It's beginning to feel a lot like Advent-- a time when we hustle and bustle to prepare for Christmas with its flurry of adventure and activity. Our December schedules become complex, and our to-do lists grow to epic proportions. We rush from store to store to find the perfect gift at the best price. We race from class to the library to study for our final exams. We scribble our name hastily on dozens of greetings cards to be sure they arrive on time. We barely pause for a breath between phrases as we practice day and night for our Christmas performances at school and church. We speed from gathering to gathering to be certain that we accept the countless invitations from family and friends. We fill every waking moment and starve ourselves of rest so that we may prepare fully for Christmas. We stop at nothing to assure that on December 25, our world is ribboned and bowed exactly the way we want it to be.
Sometimes we forget that Christmas is a gift to us-- not a chore for us. We do not need to put the star up over the manger, but we are invited to come and rest there. It doesn't matter how much we spend on what we bring, but it does matter how much we care about our gift and its recipient. As we approach this full, rich time of the choir season, I pray that we each-- and we all-- may find the time we are side-by-side, sharing our musical offerings, as peaceful, hopeful, refreshing times. We care deeply about our preparation and our practice not because we want to impress someone with our offering-- not because we simply want to live up to some clinical musical aptitude. We care deeply about our preparation and our practice because we care about our gift and its recipient-- because we know that God has given us vast talents and abilities, and we feel called to share them in their fullest in the luminous music that we will bring to the manger. When we share ourselves generously and intentionally and give of ourselves freely and sincerely, then we can truly create a space for the spirit to soar.
In that light, imagine the two possible ways of preparing in the seven days ahead:
To do list to achieve preparation:
1. worry
2. stress
3. obsess
4. strain
5. overdo
6. panic
7. disorient
OR
To do list to enable preparation:
1. pray
2. sing
3. breathe
4. love
5. share
6. rest
7. focus
May our time together on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon enable us to be open to the gifts of this season of preparation.
- 9:30-- women gather for warm-up in choir room (we will sing LO HOW A ROSE/THE ROSE, the Chinese folk melody MAY THE LORD, MIGHTY GOD for worship; and rehearse some parts of LIGHT OF A CLEAR BLUE MORNING). Please be in your robe and ready to begin at 9:30.
- 11:25 lunch for anyone (regardless of gender) from Abendmusik Chorus or Plymouth Choir in Mayflower Hall
- 11:59 be gathered (no robes) in the back balcony of the sanctuary to sing LIGHT OF A CLEAR BLUE MORNING; women will repeat LO HOW A ROSE/THE ROSE at this service)
- 12:30 rehearsal of Christmas repertoire in the choir room (including
- 2:30 closing prayer
Grace and peace,
TT
Events to enjoy in the community this week:
UNL Chamber Choir concert at Sheldon Art Gallery at 5 p.m. (directed by our friend Therees Hibbard, including our very own Andrew Barber and Zach Vreeman)
Lincoln Lutheran Choir's concert this Friday Dec 3 at 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran at 22nd & Washington (Jane Mehrens is in this group, and Josh Norris is its wonderful conductor!)
First-Friday-ART WALK, including paintings by our very own Charles Muff-- Burkholder basement, 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, December 4th at Barnes & Noble (5150 O Street location) From 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble will be donating a percentage of all profits directly back to Lincoln High! This a great way to get some of that Holiday shopping done early. In order for Lincoln High to get credit you MUST either present the voucher or tell the cashier you want your sale to go toward the LHS fundraiser! You can print the voucher from the Lincoln High website. (Our Julie Doerr and John Heineman work at Lincoln High!)
Saturday at 5:00-- Lincoln Symphony Orchestra with UNL University Singers at Lied Center (Pete Eklund's group which includes our Bryce, Zach, and Andrew)
Sunday at 3:00 and 7:30 at Kimball Hall on the UNL campus-- Cocoa and Carols featuring all the UNL vocal ensembles (Pete Eklund, Therees Hibbard, and many of our singers: Bryce, Jay, Zach, Andrew, et al)
