Holy Week Worship

As the season of Lent draws to a close, Nativity gathers for worship in some of our most distinctive services of the year, all of which are meant to draw us nearer to the holy mysteries of Christ’s death and resurrection. Join your brothers and sisters in Christ this Holy Week and Easter as we pray our way to the empty tomb.

Palm Sunday, April 14 – At both services, our worship recalls Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem by blessing palm branches at both 8 and 10:30 church. 10:30 church begins on the small Howard Street patio and continues with a procession into church. Our gospel for the day is Luke’s account of Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and arrest. Church members should contact the church office if they’d like to read a part in this drama.

Morning Prayer – As we have all Lent, a group of Nativity members will continue to pray together Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7:15am.

Holy Wednesday, April 17 – We will gather at 10am for our normal midweek Eucharist, but in lieu of a sermon, we’ll instead take five minutes of silent prayer together.

Maundy Thursday, April 18 – At 5:30pm, our worship recalls the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples and the two gifts he gave the night before he died. First, we recall Jesus’ example of humble service in washing his disciples’ feet. Second, we celebrate the gift of Holy Communion that Jesus gave during this meal. The service concludes with the ornamentation of the church being stripped in advance of Good Friday. Childcare is available during this service, and like previous years, Peter will be assisted by the youth group in putting on this service.

Overnight Prayer Vigil – We recall in our prayers Jesus pleading with his disciples to watch, wait, and pray with him in the Garden as he prepared for his arrest. Beginning at 6:30pm on Thursday night and continuing until 7:15am on Friday morning, individuals or small groups of Nativity members can sign up to pray in the Hamilton foyer near the reserved sacrament. A sign up sheet is available in the office.

Good Friday, April 19 – At noon, our worship recalls the hour at which Jesus was nailed to the cross. Worship includes a reading of St. John’s account of the crucifixion, as well as an opportunity to contem- plate our own rugged cross. On this solemn day, we do not celebrate communion, but this service does include distribution of reserved sacrament. After the service, the rest of the sacrament is consumed, and the church is empty of Christ’s presence until Easter. At 1pm, a service of Stations of the Cross prayer- fully recalls Jesus’ trial, death, and burial. Childcare is available during the noon service.

Easter Sunday, April 21 – Our worship this morning recalls the stunning miracle that makes all the difference in the world and all the difference in our lives. At 6am, our sunrise service begins in the dark- ness and ends in light. We hear extra scripture readings that tell the story of God’s salvation across the centuries, culminating in the empty tomb. At 8 and 10:30am, we hear the good news of women who went to anoint the body of a dead Savior and were astonished to find the living God instead! Baptisms and the renewal of baptismal vows will be a part of this service. Childcare is available at 8 and 10:30 as usual, but not at 6am.

EYC (6th-12th grades)

In EYC, we have been exploring the question, “Where is God calling me?”. This may mean, “Where is God calling me to go?” or “What is God calling me to be?” Both are difficult questions for anyone at any stage of life to answer. These are very difficult questions for a teenager who may have limited life experiences to answer. However, these are some of the deep questions we are wrestling with in our youth group.

To help answer these questions, Nativity’s EYC is first working on forming relationships. We are forming relationships with each other and with other people in the church and in the community. We are spending time being together, sharing meals together, playing games together, and listening to each others’ stories. We have spent time listening to the life stories of other people. We are also forming relationships through mission such as during the Maundy Thursday foot washing and a community clean-up day.

This summer, we are planning to expand our relationships by participating in a trip to Florida for a hurricane relief mission trip. What we have learned is that God often calls us through our relationships with other people. That is what EYC is about, relationships.

Save the Date – Nativity Parish Weekend

After almost two decades, Nativity is bringing back a well-loved tradition: spending the weekend together as a church family at Gray Center and Camp Bratton- Green. Games, fellowship, camp activities, and worship will be involved. Mark your calendars for October 4-6 and look for more details in the months to come!

Easter Egg Hunt

Yes, yes...we’re kind of breaking the rules by having an Easter egg hunt on the day before the stone got rolled away, but what are you going to do?! Kids of all ages are invited to join us at 3pm for this great Nativity tradition. Following the hunt for eggs, ice cream and toppings will be served!

The Choir Corner: The Tree of Life

As an avid gardener and champion of Agriculture, I adore all the hymns and anthems with a garden, vineyard, or tree allusion: “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, “ “Christ hath a garden,” the Hebrew canticle “Etz Chaim” (literally Tree of Life,) etc. This year on The Day of Easter, we will again all sing “The Tree of Life,” AKA “There in God’s Garden.” This hymn has continued to gain in popularity for decades.

The original text is by Kiraly Imre von Pecselye ( 1590-1641) and was translated into English by The Rev Dr Erik Routley (1917-1982), who is credited with being the greatest hymnologist the world has ever seen. He was an English Congregational Minister, musician, and scholar whose influence was international. He immigrated to the US in 1975 to become a professor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. You will know him as the author of “All that love and serve Your city,” among other texts and the composer of the tune “Sharpethorn” for “What does the Lord require for praise and offering.”

K. Lee Scott (1950– ) composed the tune “Shades Mountain “ for this text and also gussied it up in the arrangement “Everyone” does. An Alabama native, he has the gift of composing works of quality for choirs of very limited resources, but like the proverbial “ good black dress” these works handle more resources equally well and don’t sound “composed down.” The choir has several of his anthems and arrangements, including this year’s anthem for the Day of Pentecost.

Morning Prayer during Lent

As we have all Lent, a group of Nativity members will continue to pray together Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7:15am. Join them in the choir stalls to hear scripture and pray for the needs of the world each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7:15am until Easter. This service will last 20-30 minutes.

Parish Work Day

Help your church family spruce the place up a bit! On Saturday, March 30 all are invited to join us in a parish wide work day. Beginning at 8:30am, we’ll tend to tasks that require extra elbow grease and many strong backs. Among the tasks we’ll be completing is spreading new rubber mulch underneath the large playground, pressure washing our walkways and patios, and tending to the rose garden. If you have projects that you think we should consider tackling while we’re together, speak with our Junior Warden, Dean Kidd or our Structures Chair, Steve Williams.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Beacon Harbor

On Sunday, March 17th, our youth group will meet for lunch after the 10:30 service. Following lunch, they'll head out and put together a St. Patrick's Day celebration their friends at Beacon Harbor.

Last month, we had a huge turnout for the Mardi Gras celebration - so much that we were over capacity for the space.

This month, Beacon Harbor has asked that we bring just EYC members and designated adult volunteers. For this reason, the scheduled parade has been canceled.

In the future, we look forward to hosting our Beacon Harbor friends at our space where we have more room!

Youth Mission Opportunities

As followers of Christ, we are called to go out into the world and serve. So, EYC is looking to find opportunities to do just that, including a few mission trips. Well, maybe one mission trip and one local mission to show that mission can take place here at home and away. Just like the idea that our neighbors are those who live next door and in the next state.

Here soon, we will look for mission opportunities here in Greenwood. With the help of Brantley Snipes, EYC will find a project that would be beneficial to our neighbors in Greenwood. We are also looking to join a Diocesan mission trip to help our neighbors in Florida with Hurricane relief. This trip, most likely, will take place in late July. Wherever we look, we should be able to find a way to serve.

A Note from Peter (March 2019)

The Church has the ability to transform the world. This fact is patently obvious if one looks at the last 2,000 or so years of world history. What may be less obvious is that the Church has been at its most influential when it has been committed to and sustained by regular spiritual practices. Christians taking on habits of retreat, study, and service have transformed the world in the past and can continue to do so in the present.

As I’ve prepared for sabbatical, I’ve been immersing myself in a great deal of early church history. As I’ve read about 1st-3rd century Rome, 5th-8th century Ireland, 6th-8th century Britain, and 13th century Assisi, a very clear pattern has emerged. That is, a small group of committed Christians, bound together by shared spiritual practices, can turn the world on its head. A few examples:

In the year 500, Britain was in chaos. Rome had long since left the island and with it had gone both literacy and most of the Church. Then, in 563 a group of a dozen Irish monks, led by a fellow named Columba, arrived at the tiny island of Iona in western Scotland. There they established a place of prayer, learning, and outreach to the local population. Sustained by common worship and common work, Iona soon began spreading the faith across Scotland and into northern England while also serving as a center of art, study, and diplomacy.

In 597, the year Columba died, a fellow named Augustine arrived in Canterbury, England. He had been sent to spread the faith in that region by Pope Gregory the Great. Both Gregory and Augustine were monks as well; they followed the rule of St. Benedict. Both men were sustained by regular practices of prayer, work, rest, and study – all done in community. When he arrived in England with his fellow monks, the first thing Augustine did was build an Abbey where these practices could find a home. Within 75 years, the Christian faith would have spread across Britain and the learning of British monks would help transform the educational systems of the rest of Europe.

In 1205, a war veteran named Francis enlisted for the second time, still bearing the scars of his last enlistment. While on the way to battle, a vision stopped him in his tracks and he returned home. Thereafter, he began ordering his days around receiving the Eucharist, contemplation, caring for the sick, and living simply. Others quickly flocked to Francis’ company and habits, and before long, these Friars (or brothers) and their female counterparts, the Poor Clares, were turning the Church and the world on their heads, calling them away from their excesses and back to the heart of the Gospel.

Like our ancestors in the faith, we are at our best as Christians when our lives are ordered around worship, study, and charity. We are most effective at transforming the world, when we have devoted our- selves to the habits that transform us.

Next Wednesday, I will stand in front of the congregation and read those familiar words of the Ash Wednesday liturgy: “I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination, and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Truly, this season of forty days before Easter is our opportunity to recommit to a rule of life – to spiritual habits and practices – that will empower us for ministry just as they did for our ancestors for centuries.

What practices will you take on this Lent? Maybe you’ll recommit to making Sunday worship a priority – both here in Greenwood and wherever you find yourself on Sunday morning. Maybe you’ll recommit to the Bible Challenge, giving up on the idea of catching up, and instead joining us where we are. Maybe you’ll commit to volunteering in a ministry whose mission you believe in. Maybe you’ll join other church members in a discipline of weekday Morning Prayer.

Who knows, perhaps the spiritual practices we take on this Lent can become our way of life far beyond Easter! And with these habits of worship, study, and service sustaining us, who knows? We just might transform the world!

Peace, Peter+