Dec 19 Advent 4: Love Worship
Meditations on tangible love during Advent 4: holy, messy, stubborn love that moves among us here on earth.
I believe God loves the world through us—through you and me. — Mother Teresa
The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.― George Washington Burnap
The great struggle of … life is to take God’s name for us, to believe we are beloved and to believe that is enough. ― Rachel Held Evans
The roots of a lasting relationship are mindfulness, deep listening and loving speech, and a strong community to support you. — Thich Nhat Hanh
You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.
― William W. Purkey
Prayer
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
— St. Teresa of Ávila
Questions to consider:
- When did you have an experience of holy, stubborn love this week?
- When has love insisted on showing up, despite whatever should have turned it away, in your life?
- What or who has been transformed by love, in your life?
- When have you served as tangible love in someone else’s life?
- What is your ‘language’ of love? How do you express love to others? Read an article on this concept.
- In what ways are you willing to receive or accept love? When and how is it hard to allow yourself to be loved?
- What songs make your playlist as great love songs? Are they romantic or do they describe a different kind of love?
- Here are a few love songs to get a shared playlist started:
- One Love as performed by Bob Marley and One Love performed as world music by Playing for Change
- What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
- Lean On Me by Bill Withers
- Everybody Needs Somebody as performed by The Blues Brothers
- Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah performed by Pentatonix
- You Raise Me Up by Secret Garden with Brian Kennedy or You Raise Me Up as performed by Josh Groban
- Here are a few love songs to get a shared playlist started:
HOLY, STUBBORN LOVE: Incarnate, Embodied, Among-Us
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. ― Rumi
Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love. ― Mahatma Gandhi
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Every one of us is trying to find our true home. Some of us are still searching. Our true home is inside, but it’s also in our loved ones around us. When you’re in a loving relationship, you and the other person can be a true home for each other. ― Thich Nhat Hanh
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close. ― Pablo Neruda
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. ― Elie Wiesel
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always. ― Mahatma Gandhi
I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough … ― Nicholas Sparks
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. — Mother Teresa
You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not. ― Jodi Picoult
Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could. ― Louise Erdrich
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. ― J.R.R. Tolkien
Spiritual Commentary on Love
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. ― Dalai Lama
I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us. ― Anne Lamott
Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In
fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what
makes you desirous of change is the experience of love. It is that
inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change. ― Richard Rohr
Understanding someone’s suffering is the best gift you can give another
person. Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you
can’t love. ― Thích Nhất Hạnh
What I love about the ministry of Jesus is that he identified the poor
as blessed and the rich as needy…and then he went and ministered to
them both. This, I think, is the difference between charity and justice.
Justice means moving beyond the dichotomy between those who need and
those who supply and confronting the frightening and beautiful reality
that we desperately need one another. ― Rachel Held Evans
God’s grace is a gift that is freely given to us. We don’t earn a thing
when it comes to God’s love, and we only try to live in response to the
gift. No one is climbing the spiritual ladder. We don’t continually
improve until we are so spiritual we no longer need God. We die and are
made new, but that’s different from spiritual self-improvement. We are
simultaneously sinner and saint, 100 percent of both, all the time. The
Bible is not God. The Bible is simply the cradle that holds Christ.
Anything in the Bible that does not hold up to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ simply does not have the same authority. The movement in our
relationship to God is always from God to us. Always. We can’t, through
our piety or goodness, move closer to God. God is always coming near to
us. Most especially in the Eucharist and in the stranger.
― Nadia Bolz-Weber
When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like
the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now
there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage;
where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm
of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you
are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your
life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning. ― John O’Donohue
Christmas Morning Reflection
JCC 122518 – Christmas from architect on Vimeo.
Christmas at Jackson Community Church
MON, Dec 24: CHRISTMAS EVE
- CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT SERVICE: : Lessons, Carols & Candlelight.
5pm • Jackson Community Church- Lighting of the Advent candles including the Christ candle
- Christmas message
- Scripture readings
- Christmas carols
- Special music including piano, harp, guitar and vocal solos.
- Service ends as candles are lit and uplifted by the whole congregation.
- CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT SERVICE: : Lessons, Carols & Candlelight.
10pm • Jackson Community Church- Lighting of the Advent candles including the Christ candle
- Christmas message
- Scripture readings
- Christmas carols
- Special music including organ, piano, and vocal solo.
- Service ends as candles are lit and uplifted by the whole congregation.
TUE, Dec 25: CHRISTMAS DAY
- CHRISTMAS MORNING: Pajamas, Stories & Bells
10:30am • Jackson Community Church.
Come to church in PJs to ring bells, sing songs, and hear a special Christmas story.
THIS WEEK: MON, Dec 10 – SUN, Dec 16
At Jackson Community Church and Around Town
This week @ JCC: Tue – Deacons Mtg, Wed – Pastors Hours & Fitness with Laurie McAleer; Thurs – Yoga with Anjali Rose; Fri – Pastors Hours, Sun – Interfaith Gathering (old library) & Worship with Christmas Pageant and Peace & Pizza Concert with Dennis O’Neil & Davey Armstrong. Around town: Tue – Book Group (library), Thurs – Christmas Concert by Jackson Grammar School (Whitney Community Center), Sat – Craft Fair (Whitney Community Center for Jackson Grammar School) & Christmas Bird Count (ends @ Tin Mountain Conservation Center). Plus Save these Dates: Wed, Dec 19 – Peace Program (old red library), Fri, Dec 21 – Longest Night Winter Solstice Celebration (Tin Mountain Field Station, Jackson)
Ongoing: FRONT ENTRANCE RENOVATION
Tamarack Construction proceeds with installation this week. MON, Dec 10
- Community Event: WAY STATION TEAM MTG
4pm • Members of Way Station leadership (day resource center for homeless population in Mt Washington Valley) meet with Vaughan Center leaders to review guidelines under which Vaughan will serve as the Way Station’s fiscal agent. Rev Gail and church members serve on this team.
TUE, Dec 11
- CLERGY LUNCH
12:30pm • Members of Clergy of the Eastern Slope gather. Rev Gail belongs to and attends this gathering. - DEACONS MTG
4pm. • Deacons meet to prepare for Christmas worship, January services, and to review visitation and community care. - Community Event: ADULT BOOK GROUP
4:30pm • Jackson Public Library
Did You Ever Have a Family? adult book discussion
WED, Dec 12
- PASTOR’S HOURS
7-9am • Glen Ledge Corner Store & Gas Station. Come by for hot beverage and conversation. Or make a date to go for a walk by calling/texting Rev Gail 978.273.0308 or emailing Rev Gail (gaildoktor@mac.com). - TUNE UP FITNESS with Laurie McAleer
9am • Parish House, Jackson Community Church.Fitness class. Free; open. to public - Community Event: WAY STATION TEAM MTG
10am • Nativity Lutheran Church, North Conway.
Meeting of leadership team to review projects leading up to opening of Way Station in early 2019. Rev Gail & church member serve on this team.
THURS, Dec 13
- Community Event: AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES STEERING COMMITTEE
8:30am • Gibson Center. Reports on the recommendations of subcommittees regarding actionable projects to nurture an age-friendly experience in the Mt Washington Valley. Guided Gibson Center through AARP as agent of World Health Organization. Rev Gail serves on this task force. - INTRODUCTORY YOGA with Anjali Rose
9am • Parish House, Jackson Community Church Introductory yoga. - AA
6:30pm • Second Floor, Church. - Community Event: CHRISTMAS CONCERT
5:30-7pm • Jackson Grammar School
FRI, Dec 14
- PASTOR’S HOURS
7-9am • JTown Deli. Come by for hot beverage and conversation. Or make a date to go for a walk by calling/texting Rev Gail 978.273.0308 or emailing Rev Gail (gaildoktor@mac.com)
SAT, Dec 15
- Community Event: CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR
Morning • Whitney Community Center.
Jackson Grammar School’s craft fair. Proceeds from specific tables (White Elephant table) will support the Merriman House’s Music & Memory program for Alzheimer’s patients and the Way Station day resource center serving homeless Mt Washington Valley families. Our Missions team will have a small table at this event. - Community Event: CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
All day • Coordinated by Tin Mountain Conservation Center. Join us for the 30th annual North Conway Christmas Bird Count. Observers needed for traveling routes by foot, cross country skis, snowshoes, or by car. You can also tally birds at your feeder. Meet back at the Nature Learning Center at 5pm to tally our counts and share stories from the day. Call 447-6991 to participate.
SUN, Dec 16: Advent 3 – Joy
- INTERFAITH GATHERING @ OLD LIBRARY
8am • Old Library. Hot beverages available. Come for poetry, literature, conversation and prayer. - YOUTH & CHILDREN
9am • Church. Prep for pageant. - WORSHIP with PAGEANT
10:30am • Jackson Community Church.- Advent wreath-lighting by family.
- Accompanist: Alan Labrie
- Special Music: Gia
- MISSIONS
11:30am • Jackson Community Church.
Missions offers gift cards for supported programs. - PEACE & PIZZA CONCERT with Dennis O’Neil & Davey Armstrong
4pm • Jackson Community Church. These local musicians will perform some of their favorite songs with the theme of peace woven into this rollicking musical mix! Donations welcome; open to the public. The Shannon Door welcomes hungry concert-goers to eat pizza afterward (dining out is at each participant’s own cost).
SAVE THE DATE
Community Events:
PEACE PROGRAM
100th Anniversary of Armistice (Ending WWI)
Wednesday, Dec 19
5-6pm • Old Red Library Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Armistice and the “War to End All Wars” as the First World War was known. Opportunity for people to bring in poems, songs, artwork, medals received, etc. Includes:
- Musical performance of “Christmas in the Trenches” by Dexter Harding.
- Poetry selections offered by Tony Deluca
- Other contributions to this topic through poetry, literature and art.
LONGEST NIGHT:
WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Friday, Dec 21
4:30pm – 6pm (or later)
Tin Mountain Field Station, Tin Mine Rd, Jackson
- Guided snowshoe walks by Tin Mountain Conservation Center staff
- Crafts and readings inside
- Reflections on darkness & light
- Bonfire outside
- More activities!
CHRISTMAS at JACKSON COMMUNITY CHURCH
BLUE CHRISTMAS
Thurs, Dec 20
- 7pm • Come to reflect on grief & loss in the midst of a holiday season.
ADVENT 4: LOVE
Sunday, Dec 23
- 9am • Advent Workshop
- 9am • Choir Rehearsal with Ellen Schwindt
- 10:30am • Worship with Advent Candle Lighting
CHRISTMAS EVE
Monday, Dec 24
- 5pm • Candlelight Service
Sing carols, read and reflect on scriptures that re-tell the Nativity Story, and candlelight service with special music! - 10pm • Candlelight Service
Sing carols, read and reflect on scriptures that re-tell the Nativity Story, and candlelight service with special music!
CHRISTMAS MORNING
Tuesday, Dec 25
- 10:30am • Pajamas, Stories & Bells. Come to church in PJs to ring bells, sing songs, and hear a special Christmas story.