Twelfth Day Open House

Please join the McQueen's
 111 Nottingham Drive
 for a Christmastide Open House. 
All are invited for cocktails and refreshments
from 2:00 -- 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 5, 2008. 

This is the final section of W.H. Auden's massive poem:  "For the Time Being," subtitled:  A Christmas Carol.  The "time being" is the time between the Incarnation and the Second Coming, i.e., the time in which we all live.  Written in 1941-1942 when Auden's England was struggling in World War II, the poem, remains a veritable text book on the theology of Christmas.  FAB

NOW THAT CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST OVER

Well, so that is that.  Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes --
Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school.  There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week --
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully --
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers.  Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off.  But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid's geometry
And Newton's mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays.  The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this.  To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened.  Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
And craving the sensation but ignoring the cause,
We look round for something, no matter what, to inhibit
Our self-reflection, and the obvious thing for that purpose
Would be some great suffering.  So, once we have met the Son,
We are tempted ever after to pray to the Father;
"Lead us into temptation and evil for our sake."
They will come, all right, don't worry; probably in a form
That we do not expect, and certainly with a force
More dreadful than we can imagine.  In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance.  The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practise his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith
That God's Will will be done, that, in spite of her prayers,
God will cheat no one, not even the world of its triumph.

   Chorus

He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.

He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.

He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.

A NOTE OF THANKS

It is a joy and a gift to work, and to minister among you, the people of All Saints'.    Very, very few priests experience the blessings of serving in a place like All Saints', let alone, serve their first cure in such a parish.  I remain overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity that you all have shown to us as a family and we are forever grateful.

To the ECW, thank you for the wonderful reception following the ordination service.  Everything was beautiful, as well as, delicious.  To those of you who cooked and provided deserts, many thanks for your delectable creations.

To the parish, thank you for the portable communion kit and private communion stole.  One of the joys of the ministry is the opportunity to take the Blessed Sacrament to those who are unable to attend corporate worship.      

Finally, Father Buechner, thank you for stepping out in faith and bringing this freshly minted seminarian and his family to All Saints'.  You are a wonderful mentor, priest, and friend, and I look forward to many years in the ministry with you. 

An additional thank you goes out to Bishop Louttit for his work with Father Buechner in crafting a beautiful service. 

This parish is blessed in so many ways, and it is always good to take a step back, recognize those blessings, and then give thanks to Almighty God for those gifts.  Life moves more quickly than ever, and these chances to return thanks seem to move further and further apart. 

Christmastide and Epiphany blessings to you all.

In Christ,
Will

MEN'S GROUP TO BEGIN IN 2008.

Beginning in January, I would like to invite the men of the church to join me for light breakfast, fellowship, and study.  The topics for the group will be determined at our first meeting together.  We will gather in the Parish Hall for a quick bite to eat, and then move into our lesson for the week.  This group will begin on Tuesday, January 15, at 7:00 a.m., and we will meet for no more than an hour.  I look forward to seeing many of you there on the 15th.

WNM

Spring Sunday School Classes
begin on January 6. 

Fr. Buechner will teach a
New Testament survey with the Middle School.

Fr. McQueen will teach the adult class
which will be a survey of St. Matthew’s Gospel. 

OFFICE CLOSINGS

The office will be closed Monday, January 7 in observance of The Epiphany, and January 21 for Martin Luther King Day.         FAB

MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY

Beginning Wednesday morning, January 9, from 9:00 - 10:00, we are expanding our Christian Education offerings.  Please join me for a "Walk through the Bible" using Peter Kreeft's book, You Can Understand the Bible.  The goal is to provide additional Christian Ed. opportunities for our Sunday school teachers and choir members who give of their time and talent on Sunday mornings to teach or sing.  If this time is not convenient, please let me know.  There will be a second time slot offered during the week based upon demand or other conflicts.  Look forward to seeing many of you on the 9th.

Will

EPISCOPAL YOUNG CHURCHMEN NEWS

The EYC meets on Sunday after the evening service.  Scheduled activities for January:
 
January 6th   Christmas tree burning
January 13th  Nursing Home visit
January 20th  Movie Night  (Dinner in parish hall at 5:30 p.m. - Movie from    6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
January 27th  Game night----Hancock's to host

THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

Our special Feast of Lights service will be this Sunday, January 6, at 10:30 a.m.

ATTENTION VESTRYMEN

Our January meeting will be Sunday morning January 20 at 8:00 a.m. in the parish hall library.

The Vestry asks that the Congregation return
2008 pledge cards as soon as possible. 

ST. CECILIA AND ST. DAVID CHOIRS

Both choirs will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, January 9 and will sing Sunday, February 3. A rehearsal schedule will be mailed soon.

If you have been thinking about becoming a chorister in one of the choirs now would be a great time to join. Remember: The St. Cecilia Choir (kindergarten - 2nd Grade), meets 4:00 - 4:45 each Wednesday. The St. David Choir (3rd Grade - 8th Grade) rehearses 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Kathy Buechner

USHERS FOR JANUARY

January 6     
Bernie Lanigan 
Denny Lewin    

January 13
Robert Lynde
Paul McCollum

January 20     
Buck Mitchell  
Rick Nudd     

January 27
Charles Olson
Richard Parvey



EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN

The ECW Book Club will meet on Wednesday, January 9 at 11:50 a.m.  Into the Wild by John Krakauer will be the featured book.  Robin Enright and Stacey Forsyth will lead the discussion.  Please contact Robin, Stacey or the office to let them know that you will be attending.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, January 9 at 5:00 p.m. in the parish hall.  The nursery will be open.

Please see the article in this month's newsletter regarding the ECW BAZAAR on Wednesday, January 30.

Lee Chubb
Lee Mitchell

 
EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN BAZAAR NEWS

During our next regular meeting on Wednesday, January 9 , we will finalize our plans for THE BAZAAR, which will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2008.  I look forward to seeing all ladies of All Saints' at that meeting.

I would like to address several things concerning THE BAZAAR:

1.   Please sign up in the parish hall for a committee.

2. We are requesting that each lady of the parish bring at least one food item for the "gourmet booth."  Please bring more than one item, if possible.  Items that sell well include frozen casseroles, soups, stews, jellies, pickles, bread, etc.  Other food items will be gratefully accepted.  Gourmet foods may be brought Monday, January 28, 2008 and prior to 9 AM, Wednesday, January 30.

3.   Regarding clothing items, please make sure that all items are clean, pressed, and on hangers (if applicable). 

4.  The work days for THE BAZAAR begin Monday, January 14 and run every weekday through January 30.

5.   Clothing, White Elephants and  Books, need to be brought to the parish hall no later than Thursday morning, January 24, 2008.

7. Men are encouraged to volunteer any and all workdays..

9. WE HAVE MORE DONATIONS THIS YEAR THAN WE HAVE EVER HAD.  WE HAVE TO HAVE THE HELP OF EVERY WOMAN OF THE PARISH WHO IS PHYSICALLY ABLE TO HELP US PULL OFF WHAT WE ANTICIPATE TO BE A TRULY GREAT EVENT!

Jinanne Parrish
Bazaar Chairman

TRANSITIONS:

Happy birthday in January to:

  Henry Todd    1-3-01
  Laurel Sanders    1-7-86
  Margaret Hancock   1-8-93
  William P. Chubb   1-9-89
  Christopher Bragg  1-11-91
  Tom Muller, Jr.   1-13-90
  Harrison Parvey  1-13-97
  Charles William Weissinger 1-14-04
  Curry Brinson   1-18-00
  Robert Lyons   1-26-87
  Evan Carraway   1-30-87
  Lewis Richardson Todd  1-31-04

 Happy birthday in February to:

  Maryam Norajean Sibley 2-11-02
  Neel Gurley   2-12-98
  Will Ladson   2-13-99
  Virginia E. Jackson  2-19-99
  Jonathan Douglas Harper 2-19-96
  Robby Stubley   2-22-90
  Cecile Shea   2-22-91
  Catie Hancock   2-23-90
  John B. Brinson, V (Jack) 2-24-97
  Colleen Elizabeth Nudd  2-24-06

IN THE PARISH REGISTER

Those Joined Together in Holy Matrimony

Markus Nolff and Nina Vanessa Angela Buchting were united in
Holy Matrimony on December 9, 2007.

Jonathan Edwards Fuller and Jennifer Pang Chanhvandam were united in
Holy Matrimony on December 29, 2007.

Marshall Mason and Rachel Gibbs were united in
Holy Matrimony on December 29, 2007.

Baptized into Christ's Holy Catholic Church

Olivia Enright on December 23, 2007.

C.S. LEWIS ON THE INCARNATION

The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself:  was born into the world as an actual man--a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone.  The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman's body.  If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.
                                                                                     Mere Christianity

The story [of the Incarnation] is strangely like many myths which have haunted religion from the first, and yet it is not like them.  It is not transparent to the reason:  we could not have invented it ourselves.  It has not the suspicious a priori lucidity of Pantheism or of Newtonian physics.  It has seemingly arbitrary and idiosyncratic character which modern science is slowly teaching us to put up with in this wilful universe, where energy is made up in little parcels of a quantity no one could predict, where speed is not unlimited, where irreversible entropy gives time a real direction and the cosmos, no longer static or cyclic, moves like a drama from a real beginning to a real end.  If any message from the core of reality ever were to reach us, we should expect to find in it just that unexpectedness, that wilful, dramatic anfractuosity which we find in the Christian faith.  It has the master touch--the rough, male taste of reality, not made by us, or indeed, for us, but hitting us in the face.
                                                                               The Problem of Pain
 

HOW TO CONDUCT THE PROPER WEDDING
from How to Become a Bishop Without Being Religious
                                         by Charles Merrill Smith

 Then, too, the thoughtless selection of sacred music for a wedding can contribute to a connubial catastrophe.  One pertinent example of an inexperienced clergyman muffing the ball through his failure to scrutinize carefully the bride's selections of solos should suffice to emphasize the importance of this pastoral responsibility.  In this case, the bride, a young lady of amazonian proportions was marrying a meek lad so diminutive in stature as to make the contrast between them a subject of community comment.  Unfortunately, the bride insisted on the use of her two favorite hymns which were For the Love of God and I'd Rather Have Jesus.  Later, the same ceremony ended with the congregation singing We Shall See Them Coming, and How Firm A Foundation.  How much better it would have been had this girl chosen something tasteful and appropriate such as The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi or Will You Love Me in September as You Did in May?

 There is nothing to the ceremony itself if you have had a proper rehearsal.  Just don't forget to show up.  And get to the church early enough to calm and comfort the groom.  Don't worry about the bride.  She has been pointing for this moment since she was a little girl and she doesn't intend to blow it now.  Nervous brides are a rarity.  They generally have about them the look of a warrior who has vanquished every foe and is about to receive the laurel wreath.

        The Author is an Ordained Clergyman in the United Methodist Church.  FAB