Saint Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church

December 2009 Newsletter

Annual Stewardship Brunch SUNDAY CLERGY SCHEDULE
Dec. 5 Advent 2 – Fr. Brown
The Stewardship Brunch, held November Dec. 13 Advent 3 – Fr. Thompson
8, to highlight our stewardship campaign, was a Dec. 20 Advent 4 – Fr. Brown
happy occasion, with 58 parishioners being Dec. 24 Christmas Eve – Fr. Thompson
served. The food was prepared by Goldie’s Dec. 25 Christmas Day – No Service
Gourmet of West End. Lucy Dunn Martin, our Dec. 27 Christmas 1 - Fr.Thompson
Hospitality chair, and Martha Ragland attended
to the set-up and the serving of the meal, with
many other faithful hard workers joining in to DECEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
help. Tuesdays – Healing & Intercessory Prayer,
11:00 a.m.
The response of our people has been impressive, Dec. 3, 17 - 1:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
as we look toward planning our church budget for MANNA – First Wednesday of each month
the coming year. Church members continue to be (See Mercedes Herdrich for info on how you
committed to the financial needs of St. Mary can help)
Magdalene Church as we move forward, and for
that we are truly thankful. Thanks to everyone
who supported the event.
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Second Theater Outing Being Planned By

Brenda Yarrish
Following through on the success of the first
theater outing in October, Brenda is now
planning a second one for our parishioners. This
event, to be held at The Triad Stage in
Greensboro, is an Appalachian musical,
“Beautiful Star,” which tells the Christmas
story.

“This is family fare that will lighten your heart

and bring a lump to your throat.” GSO N and R
A sign up sheet is in the narthex. See Brenda for
more details on this Dec. _______ outing.

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 RADICAL HOSPITALITY –PART TWO
Fr. Bob Brown

MUSIC NOTES My house shall be called a house of prayer for

ADVENT ALL people. Mark 11:17, Isaiah 56:7
Prepare the way, O Zion
All are welcome!
Your Christ is drawing near; We fall short of God’s dream for us; both as a
Let every hill and valley, a level way Church and as a human family. But the first
appear disciples of Jesus fell short, too. In spite of their
Greet One who comes in glory, shortcomings, the Day of Pentecost happened,
Foretold in sacred story and people of diverse and varied ethnic groups
Oh blest is Christ that came and social classes and nations, people of all
stripes and colors, of all sorts and conditions, all
In God’s most holy name. heard the Good News of God in Jesus Christ.
And the Church grew. Our diocese may not be
On November 29, we began the celebration of there yet, but the Master taught us to pray, “Thy
Advent, which includes the four Sundays leading Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it
up to Christmas Day. This beautiful Advent is in heaven.”
hymn will be part of our worship time as we
begin this contemplative time of anticipation. Saint Mary Magdalene Church may not be there
yet, but the Good Book says, “The race is not to
the swift, but to those who persevere.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11. Individually we may not be
there yet, but it was Jesus himself who said, “By
your endurance, you will gain your souls.” Luke
21:19

With those words of encouragement, let us then,

persevere and endure, rededicating ourselves to
the spirit of hospitality and growth in the coming
years. The Bible tells us, “We press on toward
the mark of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.” Philipians 3:13-14. We live and work
toward the realization of God’s dream, God’s
ultimate will and desire for us, and for all
creation. It will not happen overnight. It will
not happen easily. But it will happen. And
someday, it will be known, far and wide, that
“All are welcome in the Episcopal Church.”

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 Christmas – Bah! Humbug!

ANGELS EXPLAINED BY Cristina Rossetti (1830-1894) wrote a

CHILDREN: poem which begins: In the bleak mid-
winter frosty winds made moan, earth
stood hard as iron, water like stone…..
I only know the names of two
That is how Christmas feels to many;
angels, Hark and Harold. Gregory,
those alone and lonely, grieving lost
age 5
relationships and lost opportunities.
The winter of their lives is indeed bleak
It’s not easy to become and angel.
while the whole world seems
First, you die, then you go to
deliriously happy. To not feel this
heaven, and then there is flight
ubiquitous joy makes one even sadder.
training to go through. And then
you got to agree to wear those
Rossetti’s poem goes on: Our God,
angel clothes. Matthew, age 9
heaven cannot hold him, nor earth
sustain; heaven and earth shall flee
Angels work for God and watch
away when he comes to reign: in the
over kids when God has to go do
bleak mid-winter a stable place
something else. Mitchell, age 7
sufficed the Lord God incarnate, Jesus
Christ. Suddenly there is God reaching
through all the sadness, gloom and
selfishness that can drag us into a
bleak despair. God reaching through
with a loving, kind, hopeful hand
saying, “You are not alone, I rejoice in
you, you are my hope.” When the
reality of this reaches our hearts, there
is joy quite beyond words. A
manufactured joy is no longer outside
trying to break in but inside real joy is
breaking out.

Rossetti’s final verse is: What can I

give him, poor as I am? If I were a
shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I
were a wise man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him – give my
heart. Christmas without Christ is a
hollow joy, a celebration without a
celebrant. When you do give him your
heart, Christ is born again in Christmas
and the joy is real. Do you know one
for whom Christmas isn’t fun at all?
Reach out. Give a call or card or
dinner invitation. Give him or her your
love. The real joy of Christ is
contagious.. Fr. Fred

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