Month: January 2014

Sermon:  “Help!”     Scripture:   Matthew 4:12-23

When Jesus went back into “Galilee of the Nations”, it was to a place of oppression and risk.  John the Baptist had just been arrested, and Jesus goes right into the area ruled by Herod to begin his ministry. This was an area filled with oppression.  Into this “darkness”, the scripture tells us a great Light appears to help the people gain new perspectives and to be healed.   That Light, as we learn throughout scripture, helps us to see new perspectives and healing perspectives on whatever challenges we are facing, and how to address those challenges in empowering and powerful ways.

Join us for worship on Sunday, January 26th at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

Annual meeting this Sunday! 
We will hold our congregational meeting in the basement on January 26th, immediately following the service.  It includes a potluck lunch.  Please plan to bring an appetizer, soup, salad, side dish, main dish, dessert or beverage to share.  This is the time to hear reports from our pastor and from various committees about the work of the church during the past year,  look at the budget for the upcoming year, and electing elders, deacons, and officers of the congregation.  All are welcome to attend!

Nave Music Series – Bards, Gazelles, Squirrels, and Sonatas: 
New Music by Jim Dalton, Karl Henning, Nancy Rexford and Charles Turner. Music for clarinet, guitar, mandolin, flute, piccolo, piano, shakuhachi, bass, violin and voice. February 1st at 8:00 p.m. at Clarendon Hill.  For more information, please see https://www.facebook.com/events/1383292031930197/.

Prayer Group
Our monthly prayer group will meet in the Green Room after coffee hour on Sunday, February 9th. Jesus said, ‘When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Bring your prayers about whatever joys or concerns you may have on your mind and in your heart.  All are welcome to attend.

Horizons Bible Study 
At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, February 14th at the home of a member.  For more information, please contact Salam (salamlebbos@hotmail.com)

March 8th CHPC Quarterly Potluck
Save the date (think spring!) and more details to come.

Do you like to knit or crochet? 
Here’s an opportunity to use your skills to help further marriage equality!  More Light Presbyterians is once again calling for knitted or crocheted scarves to be given out at this year’s General Assembly, which will be held in Detroit in June.  For more general information, see:http://www.mlp.org/2013/10/23/call-knit-crochet-pray-way-ga/.  If you’d like a pattern for a simple two-sided scarf, or a simple cowl/infinity scarf, or more information about Clarendon Hill’s contribution to this effort, contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com).

Sermon:   “Going for a Walk:  Bring Your Tent” 

Scripture:   John 1:29-42:   The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Comments:  Notice the “action” in the scripture.  For example, the author of John intentionally has John the Baptist not just see (the “see” in Greek is more like discernment) Jesus, but sees “Jesus walk by”.   Let me say, it is hard to follow someone who is standing still, and I think this is why the Greek is used this way.  Jesus is not a Messiah who stands still, if you will.  And neither should we be standing still.

Join us for worship on Sunday, January 19th at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

The Building Committee 
will meet after fellowship time on Sunday, January 19th to discuss building issues for 2014.  For more information, contact Craig (craze@mit.edu).

The Outreach Committee 
will next meet on Monday, January 20th at 7:30 p.m.

The Men’s Bible Study Group 
will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread at Porter Square on Wednesday, January 22nd.  Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

The Annual Meeting is coming! 
Mark your calendars now, for Sunday, January 26th (with a snow date of February 2nd.)  We will hold our congregational meeting in the basement, immediately following the service.  It includes a potluck lunch.  This is the time to hear reports from our pastor and from various committees about the work of the church during the past year, as well as having a chance to elect elders, deacons, and officers of the congregation.

Nave Music Series – Bards, Gazelles, Squirrels, and Sonatas: 
New Music by Jim Dalton, Karl Henning, Nancy Rexford and Charles Turner. Music for clarinet, guitar, mandolin, flute, piccolo, piano, shakuhachi, bass, violin and voice.February 1st at 8:00 p.m. at Clarendon Hill.

 

Scripture:   Isaiah 42:1-9;  Matthew 3:13-17 

Sermon:   “Now!  Now!   Now!” 

Have you ever felt like you heard a “voice from the heavens” giving you some much needed sense of direction, or a sense of peace and understanding?   Have you ever felt like some action you have taken has put you “right with God” in some special, deeper, eternal way?   As you prepare for this week’s lessons, try to imagine Jesus, in his full humanity, taking this step with John as an act of trust.   He knew the  time was now.

Join us for worship on Sunday, January 12th at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

Also on January 12th – Boston Food Justice Young Adult Volunteers presentation at CHPC
Boston Presbytery is in its first year as a site for the Young Adult Volunteer program of the PC(USA). Four talented “YAVs” are spending the year working with area congregations and non-profit organizations on the theme of “Food Justice” and will visit CHPC on Sunday, January 12th.  In addition to participating in worship, they will make a presentation after the service about the YAV program in general and specifically their food justice work – from local food banks to global food security issues.  Lunch will be provided, so please plan to come, invite friends and learn more about the combined efforts and important ministry of the YAVs.  For any questions, please contact Ruth ruth.rhoads.allen@gmail.com

On Friday, January 10th, Horizons Bible Study 
will meet at the home of a church member, at3:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Salam (salamlebbos@hotmail.com).

The Porpentine Players have been rehearsing in our building, and are generously offering a special “Friends of the Cast” price to us.  There are limited amounts of these, so if a date is sold out, another must be chosen.

The link is : http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/469058
 Enter a Password or Discount Code
enter: PricklyPartners
and click on Show Available Tickets

The Porpentine Players Announce Their Inaugural Production
Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons, January 10 ‐ January 25, 2014 at the Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02118
A Man for All Seasons is the story of Henry VIII’s friend and Lord Chancellor Thomas More and his resistance to the King’s divorce. Bolt’s More is the ultimate man of conscience, who pays with his life for staying true to his beliefs.
The cast is led by Ronald Nelson Lacey (Elliot Norton-‐nominee, Outstanding Actor 2012) as More. Phil Thompson (All My Children, Boston’s Finest) plays Cromwell. Floyd Richardson (founder of Koinonia Theatre) is Norfolk. The cast also include Rob Noyes (founder of Post‐Meridian Radio Players) as Common Man, Conor Burke as Richard Rich, Jenny Gutbezahl as Alice More, April Singley as Margaret More, Geoffrey Pingree as Chapuys and Cranmer, Anthony Dangerfield as Cardinal Wolsey and Chapuys’ Attendant, Christopher Davis as William Roper, Jonathan Fisher as Henry VIII, and Mary Driscoll (founder and artistic director of On With Living and Learning Theatre) as Woman. The show is directed by Jon Taie (Winner of SlamBoston 2010), with sets and graphics by Sharon Lacey.
Tickets are $14 each through Brown Paper Tickets (www.brownpapertickets.com/event/469058). Performance dates and times:
January 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25 at 7:30pm; January 12 and 19 at 3pm
For more information, visit porpentineplayers.com or contact porpentineplayers@gmail.com.

Nave Music Series – The Yiddish Art Trio
will be performing at The Nave Somerville, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 11 at 7:30pm. Fresh from their performance last week at The Kennedy Center, the Yiddish Art Trio is not to be missed!  For more info, seehttps://www.facebook.com/navemusicsomerville.

Session will meet 
at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 13th.

The Men’s Bible Study Group 
will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread at Porter Square onWednesday, January 22nd.  Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

The Annual Meeting is coming! 
Mark your calendars now, for Sunday, January 26th (with a snow date of February 2nd.)  We will hold our congregational meeting in the basement, immediately following the service.  It includes a potluck lunch.  This is the time to hear reports from our pastor and from various committees about the work of the church during the past year, as well as having a chance to elect elders, deacons, and officers of the congregation.

Do you like to knit or crochet?
Here’s an opportunity to use your skills to help further marriage equality!  More Light Presbyterians is once again calling for knitted or crocheted scarves to be given out at this year’s General Assembly, which will be held in Detroit in June.  For more general information, see:http://www.mlp.org/2013/10/23/call-knit-crochet-pray-way-ga/.  If you’d like a pattern for a simple two-sided scarf, or a simple cowl/infinity scarf, or more information about Clarendon Hill’s contribution to this effort, contact Ellen (ellends1313@gmail.com).

 

Sermon:   “Going Camping” 

Scripture:   John 1:1-18;   Ephesians 1:3-14 

Note in the Gospel passage where v.14 typically is translated as “dwelt among us” or “made his dwelling with us”.  The more literal, and suggestive translation from the Greek, would use the English words tenting or camping — an image meant (intentionally used by the author of the Gospel I believe) to evoke images of Jesus as “God with us” — while also reaching back to the work of God with the people of Israel in the wilderness, etc.  The Gospel of John, written later than the Synoptic Gospels, brings to the fore through the narrative the fullest expression of the continuing work of God through the Spirit in our lives.   What does it mean that God has tented among us (and with each of us individually still) through the presence of the Spirit?  Think about our vulnerabilities in this life …..

Join us for worship on Sunday, January 5th at 10:30 a.m. and for coffee and fellowship after the service.

There will be a prayer meeting,
on Sunday, January 5th right after coffee hour in the Green Room.  Jesus said, ‘When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” Bring your prayers about whatever joys or concerns you may have on your mind and in your heart. All are welcome.

Men’s Bible Study
Wednesday, January 8th:  Men’s Bible Study at 6:30 p.m. at Panera Bread at Porter Square.  Please contact Kevin, Josh, Solimar or Pierre for more details.

Horizons Bible Study
On Friday, January 10th, Horizons Bible Study will meet at the home of a church member, at 3:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Salam (salamlebbos@hotmail.com).

January 12th – Boston Food Justice Young Adult Volunteers presentation at CHPC
Boston Presbytery is in its first year as a site for the Young Adult Volunteer program of the PC(USA). Four talented “YAVs” are spending the year working with area congregations and non-profit organizations on the theme of “Food Justice” and will visit CHPC on Sunday, January 12th.  In addition to participating in worship, they will make a presentation after the service about the YAV program in general and specifically their food justice work – from local food banks to global food security issues.  Lunch will be provided, so please plan to come, invite friends and learn more about the combined efforts and important ministry of the YAVs.  For any questions, please contact Ruth ruth.rhoads.allen@gmail.com

Session Meeting
Session will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 13th.

Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting is coming!  Mark your calendars now, for Sunday, January 26th (with a snow date of February 2nd.)  We will hold our congregational meeting in the basement, immediately following the service.  It includes a potluck lunch.  This is the time to hear reports from our pastor and from various committees about the work of the church during the past year, as well as having a chance to elect elders, deacons, and officers of the congregation.