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Why We Celebrate / Bev Barner

Why do we celebrate
Jesus’ birth at Christmas,
when we don’t even know
when he was born?
It was necessary and inevitable
that we select a date
to celebrate an eternal miracle—
the coming to earth
of God in human form...Jesus,
who changed the entire world
with his message of love,
forgiveness, humility and peace.
Christmas is an obligatory
and indispensable holiday
to mark the end
of guiltless, self-centered selfishness,
and the beginning of service
to God and to our fellow man.
That is worth celebrating.

 

Jesus is the Reason
In Bethlehem , God gave to us
The source of Christmas joy;
A star shown on a miracle:
The virgin birth of a boy.

He was born both God and man,
A Savior for us all,
The way to get to our heavenly home,
If we just heed His call.

So as we shop and spend and wrap
And enjoy the Christmas season,
Let's keep in mind the sacred truth:
Jesus is the reason.

How Far To Bethlehem? / Doris Williams

How far is it to Bethlehem Town?
Just over Jerusalem hills and down,
Past lovely Rachel’s white-domed tomb—
Sweet shrine of motherhood’s young doom.

It isn’t far to Bethlehem Town—
Just over the dusty roads and down,
Past Wise Men’s well, still offering
Cool draughts from welcome wayside spring;\
Past Shepherds with their flutes of reed
That charm the woolly sheep they lead;
Past boys with kites on hilltops flying,
And soon you’re there where Bethlehem’s lying.
Sunned white and sweet on olived slopes,
Gold-lighted still with Judah’s hopes.

And so we find the Shepherd’s field
And plain that gave rich Boaz yield,
And look where Herod’s villa stood.
We thrill that earthly parenthood
Could foster Christ who was all good
And thrill that Bethlehem Town today
Looks down on Christmas homes that pray.

It isn’t far to Bethlehem Town!
It’s anywhere that Christ comes down
And finds in people’s friendly face
A welcome and abiding place.
The road to Bethlehem runs right through
The homes of folks like me and you.

—Madeleine Sweeny Miller

A Message From Pastor Steve

I gave my wife two tickets to Italy for Christmas.  She took me with her.  We went in the cold of winter following the holidays.  Rome was chilly and wet, but Venice was frigid. We were chilled by cold gusts of wind blowing off the Grand Canal.  As we crossed the Rialto Bridge, Cindy turned to me and asked, “Why didn’t we come in the summer?”  “It’s cheaper in the winter”, I responded.  She smiled and thanked me for my cheap gift. 

Later that day, we visited a church at one end of Venice.  Cindy patiently waited as I examined every cross and candlestick. By the time we finished our tour it was dark outside.  We were hungry.

“I know just the restaurant for dinner,” I said, thinking of a nice economical café on the other end of town. I then guided us through a maze of streets, fighting back doubts about my directions the whole way.  Finally we turned a corner and arrived at the very church we left an hour earlier. “Why don’t we eat here,” I sheepishly suggested, pointing to a restaurant next to the church.

As Christmas approaches, I reflect on that trip to Venice, and humbly acknowledge that I am not always the greatest guide.  Neither do I give the most lavish gifts.  In the midst of my limitations, comes this message:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…”

It is my prayer that we embrace Jesus this Christmas.  He is a gift incomparable.  He gives guidance indispensable.  There is no one better to satisfy our deepest hungers, especially in the cold and dark.

Handel's Hallelujah Chorus

A Random act of Culture!

There are few pieces of music more stirring, more beautiful, more exalting than Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. So to have it sung, by surprise (at least for most shoppers) by chorus members mingling amongst them accompanied by a beautiful pipe organ---well, this is definitely special.

The Joys of being over 70

Here’s yet more musings on the Aging Message in church:

Retirement

Freedom to pursue other interests

Time to read and give time to others

Time for that second cup of coffee in the morning

More financial freedom

Parenthood and Grandparenthood

Free of the responsibilities of raising children

Enjoyment of grandchildren and spoiling them

Wisdom

A better understanding of what is most important in life

A closer relationship with God.  More time for reflection and prayer.

Freedom from the earlier climb to success.  Freedom from materialism

Time to downsize and give our “stuff” away

The joy of good friends

Governor Christie on Meet the Press

Here’s our New Jersey Governor answering questions from David Gregory.

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

Tom Thumb Weddings

This picture is from a Tom Thumb wedding.  Both Peg and Harry Schunk are in it .  

A Tom Thumb wedding refers to a wedding pageant in which all of the major wedding roles are played by small children, usually under age ten.  There would be children portraying bride, groom, atendants, and sometimes the minister.  Smaller children would sometimes play flower girls and ringbearers.  Everyone would be costumed, and photographs would be taken.
 
Staging Tom Thumb weddings was a big American fad during the 1920's, but they were also staged fairly regularly until the 1970's, often as fundraisers for schools or churches.  Thiswas in 1936 when Peg was 4 and Harry was 6. 
 
The term "Tom Thumb wedding" comes from an actual wedding, the marriage of the famous little person General Tom Thumb (born Charles Stratton) to Lavinia Warren, another little person, in 1863.  The wedding attracted considerable publicity and was a major event of the time.  Tom Thumb was a celebrity promoted by the circus entrepreneur P.T. Barnum, who gave him a stage name inspired by the folk hero Tom Thumb and managed his career starting at any early age.

Growing Old in Style

I had very interesting responses to my message on aging.  Some said they hated it.  Others said they loved it and wanted me to do a whole series on the topic.  Then others quoted poetry.  Thinking about the aging process does stir emotions!

Here’s a few of the poems people shared with me.

Ozymandias of Egypt
by P. B. Shelley

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said:  Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert...Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,  
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains.  Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sand stretch far away.

Around The Corner
By Charles Hanson Towne
1877-1949, written in 1900

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,

He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."

And that's what we get, and deserve in the end:
Around the corner, a vanished friend

by Max Ehrmann c.1920

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Charge Of The Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written 1854

Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Stewardship in 2011

We are all too aware of the unimaginable hopelessness faced by many around us:  the senseless loss of life from a rash of teen suicides; the cascading hardships to schools, families and businesses due to the shaky economic environment; the personal trauma and challenging adjustments experienced in our post 911 culture. Many people do not know where to turn.

First Presbyterian Church is the place to go for hope and help.  Many people throughout the community have felt the tender embrace of a Presbyterian Lay Pastor in a hospital room or at the bedside of a dying loved one.  Many have built warm friendships at our community meals; or have experienced supportive comfort, counsel, or material assistance from the Deacons or Church Staff.  The Presbyterian Preschool, Music School, Sunday School, and Youth Groups are meaningful sources for family support. The Christian Life Learning Center is providing many helpful adult courses and we have recently launched the Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore.  Our recently expanded facilities now provide space for us to offer broader services to the community. 

Thank you for making all this possible.  You are helping make First Presbyterian Church the place where Christ's love meets your life.  And you are increasingly helping to bring the light of Christ's love into the darkness around us.

One member of the church who was a deacon, and is now an elder, talks about the personal dimension of our mission saying, " It is so rewarding to feed the homeless, visit the sick, or just sit patiently and listen to someone tell their story."

Whether you are involved in hand on ministry, volunteering in one of our many support roles, or giving your valuable resources, you are helping to bring the light of Christ to many.  Since our founding in 1848 we have been motivated by the message, example and spirit of Christ's love.  While ministry has expanded significantly in recent years, our Christian mission of love remains constant. 

In the year ahead, we face the challenge of meeting some of the greatest needs our community has ever faced.  We plan to be a strong and tender voice of Christian love and reason in the midst of much despair.  Where there is hopelessness, we will offer a warm embrace and lift up the light of hope.  Where there is helplessness, we will give a helping hand and organize community efforts to address challenges.  Where people have been isolated from others and from God, we will provide a caring community where the love of God is experienced.

Like the angels of scripture, we have a message of hope to share with the world.  We need more than ever the faithful help of all our members to do this. 

We are asking people to follow the biblical model of offering a tithe of their income to the work of the church.  Where a tithe is not yet offered, we ask that people move towards a tithe by providing contributions that are a thoughtful and prayerful percentage of their income.  Please stop and think about this.  Just as we are growing in other dimensions of our spiritual maturity, we can also grow in our experience of giving.

Free me this day, O Lord...

Here’s a prayer we used in worship that I greatly appreciate.  I have been using it in my times of private prayer.

Free me this day, O Lord-
From all fear of the future,
From all anxiety about tomorrow,
From all bitterness toward anyone,
From all cowardice in the face of danger,
From all laziness in the face of work,
From all failure before opportunity,
From all weakness when your power is at hand.
But fill me this day, O Lord-
With love that knows no barrier,
With empathy that reaches to all,
With courage that cannot be shaken,
With faith strong enough for the darkness,
With strength sufficient for my tasks,
With loyalty to your kingdom’s goal,
With wisdom to meet life’s complexities,
With power to lift me to you,
So, be with me another day, and use me as you will.
Amen.

Author Unknown