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Weekly Update 12/2

Advent Begins!

When we had the Christmas in July Zoom celebration we enjoyed hearing the Christmas story and singing carols.  Well, there is another Zoom Christmas Eve service planned for 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 24th.  There will also be an in-person outdoor service at 7:00 p.m.

The theme for this Advent season at LUCC is Rekindle the Gift from a verse from 2 Timothy.  This is certainly a season to ‘rekindle’ after all that we have been through!  Each week, the Corona Sabbath and daily devotions will focus on the traditional themes for the candles of the Advent Wreath.  Rekindle Hope.  Rekindle Peace.  Rekindle Joy.  And Rekindle Love.

Please see the details below for the Advent season.  May you find needed hope, peace, joy, and love this season!

Advent Devotions – Posted at the Website

A booklet of devotions has been prepared for the Advent season with a reading for each day and liturgy for the lighting of Advent candles at home each Sunday.  These devotions are also posted weekly at the church website.  May these devotions help to rekindle hope, peace, joy, and love this holy season. 

Please use the link below to read the first weeks readings and liturgy: https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/28/advent-candle-lighting-liturgy-and-daily-devotions-for-week-1/

Christmas Eve

In these difficult and challenging days, celebrating the birth of Jesus is more important than ever.  Jesus, too, was born in difficult times.  His birth reminds us that God is with us, in joy and in sorrow, in times of fear and challenge as well as times of awe and wonder.  

You are invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus with the LUCC church family.  The same service will be offered two ways on Christmas Eve.  

At 5:00 p.m. there will be a Zoom/FaceBook live service.  Go to the church FaceBook page and click on the lower left.  Here’s the link for Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2700683648

At 7:00 p.m. there will be an in person version of the same service on the church grounds.  Masks and physical distancing will be maintained.  There will be no singing.  Bring a chair and a flashlight so you can read the bulletin.  In case of rain, the service will be held on the covered patio adjacent to the playground.  

Rekindle the Gifts of God:  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

Poinsettias

In the uncharted territory we are facing this year, the church will be trying something new.  The church family is invited to bring poinsettias to church on the Sundays in December before Christmas.  They will beautify our worship space and they will be taken to those who are homebound and in need of special care in the congregation.  So, if you would like to, please bring a poinsettia or poinsettias to church.  Many thanks!

Carol Sing Ahead

Missing singing those favorite Christmas carols?  A Zoom carol sing is being planned.  Hilton will play and everyone on the Zoom will safely sing at home.  In the past, each Advent season there has been a caroling event to visit the homebound.  Since Corona has us all somewhat homebound, this year, there will be caroling for everyone who can access Zoom.  The zoom will be Saturday, December 12th at 4:00 p.m.

Please use this link to join! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2700683648

Congregational Care Visits Planned

While it is not safe to go caroling this year, the Care Team has plans for safe visits and drive bys to those in the congregation who are isolated or in need of Christmas cheer.  Hopefully these visits will be meaningful to those who participate and will help to rekindle hope, peace, joy, and love!

In-Person Events! 

The church is experimenting with a ‘soft’ re-opening. There will be in- person gatherings and services outside, with masks, and physical distancing. There will be no singing. Participants are encouraged to bring their own chairs.  Some will also be available at the church.  If the weather is wet, the events will be held on the patio.

Here’s what’s coming:

In addition, the weekly guided labyrinth walks will continue on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and weekly anti-racism demonstrations will continue on Sunday evenings at 4:30p.m.  All are welcome.  

For those who want to remain engaged with the church ‘remotely’, the church will continue to post a weekly Corona Sabbath with a scripture reading, reflection from Rev. Wells, and music from Hilton Jones.  Paper copies of the Corona Sabbath and the Update will continue to be sent to those who do not use the internet.  

After this period of experimentation, there will be a discussion about how to proceed into the New Year.

TOYS for HOMELESS CHILDREN

Our church family along with the Social Justice Team at Westminster Suncoast has been extremely generous in supporting Maximo Elementary’s children.  To date we have donated uniforms, underwear and Covid 19 supplies which included masks for children.

Ms. Jones has identified 30 homeless children  at the school for whom the Education Ministry Team is going to purchase toys and books for Christmas  gifts using available funds.  For  those who would  personally enjoy  buying toys  for these children  please do so.  The toys may be brought  to  the  outdoor Advent services on December 6th and 13th.  Toys may also be dropped off at the church Tues.-Friday, 9:30-noon.  The toys will be picked up for delivery to the school on Monday, December 14th.

Questions? Call, email or text Emily Bell.

THANKS EVERYONE , those who have already donated  and those who will personally purchase toys, for helping to make Christmas 2020  special for a homeless child.       

LUCC ‘s Education Ministry Team

Work Under Way for Adult Day Care

Finally after a year and a half of planning, the renovations of the Fellowship Hall are underway to prepare for the Adult Day Care program sponsored by Neighborly Services!  So far, a railing has been installed to the back entrance of the Fellowship Hall and the demolition is underway to prepare for the three accessible restrooms that are being installed.  It is very exciting to finally see movement toward the goal of offering needed services to the seniors in our area!

Leadership Selection Process

Each year the congregation is invited to offer names of people that they would like to serve as advisors for the church for the coming year.  Church members are also welcome to volunteer to serve.

 Advisors are charged with seeing that the life and ministry of LUCC is an embodiment of the mission statement of the church.  In addition, the Advisors function in an administrative capacity regarding budget and finance, property, program, and personnel.  They serve as the pastoral relations committee fostering a positive relationship between the congregation and the pastor.  

The advisors have been meeting at least once a month, sometimes in person and sometimes virtually.  This depends on the will of the group.

Please suggest names of those you think would serve well as Advisors for the coming year.  You may email lakewooducc@gmail.com

Corona Sabbath Ahead

The Corona Sabbath post this week follows the theme for the Advent candles.  This week the focus is peace.  How do we think about rekindling peace in our lives this Advent season?  See Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13.

This week Sue Sherwood is reading the scripture, there is a reflection from Rev. Wells, and music from Hilton Jones. 

If you missed last week’s Corona Sabbath here’s the link:  

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/11/28/corona-sabbath-37-first-sunday-of-advent-hope/

Anti-Racism Demonstrations Continue on Sundays

Weekly demonstrations to end racism continue in front of the church each Sunday. Beginning Dec. 6, the demonstrations will begin at 4:30.  Bring a sign or use one of the signs provided.  Regardless of the outcome of the election, this witness is an important demonstration of Christian values and moral values.  All are welcome to join in!  

And use the following link to see pictures from the last demonstration.

https://lakewooducc.org/2020/12/01/anti-racism-demonstration-11-27/

In case of rain, the demonstration will not be held that week. Know justice, know peace!

Weekly Labyrinth Walks Continue

Each Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. a small group gathers at the outdoor labyrinth for a time of devotion, discussion, and meditative walking of the labyrinth.  The theme for the week is taken from the Corona Sabbath of the week before, so it is an opportunity to go deeper in the spiritual exploration of that theme for your life.  This devotional gathering is outside and physical distancing is maintained. All are welcome!

If there is rain on Wednesday morning, the gathering will be held on Thursday morning at 9:00.

Spiritual Direction Offered by LUCC Clergy Member.

In these troubled times, it is important to find ways to tend to our spiritual lives. In the Christian tradition, Spiritual Direction is one of the ways of paying attention to the spirit in our lives. A Spiritual Director is someone to talk with about what is going on in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God however we may conceive of God.

Rev. Sally Purvis, Ph.D., a member of LUCC, is a retired clergy person with training and experience in Spiritual Direction. She is offering her services as a Spiritual Director to the community. The sessions would be held on Zoom and there is no fee to be paid. Church leaders are pleased to have the ministry of the church expand in this way.

Spiritual Direction with Sally is open to anyone, not just the congregation. And it is offered to everyone whatever their spiritual or religious background or affiliation or lack thereof. Sessions are generally held once every three weeks. Spiritual Direction is not a mode of therapy. It is a process for understanding and deepening your relationship with God/Spirit in ways that are authentic and life-giving.

Sally was trained by Henri Nouwen, a noted spiritual guide of the 20th century, and did Spiritual Direction as part of her professional ministry before retiring in 2015.

If you would like to explore Spiritual Direction with Sally, please contact her at
sallybpurvis@icloud.com or contact the church (867-7961 or lakewooducc@gmail.com ).

The church is very grateful to Sally for offering this avenue of support to the congregation and the community.

USEFUL LAKEWOOD LINKS DURING THE CORONA CRISIS:

For the above church website links, please note the “Older Posts” button near the bottom of each page.

Music Ministry

About Hilton’s music. . . If you would enjoy hearing Hilton play more Irish folk songs, you can
listen for free at either https://hiltonjones.bandcamp.com/album/irish-
tunes or https://soundcloud.com/hilton-kean-jones/sets/irish-tunes .

December Birthdays: Becky Palmer 12/16, Amaiya Washington 12/18, George Diven 12/27, Melanie Moore 12/27, Someone missing? Contact the church office with birthday information.

Circle of Concern: JoAnn Reid, William Owen, Wilbur Reid, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Ann Quinn, Maggie Brizendine, Dave Radens, teachers, students, and school personnel, and all healthcare workers and essential workers. All those suffering from COVID-19.

Please keep LUCC member, Olivia Gibson, in your prayers. She is a nurse in a COVID-19 unit in a local hospital. We are grateful for her ministry!

Church Office Hours:  Tuesday-Friday 9:30-noon. 

Recent Posts:

Weekly Update: If you are involved with an activity or event that you would like to share with the LUCC family, please send the information to the Church Office by Tuesday since the Update usually is sent out on Wednesday.

Midweek Hymns Advent 1 2020

Four completely different style Advent/Christmas songs today: an early music sound, a gentle folk song, a street-corner salvation band, and even a sing-a-long with the words on the screen.

NCH #101 Comfort, Comfort O My People
NCH #105 Gentle Joseph, Joseph Dear
NCH #106 My heart Sings Out With Joyful Praise
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

  1. I heard the bells on Christmas day
    Their old familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet the words repeat
    Of peace on earth, good will to all.
  2. I thought how, as the day had come,
    The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along th’unbroken song
    Of peace on earth, good will to all.
  3. Till ringing, singing on its way
    The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
    Of peace on earth, good will to all.
  4. And in despair I bowed my head
    “There is no peace on earth,” I said,
    “For hate is strong and mocks the song
    Of peace on earth, good will to all.”
  5. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
    “God is not dead, nor doth God sleep;
    The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
    With peace on earth, good will to all.”

copyright: public domain Words: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1864.; modified Music: ‘Waltham (Calkin)’ John B. Calkin, 1872.

Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy and Daily Devotions for Week 1

This Advent season of 2020 the focus is on rekindling the gift of God. We certainly need our spiritual grounding and the gifts of faith to sustain us during these difficult times.

There is a ritual for lighting the Advent wreath each Sunday. Then there is a reading for each day of the week based on the theme of the week’s candle.

May we rekindle the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love this Advent season!

Rekindle the Gift of Hope

The Advent Candle Lighting Ceremony for 2020 comes from Rev. Maren Tirabassi, a United Church of Christ pastor and poet in New England.  It has been adapted.

Some kind of arrangement of 4 candles is needed. Each week another candle is lit to mark the time of waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Lighting the First Advent Candle – HOPE

In our homes we gather around wreaths to pray our lost hopes, broken peace, limited joys, and love so hard to find and share, in this season of coronavirus.   We affirm that our candles mean we claim the power to call this season Advent when God’s light comes into the world and nothing can overcome it.

Light one candle.

We light the candle of hope in the face of. . .

name those places, people, and concerns where hope is needed

God’s hope shines on hopelessness, and lights the wick of hope in our lives

so that we may shine on the world and brighten the path with hope.   Amen.

Monday Nov. 30  HOPE

‘For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that its shoots will not cease.’

                           Job 14:7

Hope is an interesting concept because it is associated with the time.  Hope is about the future.  We hope for things in the future.  For things to come. We don’t say, ‘I hope I can loose 10 pounds last year.’  That is silly.  We might say, ‘I hope I can loose 10 pounds in the next year.’  The Advent season is a season of preparation for the a future event.  So it is by nature a season of hope.  Of looking forward.  And it is a time to ask ourselves what are we preparing for.  What kind of future are we expecting? 

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, what are you hoping for?  Are your hopes consistent with the hopes and dreams of Jesus?  If not, how can you work on that? 

Prayer

In this season of Advent, may our hope be rekindled for a future in which the love, compassion, and healing of Jesus transform our precious world.  Amen.

Tuesday Dec. 1   HOPE

‘Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you. . .’

1 Corinthians 6:19

This is World AIDS Day.  Remember AIDS?  Now it is very much overshadowed by covid but AIDS continues to ravage lives in St. Petersburg and around the world.  The incidence in St. Petersburg is actually on the rise.

So, where is there hope in the face of this terrible disease?  A disease which is completely preventable?  Maybe the covid crisis will foster a greater interest in health and safety.  Maybe treatments will become more widely available for both diseases.  Maybe people will realize that they don’t want to avoid covid just to contract AIDS.  Maybe wearing a mask will have the ripple effect of making people think about wearing a condom.

Of course the more hope you have for the future, the more likely you are to tend to your health today.  Give some thought to what you are looking forward to and how that encourages you to care for your health.

Prayer

In these days of covid our attention is being re-focused on health.  We pray for all those suffering from covid and its many ripple effects.  We pray for all those impacted by AIDS and its devastating effects.  May we be attentive to care for our bodies so that we can live out the hopes and dreams of God for us and the world.  Amen. 

Wednesday Dec. 2  HOPE

‘Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you. . .’

                                                                                   Deuteronomy 15:15

Yes, hope is about the future, but hope is also about the past.  In the Hebrew scriptures, the people are continually being reminded of what God has done for them in the past.  This remembering helps to keep hope alive for what God will do for them in the future.  Looking back to see the good in our lives and in our collective history can help to keep our hope alive in difficult times. 

Name some things in the past that give you hope for the future.

Prayer

So often we allow ourselves to be caught in a cycle of remembering what is bad, unfair, hurtful, and destructive in the past.  But there is also another reality of the goodness and love that has marked the past.  This Advent season, may we choose to see the good so that we may face the future with hope.  Amen.

Thursday Dec. 3   HOPE

‘A thousand years in your sign are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.’

Psalm 90:4

Sometimes it seems that our reality is confined to the news cycle.  Each day, a new barrage of issues, events, and concerns.  A batch for today.  A new one for tomorrow.  And the politics which surround us seem bound by the election cycle.  Instead of doing what is best for the country, elected officials seem to do what will get them re-elected.  In many ways our culture is very short sighted.  It’s about today.  Yesterday.  Tomorrow.  We are not usually thinking decades, centuries or millennia ahead.  Or behind.

But hope has a broad range.  It can be about yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  But the branching out of hope can be rooted far back into the past.  And hope can extend far into the future.  At Christmas we remember a birth over 2000 years ago.  And that birth was the realization of centuries of hoping and waiting.  In the long dark nights of this Advent season, may we free our vision to roam far into the past and to extend far into the future.

What are your hopes for a year from now?  20 years?  How about for the year 2525?  [There was a song about that. . .]

Prayer

In this Advent season, may our hopes be rekindled – dreams as close as a newborn child and as far away as the stars.  Amen. 

Friday Dec. 4   HOPE

‘Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’

Proverbs 12:18

Hope can be as near as our next breath.  Sometimes I find myself hoping that the next thing that comes out of my mouth will be helpful, honest, and constructive.  Sometimes I find myself hoping that I will not let something hurtful out of my mouth.  Hope can be very much in the moment.  And when our hopes do not come to fruition?  We will probably have another opportunity, get another try, have another go of it. 

The holiday season can be fraught.  We want to say the right thing.  Give the right gift.  Offer the right consolation.  Give the right encouragement.  In a time laden with so many expectations and troubles.  Have hope that you can help to keep the flame of hope alive for someone else this Advent season.

Prayer

Sometimes it is difficult to maintain our hopes.  There are so many disappointments and failures.  May we continue to try to witness to the love and compassion of Jesus.  And may our efforts help to keep hope alive for others.  Amen.

Saturday Dec. 5   HOPE

‘The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.’

This line from the well-beloved carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, reminds us that Jesus was born in a time of hope and fear.  People were very much afraid in the context of Jesus’ birth.  The occupation by the Roman Empire was like having someone kneel on your neck.  But there were also many would- be messiahs in Jesus’ day.  The fear sparked hope.  People wanted to see deliverance. 

We are living in fearful, perilous times.  Between the pandemic and global warming, along with other threats, it is a scary time.  But the story of Jesus reminds us that fear can also breed hope.  So in these dark days, let us expect light – from ourselves and others. 

Prayer

The darker it is, the brighter the stars.  In these trying times, may our hope shine ever more brightly.  Amen.