December 2016-January 2017

T here's a lot of newness going around these days.

While most days I walk into the

office with a routine already in place, the truth is, I've only been here three months! The life of this church has already pulled me right in, and I couldn't be happier about that welcome. Every so often, I am reminded, though, that I am still new, that there are bits of this place that I still haven't discovered or details I didn't know to look for. But on the whole, the newness is fading. Reality has a joyous way of settling in.

Saturday, December 3rd, there's

another bit of newness on the way. Dede Duncan-Probe (that's PRO-bee, let it be known) will be consecrated as the Bishop of Central New York! Sure, she's been around for a while, but her episcopacy technically begins that Saturday. She's already in some rhythms, I'm sure, but I'm guessing she'll still have that new-bishop sheen for a while to come. But that newness will fade; reality has a way of settling in.

As we work our way through

Advent and land squarely in that amazing season of Christmas, newness is on my mind. Advent is the new year, and Christmas introduces the new, fresh savior into the world. We spend a whole lot of energy this time of year trying to remember when we last saw our old

Tidings

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church is an inclusive and worshipping Christian community that accepts the challenge of living the Gospel.

traditions, where we put grandma's spiced cider recipe, why we cram our sprawling families onto couches and beds and inflatable mattresses when there's a perfectly good hotel right down the street. There's a certain camaraderie to that closeness. For the youngest among us, there's also newness, but for most of us, that shining newness has faded, and we're down to the reality of sore backs, short tempers, and full hearts. Reality has a way of settling in.

Why do we do this? Why do we put ourselves through the rigamarole of the holiday whirlwind? With every other demand on our time and energy, why bother adding the craziness of the holidays year after year?

Maybe that's our December

Homework, doing little assessments as we approach and, finally, celebrate Christmas. When we come together as families, as communities, as churches, why do we do the things we do to embrace the newness of the Christ-child among us?

The Rector’s Column

From St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Rector’s Column Advent Lessons & Carols

1 1

The Consecration of Our 11th Bishop Christmas Eve Worship Installation Service of The Rev. Brooks A. Cato Epiphany Pageant

2 2 2 2

News Bite 3

Sermon Preached on November 27 by The Rev. Brooks A. Cato

4

Vestry Minutes, November 16, 2016 6

2017 Pledge Card Reminder Festive Flowers for Christmas

7 7

Details—Christmassy Feelings A Visit We Remember

8 8

An Essay on St. Nicholas by George H. McKnight

9

Opportunities to Serve within Our Community Coffee Hour Hosts Still Needed Pray for Our Sister Church Ecumenical Sunday

10 10 10 10

Coffee and Flowers 11

Holiday Jazz at Noon Winter at the Palace Jazz at Noon in January 2017

12 12 12

December & January at St. Thomas’ Prayers of the People Thanksgivings

13 13 13

December Calendar of Servers January Calendar of Servers

14 14

Continued on Page 2

Advent Lessons & Carols

This Sunday, December 4

10:00 AM Service

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church

12 1/2 Madison St. Hamilton, NY 13346 315-824-1745 (for fax also) E-Mail: stchurch@cnymail.com Website: stthomashamilton.org OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday-Friday 8:30 am -1:30 pm

RECTOR: The Rev. Brooks A. Cato 501-554-1236 brooks.cato@gmail.com

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: Dianne Adams McDowell 684-7215

PARISH ADMINISTRATOR: Nancy Schmitt 750-0251

WARDENS: Wynn Egginton 824-3527 Debra Barker 691-6203

VESTRY MEMBERS: Janice Frutiger 824-3448 Helen Kebabian 529-8966 Nancy Rivington 691-5123 Susan Geier 824-9181 Michael Sitts 761-6725 Kristin Strohmeyer 841-3471 Jane Welsh 824-3070 Ellie Weyter 824-2591 Adger Williams 824-9069

CLERK OF THE VESTRY: Susan Cerasano 824-1037

TREASURER: Nancy Schult 824-9574

SEXTON: Kevin Roberson 893-7674

TIDINGS CO-EDITORS: Kerry Linden 825-5543 dwilso4@twcny.rr.com Rose Novak 824-2082 rnovakhamilton@gmail.com

Page 2

Advent Calendar

He will come like last leaf’s fall. One night when the November wind has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth wakes choking on the mould, the soft shroud’s folding. He will come like frost. One morning when the shrinking earth opens on mist, to find itself arrested in the net of alien, sword-set beauty. He will come like dark. One evening when the bursting red December sun draws up the sheet and penny-masks its eye to yield the star-snowed fields of sky. He will come, will come, will come like crying in the night, like blood, like breaking, as the earth writhes to toss him free. He will come like child.

--Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-2012)

Continued from Page 1

12 1/2 Madison Street

Hamilton, New York

4:15 PM Carol Sing

4:30 PM Great Festival of Christmas with Holy Eucharist II

This celebration will include the blessing of

the Crèche and Christmas tree, a children’s

homily, choral offerings, and instrumental

music. Younger children are invited to do

a special project in the Parish Hall during

the adult sermon.

Christmas Day Worship Service

9:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II

The Consecration of

Our 11th Bishop

The Consecration of The Very Rev. Dr. DeDe Duncan-Probe as 11th Bishop of Central New York will take place on Saturday, December 3 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Liverpool, New York.

The Consecration will be broadcast via live video at http://cnyepiscopal.org/2016/11/consecration11-livestream/ at 11 AM. The event will also be recorded for later viewing online.

The Most. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, will preside at the Consecration.

The Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, the first woman ordained a bishop in the Anglican Communion, will preach.

And, better yet, when it comes to the shining Messiah in our midst, what do we do when even His newness fades?

What do we do when the reality of Emmanuel

--God Among Us--settles in?■

Yours in Christ, Brooks+

Installation Service of The Rev. Brooks A. Cato

Wednesday, January 4 7:00 PM

Reception following the service

* * *

Epiphany Pageant

Sunday, January 8 during the 10 AM service

Page 3

A Quotable Quote

I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now.

--Stephen Grellet (1773-1855) was a prominent French-born American Quaker missionary.

News Bite

E piscopalians in Indiana and Maryland awoke Sunday morning [November 13] to hate messages scrawled on their churches’ properties. But rather than despair, they responded with a message of love and welcome.

“I was disheartened at first to see the words on

the wall but my second reaction was we must be doing something right,” said the Rev. Kelsey Hutto, priest-in-charge, of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Bean Blossom, Indiana, a small community of fewer than 3,000 people some 50 miles south of Indianapolis.

“I’ve been using Presiding Bishop Curry’s not

always the popular thing,’ and we are living into that, and proud of that, and we believe that facing hate with love is the right way to go about our call as Christians.”

…“The main thing is that we welcome all

people, no matter what color you are or where you are from or who you love … love conquers all hate.”

And that welcome extends to the perpetrators

of the act, said Hutto. …Indianapolis Bishop Catherine Waynick, in

a message posted on the diocese’s website, said that while it is “deeply disturbing to be on the receiving end of such vitriol, it is also an opportunity to be very clear, with ourselves and the world around us, that we take seriously the commandment of our Lord to love one another with the same love God lavishes on every person – no exceptions.”

“We do not know who is responsible for the

vandalism. What we do know is that the kind of language used during the recent presidential campaign has emboldened some people to become openly abusive and insulting. Our option as faithful people is to be sure we don’t respond in kind,” she said. “The Episcopal Church will continue to welcome all people, to seek and serve Christ in the world around us, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the

dignity of every human being – even those who deface our buildings. Our buildings can be marred by anger and hatred – we will not allow our hearts to be defiled.

“Our hearts and our doors remain open to

everyone, as we pray for the wisdom and courage to remain faithful disciples of Jesus.”

…On November 14, Presiding Bishop

Michael Curry issued a statement calling on Episcopalians to affirm their identity as followers of Jesus.

“Last week I shared what I pray was a

reconciling post-election message to our church, reminding us that ‘we will all live together as fellow Americans, as citizens.’ Today I want to remind us that during moments of transition, during moments of tension, it is important to affirm our core identity and values as followers of Jesus in the Episcopal Anglican way,” said Curry.

“ …We therefore assert and we believe that

‘the Episcopal Church welcomes you’ – all of you, not as merely a church slogan, but as a reflection of what we believe Jesus teaches us and at the core of the movement he began in the first century. The Episcopal Church welcomes all. All of us!”■

--excerpted from Episcopal News Service, November 14, 2016

To read the article in its entirety go to: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/11/14/episcopal-churches-in-maryland-indiana-vandalized-with-hate-speech/

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Sermon Preached on November 27, 2016

by The Rev. Brooks Cato

“Bah humbug!” I’m sure most of you are familiar with Charles Dickens’ beautiful story of redemption, second chances, and the spirit of Christmas. A Christmas Carol, with the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and the cloyingly endearing Tiny Tim, is a true classic, and there’s something about it that still captures our attention, even today. But we’re not to Christmas yet. Turkey leftovers still stuff the fridge. Black Friday thundered in with a shocking display that upheld bargain hunting over human decency. And though the first real snow has fallen, a White Christmas is still a long way off. For us Episcopalians, we are celebrating today, but we aren’t celebrating Christmas, not yet. Bah humbug.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. For

those of you that may not know, Advent is the first season of the year for the church, so, happy new year! The word advent means “a beginning.” It’s an introduction of sorts, an introduction to a new year, to a new way of life. There are four Sundays in Advent, kind of a countdown to Christmas, but maybe it’s more appropriate to say Advent is a leadup to Christmas not a countdown because Advent doesn’t get all its weight from pointing to Christmas alone. In Advent, we’re already claiming the beginning of the new year, claiming the beginning of that new life. Christmas will be when we welcome Christ into our world, remember his arrival as a child among us, but in Advent, we look forward to revelling in that memory while also looking forward to the next time Christ will come, whenever that may be, at an unknown hour in an unknown year. So, Advent, this new beginning, is a time to remember--and a time to anticipate--Christ in our world. We’re all about that anticipation, ‘cause Advent is a season of preparation, a season pretty darn close to joy but not quite there yet.

In the South, there’s a great phrase: I’m fixin’

to. Normally, this phrase is deployed to indicate that you’re preparing to do something, but you haven’t gotten around to it just yet. “I’m fixin’ to shovel the driveway” means you’re strongly considering braving the elements to clear a path,

but you haven’t mustered up the motivation to set aside your hot chocolate just yet. Advent is “We’re fixin’ to celebrate Christmas, but we’ve got some other things to do first.” What could possibly be so important that we’d merely be “fixin’ to” celebrate Christmas rather than getting right to it as soon as our Thanksgiving guests head home? That’s a fine question. And it’s one of those things not all Christians agree on, but here’s where the Episcopal Church is coming from: Advent does a few things for us. First, by having a full season, an entire month’s worth of anticipation pointing towards the day Christ comes, Advent underscores the importance of Christmas. Christmas is significant enough to get a lead up. Second, Advent, with all the parallels between the birth of Christ and these intense end of the world readings like in the Gospel of Matthew, we start to draw connections in our brains between the precious Christ-child and the awesome Kingdom of God. It preserves the sweetness of things to come while taking out some of the more saccharine elements. Third, Advent gives us a chance to clear out some of the clutter.

Think of it this way. When my mother’s fixin’

to have company, she gets to work. She’ll sweep, vacuum, and scrub ‘til kingdom come. Scuffed up baseboards, unsightly toilet bowls, and even greasy dust bunnies on top of the refrigerator -- none of ‘em stand a chance. When mom’s got company on the way, she gets to cleaning. Of course, when her long-awaited guests arrive, nothing she’s done makes the guests love her more. That gleaming baseboard is a nice touch, it’s her love language, but it doesn’t earn her anything with us. We would’ve loved her just the same, but she feels a little better welcoming us into her life knowing that the house is as near to spotless as it’s going to get. My mother’s neurosis aside, I think that’s something Advent does for us. It gives us the chance to do some housecleaning; there’s something in the preparation on our own end that gets us that much more ready for the arrival. The doorbell ring of an arriving Christmas is somehow sweeter when the work leading up to that moment is done. Advent invites us into that work.

Now, I started off this sermon with a “bah

humbug” straight from Scrooge’s mouth. “Humbug” is an interesting word, because we’ve

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dealt with him; that’s what makes this story so compelling. So Scrooge starts out carting around all this baggage, refuses to acknowledge the weight of past mistakes and loss, lashes out at anyone that gets too close or pushes him, even in the slightest. He’s fearful and looks beyond people’s humanity and on to their utility. It’s not a great starting point, but it isn’t far from where many of us find ourselves, probably more often than we’d care to admit. As the story unfolds, Scrooge gets an otherworldly gift. He’s confronted with a series of ghosts that point to painful moments in the past, sad vignettes happening here and now, even a jarring glimpse into what the future may hold. He’s guided along a deeply powerful and spiritual journey, uncovering old hurts buried deep in his heart, catching glimpses of what life is like for those around him, and his night culminates with an honest, hard look at his dismal future. And Scrooge, after this dark night of the soul, comes to on Christmas Day. He releases the past that’s held him back and embraces the life he’s gifted with today. He’s really changed. The sun rises, and with it, the freshly re-minted Scrooge hits the town with bells on. The waiting and purgation of his one-night Advent behind him, the now jovial Scrooge dives into the Christmas Spirit. It’s a sweet story, but I think we gloss over that difficult preparatory work of the night to get to that sweetness.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t

particularly want to spend the next month haunted by ghosts of any Christmases, but I kind of envy Scrooge that experience. ‘Cause Scrooge is transformed by what happens that night, just as all of us, all of creation is transformed by the Advent of Christ in the world. And we celebrate that entry year after year, recalling Christmases Past, revelling in Christmases Present, and longing for Christmases Yet to Come. But it’s not Christmas yet, not for us. It’s Advent, thanks be to God, the season of preparation. It’s a season of baseboard scrubbing in our souls, a season of taking a step back and looking at how we’ve moved in the world, how we do move in the world, how we’re fixin’ to move. It’s a season of giving ourselves the permission to make changes, to get ourselves ready, to show off a bright and shining hope of who we can be.

Continued from Page 4

lost its meaning. Today, I think most of us associate humbug with Scrooge and, along with that association, we assume it carries a meaning of general distaste, but “humbug” is more than that. “Humbug” is an old-timey way of calling something out for being false or even deceptive. Like malarkey or hogwash or other, more colorful words I ought not say from the pulpit. I think Dickens chooses this word to put in Scrooge’s mouth on purpose, because Scrooge deploys his humbugs whenever someone mentions something about the Christmas spirit. “Merry Christmas” a day early is met with an especially fervent “humbug,” and he keeps on humbugging until the various Christmas Spirits break through to him on that holy night. Now maybe Scrooge is calling Christmas itself a falsehood, or maybe, just maybe Dickens is using that definition of humbug as something deceptive or even fraudulent to point out the disservice an early celebration of Christmas does to Advent. I don’t think the character of Scrooge is astute enough to get what Dickens does through him, but that doesn’t really matter. You see, I think Scrooge is the Season of Advent. Dickens was English and, by being English he was, mostly by default, an Anglican; in other words, he knows the Church. And most of his characters, too, are default Anglicans, whether they really buy into this Church stuff or not; those that aren’t explicitly religious usually find themselves acting in response to the established church, not independent of it.

So, Scrooge is a default Anglican. At the

beginning of the story, he’s not a terribly good Anglican, but he’s fixin’ to be. He’s a gruff business owner. He’s focused on the bottom line and isn’t exactly the most pleasant employer to work for. He’s overly careful with his money. He isn’t concerned with things he can’t change, namely the past and the future. Then again, he carries all sorts of baggage, stuff he doesn’t like to talk about, stuff he’d rather stuff down into his soul than deal with. He’s focused on today, on getting through. He does look to the future, but only insomuch as it shows him another path to profit. But Scrooge is also afraid, afraid of opening up to others, afraid of having to change, afraid of what would happen if he wasn’t so darn careful. Sure, he can be mean, but he’s real, seems like a real person with baggage and wounds tenderly close to the surface. We know Scrooge; we’ve all

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Vestry Meeting Minutes November 16, 2016

Call to Order and Opening Devotions The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM. Brooks Cato read a prayer. Clerk’s Report The minutes of October 19 were approved with one emendation to the list of those serving on the Welcome Sign Committee. Treasurer’s Report Nancy Schult presented the report, noting that pledge income is at 96%, and that “everything else is good.” She first clarified that “vestry expenses” cover costs for those attending the Diocesan Convention. Also, through some minor misfortune, a check written to CAP has been lost. It has now been rewritten out of the “non-recurring expenses” line. Nancy then presented the balance sheet. In general, all investment funds have gone down, reflecting current market trends. The parish received donations in memory of Bob Kuiper totaling $250. The expense of the repair to the vesting room roof was $350. The Vanguard Money Market Fund was closed out. The treasurer’s report was received as submitted. Brooks Cato thanked Nancy for her hard work. Wardens’ Report The wardens had nothing to report at this point in the meeting. Rector’s Report Brooks Cato noted that the last month had been incredibly busy, both on the parish and the diocesan levels. He is still acclimating himself to the many varied activities that occur in both spheres. Commission Reports Grounds: Wynn Egginton noted that flower beds in front of the rectory had been cleaned out and that other flowers have been planted that will create a wash of color in the springtime. Buildings: Wynne Egginton reported that the roof over the vesting room has been repaired temporarily; however, the entire roof area will have to be replaced before winter, 2017.

On the Lighter Side

So that’s Advent. That’s the business we’re

about over the course of the next month. We’ll get to Christmas, don’t worry, but we’re not going there yet. The church is inviting us not to jump ahead, inviting us to sit with those sometimes painful realities of who we are and how we got here, inviting us to get ready, not celebrating too early but working in that place of “fixin’ to.” And that’s my humbug. Christmas songs already playing in grocery stores turn my stomach. Humbug! This time of year, I’d rather hear Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around” or REM’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.” Those are much more appropriate to the season, the season of Advent, that is. Christmas will get its due, don’t worry. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a real thing, twelve entire days set aside for celebrating the birth of Christ beginning as the soon as the sun goes down on December 24th, but we’re not there yet. We’ve got this time to prepare. Go ahead put up the tree, wrap presents, string lights, look up recipes for Christmas hams, but try waiting for the real celebration. Try waiting, do the prep work, but don’t open the doors just yet. Try waiting, give yourself a silent night to reflect while the world buzzes on its frantic seasonal way. Try waiting for Christmas. We can’t make it get here any sooner, and thank God for that. So try waiting. Try waiting.■

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Replacement costs are estimated at $6000-7000. The Commission is also discussing the installation of natural gas in the parish hall. Adger Williams suggested that it might be useful to do a walkabout when there’s snow on the ground. The change in season might bring other necessary repairs to light. Budget and Finance: Nancy Schult presented three motions for vestry approval: 1) to maintain $40,000 in the NBT checking account and to move the remaining funds (~$56,614) to the Historic St. Thomas’ Preservation Fund (UIF); 2) to transfer funds currently in the Primecap (Vanguard) Fund (~$15,744) into the Historic St. Thomas’ Preservation Fund (UIF); 3) to transfer funds currently in the 500 (Vanguard) Fund (~$34, 728.81) into the St. Thomas’ (UIF) Fund. These changes will consolidate funds and invest the majority of the parish assets in UIF Funds. All three motions carried. (Note: All figures above reflect those reported at the time of the meeting.) Stewardship: Nancy Schult reported that as of the meeting, 42 pledges had been received for a total of $129,413. Old Business Sister Church: In October, Wynn Egginton sent a letter to the Vestry and Parish of St. Paul’s, Kingsport, accepting their kind invitation to join with them as a “sister church.” Brooks Cato announced that St. Paul’s is currently receiving our parish newsletter and that we would receive theirs. Also, the parishioners from St. Paul’s will be sending a special ham on the occasion of his installation. The Vestry decided that it would be a good idea to create a commission to tend to the new relationship. Nancy Rivington agreed to serve on the commission and other interested persons would be welcomed. New Business The vestry went into executive session for a private discussion. They then came out of executive session. Christmas Services: Brooks Cato stated that there will be one Christmas Eve service at 4:30 PM and one Christmas Day service at 9:00 AM.

Prayer Leader for December meeting: Michael Sitts will lead prayer. Installation: The installation of the Rev. Brooks Cato will take place on Wednesday evening, January 4, at 7:00 PM. Following this announcement, Brooks left and the vestry discussed some elements of the installation service that required their attention. The meeting ended at 8:15 PM.■

Respectfully submitted, Susan Cerasano, Clerk

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Festive Flowers for Christmas An envelope is included with this issue of

Tidings for Christmas Flower Memorials and gifts. Monies received will help the Flower Guild purchase beautiful poinsettias, wreaths and greenery for decorating the altar and the entire sanctuary for the Great Festival of Christmas. The decorations glorify God and enhance our worship.

Please use the envelope to submit your

Christmas flower memorial contribution with the names of the persons you wish to honor this holy season. All donations/memorials received by December 18 will be listed in the Christmas Eve order of service.■

--Rose Novak on behalf of the Flower Guild

2017 Pledge Card Reminder

Thank you to all those who have submitted their 2017 pledge card and time and talents form. Pledge cards and time and talents forms may still be submitted in the offering plate or to the parish office. Please contact the parish office if you need a 2017 pledge card and time and talents form.■

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totally fruitcake idea of choosing a teenage mother, a member of an enslaved and captive people in an occupied country, who spent the last days of her pregnancy riding burro-back to give birth in a small barn to a helpless infant boy, God’s incarnation in human form. Hallmark couldn’t have thought that one up! Still, two thousand years later, here we are. We are left to connect the dots between “holiday” and “Holy Day” because we’re stuck with, not a feel-good God, but a God of power and love. I think God wants me/us to stop whining and get on with it, to go about God’s business, to do the work we have been given to do.

THAT’S worth celebrating!■

--Marcia Sitts

Details—Christmassy Feelings

T he Hallmark season is upon us. Every warm and fuzzy, cute and cuddly possibility is offered to pluck our heart strings and prepare us for the 25th of December. Sparkly snow scenes, plump little bunnies, flittering bright red cardinals, holly sprigs, mistletoe balls, open hearth fires with stockings, candy canes, Rudolph, Frosty, and of course, Santa Claus! We are encouraged by Nextdoor Hamilton to decorate in “festive theme” in a “Holiday spirit of good will;” attend Hamilton’s ‘Holiday Night of Lights;” to celebrate!

“Holiday” means “Holy Day.” Just thought I’d mention that. Also, I should mention that I’m having some trouble getting into the swing of the season this year. Some people I love have died, some people I love are grieving, and some are in serious pain. I am really, really worried about my country, this “one nation, under God.” I have discovered one decoration I can relate to—the wearing of a safety pin. Wearing a safety pin started in England and was adopted here after our recent election. It is a accessory meaning solidarity, sympathy and support for any vulnerable group. It indicates the wearer is “safe.”It is trivial, trite, and tacky. It has been criticized as indicative of a “white savior complex,” and “smug, self-righteous do-nothingness.” And, it could make holes in your clothes. However, it’s something, and, as Tim Byrnes says, “something ain’t nothing.” It’s something a wimpy old white woman can do (when she remembers), it won’t break the budget, and it maybe, just maybe, will help me to remember to remember.

I’ve talked a lot to God about all this. God is always present in death, grief, pain, and fear. God seems unimpressed with safety pins, and Hallmark stuff, but, I think, approves remembering, being mindful, staying aware, and caring. Further, I suspect God prefers action, doing something, even more than sitting around having nice feelings, thinking nice thoughts. Because God loves us, God wants, requires, that we not only love back, but love forward, outward to everyone. Not only nice people, but un-nice people; even downright mean and nasty people. Everyone!

By the way, I LIKE all that Hallmark stuff, but I want me, us, to not stop there. Sometimes it’s difficult to make the jump to God’s crazy,

A Visit We Remember

IT WAS THOUSANDS of years ago and thousands of miles away, but it is a visit that for all our madness and cynicism and indifference and despair we have never quite forgotten. The oxen in their stalls. The smell of hay. The shepherds standing around. That child and that place are somehow the closest of all close encounters, the one we are closest to, the one that brings us closest to something that cannot be told in any other way. This story that faith tells in the fairy tale language of faith is not just that God is, which God knows is a lot to swallow in itself much of the time, but that God comes. Comes here. "In great humility." There is nothing much humbler than being born: naked, totally helpless, not much bigger than a loaf of bread. But with righteousness and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. And to us came. For us came. Is it true-not just the way fairy tales are true but as the truest of all truths? Almighty God, are you true? When you are standing up to your neck in darkness, how do you say yes to that question? You say yes, I suppose, the only way faith can ever say it if it is honest with itself. You say yes with your fingers crossed. You say it with your heart in your mouth. Maybe that way we can say yes. He visited us.

The world has never been quite the same since. It

is still a very dark world, in some ways darker than ever before, but the darkness is different because he keeps getting born into it. The threat of holocaust. The threat of poisoning the earth and sea and air. The threat of our own deaths. The broken marriage. The child in pain. The lost chance. Anyone who has ever known him has known him perhaps better in the dark than anywhere else because it is in the dark where he seems to visit most often.■

--Frederick Buechner, (born 1926) is an American writer and theologian, originally published in The Clown in the Belfry

An Essay on George H. McKnight’s

St. Nicholas (1917, reprinted by Corner House

Publishers, Williamstown, MA, 1974)

A uthors who write about the life of St. Nicholas run into an immediate problem. There is hardly any reliable evidence about him. Only two uncontested facts are known: Nicholas was bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor, and he died in 343 AD. Other than that, writers use traditions and folktales, but they are insufficient for a biography. Biographies require the same standards of evidence as history does, from confirmed documents created as close to the source as possible. That did not stop Wikipedia from saying that Nicholas was born on March 15, 270. How does Wikipedia know? Its authors cite an article in a popular faith-oriented website, "St. Nicholas Center," which gives the same date with no source for verification. By such means as this do computer fables override history.

Wikipedia and the St. Nicholas Center also

claim that "A text written in [Nicholas's] own hand is still in the care of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem." In direct contradiction of this is the Encyclopaedia Britannica statement, "Nicholas'[s] existence is not attested by any historical document, so nothing certain is known of his life except that he was probably bishop of Myra in the 4th century." The two statements cannot both be true. One is fiction; the other is fact. Pick your path to knowledge.

James McKnight, the author of St. Nicholas,

was so embarrassed by the lack of facts that he neglected to mention where Myra was located, and thereby neglected to point out that Nicholas's living in Asia Minor--present day Turkey--instead of Rome or Carthage helps to account for the dearth of evidence about him. McKnight, knowing that myths and folktales were all he had to work with, turned to the significance of myths. He pointed out that they commonly reflect ideals that "can lift the level of real existence." (931) Then he made use of the many Nicholas legends.

These legends honor Nicholas for his kindness to children and his generosity to the poor. Most saints were celebrated for their miracles, martyrdom, evangelism, or sanctity, but St. Nicholas is remembered for beneficence, kindness and care for children--a serene departure from the norm. His achievements did not judge or degrade people, but warmed them, and encouraged them to make children happy. No wonder he was so popular in the Middle Ages. But there was also some public relations hanky-panky. In the year 1087 some Italian merchants or sailors raided Nicholas's tomb in Myra, and allegedly brought back his remains to Bari, Italy, whereupon Bari became packed with pilgrims and their purses. Nicholas promptly gained fame in Europe, a sacred popularity that he had never known in Asia Minor. Long afterward that fame flourished with a sea-change into something rich and strange, Santa Claus (Sain' Ni-ch'los).

McKnight narrates a number of Nicholas

legends, two of which are famous enough to appear in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. According to one, Nicholas gave dowries of gold secretly to three daughters of an impoverished nobleman so that they could marry suitably, and not be forced into prostitution to survive. Here was a model of quadruple virtue--generosity, donor anonymity, social order, and sexual morality--centered on helping children. In the other legend Nicholas "restored to life three children who had been chopped up by a butcher and put into a brine tub" that was used for salting meat. (54, 47) This gruesome tale showed Europeans that St. Nicholas could perform heavy-duty miracles with power from God to bring back children from the dead. It does seem a bit desperate, considering that Scripture had never attributed anything quite like it to Jesus. Perhaps it was an over-the-top promotion for Bari. But it circulated, so it must have had a lot of takers. No wonder Nicholas was popular.

Nicholas's later transition to Santa Claus

occurred in a sentimental age. The change was permanent. Nicholas had served his time. He was not meant for sky-borne reindeer, sleighs, or chimneys, but for nearly two centuries now we have cherished and continue to cherish Santa Claus.■

--Richard Frost

Page 9

A Prayer

Lord, hear our prayers for the homeless, the weary, the hungry, and the alone. Urge us to discover ways in which we can serve them and be with them, and make your presence known to them, in these trying times and beyond.

--Sojourners

Coffee Hour Hosts Still Needed in December

We still have a couple openings left in December for Coffee Hour hosts. The 2017 Sign-Up sheet will also be posted soon in the Parish Hall. Please consider signing up for a Sunday or two. Your refreshments can be as simple or elaborate as you desire. Coffee Hour has become a long-standing tradition, making St. Thomas’ a warm and hospitable place to meet and greet old and new friends alike. Many thanks to all of you who participated in 2016. Your ministry is much appreciated!■

--Nan Schmitt

Ecumenical Sunday (for the Week of Christian Unity)

January 22 Stay tuned for more details

Page 10

Opportunities to Serve within Our Community

The 61st Annual Holiday Sale to benefit our local hospital and its patients is Saturday, December 3, 9:30 AM-1:30 PM, at First Baptist Church. Donations of hand crafted items, attic treasures, and baked or canned goods are still being accepted. The Holiday Café will also be serving yummy sweets and assorted hot beverages for $2 during the sale. Thank you again for your giving spirit! Farmworker Christmas Basket Collection. The Hamilton Interfaith Service Group is once again putting together gift packages for the farmworkers. Items needed are: food, gloves, and cold weather gear. Please drop your donations in the box at the entrance of the church by December 11. The Interfaith Holiday Project is seeking donations to cover their 2017 costs. The community’s support has made it possible for this project to reach more than 120 infants and children, as well as friends at Hubbardsville Manor and other local residential homes. They would also appreciate donations of wrapping paper, tape, and ribbon, which may be brought to the Hamilton Public Library before Dec. 17.■

Ponder This

There is no excess of goodness. You cannot go too far in the right direction.

--C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a British novelist, poet, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian, broadcaster, lecturer, and Christian apologist

Please Pray for Our Sister Church

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport, Tennessee is one of several churches in the Diocese of East Tennessee currently plagued by drought and wild fires. Please pray for Fr. Steve White and all the folks affected by this disaster.

Page 11

Coffee and Flowers

A s we begin a new year, we once again turn to parishioners for help in keeping the altar beautiful and

our coffee hours gracious. The systems that are in place have worked for the most part, and so we will

continue them for yet another year.

The 2017 Coffee Hour Sign-Up sheet has been posted in the dining hall and has plenty of spaces for

names to be filled in. Please have a look the next time you are in the parish hall and sign up for a couple of

Sundays or call Nan (824-1745) and let her know the date(s) you can host. New hosts are most welcome and

always needed! If you are a new host, we will be happy to show you the procedures. Coffee Hour has

become a long-standing tradition making St. Thomas’ a warm and hospitable place to meet and greet old and

new friends alike. Many thanks to all of you who have participated in the past, and we look forward to adding

a few new hosts in the coming year!

Many thanks also to those who give flowers to keep the altar area lovely. A recommended donation of

$35 will enable the Flower Guild to order what is needed. A sign-up sheet is available in the parish hall, or

again, calling Nan in the office will do just as well. For your added convenience, the form below will let you

reserve one or more Sundays during the year. Return the information to the office and your requests will be

entered on the master flower chart for the parish. Flowers are given in memory of loved ones and also in

thanksgiving for life’s blessings. We are happy to add these names and occasions to the Prayers of the People

on the Sunday for which they are given.■

--Nan Schmitt

Date you wish to give flowers: Your name: ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Name(s) to be remembered, or the occasion to be commemorated: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Date you wish to give flowers: Your name: ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Name(s) to be remembered, or the occasion to be commemorated: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Page 12

Come enjoy fantastic food while

supporting a great cause on December

10th!

Winter at the Palace, a roaring 20’s-

inspired evening of fine entertainment, food

and spirits, will benefit Arts at the Palace

(AATP), on Saturday, December 10 at 7 PM at

the Palace Theater. The evening will be

packed with entertainment including

headlining musical act Julia Goodwin, Central

New York resident and quarterfinalist on

NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” (And

especially for St. Thomas’ folks, there is a

special surprise…) Tickets for Winter at the

Palace are $40 per person and include hors

d’oeuvres, dessert, beer/wine, bourbon

samplings, and a champagne toast, provided

by Chartwells. The gala will also feature a live

and silent auction. You may purchase tickets

from Jane Welsh at Coffee Hour following the

10 AM service on December 4th.

LISTEN, LOUNGE, & LUNCH With Us

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 from 12-2pm for a special

holiday JAZZ@NOON!

Well, it looks as though it is an early arrival for Winter (and SNOW!) in Central New York… but,

along with it, comes the anticipation and fun of the holidays. We hope that you'll come out of the

cold and celebrate the season with us on SATURDAY DECEMBER 3rd, 12-2pm in the

cozy & festive atmosphere of 'The PALACE UNDERGROUND' - a Hamilton hot-spot and

birthplace of our tremendously popular JAZZ@NOON series.

Trumpeter/host, Jim McDowell will be joined this month by fantastic fiddler/mandolinist Joe Davoli,

dynamic drummer, Jimmy Johns, and Dianne Adams McDowell on keyboard & vocals. Golden-voiced Jenni Larchar will sing some

Adams & McDowell holiday originals from their Sleep in Heavenly Peas CD (which will be available on site). Also featured will be the

Jazz@Noon debut of gifted young vocalist, Aoife Douglas - and the youthful talents of Ava

Robertson, Emilija Morkevicius, and Fiona Dosanjh. This is a holiday event you will not

want to miss!

Hungry? Our wonderful sponsors, CHARTWELLS, will be working their holiday magic like culinary elves in the kitchen. (They

always seem to whip up satisfying & savory lunches, as well as delectable desserts…) Yum.

So on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3rd, take a break from your holiday shopping and step into

the the warmth of THE PALACE UNDERGROUND (in Hamilton, NY) for some

music, food, & fun… LISTEN, LOUNGE, & LUNCH with JAZZ@NOON.

Warmest wishes & happy holidays to all ~

Dianne

Free admission / $5 suggested donation Lunch is available for purchase.

JAZZ@NOON!

~CONTINUES IN 2017~

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 12-2pm

For more information,

Check out the Arts at the Palace website:

artsatthepalace.org

Arts at the Palace 19 Utica St.

Hamilton, New York

Prayers of the People

For those in need: Rachel Bronson, Joanne Conrad, Barbara Crysdale, Alea Floyd, Dick Frost, Micaela Gregory, Nancy Heck, Paul Larmon, Liam Meyer, Ethan Miller, Jim Mogle, Rod Mogle, Martha Olson, Rachel Owens, Ron & June Schaupp, Jim Sun, Bill & Carolyn Todd, Wells Family, Kate.. For the departed: Carol Compton, Shawn Dempsey, The Rev. S. George Dirghalli, Sally Getchonis, Jack Heiligman, Jeanette Hoffman, Michael Martin, Betty McGregor, Joseph Wells, Sr., Joseph Wells, Jr.

December Thanksgivings

Birthdays: Layla Hubbard (12/11), Allen Schult (12/13), Barbara Bartlett (12/16), Debbie Barker (12/17), Steve Barker (12/17), Fay Cole (12/19), Bev McKay (12/23), Lynn Staley (12/24), Madelyn Knapp (12/31).

Baptism Anniversaries: Danny Jerome (12/03), Becky Hubbard (12/13), Tom Brackett (12/21), Ed Page (12/22), Laura Schmitt (12/24), Susan Cerasano (12/27), Helen Kebabian (12/27).

December at St. Thomas’

Regular Weekly Events

Holy Eucharist: Sundays, 8 AM & 10 AM.

Nursery Care: Sundays, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM.

Teen Class: Sundays, 9 AM.

Godly Play: 9:45 AM.

Friendship Inn Community Meal: Mondays, 5 PM, Parish Hall.

Weekly Bible Study: Thursdays, 9:30 AM. All are welcome.

Choir Rehearsal: Thursdays, 7:30 PM.

Special Events

Advent Lessons & Carols: Sunday, December 4, 10 AM.

Saturday, December 17, Altar Guild Polishing Party, Parish Hall, 9 AM-Noon.

Wednesday, December 23, Flower Guild decorates sanctuary, 9:15 AM.

Saturday, December 24, Great Festival of Christmas with Holy Eucharist Rite 2, 4:30 PM, preceded by carol sing-a-long, 4:15 PM.

Page 13

Words to Ponder

Faith is what someone knows to be true, whether they believe it or not.

--Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) was an American writer and essayist.

January at St. Thomas’

Regular Weekly Events

Holy Eucharist: Sundays, 8 AM & 10 AM.

Nursery Care: Sundays, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM.

Teen Class: Sundays, 9 AM.

Godly Play: 9:45 AM.

Friendship Inn Community Meal: Mondays, 5 PM, Parish Hall. (St. Thomas’ cooks on January 16.)

Weekly Bible Study: Thursdays, 9:30 AM. All are welcome.

Choir Rehearsal: Thursdays, 7:30 PM.

Special Events

Wednesday, January 4, Installation Service of The Rev. Brooks A. Cato, 7 PM, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church.

Sunday, January 8, Epiphany Pageant, 10 AM.

Sunday, January 15, Morning Prayer , 8 AM & 10 AM.

Sunday, January 22, Ecumenical Service, TBD.

January Thanksgivings

Birthdays: Stan Dakosty (1/02), Bruce Rivington (1/05), Simon Williams (1/07), Jane Scheinman (1/09), Shannon Strohmeyer (1/09), Janice Frutiger (1/13), Jana Laxa (1/14), Taylor McDowell (1/20), Millie Franklin (1/22), Morgan Davies (1/23), David Sturges (1/25), Laura Trueworthy (1/29).

Wedding Anniversaries: Marcia & Ed Sitts (1/03), Bev & Dave McKay (1/22), Millie & Jim Franklin (1/23).

Baptism Anniversaries: Susannah Davies, Debra Barker (1/04), June Schaupp (1/06), Layla Hubbard (1/11), Dawn LaFrance (1/11), Zachary LaFrance (1/11), Jamie Rivington (1/12), Rocco Catania (1/18), Kristen Meadows (1/29).

Page 14

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St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church Non-Profit Organization

12 1/2 Madison St. U.S. Postage Paid

Hamilton, NY 13346 Hamilton, NY 13346

Permit No. 80

Address Service Requested

Tidings December 2016-January 2017