You can’t understand most of the important things from a distance. You have to get close. — Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
At the urging of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, on Sunday, January 22, Presbyterians across the country will focus on the topic of criminal justice. Nassau Church’s Mass Incarceration Task Force has answered the call by inviting Andre Thomas, a local Trenton resident, to share his story of incarceration and new beginnings. He will be preaching during both services of Sunday worship.
There will be a time for Q&A with Mr. Thomas following the services at 12:15 PM in Niles Chapel.
Andre J. Thomas, Sr., lives in Trenton with his wife Angie and children Andre Jr. and Drea. Mr. Thomas was released from prison in 1997 after serving five years of a 15-year sentence. He is the Training Manager for Isles’ Center for Energy and Environmental Training and a member of the Princeton/Trenton chapter of the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow.
This weekend join us for a number of exciting opportunities as we focus on missions.
Mission Fair, January 15
Come to the annual Mission Fair in celebration of the ministries and missions of Nassau Church at 10:15 AM in the Assembly Room. Hosted the Membership Committee, the Fair is an opportunity to learn more about our myriad outreach programs and become involved. Join us and enjoy the next step in your journey of faith.
At Morning of Mission we remind ourselves of our Christian commitment to human flourishing in all places. Come and join the effort. All hands are needed and welcome.
Hands-on projects at the church
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
We will be making pet blankets for orphaned animals, putting together sack lunches for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), assembling Creativity Kits for HomeFront, collecting personal care products for Crisis Ministry clients, packaging pillowcases for pediatric patients, and making calendars for ABC Literacy.
Below are a list of items that can be brought to the Morning of Mission or dropped off earlier in the church office.
Morning of Mission Donation List
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Creativity Kits for HomeFront:
individual pkgs. of crayons (24-48 ct.)
individual pkgs. of colored pencils (24-28 ct.)
individual pkgs. of markers (10-12 ct.)
coloring books
coloring pads/sketch pads
individual packages of stickers
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Personal Care products for Crisis Ministry:
toothbrushes & toothpaste
shampoo & conditioner
razors & shaving cream
soaps & lotion
feminine products
Full- and travel-size donations are both appreciated.
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Community clean-up in Trenton
8:00 AM to 1:30 PM
Meet at church parking lot and carpool to Bethany House in Trenton
You are also invited to head to Trenton for a community clean-up and trash collection project on Hamilton Ave. Meet in the church parking lot at 8:00 AM to carpool or go directly to Bethany House of Hospitality, 426 Hamilton Ave. Bring gloves. Snacks and restrooms will be provided.
Community Events, January 16
Community Breakfast
Princeton University will commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., with a Community Breakfast in the Carl Fields Center Multipurpose Room. The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 8:30 AM. More details are available at princeton.edu/mlk.
Interfaith Community Worship Service
The Princeton Clergy Association will host its annual Interfaith Service in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King at 7:00 PM. The service will be at Princeton United Methodist Church, located at the corner of Vandeventer Avenue and Nassau Street. The service is free and open to the public.
The preacher will be Minister William D. Carter III. Diverse faith leaders in the Princeton area will co-lead the liturgy, and area choirs and musicians will also participate. A free-will offering will be split equally between the United Negro College Fund and the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action.
On Sunday, February 5, Nassau Church’s Adult Choir will join forces with the choir of Trinity Episcopal Church for a performance of Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb” at Trinity Church’s choral evensong. In preparation for this special event, Noel Werner presents an introduction to this inspiring and delightful choral masterwork.
Using the poetry of the 18th-century metaphysical poet Christopher Smart, Britten wrote “Rejoice in the Lamb” as an extended paean, or song of praise. Though he suffered from mental illness, Smart’s poetic genius nonetheless shines through with flashes of mystical insight, and Britten proved to be the ideal composer for integrating Smart’s poetry into a coherent and compelling whole.
Come learn more about this 20th-century choral work, and then join the choirs of Nassau and Trinity on February 5 at 5:00 pm at Trinity Church to enjoy the work during evensong.
The Bible is full of embarrassing, offensive, problematic texts that present serious interpretive challenges for contemporary Christian faith and practice. Should they be repudiated? Discarded? Silenced? Or are there perhaps more effective and faithful ways of handling them?
Come and tackle the importance of engaging them directly and publicly, with the expectation that we may encounter the living God in our conversation with them. Passages in Paul’s letters that have proved oppressive in the lives of many Christian women will serve as test cases. Join us as we wrestle with them, consider strategies for engaging them with integrity, and reflect on our understandings of biblical authority.
Registration
The brochure and registration form is available in the literature rack outside the church office or via pdf. Forms are due to Derry Presbyterian Church by January 29.
Questions? Contact Joyce MacKichan Walker ().
About the Speaker
Frances Taylor Gench is Herbert Worth and Annie H. Jackson Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining the faculty of her alma mater in 1999, she taught for 13 years at Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary. She is the author of Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts: Reflections on Paul, Women, and the Authority of Scripture (WJKP, 2015), Faithful Disagreement: Wrestling with Scripture in the Midst of Church Conflict (WJKP, 2009); Encounters with Jesus: Studies in the Gospel of John (WJKP, 2007); Back to the Well: Women’s Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels (WJKP, 2004); and Hebrews and James (WJKP, 1996). She is a parish associate at The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., where her husband, Roger J. Gench, is the pastor.
Our ongoing relationship strives to support Mr. Rountree, a successfully returning citizen after 23 years of incarceration.
After months of searching to find a replacement for temporary housing, an apartment was located.
NPC congregation met the challenge by donating items and $1,818 in cash to equip this apartment.
Mr. Rountree moved into his newly furnished apartment in early December.
A Letter from M.J. Rountree
December 2016
Dear Nassau Presbyterian Church:
Today I went to work and returned to my new apartment; I am experiencing freedom in a real way. NPC members should know that the donated gifts leave me nearly speechless. Thank you from the deepest inner place of my being for giving me the opportunity to experience and enjoy life.
“Thank you” is not enough, but it’s all that I can say. I dearly appreciate everyone’s contributions, attempts, gestures, acts, generosity, and hospitality. Thank you – every single one.
Download a copy of the print brochure here: Jan 2017 (pdf)
Cosmos–Colossians–Us
9:15 AM, Assembly Room
Join us in January for our annual all-ages education series in the Assembly Room with warm bagels with choices of spreads (nutella, grape jelly, cream cheese) along with hot beverages. Welcome, Middle School and High School students and adults!
In this series we will explore Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which, in four short chapters, Paul charts a cosmic course from the creation of the universe to the congregation in Colossae (present-day Turkey). Learn about who these ancient people and the God who redeems them, us, and the whole cosmos.
January 8
Created through Christ
Mark Edwards
Christians often call God the Creator, but in Colossians 1, Paul says Christ is. How can this be? What role does he play? Using an amazing clip from Tree of Life, we’ll explore a cosmic vision of creation in Christ. Mark Edwards is Director of Youth Ministry here at Nassau, teaches at both The College of New Jersey and Princeton Theological Seminary, and is a Nassau parent.
January 15
The Mystery of Christ
Jacq Lapsley
Music Room
Paul calls Christ, “God’s mystery” and proceeds to try to solve the greatest problems of the Bible in light of the cross. How does it all work? Join Jacq Lapsley for a session that collapses the Old and New Testaments into Christ. Jacqueline Lapsley wears many hats at Nassau, and in her spare time teaches Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is a fan of the intergenerational January education series and also
Star Wars.
January 22
Clothed in Christ
Nancy Lammers-Gross
Here Paul says our deaths and lives are “hidden in Christ.” What does this mean? And can the Christian really live in the compassionate way Paul suggests? Nancy Lammers-Gross is Associate Professor of Speech Communication in Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary and a parent of former Nassau youth.
January 29
Colossians (& Us) in Christ
Eric Barreto
Who were the Colossians anyway? And what does Paul’s letter to this strange congregation have to say about Christ’s call to our church? Join Eric Barreto as he unpacks the names, places, and meanings in Paul’s closing chapter. Eric Barreto is Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary, an ordained Baptist minister, and a Nassau parent.
1st Corinthians In-Depth
George Hunsinger
9:15 AM, Maclean House
Ongoing through May 21
Class does not meet on January 1 or 8
George Hunsinger returns for the 20th year to lead this verse-by-verse examination of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. Bibles are available for use during the class. Find them on the Deacon Desk by the church kitchen. Class meets next door in Maclean House (Garden Entrance).
Living the Questions
Bill Phillippe
9:15 AM, Niles Chapel
Come and hear and discuss the ideas of a number of progressive contemporary theologians and scholars such as John Dominic Crossan, Amy Jill Levine, and the late Marcus Borg. The overall theme is transformation. During a 20-minute video, which includes conversation, sermon clips, and lecture excerpts by a number of thought-provoking speakers, we will stop the video 4 or 5 times to engage in facilitated discussion led by retired Presbyterian pastor, Bill Phillippe, a Minister of Word and Sacrament who attends Nassau Presbyterian Church.
William R. (Bill) Phillippe is a retired Presbyterian minister and author of The Pastor’s Diary. He says about his book “….I got involved in the church during high school and college and discovered others had different myths than I did. This expanding awareness gave me the stimulus to take a hard look at my own myth.” Bill has served a number of churches, was Synod Executive for 10 years, and has served as Acting Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council.
January 15
A Kingdom Without Walls
The good news of the gospel tells of a radical hospitality where boundaries, barriers, and walls are overcome by a grace that knows no bounds.
January 22
Social Justice: Realizing God’s vision
Being a person of faith demands balancing spiritual pursuits with action. In a society which is often unjust and inequitable, we are compelled to pursue social justice as an expression of hope in realizing a better world.
January 29
Incarnation: Divinely Human
The meaning of incarnation has been debated since the beginning of Christianity. Although often associated with Jesus alone, the notion of incarnation can be understood to also include Jesus’ followers, called, like Jesus, to enflesh the Spirit in divinely human ways.
On January 8 between services come to Niles Chapel for an informational meeting about our May 2017 trip to Greece led by Jacq Lapsley & Beverly Gaventa.
Luke 1:26-45
David A. Davis
December 18, 2016
Advent IV
I wonder if he asked anybody else. Gabriel, I mean. The angel Gabriel. I wonder if he asked others first. Maybe in the fifth month Gabriel was sent to some other town around Galilee and the person there said no. The Annunciation in Luke is so familiar, so etched within, so memorized: Gabriel, his announcement, and Mary’s yes. It’s almost like Mary had no choice. The angel, God’s favor, the coming Messiah, the Holy Spirit. But what if someone else, someone before, some other girl said no? Yes, it is true that a theological argument is made in some traditions for Mary’s singularly distinctive holiness. One unlike any other. But other voices would argue for her striking ordinariness; a run of the mill, pretty much like any other, young girl from “no-wheres-ville”. Mary was favored by God precisely because she was so “human”. If that’s the case, maybe someone, maybe a few said no to Gabriel. Yes, yes, I get it, why would God send an angel to someone who said no when God would have known before God sent the angel how the person was going to answer because God is God and God knows everything. I’m not intending to spark one of those never ending dormitory philosophical/theological arguments that some folks crave. No. I’m just suggesting you can’t really ponder Mary’s “yes” without considering how easy it is, how prevalent it is, how timeless it is, for humankind to say “no” when it comes to bearing God’s way.
Gabriel tells Mary that she is “favored” twice. He says it twice but doesn’t really offer an explanation or say why. “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Perhaps that means Mary is favored because the Lord is with her. But it sounds more like part of the greeting to me. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Gabriel doesn’t say why he just goes on with the news about conceiving and birthing and naming. It’s not like Mary had an inkling here. No reference to a nudge or intuition she may have had in her prayer time. Luke tells us Mary was perplexed, puzzled, confused. She was trying to figure out what this sort of greeting, what this “you are so favored Mary” greeting might be. The perplexity favors the Mary as just one of us thesis. As does her question “how can this be, since I am a virgin?” Though it is a “how” question, not a “why” question. Not why, why me.
It’s the “Here am I” that sets Mary apart. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary’s “yes”. Luke then fast forwards the story to Mary’s visit to see Elizabeth. The in utero leap of joy from John, it came just from Mary’s voice, from her greeting. With Mary’s voice and with John’s kick, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She shouts out with a loud cry. You remember her husband, Zechariah, he couldn’t talk at all when Elizabeth was pregnant. His voice was gone because he didn’t believe what the same Angel Gabriel had to say to him about Elizabeth getting pregnant and delivering John. “How will I know that this is so?” he asked Gabriel. The angel wasn’t all that pleased with him, his doubt, his hesitation, his lack of belief. Mary said, “How can this be?” and Gabriel didn’t give her a hard time. Maybe it was because too many had said “no” already. Regardless, don’t miss the stark contrast between her husband who can’t speak and Elizabeth’s shout.
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for you. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the fruit of your womb. Blessed is she who believed. All with a loud cry. A shout. A joy-filled shout.
Elizabeth’s shout clarifies what it is about Mary. Gabriel wasn’t very revealing on the “favored status” but Elizabeth shout makes it clear. The shout out is not because of any miraculous nature to the pregnancy. It’s not because she happens to be carrying the Savior at that very moment. It’s not even that she is the mother of the Lord as Elizabeth titles her. The shout out, the blessing comes from Elizabeth to Mary because Mary believed. Mary believed that “there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Mary believed what Gabriel told her. Mary believed what God said to her through the Angel Gabriel. Mary believed. “Blessed is she that believed.”
Not blessed is she who came all this way to see me. Not blessed is she the one whom God chose. Not blessed is she who is pregnant with child. Not blessed is she who is betrothed to Joseph. Not blessed is she who is so young and with child. Not blessed is she who has a lot of explaining to do. Not blessed is she who bears the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke. Not blessed is she who bears the child of whom the angels sing, for whom God’s people wait. Not blessed is she who is part of Isaiah’s sign, a virgin shall conceive and bear a child and his name shall be Emmanuel, God with us. No. No. Elizabeth’s shout? What sets Mary apart? Blessed is she that believed.
I am not Mary….and neither are you. Even if one takes the position that heralds Mary’s ordinariness, there is so little about her that resonates with us. A young Palestinian Jewish girl in antiquity from Nazareth who was visited by an angel and told she was about to be the dwelling place for Son of the Most High. Some, of course, can relate to the pregnancy and child birth and motherhood part…and men, especially male preachers should best just stay quiet and listen on that score. But after that, you and I don’t have a lot to go on when it comes to Mary. Mary the younger. The older Mary who searches for a lost son, and tells a grown son to make some wine, and tries to figure out her son’s unique definition of family, and walks along as her suffering son is forced to carry his cross, and watches in agony as her son dies, and hears another angel tell her and the others not to be afraid that Easter morning…the older Mary offers so much experience, so much more life to latch on to. But this Mary, the Mary of the Annunciation? It’s like she’s relegated to fine art and the best of pageants and the story told over and over and over again.
And yet, here’s the wonder of it all. What sets her apart in Luke, what Elizabeth calls out as extraordinary and sacred and holy in Mary, is what makes her so much like us; she believed. She believed that what the Lord said to her through the angel Gabriel would be fulfilled. She believed that God called her, that God could use her, that God would do a new thing in and through her. That she was to be the dwelling place for a child named Jesus. The Son of the Most High. The Messiah. The Son of the Most High. The Savior of the world whose kingdom would have no end. Mary believed all that the angel said would be fulfilled. Mary believed it and Mary said yes. Well, she said “Hear am I” but that meant yes.
In Jesus Christ God is at work to do a new thing. In the power of the Holy Spirit, God on high comes afresh to bring light to the world’s darkness, to bring peace amid turmoil, to help broken hearts to find joy again, to insure that love wins, and to never let death have the last word. The promise of Jesus Christ breaks forth like a radiant light as a follower of Jesus witnesses to, lives by, acts on, responds to, delivers the endless mercy and abundant grace of God in the ordinariness of life. That sounds like Advent to me. Christ coming into the world through you!
But saying “no” when it comes to bearing God’s way never gets old, does it? It’s just so darn easy, so prevalent, so timeless for humankind to say “no” when it comes to giving birth to God’s kingdom. So easy to conclude that God isn’t at work in the world these days. So common to conclude that since angels and voices and prophets are rare these days, God must be done with us, done with this. So much safer to assume if God isn’t calling you to bear a Savior like Mary, God must not be calling at all, or if God hasn’t blessed you with an idea that can save the world why bother to try at all, or if your piety and religiosity doesn’t make the chart let alone fly off the charts, why care at all. So much more prevalent to think it just doesn’t matter, or what difference does it make, or shrug it all off with a “who am I”. A “who am I” rather than “here am I”.
Believing that God is calling you, and inspiring you, and encouraging you, and making a way for you. Believing that God touches hearts and opens minds and transforms lives. Believing that God touches hearts and opens minds and transforms lives in and through you. Believing that God still yearns for righteousness and justice and peace in the world. Believing that God plants seeds of righteousness and justice and peace in the world in and through you. Believing that God still calls God people one at a time to lead and to risk and to witness and to change and to shout and to serve and to so live. Believing that God still is calling you. That’s blessed. Blessed. Blessed.
You and I bearing God’s way, birthing God’s kingdom, delivering God’s promised new thing. Mary’s not the only dwelling place. She’s not the only dwelling place for a child named Jesus.
Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come. It’s the Advent prayer.
A colonial-era Virginia Almanack once announced, “We may expect to hear of a great Mortality among the Hogs, Sheep, Geese, Capons, and Turkies.” Colonists claimed that even the deaf and blind could tell when they crossed into Virginia around Christmas just by the aromas — of spices, nutmeg, mincemeat, great roasts, cakes, and, of course, Martha Washington’s famous pies. We’ll look at the ways Christmas was celebrated (or not) in colonial
America as well as by the founding fathers.
Edward A. Mauger, founder and director of Philadelphia on Foot, has been hailed as “America’s top tour guide” by the travel writers of USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. He is the founding president of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) and has authored several books on historical Philadelphia. Mauger served as an associate dean and director at Rutgers University, Camden.
1st Corinthians In-Depth
George Hunsinger
9:15 AM, Maclean House, ongoing through May 21
the class will NOT meet on December 25 or January 1
George Hunsinger returns for the 20th year to lead this verse-by-verse examination of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. Bibles are available for use during the class. Find them on the Deacon Desk by the church kitchen. Class meets next door in Maclean House (Garden Entrance).
Christmas with the Classics
December 4: Maya Angelou’s “Amazing Peace”
9:15 AM, Music Room
In 2005 Maya Angelou presented her poem “Amazing Peace” at the White House tree lighting ceremony. In the wake of the election season and as we enter into Advent, come and hear a dramatic reading of this poem from Barbara Florvil, a Princeton Theological Seminary Senior, and discuss the theme of peace as it relates to Luke 2 and our responsibility as Christians in our communities.
December 11: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry
“The Gift of the Magi” is a classic Christmas short story by O. Henry. First, hear the story as told by Michael Dean Morgan & Company. Then, ask the question, is it really better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)? What is Christmas about — giving or receiving?
December 18: “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Following the guidance of Clarence Oddbody (Henry Travers), the bumbling angel in It’s a Wonderful Life, the 1946 classic Christmas film, come and wonder what it would be like if George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) had never been born. With the same sort of wonder, listen to the biblical story. What characters wondered about the coming of the Messiah? Is this wonder actually doubt? In the season of advent, is it ok to doubt? What would it be like if Jesus had never been born?
Melissa Martin is a third-year student at Princeton Theological seminary and an Adult Education intern at Nassau. She also works in the church office as the Administrative Assistant for Pastoral Care. Between her many responsibilities she loves to sneak in a good novel, because she finds that through them her big theological questions can be explored in a refreshingly human way.
