December 18, 2022

Nomofomo

• A Top Notch Christmas Eve - a very special and memorable Christmas Eve experience! (hopefully!!!)
  Saturday, 12/24, 2 pm

  • Plan A(1): If we don’t have precipitation on 12/24 and the wind isn’t bad, we are going to gather at Top Notch Farm at 2 pm. (Get directions and learn about the farm HERE) We will have quality time with the animals, a relatively brief worship experience and Christmas Eve s’mores. It will conclude by 3:30 pm(ish). Those in attendance should dress very warmly and come prepared to be outside by a fire.  Some hay bales will be available for seating, but feel free to bring a chair (blankets are encouraged too).

  • Plan A(2): If there’s no precipitation BUT the wind is bad (or if the temps are extremely low), we will gather in Darlene Kemper’s barn at 2 pm. We won’t have as many animals present, but there will be a few, and we won’t be out in the wind. We will have a relatively brief worship experience and enjoy Christmas Eve s’mores. It will likely conclude by 3:15(ish). Once again, some seating will be available, but you’re welcome to bring a chair, too. Please dress to stay warm! Note: Darlene Kemper’s barn is directly across the road from Top Notch farm, so both farms are in the same general vicinity.

  • Plan B: If there is winter precipitation or any weather that makes travel unsafe, we will have to move on to Plan B (TBD). We are sincerely hoping that we can gather in person, but are, of course, at the mercy of the weather!

• No Gathering on Sunday, December 25. Merry Christmas!!

• Sunday, January 1, 10ish am - Worship in the Ice House again, with the practice of Ignatian Examen at the start of a New Year.

• Our Advent giving emphasis this year focuses on gathering clothes for our partners at the Clothes Closet at Trinity Presbyterian. Trinity's Clothes Closet is now in serious need of jeans of all sizes, winter clothes of all sizes, and any baby and toddler clothes. Anything will help - Just please make sure the clothes have been cleaned prior to donating! You can bring your donations to us at the Ice House, to Sunday morning worship, or to the donation bin that will be at Merge Coffee by EMU now through the end of December.

  (Trinity's Clothes Closet started as a House Church missions program in the basement of a community member's home, and now it has grown to being open every Wednesday inside Trinity Presbyterian Church. Before COVID, UKIRK (the Presbyterian campus ministry) volunteered there every 3rd and 5th Wednesday of the month. Now that RISE and UKIRK journey together, we have continued that legacy and volunteer there every 3rd and 5th Wednesday. This is a way for students to get out of their "JMU Bubble" and experience the rest of the Harrisonburg community, and a key way some of our students stay connected!)

• Requests for care and/or prayer can always be sent via e-mail to cares@riseharrisonburg.org, texted to 833-803-0868, or submitted online via our RISE Cares form.

• Connect:

  • If you would like to connect more deeply with RISE, you can start by submitting this short form to Get Connected!

  • Sign up for texting services:

    • Text “RISE” to 833-803-0868 to join the primary list and receive weekly community updates and alerts

    • Text “RISEcares” to receive prayer requests, care needs, and community concerns and celebrations

  • Please continue to check social media/the website for all updates and information!

Why do pronouns matter?

RISE believes that God has open arms and so should we. We celebrate our diverse community and want to love and affirm all persons. As a community, we seek to challenge our own biases around gender expression and identity, and we recognize that at times, our biases can harm others. Everyone is made in God’s image; therefore, we are called to wholly love, respect, and seek to understand various gender identities and the ways they enable us to more fully be in relationship with one another and our Creator (who transcends any particular gender identity or construct). 

Because of our desire to do no harm and mend God’s creation together, we encourage you to introduce yourself using your pronouns along with your name in new settings! You may notice members of staff and leadership modeling this practice, because we want all persons to feel welcomed, including our transgender and nonbinary siblings.

Advent Wreath Reflection

Kadie King

Song

Chris Zepp

“O Come, O COme, 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 you, O Israel.

O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.

REFRAIN

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

REFRAIN

O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.

REFRAIN

O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.

REFRAIN

Theological Exploration

What does longing, expectation and/or a new creation taste/smell like?
How do the foods and beverages we have today help us imagine the taste or smell of a new creation?

Isaiah 55:1-3,12-13

All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!
Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk!
Why spend money for what isn’t food,
    and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eat what is good;
    enjoy the richest of feasts.
Listen and come to me;
    listen, and you will live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful loyalty to David.

Yes, you will go out with celebration,
    and you will be brought back in peace.
Even the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you;
    all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
In place of the thorn the cypress will grow;
    in place of the nettle the myrtle will grow.
This will attest to the Lord’s stature,
        an enduring reminder that won’t be removed.

• What initially strikes you about this passage? What do you taste or smell as you hear this passage? What role does taste/smell play in a new creation (or  “God’s Dream?) 

• What others senses are engaged through this particular passage?

• Scripture often describes God’s new creation using banquet/meal/celebration imagery. Why might that be? What do you think God’s banquet would taste or smell like? Describe “God’s table.”

• Have you ever been a part of a meal or celebration that felt particularly sacred or meaningful? How did it help you “glimpse” or “taste” a new creation?

Reading

~by Sandra Reisinger

God, You created the heavens and earth
And all that is in it and called it good.
Then dropped us in it
In Your own image,
with noses and taste buds
To experience all the sweetness of corn and peaches​, sourness that draws our cheeks in a pucker,  the nutty buttery-ness of almonds and peanuts, and comfort homy-ness of macaroni and cheese and fresh baked bread.
You draw us to Yourself
through aromas and flavors
and remind us that the earth and all its fullness is good.
That we are Yours,
You created, provided, and continue to feed us.
​All of us, every woman, girl, boy and man.
The bread, the cup,
The wheat, the wine,
You come to us, again and again,
A mighty God, a baby, a man,
Reminding us of your creation, your presence
And the more still coming.
Let us smell the aroma and taste the sweetness of God.

COMMUNION

SONG

“Crowded Table”

~The Highwomen

You can hold my hand
When you need to let go
I can be your mountain
When you're feeling valley-low
I can be your streetlight
Showing you the way home
You can hold my hand
When you need to let go

REFRAIN:
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire for everyone
Let us take on the world while we're young and able
And bring us back together when the day is done

If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed
Plant a little happiness
Let the roots run deep
If it's love that we give
Then it's love that we reap
If we want a garden
We're gonna have to sow the seed

REFRAIN

The door is always open
Your picture's on my wall
Everyone's a little broken
And everyone belongs
Yeah, everyone belongs

REFRAIN

And bring us back together when the day is done

Final BLESSING

Sandra Reisinger

As we go, may we taste, smell, Your promises of the Peace that is coming. May we smell the joy of the celebration that a New Life is bringing.  May our tastebuds dance with flavors of the coming New Creation. Go from this place rejoicing that God was, is and always will be near, Creating.