Nativity Notes
July 12, 2019
From the Dean
   Socks

In the bookstore of St. David’s Cathedral, in St. David’s Wales, I came across a simple treasure. Bible story Socks! An array of various scenes woven into socks with biblical verse and narrative assigned. It was like finding a pearl in an oyster! 

My choice of socks, a pastoral scene of fields and sheep, with a great valley begging the eye to be lifted to hills surrounding, giving way to the beauty of a clear blue sky. 

“I lift my eyes to the heavens, From where shall my help come?” Psalm 121, vs. 1.

I have found throughout my life that prayer can be tricky. That sometimes I can be pretty undisciplined about any kind of prayer discipline and quick to judge myself with condemnation. (Typically not helpful). I can sometimes be rendered to a sense of helplessness when so much around me seems to be out of my control and I wonder why even pray at all. I can sometimes be so much in my head that I can “overthink” so much, not realizing I have created so much clutter that it would take my soul a year’s worth of work to make its way to divine presence. 

Then typically grace pervades. In general with a simple nudge, interruption, gift to invite my heart open to the divine, hoping for union. (This is prayer). A pair of socks perhaps in a gift shop to remind me simply of the beginning point of prayer. Lift my eyes and look expectantly. 

R.S. Thomas, the welsh Priest and poet of the 20th century, in his poem entitled “Praise”, writes, 

“You speak all languages and none, answering our most complex prayers with the simplicity of a flower”.  

I think I will look for some flowers today. 

Blessings, T
Sunday Bulletin For those of you worshiping with us via Livestream, below please find the Sunday bulletin.
Lemonade in Summer!  We are once again serving lemonade and iced tea after the 10AM service during the summer. We need volunteers to serve and clean up each Sunday. It is an easy task and you get to greet many smiling faces.
Summer Breakfast Fellowship  Join us Sunday mornings July 14 through August 18 from 8:45-9:45 AM in the Dining Room. Spend some time getting to know and catching up with one another. Free will offering (covers expense of breakfast and helps underwrite other fellowship activities). If you would like to help by being part of a team who prepares breakfast, please email teisenreich@nativitycathedral.org .
Cathedral Night at Iron Pigs Friday, August 23, 2019 (Gates open at 5:45 PM) at 7:05 PM the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs take on the Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Tickets are $10 per person and include field level seats and $2 concessions. For ticket reservations, please contact the church office at 610-865-0727 or teisenreich@nativitycathedral.org. Please make checks payable to the church and note “Iron Pigs” on the memo line. Deadline July 17, 2019.
Calling All Campers Did you lose something? Did you forget something? The camp lost and found is on display in Sayre Hall. Come and see if your lost item is there. If it is: TAKE IT HOME!! Items will be on display until Monday July 29. All left over items will them be donated to the Better Buy Thrift Shop.
As you may have noticed, our Cathedral Choirs are on hiatus for the summer enjoying some well-deserved rest and relaxation! HOWEVER, if you are interested in singing with the Cathedral Choir in the fall, rehearsals resume on Wednesday August 28 at 7 pm and you are invited to come check it out (we’re on the lookout for a few good basses)! Also, Cathedral Choristers , singers in grades 2-7, resume their rehearsals on Wednesday September 11 at 4:30 pm, and we gladly welcome all new singers to participate in this great experience. And, Cathedral Handbell Ringers resume rehearsals on Thursday September 19 at 7 pm in the Bishop Gray Room – if you are interested in ringing with this talented group (we are looking to add three or four new ringers), please be in touch with Canon Stephen prior to rehearsals since positions are ‘assigned.’ It’s definitely not too early to be thinking about plans for the fall, so if you would like to plug in to our music ministry at Nativity Cathedral, please know that you’re most welcome and we hope you will be in touch with Canon Stephen soon. Thanks for considering it!
The Philia Book Club is officially on summer break. We are reading Rules of Civility by Amor Towles over the summer. We will meet on Thursday, September 19, in Room 23 at 11:00 a.m. to discuss it. Bring your lunch! You may also want to read Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka. We will discuss this one in October. For the September meeting also bring along a list of the books you have read during the summer break. It should be interesting to see what we have read. Come join us! Bring your reading list. We would love to hear about what you read. Have a safe and wonderful summer.
The Exploring Christian Literature Book Club is on summer break! We will meet on the Third Wednesday of September at 1:30 to 3:00 in the Goodwin Room. We will be discussing: The Power of Love by Bishop Curry and The Universal Church by Richard Rohr. Don’t finish the book! Come anyway. Don’t read the book. Come anyway. You never know what you will learn. Book Choices: October - Eager To Love by Richard Rohr; November - Come help us choose November’s book.
Parishioners in the Hospital  If a family member is hospitalized, please contact either the clergy or leave a message with the parish office (610-865-0727) informing us of who is in the hospital and at which hospital.
Cathedral Schedule


Friday, July 12
10:00 AM Nativity Staffs the Thrift Shop
12:00 PM Stewardship Meeting - Good Shepherd Chapel
6:00 PM Norwood-Gabor Rehearsal - Cathedral

Saturday, July 13
8:00 AM Finance Committee Meeting - Room 23
9:00 AM Altar Guild Prep – Cathedral
10:00 AM Thrift Shop open until 1 PM
3:00 PM Norwood-Gabor Wedding - Cathedral
5:00 PM The Feast | Celtic Eucharist - Cathedral

Sunday, July 14
8:00 AM Holy Eucharist - Cathedral
8:45 AM Summer Breakfast - Dining Room
10:00 AM Holy Eucharist - Cathedral

Monday, July 15
9:00 AM Flower Arranging for Hospital Visitations - Sacristy

Tuesday, July 16
1:00 PM Al-Anon Meeting - Room 21
2:00 PM Clergy Bible Study - Goodwin Room
5:30 PM ShareCare Board Meeting - Room 21

Wednesday, July 17
9:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Healing - Good Shepherd Chapel
10:00 AM Nativity Staffs the Thrift Shop
6:30 PM New Bethany Ministries Parenting Class - Good Shepherd Chapel & Nursery

Thursday, July 18
11:00 AM Bethlehem Steel Veterans - Room 21
7:00 PM S-Anon - Room 21

Friday, July 19
9:00 AM Staff Planning Meeting - off site
10:00 AM Nativity Staffs the Thrift Shop




Cathedral Church of the Nativity
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