There are two versions from which to choose:
4 minutes 27 seconds and 8 minutes 50 seconds, both are below.
The third video below is Silent Night from Wesley Park musicians Sara Kropp, Dave Strumfeld, and Adrianne Prentiss.
A big thank you to Rev. Dean Prentiss for creating these videos!
Monday, December 21st would have been my eldest sister’s 78th birthday. She was called home to be with our Lord on January 27th. Because our birthdays are very close to each other, we made a commitment to call each other around Thanksgiving and share birthday wishes.
I will miss her voice and hearing her say “oh wow”, which was her favorite comment for everything that happened in her life and ours. Our relationship wasn’t the best. I’m not sure if it was because of the age difference or not. She graduated from high school before I was 2 years old. She and my sister Gretchee were from our mom’s first marriage. Celeste was definitely avant-garde, finding her passion for theater and dancing at Karamu House, an African American theater in Cleveland, Ohio. She was cast in numerous plays and dance recitals there before she was 10. In 1964 she moved to Brooklyn, New York to pursue a career in the performing arts.
Like many people who go to New York, my sister was very talented. However, she struggled to find work in her chosen field. She looked for roles that gave voice to our African heritage and in the ‘60s and ‘70s, those works seldom made it to Broadway. In 1987 she was cast as the mother in Death and the King’s Horseman which had a short Broadway run of 6 weeks. After that, she went to Chicago to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and was a resident artist at the Goodman Theatre.
I never was able to see her in a play, though I wish I had. After our mother died in 2009, she moved back to Cleveland to be closer to most of our family. She was able to watch her nieces and nephew grow up, sharing in high school and college graduations, birthdays, and Christmas holidays that she missed for her younger sisters, being so far away in New York. We began talking regularly on the phone, filling in the gaps of what happened while she lived in New York and how I made it from Cleveland to Tennessee to Iowa to Michigan. We missed a lot of sibling time because our lives were so different.
I honor her legacy this Christmas. She was a pioneer in theatre, willing to share the story of our African heritage rather than be cast in the traditional roles which were available. She left home at 21 to follow her dream at a time when most women were beginning to fight for equal and civil rights. She was inspired by her younger sisters to earn her undergraduate degree at the age of 45. She was vivacious, dynamic, outspoken, and very creative. I miss the conversation we would have had this month. And I know she is celebrating this Christmas with the angels.
For those of us who are mourning the loss of one we love, whether they were called home this year or before, know that they are celebrating this Holy holiday with the angels of our Lord. Rejoice, because our God holds all of us in the palm of His hands. Hallelujah! And Amen.
There are only 16 days until Christmas. And like so many others, I will celebrate our Savior’s birth very differently this year. A few weeks ago, I requested that pastors and faith communities share ideas about how to celebrate this Advent season, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the New Year, in order to post them on the District website HERE.
I also wanted to offer a few of my favorite ways to commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior, which I too will be modifying for this year. I have sung the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah more times than I can count. I will be listening to it on Spotify and YouTube this year, singing along with the solos I love and doing my best to keep up with the runs the composer created for the chorus. I still have nightmares about hitting all the notes in And He shall purify and For unto us a child is born.
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a Christmas Opera that was written by Gian-Carlo Menotti. I have played a shepherd in the opera several times, and now that it is available online, I watch this after Christmas Eve services.
I have recorded a few of my favorite Christmas stories and will watch them on Christmas Eve. For me it’s not Christmas without Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And of course, Christmas isn’t Christmas without watching some version of A Christmas Carol. My family’s favorite is Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, which I have already viewed once.
There are three stories that I usually include in the sermons I have shared during this season. O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, A Geese Story (https://www.smilegodlovesyou.org/geesestory.html), and The Tablecloth (https://timburt.org/2019/12/23/the-tablecloth-an-inspirational-christmas-story/). For me each story captures the wonder of this Holy season. Could your faith community organize a table read of one of these three stories, or another one that inspires you during this season? On Christmas Eve, could your church participate in a Bible reading of our Savior’s birth?
Here are a few new ways to share the love of Christmas this season. Create a pony express bag exchange, delivering it to one household, asking whoever is there to remove one of the gifts inside, and place a new gift in the bag before sending it on to the next household.
There are blank puzzles of varying sizes available from many stores. Send pieces out to congregants and ask them to decorate the pieces with special messages which commemorate our Lord’s birth. When we are able to gather in our worship spaces again, have each person bring their piece in to complete the puzzle.
And I haven’t forgotten the wonderful smells of baking that characterize this season. In one of the churches I served, the United Methodist Women would create cookie baskets to support shut-ins, and new families in the faith community. Instead of baking cookies for one another, could we share the recipes and a story about why this is the Christmas cookie we bake each year?
May we discover new ways to celebrate God’s greatest gift to us this Advent season. And Amen.
I can’t believe it’s December already. Like so many other years, now that we are in the last month, time seems to be speeding up. My days are far different than they were before the pandemic. Grocery shopping is no longer an after-work errand. I now arrive at the store around 7:00 am to pick up my weekly staples. Whenever I need to go to the Post Office, I use the automatic kiosk rather than wait in line. When I drop my dog off for a play date, it’s now a curbside experience.
I haven’t gone to the movies since February. Seeing them on my small living room screen isn’t quite the same. I also used to spend Fridays going to my favorite café to read and enjoy herbed tea. That too is on hold. I try to order take out regularly from my favorite Sushi restaurant as they have been closed to dine-in service since late March.
I am sure that each of us has had to adjust to this new way of living. One thing that has happened that I truly enjoy is the Metropolitan Opera’s nightly streaming performances. The Met began airing free broadcasts in early April, presented with a variety of themes. This week’s theme is Stars in Signature Roles. Last evening, I was able to watch Leontyne Price in her final Met appearance as Aida, from 1985. In the third act, she sang one of the more famous arias from the opera. It is called Patria Mia and in it, Aida expresses how she is torn over her love for her homeland and for the man who conquered her people.
Ms. Price was able to convey Aida’s joy and sorrow beautifully. At the end of the aria she received a 3-minute ovation. She was clearly moved by the outpouring of love from the audience, and as the cheering continued, she lost her composure for a few moments. Ms. Price was doing what she loved, and unless you read the preview for the broadcast, there was no way to tell this was her last performance. She shared the love she had for the role and being a part of the Met family with all who attended that evening, and with anyone who is able to see the broadcast, over 30 years later.
I don’t know how many times Ms. Price sang Aida or that particular aria. I believe that each time she sang it, Ms. Price was able to convey Aida’s turmoil as beautifully as she did that evening. If I had to sum it up in one word, I would describe her work as dedication. I can’t imagine all the preparation that opera singers must do for each production. Most of the stories are tragic and emotionally draining, and rarely sung in English. And yet, each opera helps us cope with the valleys in our lives.
As the pandemic continues, we may find ourselves weary, struggling to live through this time that seems to go on and on. Each of us has been called by our Lord for such a time as this. Our role of servant leadership is also one of dedication. Those in our faith communities are looking to us to bring words of comfort, hope, joy, and peace as we continue on this journey. May we discover new ways to share the Good News of God’s everlasting covenant with us as we begin this very special Advent season. And Amen.
We invite Midwest District churches to share ideas about how your church will be commemorating this special time in the Christian year.
Your shared Advent/Christmas ideas will be posted on this page with links to additional materials and ideas developed by the Conference.
Please share your Advent/Christmas ideas via email to Liz at [email protected].
Michigan Conference Advent Resources
Grand Rapids First UMC will be hosting a variety of online/drive-thru Advent at Home events which include Advent Care packages, daily Advent devotionals, “Being Well for the Holidays” (Zoom class), Christmas Baking and Holiday Meal (Zoom classes), Drive-Thru Communion, Christmas Caroling (Zoom), Ugly Sweater Party (Zoom), Christmas Nativity Drive-Thru Experience, Longest Night Service (online), and three online Christmas Eve service options at 5, 7, and 9 pm. All information about the above event can be found HERE.
Grandville UMC has divided up the congregation into geographic clusters of 10-18 households (162 households total), and one volunteer in each area will deliver Advent Care Packages in black bags to the households in their area on black Friday. Each kit contains a letter with instructions and an Advent prayer, a set of Advent Candle tealights, two handheld candles, and two Fellowship Cups in a “meaning of Christmas” reusable tote bag featuring a verse from Isaiah/Matthew. Families with children receive four Fellowship Cups and a “make your own Advent wreath” activity set to build and color. Congregation members will be invited to light the advent candles with Pastor Ryan each Sunday at the beginning of online worship, to light their handheld candles for the singing of Silent Night during the Christmas Eve service, and to participate in Communion together in December. The bags and activity set are from Oriental Trading, the Fellowship Cups from Cokesbury, and the candles from Amazon: total cost was $3 per kit. Click HERE to view a photo of the Advent bag and contents.
Sand Lake/South Ensley UMCs are participating in a Reverse Advent Calendar to provide food for a food bank or to the community. “Our congregants are encouraged to participate to the best of their ability.” ~ Pastor Darryl Miller
My son, Terrance, is now 27 years old. I missed the first three years of his life because he is adopted. When I considered adoption, there were numerous paths to pursue. There were private adoptions mediated by attorneys or agencies created for this purpose. Most of the children available through this avenue are infants. Because I babysat for nearly twenty years, I didn’t really want an infant.
At the time, friends of mine engaged in the process of foreign adoptions. They spent nearly $50,000 in 1992 to bring their first, and then second son home from S. Korea. I investigated this as an option but chose not to adopt a child from another country because I would struggle with maintaining the child’s native culture in my home and the city where I lived at the time.
After studying all the information available, I decided to go through the process for a domestic adoption. I went through the courses for becoming a certified foster parent, had a home study, and then began to look through databases that shared a picture and story for each child. And there were so many. Even though I limited the age range, I still saw the stories of thousands of children between the ages of 2 and 4.
I can only imagine that the need for foster and adoptive parents has only grown since the last century. There are far too many children who are unable to remain with their birth parents. Most of the children are unable to speak for themselves because they are too young, or they have no concept of what a healthy family environment is like. It is up to us to nurture all children in loving ways.
I am not asking everyone to foster or adopt a child. But is it possible for each faith community to assist with the adoption process? When we are able to gather together in person, can your church host an information meeting about foster care and adoption? Can you sponsor one or two families who are interested in becoming foster or adoptive parents? Can you create a support group for adoptive families as they begin the journey of what it means to have a forever home? Can we become the voice of the littlest persons in our world, to help them know they are loved and not forgotten? May we pray for the ways our Lord is asking us to care for one another each day. May we wear the mantle of God’s servants for the least in our world And Amen.
I have been blessed to visit the Holy Land twice. The first time I went was in 2011. I was able to make a return journey in 2017. Both trips were far too short. There are so many places to see and so much to learn. The Scriptures truly come to life as you visit the places Jesus taught, healed, and performed miracles.
Some places, like the Western Wall and the Garden of Gethsemane, are ancient and were a central part of Jesus’ life in Jerusalem. Construction projects often uncover ruins from earlier civilizations. Archeological digs are scattered across much of the nation.
Other sites are newer. The Shrine of the Book contains the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947. There is also a model of Jerusalem in the 2nd Temple Period. This 1,000 square meter model is continuously updated whenever new ruins are discovered.
One of the most important items on the itinerary is a visit to the Holocaust Museum. Walking through the Remembrance Center is emotionally draining. There are several buildings that recount the story of the Holocaust. Names and pictures of the victims are everywhere. Some stories of the changing political climate in Europe are documented in survivor recordings and news reports.
The Children’s Memorial Museum is specially designed to honor the 1.5 million children who died during the Holocaust. Through a complicated mirror display, the reflection of 5 lights creates hundreds of thousands more as a tribute for each child lost. As one walks through the hall, there are voices that read the names of each child. The reflected lights seem to fade and grow in brilliance as the names are read.
Over the past several months, as the numbers of those who have died from COVID have grown to more than 1 million persons, I can’t help but think of the lights that represented their lives. Maybe in the future, when we are past the pandemic, we will be able to create a memorial for the victims of this virus. I don’t want to take away the horror and tragedy of the Holocaust. At the same time, I am very much aware of the lives lost, some friends, some strangers, to this horrible virus.
May we pray for one another in these days. At least once a week, I invite us to light a candle and lift up the names of persons who have died from COVID. Perhaps it’s a family member, or a friend, or someone who was on the frontline. May this song enrich your spirits during this time. https://youtu.be/MvpjxfWrjzY
And Amen.
For some reason, when I was a little girl, I loved snow. Growing up in Cleveland, winters were brutal. Our family lived on the border of the snowbelt. There were times when we would receive 4 inches more than my aunt who lived less than 2 miles away. It wasn’t the snowfall I remembered as much as the snow drifts that usually happened. My backyard was very long, more than 100 feet in all. Lots of raw material for numerous snowmen. However, my sister and I had other ideas. Blankets of snow meant snow angels all over the yard.
And although it’s a little early, there is something perfect about a white Christmas. For those of us who live in snow country, I don’t need to describe the beautiful splendor that each Christmas snowfall is. Either because there was a Christmas in my young life that didn’t have snow, or the Fall season was extremely warm one year, I remember a child’s prayer to the Lord.
Like all child prayers, it was simple. I asked God if He could make it snow before my birthday. My child heart must’ve conveyed that I wanted this to happen annually, instead of the year I asked God for snow. That prayer has been answered nearly every year of my life. Living in Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan, that is really no surprise. It usually snows in late October or early November. What makes the snowfall promise special is that while I lived in Memphis, twice there was a trace of snow before my birthday.
Wow! God has a way of affirming His presence in our lives. Sunday morning when I looked outside, I saw the first flakes of this season falling. They weren’t the slow meandering flakes of a snow globe. It was definitely a flurry. After I started raking leaves, the flurry turned into a blizzard, almost a whiteout with the way the wind was blowing. And I was reminded of the child’s prayer I offered to our Lord.
God is with us in ways too numerous to count. Our Lord sometimes reminds us of how He is moving and shaping our lives in momentous ways. Or God speaks to us softly and subtly, in the form of snow falling to bring childlike joy to us who are grown. We are at a pivotal time in our nation and our denomination. God is with us on this journey. He is moving and shaping our lives in momentous ways. And God is also speaking with us softly and subtly. He is showing us in little ways that we are in His loving embrace, in the midst of all that is unfolding in our lives. May we continue to receive God’s blessings. And Amen.
I have a few routines that I’ve been trying to maintain over the past few months. One of them is watching professional football. This year has been very fascinating. Like baseball, cutouts have replaced real people in several stadia. A limited number of fans have been allowed in a few arenas. Mixed with the taped crowd noise, it’s as if each game was still host to 50,000 or more devoted fans.
On the occasion when the camera finds the cheerleading squad, their mask covered faces are a reminder that this is not a typical season. Once the game begins, the cameras focus on the players and officials. As I was watching a game on Sunday, I finally saw Sarah Thomas, the only full-time female official. She was first hired in 2015, and her debut was well documented. Last Sunday, I’m not sure either of the announcers mentioned her at all. Earlier in the season she was featured for the Washington – Cleveland game, where she was one of three female NFL officials. Each team has hired their first female coach.
These women are trailblazers and pioneers, reshaping what NFL staffs will look like in the future. And yet, I hoped that the accomplishments of Sarah Thomas, Callie Brownson (Cleveland), and Jennifer King (Washington) would receive more attention. In only 5 years, Sarah’s achievement has become a minor note in the annals of football.
When I was an undergraduate student, one of my mentors gave me a book called I Dream a World. It is a series of photographs and interviews of African American women who were and are pioneers and trailblazers in the worlds of medicine, literature, science, politics, and the arts. Their stories helped to inspire me on my journey toward earning a Ph.D. and answering the call to ministry.
There are also women in the Bible who have been part of my spiritual journey. I don’t share their stories as often as I should. Of course, there are the matriarchs: Sarah (Sarai), Rachel, Rebekah, and Leah. Deborah was a judge and Anna was a prophet. Jochebed and Hannah were the mothers of Moses and Samuel. Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses was one of the leaders of the Exodus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the sister of Martha bear an Aramaic version of Miriam’s name.
Most of the women described in Scripture are unnamed. Still, their stories are a part of our Christian heritage. Elisha and the Shunammite woman, Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the adulteress, strong women, and Elijah and the woman at Zarephath are an affirmation of the way the Lord touches us and moves in our lives. The stories of our sisters, mothers, and daughters in the Bible are an inspiration for how you and I answer God’s call upon our lives. The songs of Miriam and Hannah, along with the Magnificat are expressions of praise, as profound as the psalms attributed to David. I hope that you will consider including the stories of these and other women in the Bible in your messages, Bible studies, devotions, and reflections. And Amen.
I have always been fascinated by language. When I was six, my mother took my sisters and me to Canada for the World Expo. That was my first introduction to French. I still remember our first meal at a restaurant. My mom spoke French with the waitress as if they were old friends. When she ordered babeurre from the menu, I thought it sounded wonderful. When the beverage arrived, I wanted to taste it, until my mom said it was buttermilk.
That’s when I started learning other languages. I also remember a comedian who was famous for malapropisms. Norm Crosby had a way of incorporating homonyms into his monologue that flipped the intended meaning of his sentences. Our language is a dynamic reflection of our lives and culture.
What is true for the spoken word is also true for literature. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and the plays of William Shakespeare are two examples. Reading the works as they were originally penned was a tortuous part of my high school English classes.
Growing up, our family read from one version of the Bible. At church, Scripture was always read from the King James version. Whenever my aunt quoted the Bible, she would recite the verses she memorized from that same version. It took time for other translations to be read and shared on a regular basis, not only at home, but also in the churches I attended. I think I now have 6 Bibles with different translations. They include the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the Common English Bible. I can also access other translations and versions online.
Sometimes, though the words used in a translation cause me to stop and reflect on what I’ve read. The new word changes the interpretation of Scripture for me, inspiring me to ask why the scholars chose this word. Here is an illustration to ponder: Acts Chapter 9:4 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (NRSV); As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” (The Message); He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you harassing me?” (Common English Bible).
I am more comfortable with the NRSV translation, which parallels the King James version. However, both The Message and Common English Bible versions offer a different interpretation of this passage. During my Bible reflection for the week, I will consider the way these different words bring new light to Jesus’ question for Saul. I hope you may do the same. And Amen.
