falling out? Will you bring your Bible, please on Sunday? Molly and I are starting a sermon series, five glorious weeks on the Bible – what is it, how did we get it, what are we supposed to do with it, how to use it. I begin tomorrow with a sermon, “The ABC and 123 of the B.I.B.L.E.” There will be no Bible banging.
Our first time liturgist is the lovely Michael Molla, please will you pray for him as he prepares? Our choir will sing – you can join the choir by showing up at 8:55 on Sunday in the chapel for rehearsal. Molly will pray and welcome our new members. Ian will do the sound system. Liz Danner is the greeter. In the nursery is Jeff Banks and Emily Deckenback. Hugh Gallaher is the shepherd. Erin Iwanusa will teach the little ones. Missy Sturveyant will teach the 7-11 year olds – they’ve named themselves the Flyer Hedgehogs. Welcome Missy!
Our Block Party is also on Sunday, 4-6. Please bring a covered dish to share with our neighbors. Pete and Ben will play with other musicians sitting in. The Marching Band will begin at 3:45 – up Francesca and back. We need children to march with us. And we march rain or shine.
If it rains, we’ll have the block party inside.
Between on Sunday, we have the Music Committee and Compassionate Caregivers at 11:30, and from 12:30-2, the New Old Fashioned Bible Study led by Althea, on the book of Romans. Althea does a wonderful job, and no kidding, makes the study of Romans fascinating.
Tomorrow, on Saturday, a bunch of us are going first to the Duhamel Educational Initiative Fund Raising Dinner at church, 6-8 PM. Mayor Curtone and the Somerville Board of Aldermen (sic) are cooking! Proceeds go to Somerville Public Schools to help keep kids excited about learning and being in school.
After that at 8PM, we’re going to see John Olson (as Clergyman and one of the Very Merry Men), and hear the music of Thom Whittemore and Joe Turbessi at the Somerville Theatre in the production “Never After.” (Never After is the story of Princess Lesley Ann, destined by a conniving fairy to be a lesbian. Ill-suited to her role as a fairytale princess, Les leaves the kingdom of Generica to search for adventure. Along the way, she makes friends in unlikely places, fights dragons, finds her true love, and discovers her own indomitable strength. from the website: http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/never_after/never_after.shtml)
Whew, lastly, First Church Twitters. Go to www.twitter.com, make an account for yourself. Then in the search field on the right hand side of the home page, search for FCSomerville – and voila, you are twittering.
Peace to you folks.
Love,
Laura Ruth
–
Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett
Minister of Outreach
First Congregational Church of Somerville, UCC
An Open and Affirming Congregation
W. 12-9, Th. 2-8, Su. 8:30-2
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Join First Church members, friends, family, and neighbors for our annual block party on Sunday, September 27th from 4 to 6pm. We’ll have burgers and hotdogs (veggie ones too) and side dishes galore! We’ll also have a bouncy house, face painting, and other fun stuff! So stop by and say hello! Check inside for us if it’s raining out!
Greetings Beloved!
I’ve had, I imagine, a week much like yours: booting up the brain, tuning back into tasks, finding the appropriate gear for this hill or that straightaway, holding a little sprig of summer still inside of us, to mix a metaphor or three.
Last week, I sat on a bench in front of the Charles with Deacon Sue Donnelly, and told her I was trying to have sabbath mind = all the time. I liked the euphony of the phrase as it came out of my mouth (thank you, God! all my best lines are yours), and she picked up on it too. It’s an infectious idea, isn’t it? But how can we do it? How can we do it, and also do all the other things required of us in our personal lives, AND do all the things that following Jesus ALSO requires of us?
I had a pretty big epiphany this summer: I want to share it with you this Sunday in worship. It has something to do with the democracy of time, the reality of free will, and the necessity to take responsibility for both the justice demands of God, and what the ancient Jewish Friday night shabbat prayer calls “the inheritance of the sabbath.”
but before that: tonight is the second of three Sabbath Dinners this fall, a chance to tell you in less formal conversation what I learned and noticed on my sabbatical journey, and to hear about your own journeys. Last night was full up, and the third and final dinner is also fully booked–but we have three spaces open tonight! Dinner’s at 7p at the Parsonage–a Mediterranean feast. Would you like to come?
Sunday morning in worship, I’ll be preaching from Matthew 26, “The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Busy.” Laura Ruth will offer prayers, and we will baptize both baby Nathaniel and his father, David Douglas! Toni Snow is our poetic liturgist. Choir sings!
And save some appetite for even more spiritual nourishment: Sunday evening at 7p launches our inaugural cutting-edge worship service, re/New, which you’ve heard about from Jeff von Wald. Juicy, sensory, flexible, funky, relevant, deep, wide. A work in progress, and church made new in this generation! Get in on the ground floor, connect with the ground of your being.
Happy day. Light a candle this evening at sundown, remember the sabbath, keep it holy.
Christlove,
Molly
Beloved! Beloved! Beloved!
How good it feels to say that again. How good it feels to be seeing you, hugging you, patting your baby bellies, hearing your tales of woe and triumph and moving house, seeing you tan and relaxed, seeing you working hard on your stuff, hearing about the fullness of your lives, praying with you in coffee shops and at church meetings, again.
I was a wanderer, a stranger, a homeless Christian for the summer. It was an incredibly poignant and valuable experience, and I can’t wait to share it with you, in bits and pieces, over the next many moons. And how glad I am to be spiritually homeless no more! To be back among my brothers and sisters!
This Sunday I’ll see you in worship, and you get a chance to see each other, on this Great Gathering Sunday. Some of us started school this week. Some of us got serious with job searches, or new internships. I hear a lot of new leaves turning over, all at once. All that busy-ness with which we are busy means we need even more that hour of prayer, of holy hugs, of grounding in our callings and a chance to remember that we belong somewhere, that we belong to Someone and a lot of little someones.
At the beginning of the summer, just as I left for sabbatical, you got to take home a puzzle piece. If you can find it (!) bring it with you this Sunday, when we put all the pieces back together.
In worship, Laura Ruth and I will be preaching from 2 Timothy 4; a letter Paul wrote to one of his church leaders, maybe on his deathbed. He says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” We are in a holy relay race in our faith community; we have work we need to do, wonderful work, and you are absolutely necessary to making it happen.
Sabbatical team will join us in a litany of Christian elemental symbols to remember what we did this summer, while we were together and while we were apart. It is Jubilee Worship and the kids will be with us! If your child would like to help present the elements to be placed on our communion table, please come a little early to practice. We will celebrate communion! I know we just did it last week, but can you really have too much communion?
Choirs sings after long hiatus! Hallelujah! And we’ll have a fabulous coffee hour, before Althea begins a new chapter of NOFBS, focusing on Romans, one of my favorite books of the Bible.
Christlove,
Molly