Dec/Jan Newsletter – Congregational Connections

December 2019/January 2020 Issue

Heaven and Nature Sing!

Come worship with us throughout the Christmas Season. This Advent and Christmas, we will focus on the Christmas carol, Joy to the World! which, like us, celebrates its 300th anniversary!

Each Sunday in Advent, we light candles on the Advent Wreath and reflect on the light that entered the world through Jesus Christ. We celebrate anew each year the miracle that God came to us as one of us to bring God’s peace and love. If you have friends or family members who do not have a church, Christmas is a wonderful time to invite them to experience worship at First Congregational.

On December 24, there will be a 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service with lessons and Christmas carols, beautiful music, and candlelight. Readers and candle lighters are needed at the 5 p.m. service, so please contact Pastor Doreen if you would like to participate.

Christmas Cantata,
Sat, December 14 at 7 p.m.

The Christian Community Choir, under the direction of Kathleen Hosterman, will perform the cantata Heaven Rejoices: A Christmas Musical by Ken Parker and Bob Krogstad.

In addition to the performance at FCC, you can catch it on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. at the East Brookfield Baptist Church; or on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in E. Brookfield.

Advent Offering

Enclosed in the newsletter is an envelope addressed to the church. This is for those who would like to make an offering to the church in honor of Advent and Christmas. Blessings to all.

A Note from the Pastor

Grace and Peace and Merry Christmas, dear friends. I am so excited about this year’s Advent / Christmas series with its focus on the carol Joy to the World. It was written in 1719, the same year the worshipping community was formed that became the First Congregational Church of Leicester. The song encourages “the earth” to receive her King, and proclaims that “fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.” I love how expansive the joy is – not just for human hearts, but for all of life, for Mother Earth. All are redeemed and all are part of God’s glory! The UCC Advent devotional has a similar theme this year – A New Earth. I loved the introductory reflection by Mary Luti, and share it here for those who won’t get their own book:

The chorus of a popular children’s carol from Spain goes like this: The fishes in the river are jumping and dancing, jumping and dancing because God is born! The fishes in the water are dancing and jumping, dancing and jumping because Dawn is breaking!

Dancing fishes – that seems right to me. After all, Scripture doesn’t promise a Savior only for humans, or that homo sapiens alone will enjoy the justice he brings, or that the healing light breaking from on high will soothe and restore only us. It’s hard to imagine that a God who made dancing fishes would leave them out of the mercy promised from of old. Everything needs healing. Everything needs to be made new.

No, God won’t leave out the fishes. Or the river they’re vaulting in. When it comes to Advent’s promise, Scripture is terrestrially inclusive: A shoot springs from the trunk of Jesse. Earth fills up with the knowledge of God. Valleys are raised, mountains are lowered, cities rebuilt, vineyards planted. Wolves live with lambs. Snakes and scorpions are safe to touch. Water gushes from salvation’s wells. Wine drips from mountains. Swords are beaten into plowshares. Mountains yield prosperity, and hills, righteousness. Justice falls like rain on new-mown grass. And God, who loves the world, takes a body becoming earth with earth, uniting what seemed like opposites.

Wait for it, Scripture says! This is what’s coming – faithful ways of living, just ways of judging, generous ways of relating, immense kindness, transforming mercy, unimaginable reconciliation, universal healing. In short, a new earth. And all creatures will see it together. Fishes, start your engines: let heaven and nature sing!

Friends, even as some parts of nature go into hibernation, there is freshness and joy in the season for which we don’t have to wait. Think of sweet rustling of leaves underfoot, the joy of children playing in the first good snowfall, the brightness of the crisp evenings, the beauty of the sunsets and moonscapes. Open your ears and your hearts as you listen, for indeed, heaven and nature sing.

May you find abundant blessings over the Christmas season and in the New Year.
Love, Pastor Doreen

Womens Association

December 4 at noon at the church. Come enjoy a light lunch, dessert, and a Yankee Swap ($10 limit), great company and many laughs.

Worcester Fellowship,
December 29

What a timely opportunity to embody the giving spirit of the Christmas season by participating in the lunch assembly on the Sunday after Christmas. There will be a sign-up sheet for food donations on December 15.

We accept donations of socks, mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, and rain ponchos at any time. As always, people are most welcome to join the lunch and worship behind Worcester City Hall at 1:00 p.m.

*
*

Adaptive Change Meeting,

Feb. 2

Our church, like so many others, is going through changes related to decreasing attendance and participation in church life. One way to cope is to react – to “put out fires” so to speak. Another way is to be pro-active in discerning our future, to consider our core purpose and values and reflect on how to be good stewards of all our resources – material, energy and time.

Last spring the church leadership had a half-day retreat at the parsonage to begin discussion on these issues, and we would now like to have a wider conversation. Please plan to stay after worship for a pot-luck lunch and guided conversation. We need YOUR input.