107 Concord Road, Wayland Massachusetts 01778

Early yesterday, at the start of the calendar year, while everyone else in my house was asleep, I prayed for you and your families. I believe in prayer as a spiritual activity that focuses the mind and the heart. It is for me an exercise in pastoral care. May the spirit bless you and your family throughout the year.

Good things have been happening here over the past weeks. Our church community rallies in special ways over the winter holidays. I want to mention a few folks who have been doing things around the church recently.

Ron Riggert brought the snow blower to Dick Stitt’s garage for repair. Dick worked on it and decided that it might be best to replace it. Dick’s son David donated a used snow blower to the church. Thank you to David for that! Dick and his friend Russ DiMauro delivered both snow blowers to the church (just in time…). Matt Johnson hopes to pick up the old one and bring it to the Concord Country Club; the mechanics there will use it for parts. This is a good example of members of the community working together on a problem. Thanks to everyone involved.

Speaking of Ron Riggert. Last Sunday Ron was at church early practicing music for our Sunday worship. After playing the organ for the service he supervised the counting of the money. After that he set out the offering envelopes for the new year.

Mary Ann gave a children’s talk in church about the ornaments on the Christmas tree, ending with an inspiring lesson about snowflakes and God’s love for us. Say a word of thanks to Mary Ann for her ongoing concern for the flowers and the gardens of our church. I will order a new flower chart. In the spring Anna Mullen plans to help us plant a cutting garden that will be one source of flowers for the altar.

Kim Ho volunteered to organize meal deliveries to Ursula and Perry Smoot. Contact Kim if you would like to prepare a meal. kim@kimberlyho.net

Thanks to all of you who made year-end contributions to your church. The council meets on Monday, January 13 to set a spending budget for the new year. The semiannual; meeting is scheduled for January 26, following the service.

The carpet cleaners are here today-1/2-working on the rug in the fellowship hall. Our friends from Or Atid (our Family Promise partners) and Music Together made special contributions toward the cost of the cleaning.

God’s peace to all of you as we begin 2014, our 50th anniversary year!

 

 

I’m still looking for a few more people to help with a reception, bring a few cookies and help clean-up. Go to the signupgenius page for this event. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABAC28A2FF2-Nordic

 

 

Saturday, December 21 Christmas program rehearsal at 10 am.  After the rehearsal we will make our annual caroling visit to Traditions in Wayland.

 

 

I am looking for native or fluent speakers of German to help with part of the service. If you are one of these, and are planning to be here Christmas Eve, get back to me, please.

 

 

A simple, quiet service for the morning of the nativity.

Saturday, December 21 at 7 pm. Stambandet, Nordic Yuletide. Peace member tickets are free. Order them in advance through the Stambandet website.   http://www.stambandet.org/Welcome.html  Sign up online to help with the reception:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABAC28A2FF2-Nordic

Sunday, December 22 9:30 am  The 4th Sunday in Advent and our children’s Christmas program.

Tuesday, December 24 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Holy Communion. This is our church-family gathering around the Lord’s table, the Christmas celebration of your faith. Special music and candlelight.

Wednesday, December 25 9:30 am. Christmas morning prayers, a quiet service. Listen to the readings appointed for the day and rest for a few minutes in the mystery of the birth of Christ.

It’s the last Sunday of the church year. All the names and stories and events and colors come together in this final celebration of the one who reigns over time and space, over history and eternity. Servants of the servant-king Jesus pay homage to him in worship, and receive him (as he comes to serve us) in the bread and wine of communion.

Jonathan Moretz and Bruce Goody will help us mark this day with the music of Telemann and Handel. Jonathan and Bruce are servants of the special grace of music that helps us hear and receive the word of God.

Next week we begin a new year with the beautiful blue season of Advent. We have a full calendar of activities at Peace from now until Christmas. I hope that all of you will be present and engaged if you are in town. These weeks that correspond roughly to the secular holiday season are rich spiritual times in the church. As Christians you are offered a spiritual feast in Advent.

We’ll collect warm caps and gloves, food and checks for the United Native American Cultural Center in Ayer, Mass. Heather Moretz will deliver the items to Ayer next Sunday, December 1.

The Wayland community Thanksgiving is at the Islamic Center this year. Confirmation students will meet at the church at 6:30 am and we’ll drive over together. If you want to meet us there, let me know.

It looks like all the mitten gift tags have been taken. Corinne and Stephanie and others spent time coordinating this annual event, making it easy for the rest of us to follow through by buying a gift.

Carol Green is working on developing a prayer team ministry. I know that some of you have spoken to her about the shape of this new endeavor. I really hope that we can move forward on it. A dedicated prayer team of some kind will strengthen our congregation and be a blessing to those involved and to others. Thanks to Carol for the idea.

Speaking of Carol, one of her other ministries has been can and bottle recycling with redemption proceeds going to the Florence House in Worcester. Recently Carol sent a check for $200 to Florence House.

Advent fair next Sunday, December 1st. Sign up to bring something to share by going to the online website. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABAC28A2FF2-advent I hope you will all come, bring your friends and your Christmas list.

Please return your estimate of giving cards this Sunday. There are extra estimate cards and envelopes on the table in the narthex. Thank you for taking a moment to read it.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.  Luke 21:5

When the residents of Jerusalem revolted, the occupying power–Rome–destroyed the temple.The holy place was in ruins. Where was God if not in God’s house, the temple? This passage from Luke points the way to a new understanding of God’s presence, exposing human insecurities. We need a place, a big palace, a great building, a tower, a fort to house our God. If God is great then God must have a great big house such as the temple. When the temple is torn down by military forces that are not afraid of the God the temple honors–or more likely do not believe that the God of the temple exists–a profound disorientation follows. Jesus is quite calm about it all. In fact, that’s the tone of the passage. The world is following apart and Jesus is the calm presence in the face of the threat and in the middle of the mess.Sunday we will hear the rest of this passage and consider how the season and the readings are changing as we move forward toward Advent and Christmas.

Anna Mullen, our intern from Harvard Divinity School, will be with us for worship Sunday. I hope everyone takes a moment to say hello to Anna.

Remember to pick up a Christmas ornament and a gift wish from one of the mothers or children at Florence House. Return the unwrapped gift to Peace. Thanks to Corinne and Stephanie for organizing this annual ingathering.

It is stewardship time again. Please return your pledge card to the church in the next two weeks. Thank you to all of you for being part of this faith community. Early next week I’ll send out a pastoral stewardship letter that emphasizes what the council have asked you to do:  consider your giving to the church, return an estimate of giving card, make a year-end gift to Peace. Remember that you may give online through our website. www.peacewayland.org

Community Arts Advent Fair  December 1 from 11 until 1 am. Bring your Christmas list and do all your shopping after church!  Bring cookies or finger desserts to share.

Stämbandet’s Scandinavian folk music for the season, Saturday, December 21 at 7 pm. Members of Peace may attend free of charge. We need to prepare a simple reception for this event. If someone would like to be responsible for organizing it, let me know. Thank you.

Sunday school Christmas program Sunday, December 22. If your child is not able to take part in the pageant notify Kim Canning.

Rejoicing Spirits Sunday at 4 p.m.

Family Promise wrap-up meeting Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Confirmation instruction Sunday at 7:00 p.m.