A new year...a fundamentally new relationship with God

 

January first for us in the Church marks not only the first day of a new calendar year; it commemorates Jesus' being named and marked with the sign of the Covenant with God - circumcision. It forms the conclusion to the Octave of Christmas Day (the eight day period marking a major feast day), and is one of the Feasts of Our Lord.

 

Names for us today have become largely a matter of personal autonomy. People often give their children highly unusual names, occasionally making up new ones; some people change their first name, occasionally as a way to "dress up" an ordinary name. In any case, our names in modern America seem to be a matter of personal property. The biblical notion of names was quite different.

 

Then, the name given after birth was a matter of family continuity and the very heart of a person's identity.  Names had meaning (e.g. "power of God," "multitude," "my eyes look to God," "Beloved of God," "dove," etc.) that affected the recipient for their rest of his or her life. A name not only distinguished one person from another...it also participated in the very formulation of that person's identity in the community. It established the lens through which that person was understood, and how that person understood her or his own being. Once given, it was fixed (unless God brought about a new name for a new purpose).

 

When Jesus is given the name which means "God is salvation," it sets out the course of his ministry, his being for us. While his name was not unusual when given, its full significance was revealed when he went up on the cross, rose from the tomb, and ascended into heaven: his entire earthly life was not only a proclamation that God is salvation, but provided the very means by which that salvation could be achieved for all peoples in all places in all times.

 

The Feast of the Holy Name draws upon the sacredness of the notion of "name" from both the Hebrew and Christian Testaments. It recalls God's Name being disclosed to Moses and the ways in which that name was invoked over the Hebrew people. We recall, too, the holiness and remoteness of that sacred Name, its utter mystery of meaning and otherworldliness.

 

When Christ Jesus received his name, the Second Person of the Trinity came to share yet another dimension of what it means to be "fully human," as the Creed says: he allowed himself to be "defined" by others in such a way that he could be known, related to, and called upon in intimate ways. This, too, is part of the mystery of what it means for the Word to be Incarnate.

 

So, let us start our new year in by celebrating this Feast, giving thanks for the fundamentally new relationship we have with God, who by allowing his Son to be named, allowed us access to him in a way fully human, and also fully divine.

 

Fr. Chip

 

 

Holy Name Eucharist
Thursday, Jan. 1 at 10 a.m. in the Christ Church Chapel

 

The Feast of the Holy Name is celebrated eight days after the Nativity, Jan. 1. Under the Law of Moses, all male infants were to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth (Lev. 12:3). It was also customary at this time to name the child - a significant act (see the article above).

 

The Feast of the Holy Name is a major feast of the Church. It reflects the significance of the Holy Name, Jesus. The name Jesus is from the Hebrew Joshua or Yehoshuah meaning "Yahweh is salvation" or "God will save." Please join us on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 10 a.m. in the Christ Church chapel for this inspiring service.

 

 

Annual Meetings...and Annual Reports

 

Annual Meetings are coming up in both of our churches this January.

• At Christ Church, the meeting will be at Noon on Sunday, Jan. 18.
• At Trinity Church, the meeting will follow the 8:45 a.m. service on Sunday, Jan. 25. 

Annual reports are due to the shared ministry office no later than Friday, Jan. 2 (earlier is better!). Conveners of all committees as well as activity/ group coordinators are asked to submit reports. Please email these to trinity55ad@gmail.com.  Thank you!

 

Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer

 

Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.

 

In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for...

 

Jan. 4	Trinity Church Altar Guild; Jim Ashworth, Dawn Ayer of Trinity Church; Barbara Allen, Glen Flowers of Christ Church
Jan. 11	Christ Church Altar Guild; Mary Lou Barrett of Trinity Church; Sarah Wolf Boyd & Graeme Boyd of Christ Church

 

Seacoast Choral Epiphany Celebration

Sunday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m.

North Hampton United Church of Christ

 

What a joy it is to share with you that there will be six participating churches in the 2015 Choral Epiphany Celebration on Sunday, January 4, at 3 p.m. at the North Hampton United Church of Christ, Atlantic Ave., North Hampton! Our own vicar will be part of a four-part clergy quartet - and choir members from our two churches will be joining a massed choir to sing the final anthem of the afternoon.

 

 

Offering envelopes

 

This year, as a cost-saving measure, we are only preparing packets of offering envelopes for those who requested them on their stewardship pledge form in November. If you did not request envelopes, but would like a set, please speak with Nita in the Shared Ministry office at 926-5688 and specify whether you want weekly, monthly, or quarterly envelopes. Those who requested envelopes at Christ Church will find them in their mailboxes this Sunday, Jan. 4. Those at Trinity who requested them will find them on the table in the Narthex.

 

Epiphany Feast of Lights

Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at Christ Church

 

The Feast of Lights is one of the oldest observances of the Christian Church dating back to the Fourth Century after Christ. Introduced here two years ago, it is a moving, candlelight service that celebrates the manifestation of Christ to the world.

 

As Trinity Church hosted it our first two times, it seemed fitting to give Christ Church the opportunity to experience it (though, of course, we hope folks from both churches will come!). As Epiphany falls on a Tuesday this year, we will celebrate it at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 - with a festive "Twelfth Day" gathering to follow. Bring any "leftover" Christmas goodies to share.

 

If you have not yet experienced this service, you are in for a remarkable worship opportunity. Do plan to join us!

 

 

Christmastide continues...

 

Feast of the Holy Name	Thursday, January 1
	10:00 a.m.	Holy Eucharist, Rite Two, in the Christ Church Chapel
Eve of II Christmas	Saturday, January 3
	5:00 p.m.	Holy Eucharist, Rite One at Trinity Church
II Christmas	Sunday, January 4
	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
		North Hampton United Church of Christ, Atlantic Ave., North Hampton
The Epiphany	Tuesday, January 6
	7:00 p.m.	Epiphany Feast of Lights at Christ Church followed by "Twelfth Night" festivities