From the Vicar...

O real town of Bethlehem

The Christmas that we have come to know and love is wrapped in imagery and notions that might be wonderful for marketing, but not that indicative of the original reality. We see the usual Christmas card images of a tiny, peaceful Bethlehem. We see the "magazine rack" manger in art and in the wonderful nativity scenes that are set up all around us. We see the noble shepherds huddled around their hillside while their sheep frolic around the place. Cow sheds, silence and stillness are ever-present qualities in all the things that we see and sing about. A moment of attention to the real world of first-century Palestine will reveal all these images to be flawed, and to my mind, unhelpful.

The Bethlehem where Jesus was born was a busy place, a place of bustle and life. First century shepherds had a poor reputation, regarded in their day as borderline criminals - marginalized, excluded. The cow shed we envision when we look at typical Christmas art never existed - the Baby Jesus and his family were in a maze of caves used as stables and storehouses. Mangers in that part of the world are made not of wood, but of stone, and if anyone has ever kept animals, you know how nasty they can get. I am sure that the Manger in our carols was no exception. Mary was herself a child of, likely, fourteen. How many labels and judgments would the Holy Family attract in enlightened 21st Century America today, I wonder?

I do not mean to denigrate Christmas - quite the opposite. I want to celebrate the place of the birth of the Messiah in the same way that our Creator did, and by seeing the world for what it is - real and flawed. God chose the real world of a messy, dirty first-century Palestine as the place where the Incarnation would take place. There were likely pretty, verdant pastures somewhere in the world with all the qualities of present-day Christmas imagery that God could have used - but clearly God didn't. God chose messy, flawed, imperfect reality to breathe life into the newborn Messiah. 

This is a matter of complete hope for me, and should be for all of us. As we make our way through our lives, day by day, mistake upon error, misjudgment alongside poor timing - we can take considerable comfort that that was the precise environment that God chose to come among us. It tells me, at least, that Our Lord understands us only too well, and that in knowing us as we are in the good and the less good of living as human beings, accepts us as we hope all parents do (or should). Christmas did happen in the real, happens in the real every year, and all that will take place between us and God in the future will be placed into the context that we find ourselves in - not a picture-perfect representation of where we think we should be.

Blessings as Christmastide continues to unfold,

Fr. Chip

 Christmastide continues at Christ Church and Trinity Church

Eve of I Christmas    December 28                    

                        5:00 p.m.    Holy Eucharist, Rite One at Trinity Church

I Christmas  December 29

                        8:45 a.m.      Festival of Lessons and Carols at Trinity Church

                        10:30 a.m.    Festival of Lessons and Carols at Christ Church                       

Feast of the Holy Name   January 1

              10:00 a.m.      Holy Eucharist, Rite Two, in the Christ Church

             Chapel                      

Eve of the Epiphany January 4                            

                        5:00 p.m.      An Epiphany Feast of Lights at Trinity Church

                                            a quiet candlelight celebration                      Feast of the Epiphany January 5

                        8:45 a.m.      Holy Eucharist, Rite Two, at Trinity Church                               10:30 a.m.    Holy Eucharist, Rite Two, at Christ Church

                        3:00 p.m.      Seacoast-wide Choral Epiphany Celebration                                                  with massed choirs from several area churches

                                           First Congregational Church  at

                                           127 Winncunnet Rd., Hampton

Bishop's Committee meeting postponed due to snowstorm

Our Tuesday evening snowstorm last week caused the postponement of our scheduled Bishop's Committee meeting. It has been tentatively rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. at Christ Church.  Please let Fr. Chip know if you are unable to make this meeting.

Two Epiphany celebrations for your consideration...

Epiphany Feast of Lights
Trinity Church - Saturday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m.

The Feast of Lights is one of the oldest observances of the Christian Church dating back to the Fourth Century after Christ. A moving, candlelight service, it celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the world.

The service begins with the Order of Worship for the Evening from the Book of Common Prayer. As the Order concludes, the lights and candles in the church are dimmed or extinguished. Then, in the darkness, the Paschal candle, which stands just behind the altar, is lighted, signifying the Light of Christ. From its light are then lighted twelve candles, which stand on the altar, symbolizing the twelve apostles to whom that light was first given.

From there, a candle on the Pavement before the altar is lit, recognizing the singular achievements of St. Paul in spreading that Good News to the larger world. Next, four candles in a wreath are lit, each symbolizing one of the great traditions of Christianity. The first is for Orthodox Christianity, the second, Roman Catholicism, the third, Anglican Christianity, and the last, Protestantism.

Finally, the light is spread to all the gathered worshipers, as each person in the congregation lights a candle, first directly from the Paschal candle, as the ultimate source, but then, as the light spreads, from one another. At the end, the whole church is ablaze with the Light of Christ, and by that light the Officiant offers the Epiphany Blessing.

Seacoast Choral Epiphany Celebration

First Congregational Church, Hampton - Sunday, Jan. 5 at 3 p.m.

On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 5 at 3 p.m., there will be six participating churches in the 2014 Choral Epiphany Celebration at the First Congregational Church, UCC, in Hampton. Our own choir, under the direction of Alexis Zaricki, is among those participating, and our two churches will be responsible for one of the portions of the service.

Choirs from several of the participating churches will sing anthems of the season, and at the end of the service, a massed choir from all six churches will sing "A Carol of Hope" by Besig and Price. The text of this piece is just perfect for concluding the Christmas Season and carrying the message through the year. 

Hot Chocolate and two pieces of advice 

Trinity's own Rev. Dr. Robert- 'Bob'- Gallagher submitted this article to the Newburyport News for publication - now you can follow the link to read it for yourselves!

It's that time of year already...

Annual Meetings are coming up in both of our churches this January, the dates for which will be announced subsequent to next week's Bishop's Committee meeting. But...whatever the dates are, this much we know: Annual Reports are due from all ministry chairs and coordinators no later than Friday, Jan. 3. Please e-mail your report (if at all possible) to Nita in the Shared Ministry Office: admin@trinityhampton.org. Written reports can be mailed to the office at 200 High St., Hampton, NH  03842 for either church.

Bereavement support groups

Rockingham VNA & Hospice will be offering three separate Bereavement Support Groups this January. A General Group will be held on Monday afternoons from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Jan. 13-Feb. 17. A Motherless Daughter Group as well as a General Group will be held on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 Jan. 14-Feb. 18. To register, call Lee Maher or Dick Munsey at 772-2981. These groups are free to the public, but must have four registered participants each.

Music Ministry

Please consider joining one of our choirs.  Trinity Church's choir meets in rehearsal on Sundays at 8 a.m.   At Christ Church, the rehearsal follows the 10:30 a.m. service.  Joint rehearsals are held Thursday evening at 7 p.m. 

Every voice is welcome; every voice is special; every voice is needed.

• Saturdays: Food Pantry at Hobbs House Trinity. 10:00 am - noon  year round (Sandi Nickerson, Gordon Lane & Thelma Hutton) 
• 1st Saturday of the month: Portsmouth Salvation Army Suppers, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Susan Ott) 
• 1st Sundays of the month: Pastoral Visit to the Oceanside Rehabilitation Center, Hampton (Bob Main & Belinda Wilkes)

If your ministry is missing from this list please send an email to porthamp@gmail.com  

 Content Submission Guidelines 

The Shared Ministry E-News is an electronic newsletter for members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hampton and Christ Episcopal Church, Portsmouth. It is published weekly on Thursdays. We welcome submissions that have a connection to the ministry of these churches. Inclusion of submissions is at the discretion of Reverend Robinson.

NOTE: The deadline to send a submission is Wednesday at noon.