Advent Brochure--Journey to Bethlehem
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Advent-Christmastide 2015
Advent/Christmastide 2015-2016 Unless otherwise noted, all I John: Darkness & Light Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. I John 1:5 In elementary school, we learn that ordinary light can be split up into many colors (seven, to be exact). All of these colors combine wonderfully to give us the full spectrum light we experience each day in the rays of the sun. Full spectrum light is full, complex, and rich. It brings life and flourishing everywhere it travels. Take it away, and the world would eventually be enshrouded in death. Each year as fall turns into winter and the days get progressively shorter, many of us begin to experience the toll that darkness takes upon us. Our mood sinks and we can find it harder to go about the daily tasks of life. We begin to long for the return of the healing light of the sun. Certain types of artificial light try to mimic what the sun can do, but they are, in the end, cheap and garish substitutes for the real thing. The biblical narrative tells a story of a world that was enveloped in darkness―a darkness of sin, prideful autonomy, and foolish efforts to create our own light. And, into this great darkness, God―the true Light―has come. Jesus is the Light that has come into our darkness. His light is full, complex and rich. -
Sermon for the Exile in Egypt and the Feast of the Epiphany Preached At
Sermon for the Exile in Egypt and the Feast of the Epiphany Preached at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Mt. Kisco, NY By the Rev. William A. Doubleday, Priest in Charge January 5, 2014 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We just heard a part of the story of the Magi – the wise men from the East – the Persian astrologers – the Gentile visitors to the Baby Jesus and his parents in Bethlehem – from Matthew’s Gospel. Today I want to speak to you about what the late Radio Announcer Paul Harvey might have called the REST OF THE STORY. The fuller story is punctuated with dreams. The Magi are warned not to go back to King Herod and report the exact location of Jesus. Joseph is warned in a dream that Herod has resolved to kill every child under two in and around Bethlehem. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus flee to Egypt and after some time, when Herod has finally died, Joseph is advised to go back to the land of Israel in one dream, and then advised to go not to Bethlehem, but to Nazareth in still another dream. The part of the story I particularly want to emphasize today is the flight into Egypt. Egypt, the land from which the once enslaved Hebrew people fled at the time of the Exodus, becomes in Matthew’s Infancy Narrative a safe haven – a refuge – a place to hide for the Infant Jesus and his Holy Family. So we have the horribly ironic and timely story of a mad ruler seeking to destroy the very Infant who came into the world to save his people. -
Fourth Sunday of Advent $36,705 Was Added to Our Capital Campaign Fund
participating. All pledges have been fulfilled. After meeting our $10,500 commitment to the Diocese, Fourth Sunday of Advent $36,705 was added to our Capital Campaign Fund. December 20, 2020 First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalm 24; Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27; Gospel of Luke 1:26-38 “May it be done to me according to your word.”—Luke 1:38 Like young Mary, each of us has the power to choose. We have the power to choose how we respond to the mysteries that come our way as we follow Christ. To love or not. To place our faith and trust in God or not. When we are confronted with choices to do God’s will, we can call these Mary Moments. Mary understood that there would be a cost. And the GOSPEL READINGS angel of GodThanksgiving said to her, “MorningDo not be Eucharist afraid, Mary, for you have found favor FOR THE WEEK with God. ” Listening to God’s word gives Mary peace and confidence in We will celebrate a special Mass in gratitude to God on Mon: Luke 1:39-45 God ’s presence and faithfulness. She responds with a loving and trusting Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26 at 10:00 am. Tues: Luke 1:46-56 heart, “May it be done to me according to your word.” This final Sunday of You are welcome to bring any food items that will be Wed: Luke 1:57-66 Advent reminds us of the importance of opening our hearts to God’s love shared at your table for a special blessing, as well as to Thurs: Luke 2:1-14 in every Mary Moment that comes our way. -
Advent at Home 2020 We Wait for Jesus
We Wait for Jeus Advent 2020 to Epiphany 2021 At Home Worship Guide Advent to Epiphany At Home 2020 November 29, 2020 through January 6, 2021 Written by Talashia Keim Yoder Edited by Shana Peachey Boshart and Wil LaVeist Designed by Caleb Gingerich This material may be reproduced and adapted by Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA congregations free of charge. If making changes, please add an explanatory note to acknowledge adaptations and credit those who made the changes. We would love to hear how you are using this material, and we are interested in your suggestions for making it more useful and accessible. Contact: Shana Peachey Boshart, Denominational Minister for Faith Formation, Mennonite Church USA 574-523-3070 [email protected] MennoniteUSA.org/FF © Talashia Keim Yoder and Mennonite Church USA Page 2 CONTENTS 4 Introduction 6 The Advent Wreath 8 Advent Week 1, November 29: Hope 10 Advent Week 2, December 6: Peace 13 Advent Week 3, December 13: Joy 15 Advent Week 4, December 20: Love 17 Christmas Day, December 25: Jesus 19 Christmas Week 2, January 3, 2021 21 Epiphany Day, January 6, 2021 Page 3 ADVENT AT HOME 2020 WE WAIT FOR JESUS Introducing Advent What is Advent? • The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” In the season with this name, we keep in mind both “advents” of Christ: the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come. • A time to remember we need a Savior. Without divine help, we are unable to live in peace with God, ourselves or each other. -
Heaven's Got Talent
HEAVEN’S GOT TALENT by Brian Yapko Copyright Notice CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this Work is subject to a royalty. This Work is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations, whether through bilateral or multilateral treaties or otherwise, and including, but not limited to, all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention, the Universal Copyright Convention and the Berne Convention. RIGHTS RESERVED: All rights to this Work are strictly reserved, including professional and amateur stage performance rights. Also reserved are: motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound recording, all forms of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as CD-ROM, CD-I, DVD, information and storage retrieval systems and photocopying, and the rights of translation into non-English languages. PERFORMANCE RIGHTS AND ROYALTY PAYMENTS: All amateur and stock performance rights to this Work are controlled exclusively by Christian Publishers. No amateur or stock production groups or individuals may perform this play without securing license and royalty arrangements in advance from Christian Publishers. Questions concerning other rights should be addressed to Christian Publishers. Royalty fees are subject to change without notice. Professional and stock fees will be set upon application in accordance with your producing circumstances. Any licensing requests and inquiries relating to amateur and stock (professional) performance rights should be addressed to Christian Publishers. Royalty of the required amount must be paid, whether the play is presented for charity or profit and whether or not admission is charged. -
The Illnesses of Herod the Great 1. Introduction 2. Sources of Information
The illnesses of Herod the Great THE ILLNESSES OF HEROD THE GREAT ABSTRACT Herod the Great, Idumean by birth, was king of the Jews from 40BC to AD 4. An able statesman, builder and warrior, he ruthlessly stamped out all perceived opposi- tion to his rule. His last decade was characterised by vicious strife within his family and progressive ill health. We review the nature of his illnesses and suggest that he had meningoencephalitis in 59 BC, and that he died primarily of uraemia and hyper- tensive heart failure, but accept diabetes mellitus as a possible underlying etiological factor. The possibility that Josephus’s classical description of Herod’s disease could be biased by “topos” biography (popular at the time), is discussed. The latter conside- ration is particularly relevant in determining the significance of the king’s reputed worm- infested genital lesions. 1. INTRODUCTION Herod the Great, king of the Jews at the onset of the Christian era, had no Jewish blood in his veins. Infamous in Christian tradition for the massacre of the newborn in Bethlehem, he was nevertheless a vigorous and able ruler, a prolific builder, friend and ally of Rome and founder of an extensive Herodian dynasty which significantly influenced the history of Palestine. His miserable death at the age of 69 years was seen by the Jewish religious fraternity as Jahweh’s just retribution for his vio- lation of Judaic traditions (Ferguson 1987:328-330; Sizoo 1950:6-9). The nature and cause of his illness and death is the subject of this study. 2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION With the exception of fragmentary contributions from Rabbinic tradi- tions, Christian records in the New Testament and evidence from con- temporary coins, Herod’s biography comes to us predominantly through the writings of Flavius Josephus, a Jewish priest of aristocratic descent, military commander in a revolt against Rome, but subsequent recipient of Roman citizenship. -
Christmastide Devotional
THE MISSION OF CHRISTMAS A Christmastide Devotional Advent/Christmastide 2020 THE MISSION OF CHRISTMAS A Christmastide Devotional Advent/Christmastide 2020 Hope Church 2609 Seminole Road Columbia, SC 29210 hopechurchcola.org If you were like me, I grew up believing that 25 December was the end of the Christmas season. However, according to the Church calendar, it’s twelve days long! When you stop to think about it (if you have that time) it makes sense. Why, after an entire month of longing and waiting and remembering, would we celebrate for one day and be done? I would hope our celebration, not only spills over into the twelve days of Christmastide but that the hope and joy of Christmas would never leave our hearts. As with the Advent Worship Guide, this devotional was never intended to replace any regular study of the Word, but to supplement and be an addition to your regular time with the Lord. Each of these devotionals were written out of hearts that love the Lord and desire that all hearts are His alone. The hope is that you are not only encouraged in your walk with the Lord by the testimonies and encouragement from dear brothers and sisters at Hope Church but that a fire is stoked in your belly to go and tell. Go and tell your neighbor. Go and tell your friend. Go and tell the family member that you see only during the holidays. Go and tell! May this be our heartbeat. May we not be ashamed of the gospel! May we be compelled to tell everyone we meet that the King has come and He’s going to come back! He will right all the wrongs. -
The Nativity According to Luke: an Original Work of Art
The Nativity According to Luke: An original work of art By Ben Witherington III The Christmas portions of the gospel are, perhaps, the most beloved, and the most belabored, texts in the New Testament. Like works of art that have been lacquered with coat after coat of varnish, the original stories are hardly visible any more. Today, it is difficult to conceive the Nativity without an ox and ass, for example, although neither Matthew nor Luke mentions animals. (Rather, St. Francis, the great medieval lover of animals, is credited with building the first manger scene complete with live animals.) The three wise men are also permanent fixtures in our image of the Nativity, although they don’t arrive, according to Matthew 2, until several days after the birth of Jesus (the epiphany to the shepherds does, however, take place the same day). Perhaps revisiting the story from a historian’s point of view may remove some of these mistaken impressions, these layers of lacquer, and let us see the masterpiece in its brilliant original colors. Part of the problem today is that we tend to conflate Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts into one Nativity story. To counter this, in this column we will confine ourselves to a few verses from Luke. At the time of the birth, Joseph and Mary are in Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home, where the couple has traveled, according to Luke 2:1–5, to participate in a census. As Luke 2:5 states clearly, Joseph and Mary are engaged, and Mary is pregnant. Engagement in early Judaism was as binding as modern marriage is today. -
The Advent Wreath
THE ADVENT WREATH We know that ADVENT means COMING, and we know that Christmas is coming, but the season of Advent reminds us there is more to Christmas preparations than gift lists, frantic shopping, school plays and party schedules, etc. All the December activities make it easy to put off preparing our hearts for the true meaning of our Christmas celebration. The Advent wreath helps us keep a balance in our lives during the weeks of expectancy. The tradition of the family gathered around the table before a meal, lighting Advent candles, saying Advent prayers and sharing appropriate readings helps us to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child -- - as for many centuries God prepared the world for the birth of Jesus. The circle of the wreath reminds us that God has no beginning and no end. The evergreens represent the promise of eternal life. The candles represent Jesus’ overcoming the darkness of hatred and evil with the light of joy and love. The brief ritual described below, and on the following pages, is to be used each evening when the family gathers, beginning on the first of the four Sundays in Advent and continuing each day of the week. Adapt it if you like to include other prayers and verses. Some prefer to use “Advent Blue” candles. Other traditions use red or white. You may also choose to add a white “Christ candle” in the center to light on Christmas Eve. THE FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT A family member lights one (only) purple candle, saying: “I light this candle to remind us that we must prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child.” COLLECT for the first week in Advent (said by all): “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. -
Astronomical Calculations for The
Astronomical Calculations for The Real Star of Bethlehem While the spectacular astronomical signs in the 18 months from May 3 B.C. to December 2 B.C. would have caused wonderful interpretations by astrologers on behalf of Augustus and the Roman Empire, the Magi decided to go to Jerusalem with gifts to a newborn Jewish king. The Magi focused on Judaea and not Rome at this crucial time in history. Let us look at some of the astrological and biblical factors that may have brought the Magi to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. Since the New Testament says the Magi saw the “star” rising in the east, it would most naturally be called a “morning star.” The Book of Revelation has Jesus saying of himself, “I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” 1 The apostle Peter also mentioned that Jesus was symbolically associated with “the day star.” 2 The above verses refer to celestial bodies that were well known and recognized in the 1st century and they inspired symbolic messianic interpretation by early Christians. There were several prophecies in Isaiah which generally were interpreted as referring to the Messiah. One has definite astronomical overtones to it. Isaiah said, “The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” 3 This prophecy could easily refer to the rising of some star. It would be particularly appropriate to a “morning” or “day” star. Luke, in his Gospel, referring to the celestial symbolism of Isaiah 60:3 which spoke of God as being “the daybreak [the rising] from on high that hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness.” 4 Astronomy and the New Testament These references reveal that celestial bodies were symbolically important to the New Testament writers. -
Order of Blessing of the Advent Wreath Within Mass
ORDER OF BLESSING OF THE ADVENT WREATH WITHIN MASS INTRODUCTION WHEN THE ADVENT WREATH IS USED IN CHURCH, IT SHOULD BE OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO BE VISIBLE TO THE CONGREGATION. IT MAY BE SUSPENDED FROM THE CEILING OR PLACED ON A STAND. IF IT IS PLACED IN THE SANCTUARY OR PRESBYTERIUM, IT SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE CELEBRATION OF THE LITURGY, NOR SHOULD IT OBSCURE THE PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF THE ALTAR, LECTERN (AMBO), OR CHAIR. AFTER THE GOSPEL READING, THE CELEBRANT IN THE HOMILY, BASED ON THE SACRED TEXT AND PERTINENT TO THE PARTICULAR PLACE AND THE PEOPLE INVOLVED, EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF THE CELEBRATION. UNIVERSAL PRAYER THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER, OR GENERAL INTERCESSIONS, FOLLOWS, IN THE USUAL FORM OR IN THE FORM PROVIDED HERE. THE CELEBRANT CONCLUDES THE INTERCESSIONS WITH THE PRAYER OF BLESSING. FROM THE FOLLOWING INTENTIONS THOSE BEST FOR THE OCCASION MAY BE USED OR ADAPTED, OR OTHER INTENTIONS THAT APPLY TO THE PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES MAY BE COMPOSED. THE CELEBRANT SAYS: As we await with longing the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters, let us with renewed devotion beseech his mercy, that, as he came into the world to bring the good news to the poor and heal the contrite heart, so in our own time, also, he may bring salvation to all I need. THE ASSISTING MINISTER SAYS THE INTENTION: That the keeping of Advent may open our hearts to God’s love, we pray to the Lord. AND THE PEOPLE RESPOND: Amen. ASSISTING MINISTER: That the light of Christ may penetrate the darkness of sin, we pray to the Lord. -
Nochebuena Navidad
Sacred Heart Church, 200 So. 5th St. St. Mary’s Church, 2300 W. Madison Ave. Sacred Heart Parish Center, 2301 W. Madison Ave. Sacred Heart Parish Office 204 So. 5th St. 402-371-2621 Nochebuena Dic 24: 3:50 p.m. Proseción de Niños, Sta María 4:00 pm Sta. María 6:00 pm Sta. María 11:00 pm Música Navideña, Sta. María 12:00 pm Misa de Medianoche, Sta. María 4:00 pm St. Leonard, Madison 6:00 pm St. Leonard, Madison (bilingüe) 6:00 pm St. Peter’s, Stanton Navidad Dic 25: 8:30 am Sta. María 10:30 am Sta. María (bilingüe) 9:00 am St. Leonard, Madison 10:00 am St. Peter’s, Stanton PARISH LITURGIES Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Teen Ministry Saturday Eve Vigil Masses St. Mary’s Church Lynnette Otero, 402-371-2621 St. Mary’s Church 24/7 every day RELIGIOUS FORMATION 5:00 pm Reconciliation 204 So. 5th St. 402-371-2621 Sunday Masses Sacred Heart Church IMMACULATA MONASTERY Sacred Heart Church 4:45 pm-5:20 pm (M-T-W-Th-F) & SPIRITUALITY CENTER 7:30 am St. Mary’s Church 300 No. 18th St. 402-371-3438 Masses: S-M-T-W-F-Sa: 7:00 am; Th-5:00 pm St. Mary’s Church 4:00 pm-4:45 pm (Saturday) Holy day Masses: 7:00 am 9:30 am, 11:30 am PARISH WEB SITE: Vespers: 5:30 pm daily (Thursday-5:00 pm) Weekday Masses www.SacredHeartNorfolk.com Monastery Website: www.mbsmissionaries.org. (Please check page 4 for changes) NORFOLK CATHOLIC SCHOOL ST.