In a Sunday morning reflection several weeks ago, I revisited the United Church of Christ's General Synod Resolution Entitled Reaffirming Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior and Reaffirming Our Historic UCC Cross, Crown, & Orb with Motto Symbol.
Parts of the resolution read as follows.
"This resolution reaffirms (1) that the United Church of Christ continues to claim as our own the ecumenical faith that Jesus Christ is both human and divine, our Lord, Sovereign and Savior..."
"WHEREAS the United Church of Christ, in its Constitution, acknowledges as its sole head, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior;"
"WHEREAS these testimonies of our mothers and fathers in faith all confess in conformity to Holy Scripture that Jesus Christ is truly human and truly divine;"
"WHEREAS our Church's witness to justice and peace is grounded in the authority of Jesus Christ who is Word of God;"
"THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-Fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, celebrates and reaffirms our Church's faith in Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, whose true humanity and divinity are declared in our Constitution, our liturgies, our hymnals, and our ecumenical commitments;"
There's a lot of free-floating theology flying around this resolution in the form of titles the early church bestowed upon Jesus. Lord. Sovereign. Savior. Son of God. Christ. Truly human and truly divine. Word of God. Head of the Church.
Unfortunately, the contemporary church has not done a very good job translating these titles across the huge temporal and cultural gulfs that separate our world from the world inhabited by the authors of the New Testament and the theologians who crafted the church's first creeds.
What did the earliest Christians mean when they called Jesus Savior? How about Son of God? How did the meaning of these titles develop and change over a short period of time? When the author of Mark's Gospel called Jesus Son of God, did he mean the same thing as the author of John's Gospel when he referred to Jesus as Son of God? What did the earliest Christians believe in terms of Jesus' humanity and divinity? Was Jesus a human being exalted to a heavenly status after his death and resurrection? Was Jesus a pre-existent heavenly being--God--who came down from heaven to become human? And what does Word of God mean, and how does it ground the UCC's justice ministry?
My criticism of the UCC resolution is not that it uses these titles. My criticism is that the resolution does not adequately call upon our denomination to translate the rich and powerful meaning of these titles into language that communicates the full depth of their original meaning to contemporary Christians. Many of these titles filled early Christians with a powerful and subversive hope, a hope for which many rusked and even sacrificed their lives. While these titles may anchor our faith in the Christian tradition, they come across as churchy-sounding clichés and worn-out piety to many contemporary Christian ears in churches like ours.
To be fair, the resolution does make the following appeal:
"BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Twenty-Fifth General Synod encourages all who proclaim the Sovereignty of Jesus in their words to discern the implications of that proclamation for the way they live their lives."
Nevertheless, I think the UCC is missing the boat by failing to provide better resources describing how the Word of God grounds its justice ministry, why proclaiming Jesus is Lord was once (and still can be) highly subversive, and why a title like Savior can fill contemporary Christians with a passion for healing and repairing our broken world.
At any rate, we can take up the task ourselves. After the New Year, Whit Bodman and I will be hosting a series of discussions focusing on Jesus' identity. We are going to look at the traditional titles bestowed upon Jesus, try to discern their meaning in their original context, and help folks translate them into contemporary language that does justice to the rich meaning and power they once conveyed. Please keep your eyes and ears open for meeting dates and times.
Tom
FROM THE BOARD OF DEACONS
The Deacons invite all members and friends to our second annual Advent Luncheon at the church on Friday, December 16th at 11 a.m. We will start with an informal Advent worship, then enjoy each other's company during lunch. We particularly want to welcome and encourage those who cannot make it to church often to come, enjoy the fellowship of old friends, and meet new ones. The Deacons will provide rides for those who need them. We are trying to contact everyone we can think of who may need to be brought to the church. If you need a ride and have not been contacted, give the church office a call (472-2370) and we will be sure someone brings you and takes you home. If you are willing to be a driver, call the church office or Liz Nash (231-0045). SouthernCare Hospice will provide lunch, courtesy of SouthernCare chaplain Rev. Liz Spencer.
The Deacons are also sponsoring the sale of Poinsettias again this year to decorate the church during Advent and at Christmastime. The cost this year is going up a bit to $10 per plant: we have had a cost increase from our supplier and we want to make a small profit to build up our Deacons Fund. The Deacons Fund provides funds for the church to buy flowers and/or give memorial gifts when a church member or someone close to a church member dies. Those who buy one or more poinsettias will be able to purchase them in memory or in honor of family or friends. We will have forms in the bulletin during the next few weeks to fill out when you purchase these plants. We ask that you fill out a form for the plants you purchase. Drop both the completed form and a check to the church marked "poinsettias" in the offering plate, or return the completed form and check to the church office. These flowers always look lovely in the church, and they will be available at Christmas for those who purchase them to take home.
Trustees: Pam Tucker
Deacons: Liz Nash
Christian Education: Jennifer Howicz
Christian Outreach: John Goff
OUTREACH ALERT FOR DECEMBER
Christmas Dinner
Christmas will be on a Sunday this year, and we will host our annual dinner after worship service. As before, we will provide dinners for any homeless who show up, but in addition we have invited the staff and residents of Rejuvenation House, a halfway house for prisoners that is run by a close friend of Joe McMillan's. We expect about 20 residents to join us, both for worship and the meal. We seek monetary donations for hams, and will ask for volunteers to bring side dishes and deserts.
T-Shirt Update
Organic cotton T-shirts manufactured by the Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative in Nicragua have been ordered! We're purchasing ~100 shirts in a range of sizes determined by the sign-ups, including some children's small and children's medium (the only children's sizes they had). We're hoping to have shirts silk-screened and ready for sale by Christmas.
Mt. Bonnel Cleanup
Our next Mt. Bonnel Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday morning, December 10. Please come!
The trustees reviewed and approved a proposal from the Centennial Committee for a 3 phase analysis of accessibility of our facilities. Evan Tanaguchi will be the architect in charge of the analysis. Trustees investigated the Green Choice option for our electric needs, but the program is closed until January. Our pledged and non-pledged income for 2005 is lower than 2004, but our expenditures are down over the same period as well. Representatives from trustees, Centennial Committee and Coordinating Council will be meeting with George Mitchell of the CO-OP to try to negotiate parking spaces in the parking garage that will soon be built diagonally across from our building. Please contact a trustee if you have questions or concerns.
Late in September, Don and Sharon Brown set off on an adventure to Italy and Switzerland. Three of Don's cousins from California and Louisiana (the family hails from Monroe) had lured them to a villa in the Chianti area. First they flew in to Zurich and took a train to Lugano and then to Florence, changing and going on to Sienna where they stayed several days. Then they rented a car and drove to the Chianti area to see the cousins and stay two nights in a lovely villa complete with a vineyard. More trains took them north to Stresa (where Ernest Hemingway and Winston Churchill stayed at various times) and then on to Bern where they were treated to two nights at the residence of our ambassador to Switzerland. They took another train back to Zurich and then came home, well pleased with their trip! They enjoyed the people, the food, and the fine trains.
Former church secretary Louise Whitworth is still living on her own just up the street from Dave and Sara Ross. She continues to have problems with her health but enjoys having her independence!
Bee Harris Polomé Weiss lost her valiant struggle with lung cancer on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005. Her memorial service was held at Crestview United Methodist Church on Sunday, Nov. 20. Bee was remarkable as she determinedly continued to attend musical events in Austin up to within a few weeks of her death. Bee--and her children, Carole Marie (a violinist who lives in Norway with her family), Marilyn (former cellist at the church), Lana (who played viola for us many times) and Evan (who played bass for us in the Joyful Noise Band)--have all contributed so much music to the Austin community. Bee was a multi-talented musician and played many different instruments and performed in many venues throughout Austin. She had a lively sense of humor and enjoyed learning until the end. She added the steel pans to her list of instruments she played just within the last few years.
Mel and Pat Oakes had a memorable 3 1/2 week Elderhostel tour to New Zealand and Australia along with Pat's sister Nancy and brother-in-law Doug. The trip came about because of a comment Pat and Nancy's mother made to Nancy a year ago while she was in hospice care. She told Nancy that she had always hoped to go to Australia to the Sydney Opera House. Their parents had traveled all over the world, but they had never gotten to Australia. Nancy said she would go for her--and the trip multiplied to include Doug and Pat and Mel. Adventures included sailing a boat in Auckland Harbor, seeing geysers go off, taking a boat cruise on Milford Sound, going to a sheep station and seeing sheep sheared, touring backstage and attending the opera (Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet") at the Sydney Opera House, hiking in areas around Alice Springs, viewing the stars in the middle of the outback, going to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and watching the sun set at that wondrous place, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, seeing kangaroos, koala bears, and a duck-billed platypus, and eating breakfast with the birds--parrots, emus, cassowaries, storks, ibis--an amazing trip! The only fly in the ointment (not counting the gazillions of flies in the desert) was that Mel got sick the day after getting home and was sick for more than two weeks. Nonetheless, it was worth the many miles and the recuperation time.
Depending on when you get this and where you live, don't forget the Austin Children's Nutcracker to be performed by the Conservatory Dance Theater, Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 16-18 at the Dougherty Arts Center Theater on Barton Springs Road. Becky Nash has several parts and Ellie Nash is dancing the roles of Clara and the Snow Queen in alternate shows.
Cathy Hubbs has coined a new word--in-betweeny--for how Clark is doing. He had a bad reaction to his chemo which somehow turned his lower eyelids inside out. However, a special ophthalmologist gave him a steroid ointment that worked miracles. More doctor appointments to come. Keep up the good work, Clark. We are all cheering for you.
In mid-November, Michael Adams wrote that his tomato vines were putting out new blooms, thanks to the unseasonably warm weather we had. At that time it was hoped that Jamie and Lauren would have their floors finished in their home so that the Adams family could gather there for Thanksgiving.
Rizer Everett, a retired geologist, continues to stay busy and be out and about. In early October he attended the meeting of the Austin Geological Society to hear the talk about the Texas Colorado River drainage into the subsurface formations. He drove to Bastrop to have lunch with his brother Charles and his wife who drove to Bastrop from College Station where they were staying until the hurricane damage in their home-town of Groves had been repaired. He is still involved in LAMP (Learning Activities for Mature People) and particularly enjoyed one of the talks by Dr. Scott Tinker who reviewed the need for using wind, sun and other sources of energy to supplant the oil and gas energy sources now being used for transportation and creation of electric power. He continues to visit with a number of old friends, mostly widows, who share many memories of life in earlier days in Austin. He also attended the Austin Geological Society meeting where a good talk was presented on the history of the use of windmills for pumping water and grinding agricultural products. In mid- November he attended the dinner at the Alumni Center for the end of the fall session of the meetings of the LAMP organization. He reports, "I had good visits with several people at the cocktail session. I met people I had never seen at any of the lectures who told me they only come to the three dinners held at the sessions ends. I sat at the dinner table with nine women I had never met, and they all appreciated the jokes I told them. A couple of them said they liked my booming voice that they could hear clearly above the noise level in the huge dining room. We were served a good meal, and I was home at my cottage by 8:45 pm."
Lisa Kirch is continuing to learn about her new surroundings in Sheffield. Alabama. Her dad came for a visit and Lisa spent a day driving around with him and his friend Carol. She reports, "We found the house outside Muscle Shoals where his father and grandfather were born. Eerily, it turns out to be the same house in which the first president of University of Northern Alabama lived--back then, in 1830, the school was a Methodist institution, LaGrange College (the one Sul Ross attended.). I handed Sarah a squashed cotton boll, saying, 'Here--this is cotton from land your ancestors owned.' We had to ask people at a cafe about the house. They wanted to know was my grandfather a member of the Hall family, and when I said yes, they told me about a cousin who's still alive. My dad remembered him, even though they hadn't seen each other since 1952. I haven't worked out what kind of cousin he is, but his grandmother was my grandfather's favorite aunt. He's 86 and crippled--cerebral palsy, or something--but he's kin. More eeriness: he loves music, like all the Halls; he's a snappy dresser with a particular love of hats, like my dad; he used to own a greenhouse, so he's a gardener like us, too. He--Bates King--was so excited to hear about us that he drove out to my house to see where we live. We met him face to face last Saturday and went to church with him on Sunday. "It sure would be nice if you'd become a member," Bates said. I said I'd have to think on that. It's a Methodist church. Like our church, there are windows with names of my family on them."
Ben White and ex-Cooperite Corky Robinson spent time in Cooper, Texas, in early November researching library files on Delta County relatives and friends. Ben also made a short trip into Choctaw County, Oklahoma, his early childhood home. They've fenced the Boggy River Bottom and made all sorts of changes, and the Old Timers are only too happy to tell about them (as well as about the good old days).
Steve and Jeanine Neuse just spent five days in Little Rock at the International Conference for Partners of the Americas. It was the year for this conference to be in the U.S. Steven was in charge of a panel discussing the history, culture and politics of the state of Arkansas and recent events in Bolivia. He is the president of the Arkansas-Eastern Bolivia Partners for the next two years. A visitor from Bolivia stayed with them for three days in November. Steven arranged visits in Fayetteville and Springdale regarding areas of interest, i.e. justice issues, drug court, Hispanic relations. On Nov. 29th, they left for Germany to visit son Micah, and grandchildren Bryce, and Jayce. Kara, their daughter-in-law, is in the military in Kosovo and hoped to get to come home for a few days. They will return to the U.S. on Dec. 25th. They were in Texas a week in October and had a week-end visit with other son Jonathan, his wife D'Lana, and grandson Nathanael in San Antonio. They also spent four days in New Braunfels where they both come from. They stayed at Miss Katie's house at the Eden Home so they could walk over and visit with their mother/mother-in-law. They took her shopping and out to get a hamburger at one of her favorite restaurants. At ninety she is doing fairly well. They wish us all--old and new members-- happy holidays!
It was a joy to see Frances Alford in church on Nov. 13th after a long absence. She has been busy with travels (especially in Vermont) and caring for her husband John who is ailing.
From Pam Tucker: Harrison is one year old and went off his bottle yesterday, cold turkey. Of course, he is not very happy about it. Savanna had popcorn for the first time while she watched a movie the other day and she asked, "Are there little bones in this?"
Jim and Jen Howicz thank everyone for their support during Tess' recent trip to Pennsylvania for scoliosis evaluation. Three-year-old Tess was a case study at a medical symposium presented by a London orthopedist, Dr. Min Mehta, internationally known for her successful casting techniques for infantile scoliosis. Tess's orthopedic surgeon also made the trip, and Dr. Mehta decided after examining Tess to cast her while they were up there. The new cast is working well, and she actually seems more comfortable with it on. Jen says that now Tess just needs to realize that she's top-heavy again (she's a little too much of a daredevil)! If anyone needs a contact during Girl Scout cookie season in January, Emily will be selling them. She's trying to earn enough points to pay her way to Girl Scout Camp (if only she could earn points toward college tuition...). And like last year, if people would like to buy but don't want to take home the calories, they'll donate your boxes to the Christian Outreach homeless ministries. That sounds like a plan!
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
1 Sarah Moore
3 Sally E. Tomasek
6 Lisa Miriam Kirch
8 Robin Rosson
7 Jeffrey Lemley
10 Hester Novotny
12 Jennie Peet Ashton
Sarah Clarissa Kirch
13 Carol Ann Burlinson
Audrey Loomis
14 Jake Burlinson
15 Sara Ross
Gedeon Karasi Bukasa
20 Carol Barrett
28 Larissa Pickens
29 Lynn Loomis
30 Mouloud Randal Sennour
BOOKCASES FOR SALE
Two teakwood bookcases (74 _" x 35 5/8" x 11" D)
6-shelf adjustable. Good condition.
Will sell individually or as a pair. $300 each.
Contact Suzanne VanderPoel @ 789-8551
The Christmas season has begun for our church youth, who are hard at work preparing for the annual Christmas Pageant! This year's play will be performed during worship on December 18, and will include congregational participation that is sure to put everyone in the Christmas Spirit. Watch the church bulletin for more information!
The Board of Christian Education would like to welcome our newest elementary teacher, Nancy Binford, who taught in October with the assistance of her husband, Lincoln. Thanks to both! Thanks also to all who have volunteered as Sunday School assistants this fall. There are a couple of Sundays still open, and a new sign up sheet will be out soon for the Spring semester. If you haven't done so already, please consider signing up to help out for a Sunday or two. Remember, there's no preparation involved. Just join the class and have fun!
We still need Sunday School assistants for the elementary Sunday School class. Please sign up and join the fun!!!
FREEZE NIGHT MINISTERS FOR DECEMBER
3 Sat Tom/Robin, Will Heimbach, Jennifer Howicz
4 Sun Tom/Robin, Reuel & Ellie Nash
5 Mon Tom/Robin, Matt Blackstock, Sara Ross
7 Wed Tom/Robin, Dennis Murphy, Chester Rosson
10 Sat Tom/Robin, Will Heimbach, Cecile Adam
12 Mon John Goff, Ben White, Sara Ross
14 Wed Tom/Robin, Doyal & Tommie
17 Sat Tom/Robin, Will Heimbach, Jennifer Howicz
18 Sun Tom/Robin, Ben White, Liz Nash
19 Mon John Goff, Matt Blackstock, Sara Ross
21 Wed Tom/Robin, Dennis Murphy, Chester Rosson
24 Sat Tom/Robin, Will Heimbach, Jennifer Howicz
26 Mon John Goff, Ben White, Sara Ross
28 Wed Tom/Robin, Doyal & Tommie
31 Sat Tom/Robin, Will Heimbach, Cecile Adam
CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!!
And Christmas Day is on a SUNDAY
Please call or e-mail the church office to volunteer for ushering duties for Sunday, December 25, 2005!!!
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT
REHEARSALS!!!!
Come One, Come All to rehearse
the Christmas Pageant.
We will gather Saturdays, December 10 and 17
from 10 am until Noon.
See you then!
COFFEE HOUR
Please sign up in the Fellowship Room to be coffee hour hosts on an upcoming Sunday. The coffee hour time is such a good opportunity to visit old friends and meet visitors. We keep coffee and ginger ale and some punch fixings in the pantry in the kitchen. There are usually paper napkins, and we use coffee mugs and punch cups to avoid wasting natural resources. Your menu can be as simple or complicated as you want. Cookies and/or chips and salsa are just fine! If you have questions, talk to Pat Oakes, Tommie Pinkard, or Lynne Lemley.
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
WORSHIP AND SPECIAL EVENT CALENDAR
Friday, December 16, 11:00 am,
Advent Worship Service and Luncheon and Worship.
This service is held at church for homebound members. We provide them with transportation to give them the opportunity to enjoy worship and fellowship with other members of the church. Everyone is invited, so please consider joining us for worship and a catered lunch provided by Southern Care Hospice.
Sunday, December 18, 11:00 am
Christmas Pageant During Worship
The Christian Ed Board is once again working with our fine young thespians at church to bring us another fine Christmas Pageant.
Sunday, December 18, 7:00 pm
Candlelight Service at Church
Please join us for one of the most moving services of the year. This year, we are thankful that Cara Firestone will be singing.
Sunday, December 18, 8:30 pm
Christmas Gathering at Pat and Mel Oakes
Need we say more? The tradition continues...everyone is invited and maps will be available. Come taste the best eggnog in the known world.
Sunday, December 25, 11:00 pm
Christmas Day and Luncheon
We'll celebrate Jesus' birth in our worship service, with Cara Firestone singing once again, and then host a Christmas feast for folks from Rejuvenation House, a Christian half-way house for young men.
DEADLINE FOR JANUARY VISITOR - DECEMBER 16
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