Tidings from Tibbetts

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1 Tidings from Tibbetts R e v e r e n d D o c t o r J o a n n e C a r l s o n B r o w n D e c e m b e r Founded 1909 I n f o r m a t i o n a n d I n s p i r a t i o n f r o m T i b b e t t s U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h J o a n n e s Jottings Rev. Dr. Joanne Brown I have encountered plenty of Bah humbuggers in my day. They don t like Christmas too much commercialism, too much jollying, too much too much. I have to say I agree about the commercialism and the too much too much. Me I m into jollying. But then they begin to grouse about the whole Christmas myth. Don t you see the contradictions between Matthew and Luke? And this whole virgin birth thing, really. Choirs of angels singing and some fools from the east following a mysterious star. It s a heck of a thing to base a religion on. Yep, I reply, it is a heck of a thing to base a religion on. Because the Christmas story is about the most important thing in the uni- verse love. God s love for the world. God s love become incarnate in a little baby and in the love of a mother and a father, in the wonder of shepherds, and in shining stars. The Bible is a book of faith, not fact. It is the sacred story of how the world came to be and how we are to live our lives. It calls us to think, to Continued on page 7 The Ordinary Time Transitions to Advent Inside this issue: December Movie Night 2 United Methodist Men Breakfast on Dec 11 3 J o y t o t h e W o r l d b y John Van Lierop This month I thought that I would give the background of the well-known Christmas hymn Joy to the World (UMH #246), written by one of the greatest hymn writer reformers of England, Isaac Watts. Watts, a non conformist, was twice imprisoned for his religious views. He felt that the Anglican hymns were of low quality and needed changing. This hymn, based on Psalm 98, was written in For more than a century it was sung to other tunes. In 1839 Lowell Mason, a New England... Continued on next page... Charge Conference, Advent and Holidays December Book Club A Christmas Carol Books available in church office Tibbetts Day at the Harry Potter Exhibit The Sound of Christmas presented by The Bells of the Sound - concert on Dec

2 Page 2 Ti di ngs from Ti b b etts Holiday movies on December 4th 5:00pm - The Polar Express (2004): (81 minutes) This is the story of a young hero boy on Christmas Eve who boards on a powerful magical train that's headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home. What unfolds is an adventure which follows a doubting boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of selfdiscovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. 6:30pm Dinner Will have two soups and freshly baked Christmas Cookies. Even if you do not want to stay for the movie, just come for dinner some social time. 7:00pm - Little Women (1994): (2 hours) With their father away fighting in the Civil War, Joe, Meg, Beth and Amy grow up with their mother in somewhat reduced circumstances. They are a close family who inevitably have their squabbles and tragedies. But the bond holds even when, later, men friends start to become a part of the household. Film summaries provided by IMDB.com Parents Night Out, courtesy of S A L T Parents, do you want to go Christmas shopping without your children or attend the Bells of the Sound Concert at Tibbetts that night? We will be doing a Parents Night Out on Friday, December 10th from 5:30-8:30. This service will be donation only and will entirely go to fund our mission trip in the summer of So go ahead, drop your children off and expect them to have fun! M usi c al Notes ~ by John Va n Li erop ( continued from pag e o n e ) John Van Lierop, Jr. Music Coordinator and Keyboardist (continued from previous page) music educator, published in Boston, a tune that is now associated with these words. It has been felt that the tune was borrowed from two selections of Handel s Messiah. I have looked over these selections and feel that there is only a hint of similarity between the Messiah and Joy to the World. If Handel were alive today he would not have a strong enough case to take Mason to court. What is interesting about the words to this beloved hymn is that only the 1 st verse is related to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. The other stanzas could be appropriate for any season of the year. There is no men- tion of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, manger, or wise men in the entire hymn. Nonetheless this hymn is sung in almost every church at this time of the year.

3 Page 3 Rever end Doc to r Jo a nne C ar ls o n B rown How we celebrate the holidays at Tibbetts UMW Advent Program and Holiday Bazaar December 1 at 7pm join the UMW for a program of music, readings, and carols to begin our Christmas season. Then come on down to Adam s Hall for some cookies and beverages and a chance to purchase Christmas homemade Christmas gifts (food and crafts) for your friends and family (or maybe even for yourself). Our handbell choir, Belles and Beaux, will also be performing holiday music. Hanging of the Greens December 5 at 10am join us for the always inspiring Please attend Charge Conference on December 12th Each year we have a charge conference where we reflect on the work of the church in the past decking the halls of the church with symbols of Christmas along with plenty of special music, carols, and decorating the tree. year and look forward with anticipation and joy to the work and ministry of the church for the coming year. This year our Charge Conference is December 12 at 11:30am right after Fellowship time. It is an important event in the life of the Potluck and Christmas Concert December 19, join us in Adams Hall right after the Children s Christmas Pageant (service) for fellowship, good food (potluck), and a family Christmas concert. Celtic Christmas Eve Join us for the most glorious night of the year as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child with poems and carols from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The bagpipes will be church and we d like as many people as possible to stay for the meeting which will be led by our Seattle District Superintendent, Pat Simpson. There are important votes to take and, believe it or not, fun to be had. Please join us. playing, the candles glowing, and the Christ Child will be carried through the congregation during the Christmas Hail all at 8pm on December 24. Invite your family and friends to join you in this special service. United Methodist Men (UMM) Calling ALL Tibbetts Men, from age 16 to 99 In October of this year we started having a breakfast meeting for all who are interested, and we have invited Joanne to participate. December 11 th will be the third meeting. Conversation has been lively (even at 8:00am in the morning) and you get a hot breakfast. At the December meeting we ll be talking about different outreach programs we can plan and participate in for 2011 so please join us and bring your ideas. If you like additional information, please contact Mark Pierson or Myron Lindberg. Calling All Canning Jars! We need quart jars for wind-proof and water-proof candleholders to light our entrance for our Christmas Eve service. If you have a dozen or so empty jars to lend us, please drop them off (gently!) in our coat closet. Keep track of how many you leave and after Christmas, we ll have them in the coat closet for folks to retrieve. Thanks!

4 Page 4 Ti di ngs from Ti b b etts The Sound of Christmas presented by Bells of the Sound Choirs singing on the Christmas Ship, ballerinas dancing to The Nutcracker, and rain pattering on an umbrella these are just some of the sounds of Christmas in the Puget Sound. And bells what would Christmas be without the sound of bells? Bells of the Sound, the premier handbell group in the Puget Sound, will present a delightful program that offers a new take on several holiday favorites, including O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Pat-a-Pan and Feliz Navidad. Join us as we ring in the season! Friday, December 10, 2010 at 7:30pm at Tibbetts UMC A suggested donation of $10/adults and $8/youth and seniors will be collected at the door. Children under 8 are free. For more information: or info@bellsofthesound.org or In t e r G e n e r a ti on al B o o k Cl u b A C h r i s t m a s C a r o l b y C h a r l e s D i c k e n s Monday, December 20 from 6-8pm, potluck at the Carter's and then discussion. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the best -known and best-loved of Dickens' 'Christmas Books', and the story of the miser Scrooge's redemption has become as much part of the Christmas tradition as plum pudding and carols themselves. Will Tiny Tim live to see another Christmas? Can Scrooge recover his humanity and learn to love the fellow men he seems to despise? Dickens will make you laugh and make you cry as you follow Scrooge's supernatural adventures on Christmas Eve... Copies are available in the church office for donation. Tibbetts Day at the Harry Potter Exhibit The Tibbetts Fellowship Team is putting together a Tibbetts Day at the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center! We will go as a group on Saturday, January 22 nd at 2pm. There are group rates available and the ticket gives you access to all the rest of the Science Center that day. Science Center Members get in for $10 each, Kids 3-5 are $15 each and under 3 are free, Youth 6-15 are $19 each, Adults are $21 each, Seniors 65 and over are $19 each Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon, inspiring the imaginations of millions across the globe. Now is your chance to peer into the famous wizard's magical world in Harry Potter: The Exhibition - making its West Coast premiere and final U.S. stop at Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Stay tuned for more information in the January newsletter and a sign-up and poster in the Narthex. We'll need a final headcount and payment by January 9th. We hope you can join us! Questions? Contact Betsy Wharton: betsy.wharton@gmail.com

5 Page 5 Rever end Doc to r Jo a nne C ar ls o n B rown The Christmas story is about the most important thing in the universe love Income This is the time to fulfill your pledge for 2010 if you haven t been able to so far. In order to count for 2010 income tax, all contributions need to be received by December 31. Anything coming in after that will be counted in the 2011 income. Thanks for your help in supporting us through this year pledges Thanks to all who turned in pledges for We are on our way to being able to meet our budget for If you haven t had a chance to get your pledge in yet, please do so as soon as possible. Bring it to church or mail it in. We appreciate your support and your faithful dedication and generosity. Joanne s Jottings c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 1 imagine and to act out of trust in God. The Christmas story releases our spirit to fly and to remind us we are not alone. It introduces us to another world, rich with values and wonder, a sense of something beyond, more to life than possessions and competition, leading us to the God who loves us. I believe that what isn t used, exercised, appreciated, becomes useless, dormant, dead. Without faith imagination how do we recognize the angel s announcement, the dream, the song, the call, in our own lives here and now? Faith helps us to ask: How am I related to Mary or Joseph, the shepherds or the magi, Herod or Simeon, John or Jesus. Why did Mary believe the angel s announcement? Why did Joseph believe his dream? Why did the shepherds believe the song of the angelic host? Why did the wise men follow a star, believing it would lead them to a king? By faith imagination we enter into the heart of Mary to hear the good news, You will give birth to the incarnation of God here and now; into the heart of Joseph to hear, You must believe; into the hearts of the shepherds, Be not afraid. Go and see what God has done; and into the hearts of the magi, seeing their star and following it, taking the quest, the pilgrimage, the journey to the manger. The Christmas story gives visible form to our faith. And when we see it with the eyes of faith and hear it with the ears of our heart we will know the truth of the story. One of my favorite carols goes: Love came down at Christmas; Love all lovely, love divine; love was born at Christmas; star and angels gave the sign. Love shall be our token; love be yours and love be mine; love to God and neighbor, love for plea and gift and sign. This Christmas, hear the story and let it live in your faith imagination to become new in your heart and mind; hear the story and know its truth the truth of love incarnate, the truth of Emmanuel, God-with -us. And let us live the gift of love for all, even the bah humbuggers. Advent and Christmas Events Cut out and post on the fridge! December 1, 7 PM United Methodist Women Advent / Christmas Program and Hobby Table December 5, 10 AM Hanging of the Greens December 19, 10 AM Sunday School Christmas Pageant 11:30 AM: Eagle s Band Christmas Concert and Potluck December 21, 7 PM Blue Christmas / Longest Night Service December 24, 8 PM Celtic Christmas Eve Service December 26, 10 AM House of Bread

6 Tibbetts United Methodist Church st Ave. SW / Seattle, WA Phone: churchoffice@tibbettsumchurch.org Church Members receive a lengthier printed version via US Mail. The Communications Committee has ensured addresses and phone numbers of church members who host events in their home are not published on the internet, and also protects the privacy of its Youth. Facebook.com/TibbettsUMChurch We welcome all people to celebrate and share God's love. Blue Christmas / Longest Night Service December 21st For many people, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year, no matter what the song says. Perhaps folks have lost a loved one this year and this is the first Christmas without them. Perhaps folks lost a loved one around Christmas time and each year they are reminded of who isn t here to celebrate. Perhaps folks have lost their jobs or maybe even a bit of their faith. Maybe folks are just out of sorts, out of the holly jolly this time of the year almost demands. To recognize and acknowledge this reality we will again be having a Blue Christmas (no not Elvis)/Longest Night service, December 21 at 7pm. It is a time of reflection with music, prayers, readings, lighting of candles and a message of hope, of light in the darkness on this longest night of the year. If this would be a good thing for you I hope you will come. If you know of someone for whom this would be helpful, please let them know about it and better yet, bring them along with you.