As the season of Lent draws to a close, Nativity gathers for worship in some of our most distinctive services of the year, all of which are meant to draw us nearer to the holy mysteries of Christ’s death and resurrection.
EYC (6th-12th grades)
In EYC, we have been exploring the question, “Where is God calling me?”. This may mean, “Where is God calling me to go?” or “What is God calling me to be?” Both are difficult questions for anyone at any stage of life to answer. These are very difficult questions for a teenager who may have limited life experiences to answer. However, these are some of the deep questions we are wrestling with in our youth group.
To help answer these questions, Nativity’s EYC is first working on forming relationships. We are forming relationships with each other and with other people in the church and in the community. We are spending time being together, sharing meals together, playing games together, and listening to each others’ stories. We have spent time listening to the life stories of other people. We are also forming relationships through mission such as during the Maundy Thursday foot washing and a community clean-up day.
This summer, we are planning to expand our relationships by participating in a trip to Florida for a hurricane relief mission trip. What we have learned is that God often calls us through our relationships with other people. That is what EYC is about, relationships.
Save the Date – Nativity Parish Weekend
After almost two decades, Nativity is bringing back a well-loved tradition: spending the weekend together as a church family at Gray Center and Camp Bratton- Green. Games, fellowship, camp activities, and worship will be involved. Mark your calendars for October 4-6 and look for more details in the months to come!
Easter Egg Hunt
Yes, yes...we’re kind of breaking the rules by having an Easter egg hunt on the day before the stone got rolled away, but what are you going to do?! Kids of all ages are invited to join us at 3pm for this great Nativity tradition. Following the hunt for eggs, ice cream and toppings will be served!
The Choir Corner: The Tree of Life
As an avid gardener and champion of Agriculture, I adore all the hymns and anthems with a garden, vineyard, or tree allusion: “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, “ “Christ hath a garden,” the Hebrew canticle “Etz Chaim” (literally Tree of Life,) etc. This year on The Day of Easter, we will again all sing “The Tree of Life,” AKA “There in God’s Garden.” This hymn has continued to gain in popularity for decades.
The original text is by Kiraly Imre von Pecselye ( 1590-1641) and was translated into English by The Rev Dr Erik Routley (1917-1982), who is credited with being the greatest hymnologist the world has ever seen. He was an English Congregational Minister, musician, and scholar whose influence was international. He immigrated to the US in 1975 to become a professor at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. You will know him as the author of “All that love and serve Your city,” among other texts and the composer of the tune “Sharpethorn” for “What does the Lord require for praise and offering.”
K. Lee Scott (1950– ) composed the tune “Shades Mountain “ for this text and also gussied it up in the arrangement “Everyone” does. An Alabama native, he has the gift of composing works of quality for choirs of very limited resources, but like the proverbial “ good black dress” these works handle more resources equally well and don’t sound “composed down.” The choir has several of his anthems and arrangements, including this year’s anthem for the Day of Pentecost.
