{"id":133930,"date":"2019-12-31T09:28:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-31T15:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?p=133930"},"modified":"2019-12-31T09:28:48","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T15:28:48","slug":"lessons-and-carols-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/lessons-and-carols-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons and Carols"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_7870\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-133930-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3\">http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?powerpress_pinw=133930-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"2019-12-24_Lessons_and_Carols.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Rev. Meg Barnhouse<br \/>December 24, 2019<br \/>First UU Church of Austin<br \/>4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756<br \/>www.austinuu.org<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><i>Come join our annual Christmas Eve worship service of Lessons and Carols. We will read, from the Christian texts, the story of Rabbi Jesus&#8217; heralded birth as well as sing Christmas carols and hymns for the holiday.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">WINTER TREES<br \/><i>by William Carlos Williams<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">All the complicated details<br \/>of the attiring and<br \/>the dis-attiring are completed!<br \/>A liquid moon<br \/>moves gently among<br \/>the long branches.<br \/>Thus having prepared their buds<br \/>against a sure winter<br \/>the wise trees<br \/>stand sleeping in the cold<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Chalice Lighting<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">On this night of anticipation, we raise our voices in story and song to greet Christmas. May the lessons of compassion, trust, and generosity alight within us and lead us into the new day, renewed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Opening Words<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><i>The Persian poet Rumi wrote,<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">God&#8217;s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box<br \/>From cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flowerbed.<br \/>As roses, up from ground.<br \/>Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish,<br \/>Now a cliff covered with vines,<br \/>Now a horse being saddled.<br \/>[God&#8217;s joy] hides within these,<br \/>Till one day it cracks them open.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;COME INTO CHRISTMAS&#8221;<br \/><i>by Ellen Fay<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It is the winter season of the year<br \/>Dark and chilly<br \/>Perhaps it is a winter season in your life.<br \/>Dark and chilly there, too<br \/>Come in to Christmas here,<br \/>Let the light and warmth of Christmas brighten our<br \/>lives and the world.<br \/>Let us find in the dark corners of our souls the<br \/>light of hope,<br \/>A vision of the extraordinary in the ordinary.<br \/>Let us find rest in the quiet of a holy moment to<br \/>find promise and renewal.<br \/>Let us find the child in each of us, the new hope,<br \/>the new light, born in us.<br \/>Then will Christmas come<br \/>Then will magic return to the world.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;THE SHORTEST DAY&#8221;<br \/><i>by Susan Cooper<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">So the shortest day came, and the year died,<br \/>And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world<br \/>Came people singing, dancing,<br \/>To drive the dark away.<br \/>They lighted candles in the winter trees;<br \/>They hung their homes with evergreen;<br \/>They burned beseeching fires all night long<br \/>To keep the year alive,<br \/>And when the new year&#8217;s sunshine blazed awake<br \/>They shouted, reveling.<br \/>Through all the frosty ages you can hear them<br \/>Echoing behind us-Listen!!<br \/>All the long echoes sing the same delight,<br \/>This shortest day,<br \/>As promise wakens in the sleeping land:<br \/>They carol, fest, give thanks,<br \/>And dearly love their friends,<br \/>And hope for peace.<br \/>And so do we, here, now,<br \/>This year and every year.<br \/>Welcome Yule!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>&#8220;ON ANGELS&#8221;<br \/><i>by Czeslaw Milosz<\/i>\n<p align=\"left\">All was taken away from you: white dresses,<br \/>wings, even existence.<br \/>Yet I believe you,<br \/>messengers.<br \/>There, where the world is turned inside out,<br \/>a heavy fabric embroidered with stars and beasts,<br \/>you stroll, inspecting the trustworthy seams.<br \/>Short is your stay here:<br \/>now and then at a morning hour, if the sky is clear,<br \/>in a melody repeated by a bird,<br \/>or in the smell of apples at close of day<br \/>when the light makes the orchards magic.<br \/>They say somebody has invented you<br \/>but to me this does not sound convincing<br \/>for the humans invented themselves as well.<br \/>The voice &#8211; no doubt it is a valid proof,<br \/>as it can belong only to radiant creatures,<br \/>weightless and winged (after all, why not?),<br \/>girdled with the lightning.<br \/>I have heard that voice many a time when asleep<br \/>and, what is strange, I understood more or less<br \/>an order or an appeal in an unearthly tongue:<br \/>day draws near<br \/>another one<br \/>do what you can.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Luke 2: 1-7<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.<br \/>2. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)<br \/>3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.<br \/>4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)<br \/>5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.<br \/>6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.<br \/>7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>A GENTLE KIND OF MADNESS\u00a0<i>by Anthony F. Perrino<\/i>\n<p align=\"left\">A gentle kind of madness<br \/>Comes with the end of December<br \/>A winter solstice spell, perhaps,<br \/>When people forget to remember &#8211;<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">The drab realities of fact,<br \/>The cherished hurt of ancient wrongs,<br \/>The lonely comfort of being deaf<br \/>To human sighs and angels&#8217; songs.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Suddenly, they lose their minds<br \/>To hearts&#8217; demands and beauty&#8217;s grace;<br \/>And deeds extravagant with love<br \/>Give glory to the commonplace.<br \/>Armies halt their marching,<br \/>Hatreds pause in strange regard<br \/>For the sweet and gentle madness born<br \/>when a wintry sky was starred.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;EACH NIGHT A CHILD IS BORN&#8221;<br \/><i>by Sophia Lyon Fahs<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">For so the children come<br \/>and so they have been coming.<br \/>Always in the same way they came-<br \/>Born of the seed of man and woman.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">No angels herald their beginnings.<br \/>No prophets predict their future courses.<br \/>no wise man see a star to show where to find<br \/>The babe that will save humankind.<br \/>Yet each night a child is born is a holy night.<br \/>Fathers and mothers<br \/>Sitting beside their children&#8217;s cribs-<br \/>Feel glory in the sight of a new beginning.<br \/>They ask &#8220;Where and how will this new life end?<br \/>Or will it ever end?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Each night a child is born is a holy night<br \/>A time for singing-<br \/>A time for wondering<br \/>A time for worshipping.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Luke 2: 8-14<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.<br \/>9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.<br \/>10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.<br \/>11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.<br \/>12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.<br \/>13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,<br \/>14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;IN THIS NIGHT&#8221;<br \/><i>by Dorothee Solle<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">In this night the stars left their habitual places<br \/>And kindled wildfire tidings<br \/>that spread faster than sound.<br \/>In this night the shepherds left their posts<br \/>To shout the new slogans<br \/>into each other&#8217;s clogged ears.<br \/>In this night the foxes left their warm burrows<br \/>and the lion spoke with deliberation,<br \/>&#8220;This is the end revolution&#8221;<br \/>In this night roses fooled the earth<br \/>And began to bloom in snow.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Luke 2:15-20<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.<br \/>16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.<br \/>17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.<br \/>18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.<br \/>19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.<br \/>20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;THE CAMELS SPEAK&#8221;<br \/><i>by Lynn Ungar<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Of course they never consulted us.<br \/>They were wise men, kings, star-readers,<br \/>and we merely transportation.<br \/>They simply loaded us with gifts<br \/>and turned us toward the star.<br \/>I ask you, what would a king know<br \/>of choosing presents for a child?<br \/>Had they ever even seen a baby<br \/>born to such simple folks,<br \/>so naked of pretension,<br \/>so open to the wind?<br \/>What would such a child care<br \/>for perfumes and gold? Far better<br \/>to have asked one born in the desert,<br \/>tested by wind and sand. We saw<br \/>what he would need: the gift<br \/>of perseverance, of continuing on the hard way,<br \/>making do with what there is,<br \/>living on what you have inside.<br \/>The gift of holding up under a burden,<br \/>of lifting another with grace, of kneeling<br \/>To accept the weight of what you must bear.<br \/>Our footsteps could have rocked him<br \/>with the rhythm of the road,<br \/>shown him comfort in a harsh land,<br \/>the dignity of continually moving forward.<br \/>But the wise men were not<br \/>wise enough to ask. They simply<br \/>left their trinkets and admired<br \/>the rustic view. Before you knew it<br \/>we were turned again toward home,<br \/>carrying men only half-willing<br \/>to be amazed. But never mind.<br \/>We saw the baby, felt him reach<br \/>for the bright tassels of our gear.<br \/>We desert amblers have our ways<br \/>of seeing what you chatterers must miss.<br \/>That child at heart knows something<br \/>about following a star. Our gifts are given.<br \/>Have no doubt. His life will bear<br \/>the print of who we are.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">A RITUAL OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE FIRE&#8221;<br \/><i>Rev. Meg Barnhouse<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Let us take into our hands a Christmas candle, a Solstice candle<br \/>this is a night of ancient joy and ancient fear<br \/>those who have gone before us were fearful of what lurked<br \/>outside the ring of fire, of light and warmth.<br \/>As we light this fire we ask that the fullness of its flame<br \/>protect each of us from what we fear most<br \/>and guide us towards our perfect light and joy.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">May we each be encircled by the fire and warmth of love<br \/>and by the flame of our friendship with one another.<br \/>On this night, it was the ancient custom to exchange gifts<br \/>of light, symbolic of the new light of the sun.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Therefore make ready for the light!<br \/>Light of star, light of candle,<br \/>Firelight, lamplight, love light<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Let us share the gift of light.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS&#8221;<br \/><i>by Howard Thurman<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">When the song of angels is stilled,<br \/>When the star in the sky is gone,<br \/>When the kings and princes are<br \/>home,<br \/>When shepherds are back with<br \/>their flock,<br \/>The work of Christmas begins:<br \/>to find the lost,<br \/>to heal the broken,<br \/>to feed the hungry,<br \/>to release the prisoner,<br \/>to rebuild the nations,<br \/>to bring peace among the brothers,<br \/>to make music in the heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Extinguishing the Chalice<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we hold in our hearts until we are together again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Closing Words<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8220;KNEELING IN BETHLEHEM&#8221;<br \/><i>by Ann Weems<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It is not over, this birthing.<br \/>There are always newer skies<br \/>into which God can throw stars.<br \/>When we begin to think<br \/>that we can predict the Advent of God,<br \/>that we can box the Christ in a stable in Bethlehem,<br \/>that&#8217;s just the time that God will be born<br \/>in a place we can&#8217;t imagine and won&#8217;t believe.<br \/>Those who wait for God<br \/>watch with their hearts and not their eyes,<br \/>listening, always listening for angel words.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Most sermons during the past 19 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link below to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/category\/sermons\/indexes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>SERMON INDEX<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link below or copying and pasting this link. https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/podcast\/first-unitarian-universalist\/id372427776<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/podcast\/first-unitarian-universalist\/id372427776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>PODCASTS<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above. Rev. Meg BarnhouseDecember 24, 2019First UU Church of Austin4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756www.austinuu.org Come join our annual Christmas Eve worship service of Lessons and Carols. We will read, from the Christian texts, the story of Rabbi Jesus&#8217; heralded birth as well as sing Christmas&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[19,16,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio-available","category-meg-barnhouse","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133931,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133930\/revisions\/133931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}