This week we come to the end of our series “Casting Christmas”. We take a final look back at the characters of the Christmas Story and introduce Simeon and Anna. In his book Peculiar Treasures, Frederick Buechner writes about Simeon and the “Curtain Call” moment he had in the temple with Jesus, Mary and Joseph:
“Jesus was still in diapers when his parents brought him to the Temple in Jerusalem ‘to present him to the Lord’ as the custom was, and offer a sacrifice and that’s when old Simeon spotted him. Years before, he’d been told he wouldn’t die till he’d seen the Messiah with his own two eyes, and time was running out. When the moment finally came, one look through his cataract lenses was all it took. He asked if it would be all right to hold the baby in his arms and they told him to go ahead but be careful not to drop it…
The parents were pleased as punch, and so he blessed them too for good measure. Then something about the mother stopped him, and his expression changed. What he saw in her face was a long way off, but it was there so plainly he couldn’t pretend. ‘A sword will pierce through your soul,’ he said. He would rather have bitten off his tongue than said it. But in that holy place he felt he had no choice. Then he handed her back the baby and departed in something less than the perfect peace he’d dreamed of all the long years of his waiting.” (pg. 176)
Sometimes our endings are not as we envision. The story we think we know, shifts depending upon our vantage point. With God, the future is a mystery and the unfolding a process. May you find your place in God’s unfolding and enfolding story and may the community of The Table be a place to continue your search.
This week we come to the end of our series “Casting Christmas”. We take a final look back at the characters of the Christmas Story and introduce Simeon and Anna. In his book Peculiar Treasures, Frederick Buechner writes about Simeon and the “Curtain Call” moment he had in the temple with Jesus, Mary and Joseph: “Jesus was still in diapers when his parents brought him to the Temple in Jerusalem ‘to present him to the Lord’ as the custom was,…
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation; which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ Luke 2:29-32 NRSV The passage above is called the “Nunc Dimittis”. It is sung by Simeon in the temple as he holds the infant Jesus. Simeon sings these words in gratitude to God for the…
We transition in worship this week from Christmas Day and the Magi to New Year’s Day and Simeon and Anna. This is the final week of our worship series which was intended to help us all prepare for the mystery of Christmas by learning more about the characters from the story and wondering about how we might be shaped by trying on their roles in our own lives. This last week brings us to Simeon and Anna and the story of…
Today is Christmas Eve. We end our waiting and we welcome God into the world. With endings come new beginnings. The transition time between the two is often overlooked. At The Table, our deepest hope is to live fully into God’s gift of love. We know this as God’s mysterious presence and power in our daily life. This is God’s great gift to us. May you pause this night to savor the exquisite anticipation of God’s coming. May you hear…
We are approaching the final moments of Casting Christmas at The Table. We began with John the Baptist as our Call Boy, agreed that Mary was The Lead and examined how Joseph provided the right method to be her supportive partner. Last week the Extras entered the stage as we considered the shepherds and angels, God’s messengers in the Christmas drama. If you would like a review, listen here. So, the question is; have you chosen the role you would…
A recent article in the Sacramento Bee quoted my friend Curt Harlow (teaching pastor at Bayside) as saying: “We do Christmas big around here because God did Christmas big the first time.” What I am sure Curt also said, that the Sacramento Bee and most secular publications usually miss, was that God’s ways are nuanced and mysterious and that what we might think of as “Big” pales in comparison to God’s imagination. For, the power of the Christmas story…
We transition in worship this week from Shepherds and Angels – the Extras – to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We approach the mystery of Christmas together, hoping that the characters we have spent time with these last 4 weeks are more familiar to our community. Our scripture for Sunday brings us to the Magi in Matthew 2.1-12. We are calling this “The Second Act.” The story of the magi and Herod has no relation or points of contact with the…
Join us Sunday night in the Social Hall from 6:00 – 8:00 pm for an evening of jazz Christmas music. Donations of $5-$10 at the door will go to support our music ministries. Homemade pizza & salad will be sold for a small cost from the kitchen. Play area for children will be available.
We will reflect upon the shepherds in worship this Sunday. Kenneth Bailey writes, The shepherds were told that the presence of the baby in a manger was a sign for them. Shepherds were near the bottom of the social ladder and indeed, their profession was declared unclean by some of their rabbis. Many places would not welcome them. In many homes they would feel their poverty and be ashamed of their low estate. But no—they faced no humiliation as they…
We transition from Joseph to the Shepherds & Angels this week in worship as we continue with our theme of Casting Christmas. We move from the supporting actor to the extras. Extras are background actors. Extras are often referred to as “background performers” or “background artists”. Adam Hamilton writes, “First-century shepherds were at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. They were typically uneducated, usually poor, and since they lived among their animals in the elements, sometimes smelled of dirty…
We turn from Mary to Joseph this Sunday in our worship series Casting Christmas. Joseph’s character invites us to consider what it means to play a supporting role in the lives of others. One writer describes the story of Joseph this way on homileticsonline.com: The story of the journey to Bethlehem and the birth itself, when viewed through lenses ground to focus on only Western European cultural traditions, finds this ordeal strange and cruel. We see Joseph foolishly dragging a…
The Table at Central UMC will partner with Sacramento Steps Forward to provide winter sanctuary on December 28. Up to 100 guests who are currently unhoused will find respite from the cold in our Social Hall. Guests will begin arrive around 4:00 pm. We’ll be organizing teams in the coming weeks to prepare and serve a hot meal. We’ll also develop a team to help with clean up after the meal. Guests will stay overnight and be bused downtown around…
