December 2015

First Presbyterian Church’s
Monthly Newsletter
December 2015
The Joyful Noise
third advent when our mortal
bodies take on immortality and all
Advent celebrates the coming of Jesus
ends well.
Christ into the world and runs for the
The Christmas Story is a story infour Sundays leading up to Christmas.
volving a large cast of characters
Historically, Advent is a period of prepa- that we don’t hear much about, other
ration, calls for a spirit of penance, and
than when the story is read on Christmas
encourages times of fasting as an element Eve. It’s worth considering that this cast
of this (repenting). Presbyterians celeof characters were all ordinary people.
brate Advent as a time of anticipation of God seems to delight in using ordinary
Jesus’ coming into the world, but don’t
people to accomplish extraordinary repay much attention to fasting. And that’s sults. Imagine, God can even use ordinary
too bad because fasting can be a discipeople like you and me for his grand purpline that has profound effects on the
poses. So in our study together, we will
spiritual development of its practitioners. learn about members of this grand draIncidentally, fasting also has signi icant
ma. Here’s the cast:
bene its for one’s physical and psychological well-being.
November 29 Zechariah and Elizabeth
In a deeper sense, Christians recognize
(Luke 1:5-26)
that Advent has three implications. The
December 6
The Shepherds and
irst meaning is the historical event when
the Angels (Luke 2:8-20)
Jesus entered human history through his December 13 Joseph
incarnation. But there is also a Second
(Matthew 1:18-25)
Advent, which recognizes that Christ con- December 20 Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
tinues to come into the lives of the folDecember 24 Messiah (Luke 2:1-7)
lowers of Jesus; that He continuously
December 27 The Wise Men
gives of himself to His disciples in ever(Matthew 2:1-12)
increasing measure as we exercise the
avenues or means of grace. Yet we also
It just might be that you will see your
look forward to a third Advent when
own reflection as you look at them.
Christ shall come again, when time runs
out and this world is transformed into a
Have a blessed Advent!
new heaven and a new earth. And this is
Grace and peace,
our ultimate hope, this is eternal life
Ron
when all things are made new and per-
From Our Pastor
fect.
We celebrate His irst advent at Christmas. We experience His second coming
as we seek and receive more of Him into
our day-to-day living. We anticipate His
Inside this issue
Birthdays....................……..2
Happenings at Old South
.......................................……..2
Notes from the Session
.......................................……..3
Session Spotlight .....……..3
Voices from the Pews
.......................................……..4
Women’s Fellowship …...5
Deacon Spotlight .....……..5
View from the Loft .……..6
From the Archives ..……..7
Happenings at
First Presbyterian Church...
Mark your December calendars!
Dec. 4th: Christmas Carol Sing-Along at
7pm.
Dec. 5th: Heifer International Farm Trip at
10am.
A day packing medical supplies at IMEC.
Dec. 11th: Caroling and Hot Cocoa at
6:30pm (meet at church).
Birthdays
Dec. 13th : Christmas Brunch following
Living Nativity service.
December 1 - Martha Webb
Dec. 16th: Blue Christmas Service at 7pm.
December 3 - Max Keller & Kim
Dec. 24th: Candlelight Christmas Eve
Service at 7pm.
Lehmann
December 5 - Justin Joyner
December 6 - Ian Dent
December 7 - Susan Emanuelson
December 8 - Sheila Mullins
December 20 - Michael Martin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please have your poinsettia lower orders to the church
of ice by Dec. 11th.
The church of ice will be closed this month on 12/2,
12/22, 12/25 and 12/28.
December 22 - Lincoln Proops
December 27 - Lucas Paglia
Did we miss your birthday? Please
let the church of ice know so that
we can add you to our birthday list!
Financials
October 2015
Giving for Month: $9, 848
Target Giving for each month:
$8,732
Year To Date Giving: $77,727
Year To Date Budgeted: $87,323
71 Operation Christmas Child boxes were delivered this year! Thank you
to all who participated!
2
Session Spotlight...Why We Worship
Starting this Advent season, I am pleased to
announce the introduction of acolytes as a
part of our worship service at FCPN. While
this practice can be traced to at least the
mid-third century of the church (A.D. 251),
the motive for instituting this position and
practice at our little church lies in the powerful symbolism behind the simple acts of
lighting and extinguishing the candles.
The earliest account of this symbolism can
be found in the irst few verses of the Hebrew Scriptures: “Then God said, ‘Let there
be light’; and there was light. And God saw
that the light was good; and God separated
the light from the darkness” (Gen. 1:3-4). In
this passage, light is seen as good and helpful, as well as establishing order
and banishing chaos in the black void of nothingness. The acolytes bring
candlelight into the sanctuary so we remember God’s provision and care
for us. The candlelight also symbolizes Jesus’ words: “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the
light of life” (Jn. 8:12). Jesus is indeed the eternal Word who is a lamp to
our feet and a light to our path (cf. Ps. 119:105, Jn. 1:1-5).
The acolytes extinguish the altar candles at the close of the service, and
carry the light out of the sanctuary, to remind us that worship continues
in our role as disciples of Christ out in the world, and the dif icult task we
face in bringing light into darkness (Jn. 3:19-21). For, “You are the light of
the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp
puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all
in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”
(Mt. 5:14-17).
Each act performed by the acolytes is also a reason why we come to worship. We come to worship to remember God’s faithful providence over
creation and His creatures; we come to worship in gratitude for the light
of Christ which illumines our path together as a community of His disciples; and we come to worship to remember that our worship—if it is to
truly be worship—extends to all areas of our lives and every part of this
world, including where darkness seems to be the most suffocating and in
desperate need of light.
May the “little children” lead us this Advent season (Isaiah 11:6), and evermore thereafter, as we seek to both continually enter and expand the
kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:3). And may they lead us in the joyful expectation of the coming Christ-child, whose star in the heavens foreshadowed
His complete victory of darkness and evil (Mt. 2:2).
Notes from the Session
Again, truly I tell you that if two of you
on earth agree about anything they
ask for, it will be done for them by my
Father in heaven. For where two or
three gather in my name, there am I
with them. – Ma hew 18:19-20
Jesus tells us nothing explicitly about
the se"ng in this o#-cited passage
about community worship – formal
and cavernous sanctuary or outdated
and peeling fellowship hall. We learn
that Christ is with us in each of these
physical loca$ons, as long as we come
together spiritually, emo$onally, and
prayerfully in his name. As we enter
longingly into Advent and look joyfully
toward Christmas, we can’t help but
feel the energe$c enthusiasm in our
weekly worship services in the Fellowship Hall, standing shoulder-toshoulder, bel$ng out hymns, and passing the peace, all amongst metal chairs
and faded curtains. The session con$nues its dedicated work about what it
means to gather together. How do we
maintain this newfound weekly energy
and powerful singing in a large, but
mostly empty, sanctuary? When we
return to the sanctuary for the Advent
Season, we must con$nue to stand
together, shoulder-to-shoulder, sharing our pews and our voices. We
strongly encourage you, indeed we
implore all of you, to consider moving. Move forward. Move toward a
friend to worship and commune together. Proximity actually ma ers in
the sanctuary if we are to experience
the same richness, intensity, and joy
that pervades us now in the fellowship
hall. Christ will be with us in both loca$ons. But our enthusiasm will fade
without inten$onal effort to reduce
the physical space that exists between
us.
May worship be a joy for you this Advent season.
Daniel McDowell, Elder and Worship Committee Chair
3
Voices From the Pews...We Need a Little
Advent
Haul out the holly; Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking, I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute,
Candles in the window, carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute,
It hasn't snowed a single flurry, but Santa, dear, we're in a hurry….
In the 1966 Broadway musical Mame, Angela Lansbury played a wealthy, eccentric, bon vivant who raises her orphaned
nephew, Patrick, in an atmosphere of vibrant nonconformity. When Mame loses her fortune in the stock market crash of
1929 and fails at a series of jobs, her sunny outlook dims, and she declares, “We need a little Christmas!” for an instant pickme-up, despite the fact that, as Patrick protests, “It’s one week past Thanksgiving day!”
Nowadays, of course, one week past Thanksgiving is more-than-fair Christmas territory. In fact, for many stores, “a little
Christmas” starts one day past Halloween. But even as we shake our heads at the sight of tinsel in early November, we all
empathize with Mame’s desire—her need, even—for immediate cheer. Many of us hit the stores on Black Friday and put up
the tree while we’re still eating turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches. We Christians are no exception. We can’t wait to sing
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World” as soon as the season approaches—not “all those dreary Advent
hymns.”
And who can blame us? Like Mame, we’ve recently lived through challenging economic times. We are so heartsick at the
news of more terror attacks, more school shootings, more racial unrest, more poverty, more media-driven solipsism, more
overwhelming evidence that we live in a dark, fallen world, that of course we need some bright and shiny—and we need it
right this very minute!
I’m going to suggest something that may be difficult to hear, especially in light of recent global events: Advent, this precious
time of waiting, is not just a way to start Christmas sooner. It is about hoping for the light, but it is also a time to contemplate
the darkness.
We Americans aren’t comfortable with sadness or stillness: “Santa, dear, we’re in a hurry!” We like to be noisy, busy, and
smiling. We like to believe that activity confers purpose and that positive thinking guarantees success. But sometimes it is
only by sitting quietly and listening into the darkness that we can hear God’s voice. It takes a particular familiarity with sadness to truly appreciate the miracle of Christ’s birth.
The world into which Jesus was born was pretty bleak. The nation of Israel was fractured, the Roman Empire ruled over the
Jews with an iron fist, and God had not spoken to His people in 400 years. It was against this forlorn backdrop that a scared,
unwed teenager made her way to a dirty stable and gave birth among shepherds.
You can’t get to Bethlehem without passing through Herod’s corrupt halls of power, and you can’t hear the angels sing without first waiting in the cold with impoverished shepherds. You can’t rejoice at the empty tomb without first encountering the
cross. You can’t celebrate the Savior without coming to grips with the world’s brokenness.
I started the Blue Christmas service two years ago because I was keenly aware of two things: First, the pressure to be merry
can be very painful to people who are struggling emotionally, and second, even in the best of circumstances, there is a blue
halo around this shiny red holiday. How fitting that red and blue make purple—the color of Advent.
I urge you to take some time this Advent to be still, to feel the power of some of those minor-key hymns, and to let yourself
experience the shadow “o’er all the weary world.” Then light a candle of hope. For Christ is coming again, and as He told His
disciples, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again, and no one will take away your joy.”
Please join us for our Blue Christmas service on December 16. Even if you’re not grieving, it’s a wonderful opportunity to
ponder the quieter side of the season.
Kara Kniker, Member of First Presbyterian Church
4
Women’s Fellowship
In Memory...
Small said, “But what
about when we are
Back in the cold month of January, the
Women’s Fellowship collectively
agreed to have another Christmas Bazaar. This was our 7th year and we
were quite excited to (honesty permits) make some money, to let the
dead and gone, will
you love me then, does
love go on?”
This year’s fair was hugely successful,
as of today’s count we have brought in
over $2500!!
Large
held Small snug as
they looked out at the
night, at the moon in
the dark, and the stars
shining bright. “Small,
look at the stars, how
they shine and glow,
church community and the surrounding community know who we are, and
lastly to have some fun. We accomplished all three thanks to all of you in
our church community. Thank you for
sharing your time and talent, for baking, and being so supportive. You made
a difference.
Making ceramic crosses for the fair at Pottery
Isle in Newburyport.
In our prayers of thankfulness we lift
our faces toward you and express
much gratitude and praise for each and
every volunteer. Sincerely, Nancy,
Gretel, Joyce, Carol, Carmen, Connie
and Lynda.
some of the stars died
a long time ago. Still
Deacon Spotlight…
they shine in the even-
Open Doors, Open Hearts
ing skies, for you see,
Small, love like starlight never dies…”
From ‘No Matter What’ by
Dedi Gliori
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In loving memory:
Ann Little
Jan. 1920 - Feb. 2015
Janet Noyes
Oct. 1925 - June 2015
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has
welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Romans 15:7 ESV
It was my "irst Yankee Homecoming, more importantly, my "irst bed race. As a fairly new
member of First Presbyterian Church, I was
there to cheer, to help out, and to ride on the
“bed” (yikes). I was both nervous and excited. Would I fall off the bed? Would the
runners drop me? Enough with my worrying already!
Before the race started, a long-time member of the church asked for help at the food
tent. She needed me to carry some items to the kitchen. I asked her if the church
was “open”, more speci"ically, what do I tell race onlookers who may want to come
inside the church? Without hesitation, she looked at me and said, “Of course we
want people to come in and see this beautiful church, it is for everyone. Tell them,
welcome, come on in!”
I can’t remember what place we "inished that year, but her poignant response has
remained with me ever since. Of course we want the “onlooker” to come inside and
hear the word of God. Of course we want them to experience God’s grace in their
own lives. Of course we want them to be a part of the congregation and to partake
in fellowship. We want the doors of First Presbyterian Church to always be open, to
everyone. Please join us in worship; you are always welcome here.
Melissa Paglia, Deacon at First Presbyterian Church
5
View from the Loft
I have been re"lecting on twenty years of looking down
from the balcony and counting faces, or scalps, as the
case may be. There have been new pastors; the steeple
has been rebuilt; members have come and gone, and in
some cases gone and come back; hymnals have been
changed (twice); a ‘new’ piano arrived from Lawrence;
and, a more modern sound system was installed.
Sometimes I need to remind myself that things do
change. Nothing happened in one day, but quite a bit
did happen over the past two decades. I do not need
the rearview mirror on the organ to realize that my
mustache and hair are far more gray now.
Of course, I am reminded weekly that 20 years pales in
comparison to the time the church has stood. And I am
ever grateful for the organ, which has served faithfully
for 150 years. I’m not sure of the exact installation date
in 1866, but it was surely before December 25th.
That will make this Christmas the 150th Christmas that
this organ has served First Presbyterian. With the
exception of an electric blower to provide the wind, the
rest of the organ is all mechanical. There is nothing
electric or automatic about the mechanism. While the
organ was cleaned and its leathers refurbished in 1974,
the sound we hear today is essentially the same sound
that was heard in 1866. The feel of playing the instrument today is no different than it was when it was new.
During Lent, the choir agreed to try something new.
We began work on a contemporary cantata, using individual components each Sunday before performing the
whole work on Good Friday. This Advent we will be
doing another work by the same composer. We will be
doing the pieces individually following the thematic
weeks of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The "irst
three will be sung as we light the "irst three candles.
On the fourth Sunday, December 20th, we will sing the
work, Love Came Down at Christmas, in its entirety
during the morning service.
I would like to remind you all that I would love to have
more people contribute to the music program here at
First Presbyterian. Anyone who likes to sing is welcome to be part of the choir. If you play an instrument,
I encourage you to think about doing a piece during the
service. All types of music can contribute greatly to
worship. Selections don’t have to be hymn based or
sacred to have meaning. Pieces of many genres can
lend themselves to inspiration.
Finally, we have a new hymnal which contains a huge
number of hymns and songs. If you have a favorite
hymn that you have not heard in a long time, or one
that perhaps we’ve never done, please let me know.
Even if you don’t see something in the hymnal, chances
are we can "ind it. Most importantly, let us make a
joyful noise by joining our voices and singing out for
the Glory of God.
Michael Martin, Music Director at First Presbyterian
“...let us make a joyful
noise by joining our
voices and singing out
for the Glory of God.”
Michael Martin
6
From the Archives...by Nancy Stokes, First
Presbyterian Church Archivist
The Paul Revere Bell was cast by Paul Revere in 1802 and purchased by Benjamin Wyatt as a representative of a committee in
1803. The payment receipt, signed by Paul Revere, is preserved
in our archives. Weighing 1,255 pounds, the bell is the oldest of
the three Revere bells in Newburyport and the tenth oldest still
in use. The bell is still hand rung on Sundays, holidays, and special occasions.
“While Paul Revere is probably best known for his famous Midnight Ride and for his silversmithing, after the Revolution he
had set up a foundry in the North End of Boston, making iron
and later brass items such as stoves, hearths, anvils and cannons. In 1792, he agreed to re-cast the cracked bell from what is
now known as the Old North Church in Boston, and from this
beginning, the Revere foundry went on to cast a total of 398
bells between 1792 and 1828, "irst in the North End and, after
1804, in Canton, Massachusetts.”*
For more information go to : at https://visitbath.com/history/
history-of-the-paul-revere-bell-in-bath-maine/
* Main Street Bath, Bath, Maine.
First Presbyterian Church
29 Federal Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
(978) 465-9666
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