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Advent (cont.)But Jesus is not just any baby. Advent has historically been called “little Lent” because we await the arrival of a Savior we desperately need. When you come to church every Sunday of this Advent, notice the mixture of “Rejoice!” and “Repent!” in the readings. Our lectionary selections for the season (which you can meditate upon at www.lectionarypage.net) remind us that the baby Jesus is also the refiner’s fire, and John the Baptist is going to hammer that point home for us. This child coming to us is glorious news, but he has a solemn task.For this reason, the season in which we anticipate his arrival deserves the same quiet dignity that we observe around expectant parents. The poet William Carlos Williams, a country doctor, described the moment of birth as the “stark dignity of entrance.” The baby is coming, and it is time to hush, to turn away from some of the distractions, to look over our shoulders, and to wait. Love, the Lord, is on the way.- The Rev. Janine Schenone

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Advent

Music

Music for Advent Lessons and Carols People Look East arr. Barry RoseJesus Christ the Apple Tree Elizabeth PostonZion Hears the Watchmen Calling Johann Sebastian Bach arr. Benjamin StraleyDrop Down Ye Heavens Richard LloydBenedictus in C Charles Villiers StanfordBogoroditse devo (Rejoice, O Virgin) Sergei Rachmaninofffrom the All Night Vigil

After a recent rehearsal with Young at Arts in which we practiced a jazzy arrangement of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I began thinking about how many of our popular Christmas songs actually connect us with the true meaning of Christmas. While I enjoy getting a little funky on the piano and singing fun songs with the kids, I would ask you to consider whether your favorite Christmas carols inspire you to truly reflect on the sheer mystery of Christ’s birth. Since most Christmas music wasn’t written to inspire a deeper connection to scripture, it becomes the mission of music at Christ Church to do just that.Throughout time, artists have transformed the way we perceive life. Moviegoers were treated to a dazzling new world of botanical beauty in the movie Avatar, one which none of us could have previously envisioned. Similarly, the great American artist Frederic Church painted images of the Hudson River Valley with an almost otherworldly sense of beauty.Just as fine art and film can inspire our imaginations, great church music can help bring meaning and human connection to scripture. On December 2, we will celebrate the first Sunday of Advent with a service of Lessons and Carols. Listen carefully to Richard Lloyd’s Drop Down Ye Heavens and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Bogoroditse devo (Rejoice, O Virgin). Both works of music inspire the requisite emotions – longing and desire for the coming of the Messiah in Drop Down Ye Heavens, and praise and awe of the Virgin Mary in Bogoroditse devo.I also strongly encourage you to arrive at 10.30pm on Christmas Eve to hear Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. Conceived for three part treble chorus, solo voices and harp, our fine soprano and alto sections will perform the piece in its entirely with harpist Ashley Jackson. If you are looking for something special to help you reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas, I urge you to come and listen to these great works of music, for they offer both God and God’s people our best work. -Vaughn Mauren

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Music

Behind the Scenes

Music Preparation for Advent and ChristmasWhen I was in high school, my Mother decided that we would spend Christmas at our summer house, which was on a small island in Maine. On Christmas Eve, the island community gathered at the small church for an all-island Secret Santa and a visit from Santa. I will never forget one little girl who when she heard the sleigh bells, propelled herself down the aisle and into the arms of Santa. (She had not seen a Santa every other block for the previous 3 weeks.)There was one thing missing. The music at Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.My guess is that most of us at Christ Church look forward to the music at the Advent Lessons and Carols and on Christmas Eve every December without much thought to what goes into making it all happen. So what goes into getting the music ready? I thought I would ask Vaughn Mauren, who has worked alongside our Music Director, Christopher Wells, for the past two years.Vaughn said that he has chosen all the music for this year’s Lessons and Carols (Dec 2) and for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. When I asked him how long it took, he hesitated in responding; it took about 25 hours to find the music he wanted to use! Vaughn went through the music in the Christ Church library and then checked the library at Trinity Church in New Haven. In addition, Vaughn said he listened to several recordings of pieces he was considering for which he didn’t have the sheet music. He said he initially chose 5 different options for each reading. The music for each reading has to match the reading and he wanted to be sure there was a flow to the service; there can be no random sense of tempos. He also needed to choose music which could be sung by the children’s choirs and was concerned whether the music was of pedagogical value and would help take the trebles to the next level. For this year’s Lessons and Carols, all the Christ Church choirs will be participating – the Primary Choir, the Young at Arts Treble Choir, the Sing and Ring Choir, the Trebles, the Christ Church Choir and the Bell Choir! The Kensington Brass will also be on hand.Due to the storm, there will be an extra rehearsal scheduled, but normally the choirs rehearse one day a week and then on the morning of the service. Vaughn enjoys rehearsing with the choirs as he loves watching the singers as they learn to understand the music.Vaughn’s favorite service is the Midnight Mass because he loves the lighting of the church and all the Christmas greens. His favorite carol is “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”. Vaughn grew up singing in church choirs and found the services inspiring in his home church at the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany. For this year’s service there will be a harp player and Vaughn will need an extra rehearsal to practice the prelude.I asked Vaughn if he had any worries about these major services and he said his biggest worry is that someone in the choir

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Outreach Sunday at CCBOutreach is defined as an activity of providing services to populations who might not otherwise have access to those services. On November 18, 2012, Christ Church of Bronxville participated in many activities directed at various groups in need. As always, our Outreach projects encouraged involvement from all segments of our congregation, from our youngest tots to our elders. We encouraged our young children to think about repurposing as well as reaching out. Our children created over 60 “turkey bags” filled with unused Halloween candy. The bags were distributed to the diners of the Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen at their annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Our children also decorated 130 Christmas cards to share the joy of the season with our troops in Afghanistan. Our middle school students, working on behalf of the Interfaith Food Bank, devoted their Monday night at Jr. EYC to organizing 1000 cans of food. The cans were segregated into shopping bags of 10 items each to be distributed to 3 different soup kitchens. Outreach does not only focus on human needs, but calls out for environmental help. The Bronx River Conservancy and Christ Church have had a convivial relationship that facilitates our congregation’s desire to benefit the local environment. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, there was a lot of clean up needed and accomplished around Bronxville Lake. Teams of students and parents picked up huge numbers of willow branches, a number of fallen branches were taken down from the steep “Suicide Hill”,” fallen branches on the East side of the Lake were untangled from trees and bushes, 7 large bags of litter were collected from the edge of the Bronxville Lake. The southern bridge near the waterfall was cleared of overhanging branches using bow saws and loppers.Constituencies that are served by us on an ongoing basis, also received our help. Adult volunteers dispatched to Fessenden House were assisted by the energy of teenage boys from the youth group where they conducted a major clean up of the grounds. The group raked leaves and tidied up the house which serves men recovering from alcoholism and drug abuse. To ensure that our Midnight Runs are as beneficial as they can be, organization is key. After collecting donations of coats, backpacks, shoes and socks, our volunteers sorted the donations and organized the Midnight Run supplies closet. The Amani Charter School in Mt. Vernon has a newly organized library and resource room thanks to the dozen volunteers from Christ Church. The group from CCBNY worked diligently to bring order to the jumble of books that are housed in a combination classroom/library. They also used a computer system to input information about recently donated books, so that the library system can run more efficiently. Amani, which serves 5th and 6th graders, has volunteer opportunities for tutoring and would welcome parishioners to get involved at the school. All in all, the mission of Outreach was fulfilled on that post Sandy Sunday. -Camille Mordaunt

Outreach

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Sandy

The bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of New York asked for our help to gathering non-perishable food, blankets, and clothing for the people on Staten Island reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.As we reloaded our refrigerators, freezers and pantries, parishoners from Christ Church picked up some extras for those in need. Because of Sandy we have all recognized the importance of generosity and connection to others.

Donations of food and clothing were dropped off and a team of adults and teens delivered the collected goods to Staten Island personally on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning and were distributed by the parish churches. Thank you, and may God bless all that we do for others in faith and hope and love.-The Staff and Clergy of CCBNY

Staten Island Sandy Relief

Pictured here: Donations to Sandy Victims provided by members of Christ Church Bronxville

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Outreach Sunday

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Amani Public Charter School is a public charter school in Mount Vernon with 170 5th and 6th graders who are learning to love to read!

We have hundreds of books which we have been trying to organize for many months. This is a task which seemed insurmountable, but as the African Proverb says: “many hands make light work”.

The work of the volunteers from Christ Church was exactly what we needed to help push this project over the top.

Our classroom sets now live happily on the shelves available to our teachers for use in the classroom. Many of our books were catalogued and placed in our classroom libraries, and our curriculum closet was organized. Thank you so much for taking the time on a beautiful fall Sunday.

Help Amani Win a $20k Clorox Grant - Text 2581pbf to 95248 once a day til 12/19! Or vote for Amani @ https://powerabrightfuture.clorox.com/

Outreach Sunday

Guild of St. Raphael

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Center for Spiritual GrowthDecember Birthdays

1: Edward Barr, Wink McKinnon; 2: George Palmer, Hannah Hely; 3: James Kirby, John Kirby; 4:Worth Goodell, Libby Goodell, Brendan Elkerton, Jonah Martin; 6: Katherine Brosco, Brian Sica; 7: Gregory Gil-liam, Laura Griffith, Katharine Rooney ; 8: Page Marshall; 9: Caroline So-rensen; 10: Patrick Early; 12: Marca Ewy; 14: Steve Ecklond, Rachel Roberts 15: Elisabeth Campbell, Sarah Reynolds; 16: Sam Wagner; 17: Ruth Singleton, Eliza Elder; 18: Tracey Minich; 19: Letizia Seirup, Michael Barrett, Warren Kraemer, Carter Boyle, Haydeelee Roman; 20: Vance Wood; 21: Carol Costa; 22: Noel Carroll, Kim Olson, Owen Jones, Charlotte Prior; 24: James Redpath; 25: Sarah Heintz, Frank Simpson; 26: Erica Kenney, Avery Jones; 27: Ralph Alexander; 28: Blake O’Guin, Thomas Roth; 30: Fiona Barr, Mallory Bates, Vincent Pazienza; 31: P.G. Costa; Christopher Watson

Are we missing your

birthday?Help us bring our community closer together by letting us include you in our prayers and celebrate you on your birthday.

Please send us your birthday information so we can make sure you are included. You can skip the year and just give us month and date if you are keeping a secret.

To submit birthdays please send them to Amy Capeci at acapeci@ccbny.org.

Thank you!

On my way out of church, I asked for a prayer, recognizing how important it was to have spiritual support. Our wonderful assistant, Jen threw her arms around me and said, “I’ll put you on my altar.” That experience of being on the receiving end of spiritual care, reminds me of the difference being on someone’s prayer list makes in my life. In every Sunday liturgy, we participate in the Prayers of the People, our intercessions for the church and the world. We name aloud those who are in need of healing and lift them to God’s care. We also remember them throughout the week, through those who serve in the ministry of intercession. This ministry, called the Guild of St. Raphael’s is an organization dedicated to promote the ministry of healing which began in an Anglican church in 1915 and has spread to many other churches and denominations.

The Rev. Jen Brown introduced the Guild to Christ Church last year. Prayer that lifts others before God reminds us that we are all connected and that healing comes not in isolation but in relationships of compassion and spiritual support. It makes a difference to know that you or your loved one is being prayed for. In the course of my own work as a hospital chaplain, I have heard countless patients and family members say that “prayer has gotten them through their suffering and that the prayers of others have truly brought support.” Intercessory prayer truly links us to others and to God so that we can be instruments of God’s healing and be continually transformed by God’s grace and love. As Julian of Norwich said, prayer unites the soul to God. Our family at Christ Church is engaged in many ministries that speak of Christ’s love for the world. The Guild of St. Raphael’s is one of them. As members of the Guild, we commit ourselves to intercession, and hope you will feel free to contact us if have prayer requests or concerns. You may have practical needs like meals or a ride for someone who needs it, needs we may be able to communicate to others or address ourselves.-Hondi Brasco

Below is a list of the members of the Guild. We are now meeting on a monthly basis.

Members of The Guild of St. Raphael

Hondi Brasco, Maxine Brooks Walsh, Deborah Cook, Barbara Deller, Bob Jalang’o, Jane Kratovil, Barbara McKinnon, Jeannette Monaco, Michael Pollack, Phyllis Schneider, Emily Simpson

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Adult FormationFebruary Birthdays

2: Aaron Srebnick; 3: Amy Freed, Paige Nagle; 4: Hendrik Kranenburg; 5: Bob Jalang’o, Margaret Eaton Todd Rubsamen; 6: John O’Neil, Mark Roberts; 7: Carter Callaway, Brian Firth; 8: Stephen Howard ; 9: Jim Beit, Hanna Buendia, Stephen Mordaunt, Victoria Mordaunt; 11: Patrick Conaton, Joshua Philips; 12: Sophie Capello; 13: Christopher Behrens, Robert Murray; 14: Mary Territo, Anabelle Thurston; 15: Lisa Harrington; 16:Timothy McCann; 17: Patrick Bird, Blanche Johnson; 18: Agatha Dunbar, James Rooney; 19: Rita Durniak, Dylan Ecklond; 20: Betsy Howard; 21:Peyton Elder; 22: William Anderson; 23: Didi Romley, Camilla Seirup, Lorenzo Seirup; 24: Alekzandra Thoms, Christian Welch; 25: Richard Fursland, Lucille Noone, Hollis Petersen; 26: Jack St. Phillip, Lila Hely, Eric Fleisig; 27: Cherry Lawrence, Charles McKhann, Molly O’Neil; 29: Mary TurinoPlease look at your calendars and email Katie Elder atkatie@elderbxv.com, as to which Sunday you can host.

Sunday Short SeriesThe first Sunday Short Discussion Group I attended was the first I had responsibility for conducting. The subject at hand was C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. It had been suggested by Father Michael. The four ”short” discussion sessions we had on the book were among the richest and most open discussions about religion I have ever had. I completed the sessions with utter admiration for and gratitude to my fellow participants. “Pride”, for instance, has more meaning now to me than it ever had before.The second “Sunday Shorts” had been originally planned by Father Cody and Jody Maier, to be given in the late Spring. It was to be Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. With Cody’s death, Jody turned to Hondi Brasco and me to see if we would join her in doing the book as a “Sunday Short” during the summer. We did so, knowing that church attendance during the summer would make for a smaller group. While the group was smaller, the discussions were very inspiring. The central question was: should a Jewish captive in a concentration camp forgive a dying SS trooper? The edition we had of the book included not only the original symposium responses from religious leaders of the mid-1970’s but also more recent ones by such individuals as Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. I think I can speak for all who participated – “forgiveness” is a clearer concept than it was when we began, fraught with subtlety, but rich in application to our daily lives. I personally learned so much from the participants and co-discussion leaders.The book we have just finished as a “Sunday Short” for the Fall is Alain de Botton’s Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion. It had a rousing endorsement from Father Michael. While not cutting to the deepest issues of faith, such as forgiveness and the nature of sin, the book reminded us of the role that calendars, ritual, food, friendship, institutions and art play in our lives as a religious people. With every page, I found myself saying “That’s right. I hadn’t ever thought about it that way!” I don’t think the book increased the number of non-believers. In a course I take at the Metropolitan Museum, I have been trying to persuade the instructor and my fellow students that our next course should be modeled after de Botton’s museum that teaches love, compassion, bravery, and self-knowledge. The instructor, alas, wants to have a course on Impressionism.There have been several good suggestions for a Spring Sunday Short. Among them are: Stephen Rockefeller and

John Elder’s Spirit and Nature: Why the Environment is a Religious Issue--An Interfaith Dialogue; Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, and Richard Rohr’sFalling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. Possible participants might have other suggestions, and we can leave it to Father Bird to decide. There is always C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.While the Sunday Shorts are not up to the beauty of the music and architecture of Christ Church, or the wisdom of the sermons and liturgy, serious, religious people sharing their views about issues that are important in their religious maturity are nearly there.-Warren Ilchman

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WMF

The WMF Christmas party and microloan event is Thursday, December 6th, 7:00pm at the home of Amy Freed, 35 Garden Avenue. Please feel free to bring food or drink. There is a $20 suggested donation at the door to help fund the micro loans. We’ll bring everyone up to date on the women we loaned to last year. Many of the loans have been repaid and we also have a balance in the account to increase the new loan amounts. Come with suggestions for this year’s loan project!

Gay and Lesbian Fellowship Group will meet on December 9th, 6PM at the home of PG and Carol Costa. 39 Elm Lane, Bronxville. The dinner is potluck so please bring a dish. Contact Michael Pollack to RSVP and let him know what you will be bringing. michaeljohnpollack@ gmail.com / 917-579-7241

Gay and Lesbian Fellowship Group

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Christmas

Monday December 24, 2012

4:00 P.M. The Family Christmas Crèche Mass

Variations on a Noel - Marcel Dupré

Carols of Benjamin Britten and Benjamin Straley presented by the Treble Choir and Sing n’ Ring

Final from Symphony No. 1 - Louis Vierne

10:30 P.M. The Christmas Prelude

The women of Christ Church Choir present Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols,

with Ashley Jackson, harp.

11:00 P.M. Solemn Midnight Mass

Keble College - Philip Stopford

O Holy Night - Mack Wilberg

Carols: Harold Darke, John Tavener and others.

Prelude and Fugue in B Major - Marcel Dupré

Tuesday December 25, 201210:00 A.M. Christmas Day Mass

The Hymns of Christmas

Christmas at Christ Church Bronxville

Flowers and MusicFlowers and music beautifully enhance our Christmas season at Christ Church. During the season of Advent we will be collecting donations to help offset their cost. Envelopes are available in the narthex for your contribution. Please indicate if your gift is in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a particular blessing and they will be listed in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins. The deadline for donations to the church office is Wednesday, December 19th.

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Winter Highlights

Sunday, December 2ndAdvent Lessons and Carols

Saturday, December 8thYAA Show

Sunday, December 9thChrist Church Choir Sings

Saturday, December 15thCrèche Rehearsal

Tuesday, December 18thVestry Meeting

Sunday, December 23rdChristmas Party

Monday, December 24thChristmas Crèche ServiceMidnight Mass

Tuesday, December 25thChristmas Mass

Wednesday, December 26thChurch Office Closed

Monday, December 31stChurch Office Closed

Tuesday, January 1stChurch Office Closed

Sunday, January 6thOld Fashioned Hymn Sing

Friday, January 11thMidnight Run

Monday, January 21stMLK Day-Church Office Closed

Sunday, January 27thAnnual Meeting

Tuesday, February 12thShrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Wednesday, February 13thAsh Wednesday

Friday, February 15th-24thPilgrimage to Taize

20 The SpireThe SpireChrist Church Bronxville17 Sagamore RoadBronxville, NY 10708-1599

Christmas at Christ Church Bronxville

11:00 P.M. Solemn Midnight MassPhilip Stopford’s Missa Brevis for Keble College

Anthems of Harold Darke, Mack Wilberg and John Tavener

Monday December 24, 20124:00 P.M. The Family Christmas Crèche Mass

Favorite Hymns and our Children’s Choirs

10:30 P.M. The Christmas PreludeBenjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols

Ashley Jackson, Harp

Tuesday December 25, 201210:00 A.M. Christmas Day Mass

The Hymns of Christmas