A blessed New Year to you all.

As I sat down to write this a few days before Christmas, my mind was carrying a tune I thought was a Christmas or Epiphany hymn.  The ELW has it under the Easter hymns, ELW #379.  I think it fits us for now because of who we are at this time, in this place. Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;Love lives again, that with the dead has been;Love is come again like wheat arising green.When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,Your touch can call us back to life again,Fields of our hearts, that dead and bare have been;

Love is come again like wheat arising green.

We have just celebrated Love’s entrance coming in the darkest of days, a day set precisely to emphasize the birth of Christ as the Light of God’s presence with us: The light no darkness can overcome.  So now, how do we reflect that Light among us?  It is so easy to think of Christmas as done and over with, but Christ doesn’t disappear with the ornaments and wrinkled wrapping paper.  Christ stays with us to grow within our being and doing and living and dying.  We need to be together in worship and so be reminded again and again that this is “most certainly true”.  We have work to do together … we have adventures to experience together … we have the love of God in Christ Jesus to learn and grow into … together.  So we begin again to be new again.Grace and Peace … Joy and Love.  Pastor JoAnn 

* Now the Green Blade Rises. ELW #379

In Western churches, Epiphany is January 6, ending the “12 Days of Christmas” which began on the eve of December 25. It commemorates the coming of the WiseMen, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In ancient times, before theadvent of calendars, this was the day when the priests would announce the dates of such upcoming events as Easter, Pentecost and other important celebrations. For manyChristian churches, the season of Epiphany continues from January 6 to Ash Wednesday. Epiphany means “to show, reveal, or make known”. The coming of the Magi fulfilled the scriptures about Jesus being revealed to the Gentiles, since the Magi were the first Gentiles to visit andworship him. In Eastern churches, the celebration of Epiphany is the celebration of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist.  According to an old tradition, the following would be written in chalk above the doorway of Christian homes on January 6: 20+C+B+M +11. The two numbers represent the current year, 2011, and the +’s represent Christ. “C, B, and M” are interpreted two different ways. They are the initials of the   traditional names of the Wise Men: Caspar, Balthasar and Melchoir. They also stand for the Latin phrase, “Christus mansionem benedicat”, which means “May Christ bless this house”.  What awonderful way to start a new year! 2011 promises to be a time of searching, growing, and learning what God has in mind for us at Norway Grove. As we continue the process of defining who we are in preparation for calling anew pastor, may our prayers be many, our songs joyous, and our hearts and minds open to wordof the Lord. Happy New Year! 

Elaine Jaeke, Choir and Tone Chimes Director