JANUARY 2021 | Volume 55 - Issue 1 SECOND THOUGHTS
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1 JANUARY 2021 | Volume 55 - Issue 1 SECOND THOUGHTS Congregational Meeting Called for January 31 page 5. Sharing grace … Second Presbyterian Church www.2ndpreslou.org 2 “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and Contents the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:9) Dear Friends, Upcoming Events .....................3 Music .............................................4 By the time you read this, we will have been through what may be the most unusual Worship ........................................5 Christmas in any of our lives. But despite the Children ........................................9 anxieties and fears, the disappointments and Weekday School .................... 10 sadness over separations, Christmas came. We Youth ...................................... 11 heard the story again, maybe with fresh ears. I know I did. Because a church friend sent me Formation ................................. 12 some thoughts and materials on angels, I began to notice how much Stewardship ............................. 14 these “messengers” from God permeate Luke’s story of events leading to Mission ...................................... 15 Jesus’ birth and the birth itself. Angels are everywhere in movies, television Fellowship ................................ 18 programs, art and books related to Christmas. It was a Christmas tradition for Diana, David, and me to find an angel calendar for my mom. FYI ............................................... 19 What is it about angels that grabs out attention and populates the imaginations of even those who are indifferent to the reality of God? Perhaps it’s the reassurance that we aren’t alone in the struggles of life, after all. Perhaps it’s the suggestion that there’s something beyond ourselves out there. Perhaps it’s the relief that comes from the possibility that there is more to life that we can see, hear, touch, or measure – that something called “mystery.” Or maybe it is simply that many of us enjoy the beauty of these winged creatures as imagined by creative and gifted artists through the ages. There’s something flashy, even exotic, about angels. But when we get down to basics, the word for “angel” in Greek simply means “messenger.” For the most part, in Scripture, angels are those who convey the will, purpose, and words of God to oftentimes frightened and always surprised humans. Though we tend to domesticate angels, make them friendly 3701 Old Brownsboro Road and accessible, in the Bible they are most often intruders into how things are, those who speak a word that wakes us up and shakes us up. Those Louisville, Kentucky 40207 “favored” by angel visitation, like Mary, often aren’t exactly thrilled and 502.895.3483 comforted by their presence. www.2ndpreslou.org As we turn the page to 2021, we need angel visitations that comfort and reassure, that challenge and disturb us. If nothing else, life in 2020 has Facebook: @secondpresbyterian awakened us profoundly to what matters most and what doesn’t, to what YouTube: @2ndPresLou needs to change in our lives, the church, and the wider world. This past year has reinforced our need for something beyond our own strength and wisdom, for an infusion of mystery into the mundane. The fact is, Our Mission what we need most, what we long for most deeply, isn’t dependent on the visitation of those “sweetly singing o’er the plains,” but is offered in Sharing the grace of God the one to whom they witness, Jesus the child of Bethlehem. In him, God with one another and the promises never to leave us alone, God holds out the great mystery of the holy entering into everyday human life, God challenges us with the truth world around us. that love is the only thing that matters and that love will be victorious. Jesus usually isn’t flashy or exotic. In fact, it’s easy to miss his presence, to not hear his voice. But still he comes, still he speaks, and still he knocks on the door of our lives. Will we let him in? Grace and Peace, Steve Steve Jester is Pastor at Second Presbyterian Church January 2021 I Second Presbyterian Church 3 upcoming events Sharing grace … 4 music January 2021 I Second Presbyterian Church 5 THANK YOU, GUY YOUNCE! Second Presbyterian Church is ever grateful for Guy Younce and his ministry as Interim Organist over the past few months. We have been honored to have a fine musician, a good friend, and a patient and caring person in leadership. Bless you as you go, and know that we send you with our blessing, and eternal gratitude! worship Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday, January 31 Following 11 a.m. Worship To discuss 2020 Annual Report; review 2021 budget; and approve Terms of Call. Details on logistics to follow in upcoming Seconds to Go. Ordination & Installation of New Elders & Deacons Sunday, January 24 During 11 a.m. Worship Details on logistics to follow in upcoming Seconds to Go. Sharing grace … 6 Light From Light: Celebrating Advent Communion during Advent. Service of Light. Confirmands Light Up Advent We thank our confirmands for lighting the Advent candles and saying the prayers each week. Below are some photos from the videos taken and used in Sunday services. Below left, the Powers family; right the Farnan family, and at the bottom left, the Rogers family, right, the Burrice family. January 2021 I Second Presbyterian Church 7 Light From Light: Celebrating Christmas We thank Guy and members of our Octet for Lighting of the candles at 5 p.m. performing at our outdoor service. Lighting of the candles at 5 p.m. Our musicians at our live-stream service. A Christmas Eve homily. Communion on Christmas Eve. Sharing grace … 8 Flowers & Decoration for Advent & Christmas Services Our thanks to those who donated wreaths, flowers, and luminaria for the season. The poinsettias in the Sanctuary were given … One wreath on the minister’s entrance door is given in In memory of J.D., Angelina, and Carletta Buckman by loving memory of Dr. Jerry Flowers by his family. Ann Buckman. The wreaths on the chapel doors are given in loving In loving memory of Frederick C. Ehrman, M.D. by his memory of Mr. & Mrs. Ben W. Kilgore, Jr., by their family. daughter, Betty Kilgore Gibbs, and their grandchildren, In memory of our dear mother, and Nana, Betty Reuther Gwinn and Jack Moss. by Rob, Betsy, and Will Reuther. Two wreaths at the office entry are given in loving memory In memory of Peyton Wells, Caroline and Jim Mapother, of Barbara Hancock by her family. Marian and Peyton Wells by their family. One wreath on the Sanctuary Door is given in loving memory of William Hancock, Jr., by Mary Collis Wreaths decorating the building … Hancock and family. Two wreaths at the chapel entrance are given in loving The wreaths on the two side doors to the Sanctuary Hall memory of their parents, Robert and Marilynn Smith are given in loving memory of Lucy Scott O’Brien and and Ruth Conway, by Peter and Lorrie Conway. E.J. O’Brien III, by their family. Two wreaths are given in loving memory of her parent, Mr. H. Lyle Duerson, Jr., and Jane Duerson Potter, by Luminaria for the outdoor service were given … Mrs. W.T. Scovil and family. In memory of Charles and Jerry Pence by their daughter, Sallye Pence. January 2021 I Second Presbyterian Church 9 children of this year, only please watch the Sunday School movies with your family at home Children’s Sunday School has been at least until we can get together a lot of fun this year! In the fall again safely. Movies for the Spring we started monthly movie nights. semester include: Frozen, Horton Sunday School for children was Hears a Who, Prince of Egypt, The then based on the movie that had Lorax, and Brave. Of course, a craft been shown for the month. The bag will accompany the lessons! first movie was Moana where we Craft bags will be available in their learned about our identity in Christ. usual spot underneath the portico, In October, it was Coco where we and videos will be sent out each learned about our call and how to Sunday through the children’s recognize that. We ended the year newsletter, 2PK, and will be on with The Grinch, where we learned the church’s website under the how to let our hearts grow. We will resources tab the following week. continue the theme for the rest Advent Bags It was so wonderful to see all the pictures of the advent wreaths created from the “Advent in a Bag” provided this year in place of our annual Advent Workshop. Being able to share the creating of the wreaths brought us together in spirit at a time when we couldn’t be together in the physical sense. I hope you had a chance to experiment with the family devotional, In Light & Darkness. If you didn’t, then perhaps you can revisit it during the Christmas season some time. It is a wonderful guide to help us recognize the good in both light and darkness, realizing that one cannot exist without the other. It culminates with a “Shadow Box Theater” that is fun to make and meaningful for all ages. Lorie Williamson is director of Children’s Ministries at Second Presbyterian Church Sharing grace … 10 weekday school Adapting to Change The beginning of the holiday break represents the end of this first challenging semester of being in session during the pandemic. It is a time to celebrate our adaptability and collaboration as a community. It is a moment to pause and reflect on all that we have accomplished to prepare for this school year and to remain safely open. It is also an opportunity to marvel at the resilience of children, as every day they model for us how kind, loving, hopeful, open and present one can be, even in times of disequilibrium.