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A WORD FROM THE RECTOR
Greetings
in the Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
The
season of Advent is sometimes called “little Lent.” We use purple, the liturgical color for
penance, in our services. The Gloria
in excelsis Deo is not
sung. The Collects used emphasize
repentance.
If we ever need
to remind ourselves just what a countercultural phenomenon the life of the
Church is, all we need do is compare our Advent focus on how we can better make
ourselves ready for the coming of our Lord with the “Happy Holidays!”
festivities of the secular world. The
world seeks to celebrate where we are, with an all-too-ready willingness to
confuse consumption with happiness, and happiness with joy. Evergreens and bright lights, songs about
reindeer and good cheer, these begin not later than Thanksgiving, but in the
Church our season begins with lessons which speak of the end of the world and
judgment. Are we just given over to a
depressive outlook? Far from it, for our
focus in the Church is not on a celebration of the here and now, but on the fact that as
Christians we strive to live in a way that shows that Jesus reigns in our
hearts already; that we are filled with the joy of salvation, and so live not
in fear of His judgment but with expectation that His kingdom will break into
this world to complete God’s plan of salvation.
There’s a
certain “not yetness” of Advent, in which we long for
the joy of Christmas. Advent reminds us
that as we serve God we prepare always to know and love
and serve Him more completely, that at His final coming we may be among those
referred to in Charles Wesley’s great hymn, Lo! He comes with clouds descending (no. 57
in The Hymnal 1982), who at the day of judgment
greet their Lord with rapture: “[T]housand thousand saints attending swell the triumph of His
train: Alleluia! ...
Christ the Lord returns to reign.”
A Note on the Revised
Common Lectionary
A new Church
year begins on I Advent. Pursuant to
action of General Convention 2006 the Lectionary also changes. The Lectionary in the Prayer Book (BCP) is
now superceded by the Revised Common Lectionary
(RCL), which is shared with most other main line denominations.
Changes
between the lectionaries are noticeable in the Old Testament readings after
Pentecost. Two separate “tracks” are
available under the RCL. The first
includes more of the Old Testament, starting at the beginning and continuing
through the entire covenant without regard for any thematic link between the
reading and the Gospel lesson for that day.
The entire Old Testament is read over a three year cycle. The second track continues the BCP practice
of linking the Old Testament selection to the Gospel thematically. This parish will follow track two.
The RCL is not without its faults, like the
BCP. It edits out more verses which
might be deemed by some to be “incorrect politically,” but these verses remain
as options. It has been the longstanding
practice in the parish to include all redacted verses, and this practice will
continue. That we can have a
“common lectionary” can be traced to Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council. Pope
John summarized his intent on
convening the Council when
he said: I want to throw open the windows of windows of the Church so that
we can see out and the people can see in.” One of the major ways he foresaw
this happening was by revising liturgy and worship. More active participation
also insured that there was to be a revival of the central role of Scripture
study, with a perspective kept open to modern analysis and interpretation. It
was after Vatican II that several North American Churches, beginning with the
Episcopal Church, adopted the Roman Catholic three-year lectionary cycle (Years
A, B, and C) with some variations. Eventually, in the 1980s, an ecumenical
committee was set up to put together (and bring together) a common lectionary
from the variations that remained in the Eucharistic readings from week to
week. What resulted from the committee’s efforts was The Common Lectionary, which
has evolved into the Revised Common Lectionary of today.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
November 2007 Vestry Highlights
Treasurer’s Report:
$10,381.91 in the Operating Account.
$44,371.25 in the Capital Account.
2008
pledges to date are $132,780.00.
Senior Warden Jim
Chandler advised the Vestry that Carlisle Campbell has donated the dirt for our
new parking lot.
Fr. Karl gave the Vestry
an update on the parking lot and curbs.
They are progressing well, and the Church Annex will hopefully be
completed by the end of January.
Plumbers and carpenters are in short supply. No roof work will be required for the Annex.
Clay County Christians
Care will have a follow-up meeting at Incarnation Monday, December 10, at 5:30
p.m. A light soup supper will be served
and volunteers are needed.
Church music and
organ: Richard Hazelwood repaired the
bottom of the organ and the mechanized music sounds much better.
Saturday, December 1,
from 9:00 a.m. until noon, has been designated Fall Clean-Up Day. Teams to clean will be headed by Vestry
members and volunteers. All members of
the church are asked to participate.
Vestry Highlights submitted by the Church
Clerk, Marion Kohut.
Youth Fundraiser
Everyone is invited to
join in the celebration of the 467th anniversary of Christianity and Pork
Barbecue in
The youth and children's
Sunday School Classes will be providing the Chrismon
decorations, as they have been studying the names and symbols of Christ. The
Youth Sunday School will be preparing side dishes and desserts for your eating
enjoyment. They will be accepting donations to help with Incarnation's
Adopt-a-Family Christmas project. This will be a church-wide celebration
combining good food, fun, fellowship and a worthy cause. Please join us!!!
Grace Notes
Holy Days: In Advent the emphasis is on the season
rather than on feast days. Nonetheless,
the calendar remains filled with notable observances. Theologians of note include St. John of
Damascus (ca. 760, feast on 4 Dec.), St. Clement of
Two apostles
are remembered in December: Thomas (21st)
and John (27th). Martyrs
include St. Lucy (13 Dec.), St. Stephen (the first martyr or “protomartyr,” 26 Dec.), and the Holy Innocents (28
Dec.) The Feast of the Holy Innocents
recalls the massacre of all male children under the age of two years, killed in
King Herod’s attempt to rid himself of the Christ child (Matt. 2.16-18).
The Prayer
Book and lectionary provide for three different Masses for Christmas, and we
will celebrate all three: Christmas I as
a vigil service on 24 December, at 4:30 p.m.
This service will be especially suitable for young children. Christmas II will be a vigil service on 24
December, at 11:00 p.m., and will include the choir and organ music. Christmas III will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m.
on Christmas day.
Music: The season begins with Lo! He comes with clouds descending (no. 57),
in which the Second Coming is described and welcomed. Following the First Advent emphasis on the
Second Coming, the balance of the season is concerned more with the story of
how the Lord is announced and how He is expected. Thus at Second Advent the lessons and hymns
shift away from the imagery of apocalypse to the message of John the Baptizer
that the Lord is nigh, including no. 76, On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
and no. 59, Hark! a
thrilling voice is sounding.
The music of
Sweden is featured in no. 65, Prepare the way, O Zion, and in 497, How
bright appears the Morning Star we are reminded of the theme we heard in
the lessons for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, that the Sun of
Righteousness shall arise for us. The music
for hymn 497 is from sixteenth century
At Christmas
we can of course bring out old favorites.
Included are 83, O
come, all ye faithful, 115, What child
is this, who, laid to rest, and 100, Joy to the world! the Lord is come.
The latter is one of Isaac Watts’ most famous hymns, helped in a major
way by the tune from G. F. Händel. No. 115 is sung to the famous tune “Greensleeves” generally attributed to that “bad boy” King
Henry VIII! Finally, the offertory
anthem at the late vigil on 24 December is hymn 82, Of the Father’s love
begotten. This is thought by many to
be the oldest hymn in the Church, having been written in the fourth century by
Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, a native of
Let
the heights of heaven adore him; angel hosts his praises sing;
powers, dominions, bow before him, and extol our God and
King;
let no tongue on earth be silent, every voice in concert
ring,
evermore and evermore!
In this season of joy, let us raise our voices to welcome and praise our
Lord!