Volume 72, Issue 12 Feast of Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 18, 5:30 pm Followed by English Tea Christmas Eve Worship Saturday, December 24, 10:00 pm Solemn High Mass, Rite 2 Christmas Day Worship Sunday, December 25, No Service at St. Stephen’s Holy Eucharist at Christ Church, Central City, 10:00 am inside this issue 2 Slow down amid the busyness of December to connect with God through centering prayer. St. Stephen’s annual Giving Tree will bless a new Habitat for Humanity homeowner family. 6 Invite your family and friends to Lessons and Carols as celebrated at Westminster Abbey and to the reception that follows. The Guide December 2016 A Newsletter of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Transcript
Volume 72, Issue 12
Feast of Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 18, 5:30 pm Followed by English Tea
Christmas Eve Worship Saturday, December 24, 10:00 pm Solemn High Mass, Rite 2
Christmas Day Worship Sunday, December 25, No Service at St. Stephen’s
Holy Eucharist at Christ Church, Central City, 10:00 am
inside this issue 2 Slow down amid the busyness of December to connect with God through centering prayer. St. Stephen’s annual Giving Tree will bless a new Habitat for Humanity homeowner family.
6 Invite your family and friends to Lessons and Carols as celebrated at Westminster Abbey and to the reception that follows.
The Guide December 2016
A Newsletter of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Lorem Ipsum
Brand New – Simple Sung
Evening Prayer
Beginning in December, St. Stephen’s
will begin offering a short, 30-minute,
contemplative evening prayer service in
the chapel at 7:30. The first service
will be December 7th.
Paul Fischer will officiate and will offer
instruction on centering prayer, which
will comprise 10 minutes of the service.
Silent prayer, or waiting on God, is
time honored in Christianity and
something we very much need during
the season of Advent.
"Silent prayer or contemplation, where
we take time to still ourselves and open
ourselves to God, has very deep roots
in Christian history,” Fischer says.
“Practiced for centuries by monastics,
it has received renewed interest by
everyday laypeople in recent years and
can provide a much-needed reprieve
from the frenzied pace of everyday life.
Over time it can change our perception
and our action as the reality of God's
presence and love permeates our daily
activities."
Look for St. Stephen’s annual
Giving Tree outside the chapel,
decorated with suggested
household items and kids’ gifts for
one of Habitat for Humanity’s new
homeowner families.
Take a decoration and bring that
item back to the church no later
than Sunday, December 18.
Also, Habitat for Humanity’s
annual Christmas Cookie Walk is
Sunday, December 4 at St. Paul’s
Lutheran Church Family Life
Center from 1-2:30 p.m.
Greening of the Church Sunday, December 11 after Mass
The Guide
Poinsettia Orders
Use the flower order form in the
pew racks to order poinsettias to
honor or remember a loved one
this Christmas season. Mark
“Christmas Eve” as the date and
circle either “in honor of” or “in
memory of” on the form. The
cost is $25 per plant. Please place
orders and payment in the
offering plate or submit to the
church office.
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A Christmas Carol – for a New Ebenezer Scrooge
On the 19th of December, 1843 when much of Nebraska was still unsettled and where Christmas was not even a recognized holiday in much of the United states, Charles Dickens’ publisher, Chapman and Hall released a novella about the power of the human spirit to embrace new and revive old ways of celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord. A Christmas Carol told the story of bitter and hardened Ebenezer Scrooge, a type of many joyless lives of the period, and his nocturnal encounters with the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Three spirits representing Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas yet to come then visit Scrooge. From these three encounters, Scrooge has a revelation about himself and the world in which he lives.
But to understand why this story had so much power, we must look at why it was written. In Great Britain, festivals such as Christmas had been banned during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell (commonly called the Interregnum), an 11-year change of constitutional government that eliminated the monarchy in favor of parliamentary control. During this time, the Puritans in control banned the Book of Common Prayer, replaced it with the Westminster Directory, assumed a Presbyterian form of government, and stripped the calendar of most of its celebrations – including Christmas. So the original Grinch, or Scrooge, that stole Christmas was Cromwell’s Protectorate.
That brief point in time, and the Puritan influence that remained thereafter, was a joyless time liturgically. Many of the customs that our families observe were eliminated. There were no Christmas trees (a Germanic custom), no Christmas cards, and no carolers. These three things began to make a renaissance at the same time that Great Britain was dealing with some of its social ills.
Slavery in England and her colonies was abolished in 1833, but they were only beginning to deal with the social ills of their day. Tiny Tim in the story becomes the archetype of struggling families, a figure borne out of Dickens’ own struggles with poverty. Now on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, English families had a decision to make, and so do we.
While we have trappings abounding in nearly every store since August, the spirit of Christmas that Dickens sought the standard Englishman to embrace was not a thing of externals. Sure, the tree and cards are nice – they point to a joyful cause to celebrate. But I think Dickens was inviting us into something deeper – a turning around of the coldness of heart to see the image of God in others amidst a holy season.
Consider the Tiny Tims of your life. Perhaps the forgotten person fed at Messiah’s Saturday suppers. Or consider the hungry man who has exactly $17 left from his disability check to feed him for the month – a man who is a regular visitor at our church office. Maybe it is an aunt or uncle that is lonely, but the whole family has written off as odd or eccentric. We all know that one person.
So as we prepare for the 12 days of Christmastide, as we have our office parties and our Christmas get togethers, let us not forget those to whom Dickens’ addressed the Christmas Carol. Soften your hearts toward those who would know no real Christmas. And hopefully, it will not take three Christmas phantoms to remind us of the true purpose of the Incarnation. God so loves us that he took human form and in his life, ministry, atoning death and resurrection, he shows us what real life is all about.
A most blessed Nativity to all,
Robert+
Lorem Ipsum The Guide
December 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
2 3:05pm GNC @ Dodge Elem 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
3 8:00am Youth Breakfast with Santa
4 Youth Sun. 9:30am Holy Eucharist followed by Coffee Hour 1:00pm Arabic Worship 1:00pm H for H Cookie Walk 2:00pm Holy Eucharist 2, Riverside Ldg
5 4:00pm Girl Scouts Mtg. 6:45pm AA Study Group 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
6 9:00am Holy Eucharist in Chapel 10:00am Office Staff Meeting
7 6:30pm Choir Rehearsal 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
8
9 3:05pm Good News Club @ Dodge Elem 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
10 1:00pm Youth Pie Baking & Movie
11 9:30am Holy Eucharist followed by Coffee Hour & Greening of the Church 12:30pm Parents Day Out - Youth 1:00pm Arabic Worship
12 6:45pm AA Study Group 7:00pm Finance Meeting 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
13 9:00am Holy Eucharist in Chapel 10:00am Office Staff Meeting
14 6:30pm Choir Rehearsal 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
15
16 2:00pm Youth Gift Wrap at Mall 3:05pm Good News Club @ Dodge Elem 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
17 10:00am Polishing Party for Altar Guild
18 9:30am Morning Prayer with Communion followed by Coffee Hour 1:00pm Arabic Worship 5:30pm Lessons & Carols & Tea
19 4:00pm Girl Scouts Mtg. 6:30pm Vestry Meeting 6:45pm AA Study Group 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
20 9:00am Holy Eucharist in Chapel 10:00am Office Staff Meeting
21 6:30pm Choir Rehearsal 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
22
23 5:00pm Youth Gift Wrap at Mall 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
24 10:00pm Carol Sing 10:30pm Solemn High Mass
25 10:00am Holy Eucharist at Christ Church Central City 1:00pm Arabic Worship
26 6:45pm AA Study Group 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
27
28 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
29
30 8:15pm Young Procrastinators AA Meeting
31
Turn in Annual Reports to Church Office.
Annual Meeting is January 29.
Church Office Closed This Week
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December Worship Assistants
December 4 2nd Sunday of Advent
Youth Sunday
December 11 3rd Sunday of Advent
December 18
4th Sunday of Advent
Morning Prayer
December 18
5:30 pm Lessons & Carols
Service
December 24
10:00 pm Christmas Eve
Service
Celebrant & Preacher
Fr. Robert Fr. Robert Fr. Robert Fr. Robert
Pr. Bill Schroeder Fr. Robert
Musician Randy Shackleton Randy Shackleton None Needed
Verger Dave Jepson
Acolyte Edwin Lewis Collin Jepson Ryan Hillman Ryan Jepson Raegen Hillman
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church 422 West Second Street
!!!!Reception!afterwards!!
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Youth News
Santa will be at Messiah on
December 3rd from 8-10 am. Come
enjoy breakfast, hot cocoa, crafts and
get your picture taken with Santa and
Mrs. Claus. All are welcome!
Pies…Pies…Pies!! The youth will
have all your pre-ordered pies ready to
be picked up on December 11th after
service. There will be only a few extras
made so hopefully everyone got their
orders in! We will also have a few
goodie plates for sale that day as well.
Enjoy this holiday season with a pie
made with love from our youth!
December 11th Bring your little
ones to St. Stephen’s from 12:30-3:00
and enjoy a parents day out. We will
provide lunch, crafts and a movie for
your little ones while you shop, wrap or
just need a nap!
Blessings,
Courtney Berg, Youth Director
Please Pray For the Good News Club meeting at Dodge Elementary School on Friday after school. Several of our members are volunteering with this interactive weekly Bible study. Good News Clubs are a program of Child Evangelism Fellowship.
For Healing and Other Concerns - Anne, Barbara, Beth, Bob, Brett, Claudette, Corinne, Dave, Don, Doris, Ellen, Gerald, Geri, Jason, Jay, Jerry, Ken, Kristin, Les, Liz, Maggie, Oscar, Reese, Sally, Shirley, Stan, Steffanie, Tim, Val, Wendy, Will
For Strength & Protection for Those Serving Our Country - Cathleen, Dan, Lucas, Sean, Seth, and Tim
December Birthdays
Sharon Ellston 12/1 Nolan Goodman 12/1 Sue Soden 12/1 Steve Baxter 12/2 Karen Mayer 12/3 Dennis Bjorkman 12/4 Samantha Eckhardt 12/4 Aksel Hansen 12/6 Dave Jepson 12/7 Betty Crittenden 12/8 Dan White 12/8 Hadiya Butrus 12/10 Jennie Freeman 12/12 Dorothy Stoddard 12/12 Mallie Kuku 12/13 Joan Hermes 12/14 Paxton Lagueux 12/16 Sam Rasmussen 12/16 Merlin Kluge 12/17 Taylor Wieland 12/17 Jim Lewis 12/19 Terry Bjorkman 12/20 Tim Reisinger 12/23 Ryan Jepson 12/24 Fred Rauch, Sr. 12/25 Mary Gangra 12/27 Taylor McDonald 12/28 Ryan Hillman 12/29 Doris Seevers 12/30 Carol Castleberry 12/31 Adam Webb 12/31
December Anniversaries
Rich & Roxie Webb 12/6 Lloyd & Stacia Larson 12/15 John & Marilyn Albers 12/22 Dave & Kathy Stoddard 12/28 Byron & Jan Moore 12/30 Bob & Peg Templin 12/31
If you or a loved one needs prayer, please submit that information to
