Dear People of Ascension,

The church year begins in the dark. I love this about Advent: the mystery, the entrance into silence and not knowing, the invitation to watch and wait, the hope for justice, peace and healing, the promise of a coming we cannot yet imagine.  

As we begin this season of attention and expectation, I offer you one of my favorite poems, David Whyte's Sweet Darkness, as a companion. May our Advent journeys be fruitful, full of unburdening and joyful discovery.

Blessings,

Liz

When your eyes are tired

the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone,

no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark

where the night has eyes

to recognize its own.

There you can be sure

you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your home

tonight.

The night will give you a horizon

further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet

confinement of your aloneness

to learn

anything or anyone

that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

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Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

#66 Come, thou long-expected Jesus (Stuttgart)

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

born to set thy people free;

from our fears and sins release us,

let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,

hope of all the earth thou art:

dear desire of every nation,

joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,

born a child, and yet a king,

born to reign in us for ever,

now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal Spirit

rule in all our hearts alone;

by thine all-sufficient merit

raise us to thy glorious throne.

Presider Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Come, O Holy One,

in silence, in secret, like a thief in the night.

Keep us mindful that at any moment you may ask of us

an accounting of our lives;

help us to love you and love one another in all we do,

and keep us watchful and joyful,

that we may bring others to love you also,

through Jesus our Savior. Amen.

Hymn #56 O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni, veni, Emmanuel)

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

[Refrain]

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,

who orderest all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show,

and teach us in her ways to go.

[Refrain]

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-- as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil--to make your name known to your adversaries,so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 (The St. Helena Psalter)

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *

shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *

stir up your strength and come to help us.

Restore us, O God of hosts; *

show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

O God of hosts, *

how long will you be angered

despite the prayers of your people?

You have fed them with the bread of tears; *

you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *

and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

Restore us, O God of hosts; *

show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Let your hand be upon those at your right hand, *

those whom you have made so strong for yourself.

So we may never turn away from you, *

give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

Restore us, O God of hosts; *

show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.' Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

The Rev. Edwin Chinery

Charles Wood (1866-1926)

O thou, the central orb of righteous love,

pure beam of the most High, eternal Light

of this our wintry world, thy radiance bright

awakes new joy in faith, hope soars above.

    Come, quickly come, and let thy glory shine

    gilding our darksome heaven with rays divine.

Thy saints with holy luster round thee move,

as stars about thy throne, set in the height

of God’s ordaining counsel as thy sight

gives measured grace to each, thy power to prove.

    Let thy bright beams disperse the gloom of sin,

    our nature all shall feel eternal day,

    in fellowship with thee, transforming day,

    to souls erewhile unclean, now pure within. Amen.

Leader          With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying "Lord, have mercy."

For the peace from above, for the loving-kindness of God, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For the peace of the world, for the welfare of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For Andrew, Allen and Mary our Bishops, and for all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For Donald our President and Joe our President-elect, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For all laboring to end racism and white supremacy and establish racial justice in our country, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For this city, for every city and community, and for those who live in them; for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ethiopia and Yemen, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For seasonable weather, and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, for those affected by hurricane Iota, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For those who travel on land, on water, or in the air, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering; for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn; for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic; for all healthcare workers, especially Scarlett, Madonna, Trudie, Nancy, Anna, Sarah, Endine, Terese, and AJ, for all whose labor supports our common life; for those developing treatment and a vaccine, for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy and for all who are reopening, that they may care for one another in wisdom and safety, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For Robert, Ed, Janet, Mary and Tom, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Marco, Tina, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Stacy and Jonathan, Michael, Seth, Jo, Angeline, Christopher, Len, Deanna and Rodney, Lisa and Lucia, and Francesca, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For Lauretta Feldman, BJ Fredricks, and the more that 260,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19, as well as others around the world, for all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For deliverance from all danger, violence, oppression, and degradation, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          For our enemies and those who wish us harm, and for all whom we have injured or offended, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          That we may end our lives in faith and hope, without suffering and without reproach, let us pray to the Lord.

Leader          Defend us, deliver us, and in thy compassion protect us, O Lord, by thy grace.

Leader          In the communion of [ ___ and of all the] saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life, to Christ our God.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

  hallowed be thy Name,

  thy kingdom come,

  thy will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those

    who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

  and the power, and the glory,

  for ever and ever. Amen.

#57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending (Helmsley)

Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,

once for our salvation slain;

thousand thousand saints attending

swell the triumph of his train:

Alleluia!

Christ the Lord returns to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him,

robed in dreadful majesty;

those who set at nought and sold him,

pierced, and nailed him to the tree,

deeply wailing,

shall the true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion

still his dazzling body bears,

cause of endless exultation

to his ransomed worshipers;

with what rapture

gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen! let all adore thee,

high on thine eternal throne;

Savior, take the power and glory;

claim the kingdom for thine own:

Alleluia!

Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.

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Pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite juice, grab a slice of banana bread, piece of fruit, or a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, and feel free to "hang out" with us online to chat!

Prepare ye the way for creativity (no brood of vipers invited)! Join us this Sunday, November 29, after the 11:00 service for our first forum of Advent. While we talk about the meaning of the season, come and create your own Advent wreath at home together over Zoom!

Here are some wild and crazy ideas for materials you may have at home already. This is a time to be playful and inventive, perfection definitely NOT required. We could all use a time for “sparking joy,” as Marie Kondo says. Start by gathering some candles in candle holders as the anchor for a wreath display, perhaps on a tray or in the center of a table?

What kinds of things do you have on hand to create the wreath?

The possibilities are endless. Please, be playful, have fun. The process is more important than perfection. Looking forward to seeing all of the creativity in action

Come and discuss the meaning of the season while we make our own Advent wreaths over Zoom

(Watch this space for details!)

A time of refreshment using scripture, music, art and poetry, led by the clergy

Zoom Information: zoom.us/j/98439897017

Thursday, December 24

Christmas Eve Prelude Music, 6:30 p.m.

Christmas Eve Service, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, December 25

Christmas Day Service, 11:00 a.m.

Sunday, December 27

Lessons and Carols, 11:00 a.m.

is available on our

Facebook page:

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

For Your Daily Prayers - "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) During this time of global crisis and personal anxiety, we offer you this prayer form to include in your daily prayers.

Sunday Paper Junior - The lectionary, our yearly schedule of Bible readings, carries us through Jesus’s life and teachings. The Church of The Ascension subscribes to the Sunday Paper Junior and we offer it to you and your family as a fun, creative way to study the lessons each week. Click here to access this week's paper. Please feel free to print out the pages each week and use as you desire. Check out this section each week for the current Sunday Paper Junior!

SUSPENDED - In-Person Midweek Eucharists and Open Church are currently suspended.

In light of the rising infection rates in New York City, our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Andy Dietsche, sent a letter encouraging all churches to set careful attendance benchmarks for attendance at worship. The Reopening Taskforce has been following the city's guidelines for school shut downs - an infection rate of 3% over a 7-day rolling average, and had already suspended our Wednesday evening in person Eucharist when that number was reached last week. In order to ensure our health and safety, in person worship will be suspended throughout Advent and Christmas, and we will revisit the question early in the new year. 

The Next Racial Justice Group Will Meet Thursday, December 3- Please join us at 6:30 to talk about next steps in our journey towards understanding and dismantling racism and white supremacy, and working for racial justice in our hearts, in our church and in our country. Click here to access this meeting via Zoom.

Beware of Fraudulent Emails Purporting to be from the Ascension clergy! Several people received scam emails today pretending to be from Fr. Ed, using a Gmail account under a user name that appears to be him. Click here to read more and learn what you can do.

Is God calling YOU to run for Vestry? Are you interested in exploring your own faith leadership in the church? Serving on Vestry is an opportunity to provide spiritually grounded leadership with an emphasis on our church's finances and property management. Vestry members are baptized members of the parish who regularly attend worship and have contributed financially to Ascension regularly over the past 12 months. Vestry meets the evening of the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Please contact the Nominating Committee or Mtr Liz if you would like to discern this ministry or know someone you would like to nominate.

Subscribe to the AscensionNYC podcast and have our weekly sermons delivered to the device of your choice! While we have been posting recordings of sermons preached at Ascension services since February 2015, many have asked how they can listen to them on the go. Now you can subscribe to the AscensionNYC podcast to have the latest sermons and other audio content from the Church of the Ascension automatically downloaded to your phone, tablet or computer. Follow this link

to choose how you'd like to receive AscensionNYC in the podcast app you use; we’re being added to more and more directories each week!

You can also go to our website to listen to recent sermons by clicking here or going to our website.

Give while shopping - We all seem to be relying on online shopping more and more these days. The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the nonprofit you choose. Even these small sums can add up for us. Click here to find out how.

Organ Prelude (Zoom)

Church Service (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Zoom)

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Personnel Committee (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Lectionary Bible Study (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

(Speak to Sibyl Piccone if you are interested in this group)

Finance Committee (Zoom) 4:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

EfM (Zoom) 6:00 p.m.

Resistance Cinema (Zoom) 7:30 p.m.

Building & Grounds Committee (Zoom) 12 Noon

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Needlecraft Guild (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Racial Justice Discussion Group (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Food Pantry (12 W 11th St.) 8:30 a.m.

Speak to Fr. Ed if you would like to volunteer or if you are in need of food.

Rehearsal for Sunday Service (Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Organ Prelude (Zoom)

Church Service (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Zoom)

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

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