Featured in this Issue...

Missions News Pg. 2

Christmas Worship
Services Pg. 3

Ladies Christmas
Tea Pg.3

Calendar Pg. 2

Women’s Book Club Pg.4

Movie Night Pg. 5

December 2008

The Bethlehem
Word
son, it backfired in every way. Make-up time replaced holiday
Message from the Pastor time, which replaced Christmas time. Make-up time ended up

John Weborg is Professor Emeritus of Theology at North
Park Theological Seminary and a longtime columnist for the
Covenant Companion, our denominational magazine. He was a
former professor of mine while I was at North Park. Each Friday
during Advent, one of his columns that originally appeared in the
magazine will appear on the Covenant’s website. This article
first appeared in December 2000.
Holiday time and Christmas time are related, but not
identical. While holiday time and Christmas time occur at the
same time on the calendar (as observed by Christians and with
some communality in the culture in general) and in people’s
schedules, they are not the same.
The article “Surviving Holiday Hell” in the November/
December 1998 issue of Psychology Today cites several voices
that cannot agree on what time we are celebrating. One exam-
ple. Frank Pittman says that “Christmas is make-up time.” The
delusion he refers to is “the belief that we can do a year’s worth
of work on our entire set of relationships just in a few days—
holiday time.” He is candid in admitting his painful lesson: trying
to do everything, complicated by the other pressures of the sea-
leaving more to make up and no one had a holiday.
For some it is Santa time, but not St. Nicholas time.
Does our culture know the story of St. Nicholas? We know that
he was a fourth century bishop of Myra on the southwest corner
of what is now Turkey, and that St. Nicolas Day is celebrated
December 6. One story of his life tells of gifts given to a poor
family, rescuing three daughters from a life of prostitution. If the
story is true, it beings out the redeeming character of gifts—that
is, gifts make a material difference in the circumstances of the
recipient. Gift giving is a redemptive act, not a competitive act
among givers.
For many children it is Rudolf time, immortalized by icon
and song. But is the storyline truly faced? Contrary to the hospi-
tality of Mary and Joseph to the shepherds and Magi and the
generosity of St. Nicholas, the company of reindeer was exclu-
sionary. They perpetrated an evil whose effects are seldom fully
escaped: ridicule and exclusion. Holiday time is when ridiculed
and excluded persons yearn like Rudolph for a reversal of for-
tune. (continued on pg. 4)
 December 2008
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 Bible Study 5 6

7 Worship 8 9 10 11 Bible Study 12 13 Ladies

10:30am Christmas Tea
12-2pm Movie
Night 5:30pm

14 Worship 15 16 Board Mtg. 17 18 Bible Study 19 Youth Group 20

10:30am Chil- 7pm at Fellions “Christmas
dren’s Christmas Carol” at Hano-
party 1-3pm ver Theatre
7:15pm

21 Worship 22 23 24 Christmas Eve 25 26 27

10:30am Chil- Service 4pm
dren’s Christmas
Pageant 5pm

28 Worship 29 30 31
10:30am
Parsonage Open
House 1-4

Missions News
“All authority in
Children's Christmas Party - Sunday, heaven and on
December 14 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. If a Beth- earth has been
lehem child is going to attend a small gift given to me.
should be provided for them to have on the day Therefore go and
of the party. make disciples of
all nations,
Thanks to all who donated food and turkeys to baptizing them in
the Quinsigamond Village Community Center. the name of the
We collected enough money for over 50 tur- Father and of the
keys! Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and
We are still accepting donations of jackets for teaching them to
the South Worcester Neighborhood Center. obey everything
Any jackets you have that are in good condition I have
commanded you.
that you no longer used would be appreciated. And surely I am
If you have any questions, please speak with with you always,
Jeanne Bartkus. to the very end
of the age.” Mt.
28:18-20

Page 2
 Birthdays and Anniversaries
December Birthdays January Birthdays

Carl P. Werme 12/04 Mark Fellion 1/1

Paul Swenson 12/11 Johanna Thompson 1/1
Lillian Ekstrom 12/16 June Rice 1/5
Astrid Randall 12/18 Gordon Forsberg 1/8
Algot Ekstrom 12/26 Carl Thompson 1/13
Robert Thyden 12/30 Jeremy Leach 1/15
Amy Berg 12/31 James Zoulias 1/16
Eric Nordstrom 12/13 Karen Meenan 1/25
Denise McGinley 1/30

Veritas Update Christmas Worship Services

“Veritas” is Latin for “truth.” That is the name given to
our revitalization team and process that we are currently Sunday, Dec. 21st—Children’s Christmas Pageant at
going through at BCC. One small but important thing to 5pm.
come out of this so far is the need to update our church
records. For the last several weeks we have been asking
those in attendance to check their member information Wednesday, Dec. 24th—Christmas Eve candlelight ser-
(address, phone #, birthday, email, etc.) located in a vice with scripture lessons and carols.
binder in the vestry. If you have not done so, please do
this as soon as possible. There is also a survey we would
like you to fill out as part of our revitalization process.
Please take one home and bring it back completed by the
end of the month.
****************************************************

Ladies Christmas Tea

Saturday, December 13 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Please try to attend this tea—it is a great

time to catch up with each other, relax and
reflect on the blessings of Christmas. Please
bring a $5 donation for Abby’s House.

Page 3
The following is an updated list of our church mem- Those participating in worship this month are:
bers and friends who unable to attend church on a
regular basis. Let us remember them in our
thoughts and prayers and with a note. Please let the Dec. 7th
pastor know if you are aware of others who should Ushers: Delbert and Eleanor Smith
be on this list. Scripture Reader: Sarah Strozina
Mr. Lee & Mrs. Astrid Randall Paul Faler Worship Leader: Sarah Strozina
10 Hall Street Web- 321 Massasoit Rd.
Worcester, MA 01604 Sound Ministry: Steven Pope
ster, MA 01570
508-943-0847
Mrs. Dagny Johnson
Life Care Center of Auburn
Dec. 14th
Mrs. Doris Anderson
667 Washington Street #225 14 Masonic Circle Ushers: Michele Kohler and Denise McGinley
Auburn, MA 01501 Auburn, MA 01501 Scripture Reader: Tracy Ellis
508-832-5239
Mrs. Claire Poirier Worship Leader: Gigi Zepp
Mr. Algot Ekstrom 63 Hudson Avenue Sound Ministry: John Schonning
Beaumont Rehab & Skilled Grafton, MA 01519
Nursing Center 508-839-0364
378 Plantation St. Dec. 21st
Worcester, MA 01608 Mrs. Lydia Anderson
Whitney Place Ushers: John Schonning and Jeffrey Stafinski
P.O. Box 935 Scripture Reader: June Rice
Mrs. Lillian Ekstrom 85 Beaumont Dr. Apt. 10
Worship Leader: Alden Anderson
Notre Dame Du Lac Northbridge, MA 01534
555 Plantation Street Apt. 327 Sound Ministry: John Schonning
Worcester, MA 01608 Mildred Carlson
669 Washington St. Apt.
Mr. Carl & Mrs. Esther Werme 234 Dec. 28th
24 Briarwood Circle Auburn, MA 01501 Ushers: Beverly Gosselin and Jeanne Bartkus
Worcester, MA01606
Scripture Reader: Susan Strozina
508-856-7232
Worship Leader: Jeanne Bartkus
(continued from pg. 1)
Sound Ministry: Steven Pope
Not only was he received into the pack, but he was made leader
of the pack? It was a reversal worthy of those described in Han-
nah’s song (1 Samuel 2) and Mary’s song (Luke 1). In the king-
dom, the least become the indispensable. It was the fullness of
time for Rudolph.
So what time is it? Is holiday time and make-up time the Women’s Book Club
same as what the Bible calls the fullness of time? Like this: “But
when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who
were under the law so that we might receive adoption as chil-
December 9th
dren” (Galatians 4:6). Or like this: “(God) set forth . . . Christ as a
plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things Tuesday, 7 PM
in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:9b-10). At the parsonage
God did not “take time” to be with us momentarily. If so,
from whom did God take time away in order to give it to us? No, The book this month is The
God’s time for us is not rationed and parceled out. God came in Shack by William P. Young
the person of the word incarnated in Jesus of Nazareth and re-
mains with us in the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. All are welcome even if you
Christmas is not to be reduced to make-up time, but is the cele- have not had a chance to read
bration of time made full by a presence never to be withdrawn. the book.

Page 4
 Can You Hear Me #ow? Movie Night
“Lars and the Real Girl”
A man decided to write a book about churches around Saturday, December 13th
the country. His plan was to begin in San Francisco and
work east. Going to a very large church, he spotted a We will meet at church for pizza at
golden telephone on the vestibule wall and was intrigued 5:30pm and start the movie around 6pm.
with a sign that read, "Calls: $10,000 a minute."
In this comedy, Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a
Seeking out the pastor, he asked about the phone and the small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to
sign and was told that it was, in fact, a direct line to his brother and sister-in-law's home. The only problem is that she's
heaven. The man thanked the pastor, and as he contin- not real - she's a blow
ued to visit churches in Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis, Chi- -up doll Lars ordered
cago, Milwaukee, he found more phones with the same off the internet. But
sign, and received the same explanation from each pas- what Lars has in
tor. mind is a deep,
meaningful relation-
Finally, he arrived in Boston, where he again saw the ship. His sister-in-law
golden phone, only this time the sign read, "Calls: 35 is worried for him, his
cents." Fascinated, he located the pastor and said, brother thinks he's
"Reverend, I have been in cities all across the country nuts, but eventually
and in each church I have found this golden telephone the entire town goes
and have been told it is a direct line to heaven and that I along with his delu-
could talk to God for $10,000 a minute. But your sign sion in support of this
reads only 35 cents a call. Why? Why?' sweet natured boy
that they've always
The pastor, smiling benignly, replied: "Son, you're now loved.
in God's country, home of the Red Sox, the Patriots and
The movie is rated
the Celtics. "It's a local call." PG-13 and is 106
minutes.

Farewell Party Parsonage Open House

On Sunday, Dec. 28th at 4pm the Quinsigamond United Sunday, December 28th
Methodist church will have a goodbye party for Rev.
Avis Hoyt-O’Connor. Avis is leaving the Village and All are welcome to stop by
Quinsigamond United Methodist Church and will be go- any time between 1 & 4pm.
ing to Washington, DC at the start of the new year. All
are welcome to come to QUMC at 4pm to celebrate her There will be plenty of food,
ministry. a fire (hopefully just in the
fireplace) and Christmas
decorations.

Page 5
The Bethlehem
Word

Bethlehem Covenant Church

46 Greenwood Street
P.O. Box 70629
Worcester, MA 01607
(508) 752—1459
www.bethlehemcc.org