How long is a minute wait? by Rev. Norm Faramelli

The Advent Season is upon us. It is a season that deals with anticipation, expectation, preparation and the reality of waiting. In Advent, we expect and wait for our Savior.

As we delve into the Holy Scriptures, it is clear that God’s time and our time are quite different. “A thousand years in thy sight are but a yesterday when it is past.” (Ps. 90:4) There are numerous references to waiting in Scripture—and they usually refer to waiting for God. In Is. 49:23, “those who wait will not be put to shame”. In Ps. 33:20, “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and shield”.

From an obscure book in the Old Testament, the prophet Habakkuk confronts the perennial human problem: why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? Life is just not fair, God; so what will you do about it? God’s response is:

“Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets so he may run who reads it.

For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end-it will not lie; If it is slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fall, but the righteous shall live by faith” Hab. 2:2-4

The trust in God has no earthly timetable. It is clear to the writer that God’s time and our time are quite different. The blending of “slow”, “wait”, and it “will not delay”—all point out the differences in our time and God’s time. The wait has meaning because of trust—trust and faith in God.

Philosophers deal with waiting by linking it with the concept of

time. What is time? To this question, they have many answers. Plato sees time as the moving image of eternity. St. Augustine said that he knows what time is only when no one asks. According to Augustine, time is present in us, and measured in the mind or soul. The process philosopher A. N. Whitehead thought of time under the category of becoming. We could go on and on in this arena, yet it is obvious that there is no clear philosophical definition of time.

I spent over 20 years working in environmental and transportation planning. The rational transportation planner encounters a problem: how long is a minute wait? Of course, a minute is 60 seconds measured by an accurate timepiece. But how is that minute perceived? That is the important question.

Let me offer an illustration. You have an important appointment and the future of your career depends on it. You are driving in heavy traffic, you are running late, and traffic slows down to a crawl. In addition, you forget your cell phone. When such an event occurs, we become anxious, upset, and engage in an activity that some psychologists refer to as “awfulizing”. That is, awful images pop into our heads—“my career is ruined” and we entertain several mental scenarios each more dismal than the preceding one. The 15 minutes we waste in a traffic jam does not seem like the 15 minutes measured by our watch; it seems like an eternity.

In transportation planning, the so called “real time” and the “perceived time” differ. In urban areas there are frequent efforts to get people out of their cars into public transportation in order to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. So what does a 30 minute bus ride seem like to the person who can drive to the same

Christ Church Quarterly N E W S A N D V I E W S O F C H R I S T C H U R C H E P I S C O P A L • W A L T H A M , M A

A D V E N T 2 0 1 2 F O C U S O N : Waiting

Photo by David Salafia via Flickr Creative Commons

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We do a lot of waiting in our lives. When we are children we first become aware of what it means to wait for something, whether it’s desert, our birthday, or that most-hallowed day of American Christian children, Christmas. Waiting for something fun can be very difficult. The anticipation can be overwhelming. On the other hand waiting for something not so fun brings with it a whole set of challenges. Waiting alone in those circumstances can be the most difficult of all. Over the past two years I have had a lot of experience waiting for something medically related to happen. Waiting for a doctor’s appointment. Waiting for the appointment to arrive. Waiting in the “waiting room.” Waiting in the exam room. I have never kept a running tally of all the minutes I have been kept waiting in this capacity but it has been substantial.

In 2010 I spent an inordinate amount of time seeing and waiting for doctors, as I dealt with thyroid cancer surgery. I got to know waiting rooms pretty intimately during that time. All of the offices I had visited followed pretty much the same design, possibly inspired by “Waiting Rooms and Gardens” magazine. Modestly modern, semi-comfortable furnishings seemed to be the norm. A few coffee tables with assorted magazines strewn about. We have all been in them.

Recently I went to the dermatologist. I had a mole that seemed to be not quite it’s same old happy self, and needed to get it checked out. Now I have loitered in many waiting rooms over the past few years, but I was not prepared for this one. When I walked in the door I was immediately greeted by an interesting choice of waiting room furniture. Large, ornate wooden chairs, with ramrod straight backs, apparently carved out of a single solid block of dark wood, were the only seats in the room. I think in their former life they may have been used by the judges at the Salem Witch Trials. Or perhaps they were the early prototypes for the electric chair. They certainly were not ordered from the local Ikea. As I took a seat in the unpadded, hard wooden seat with it’s ninety-degree straight back, I heard two strange sounds. The first was a light, “tap tap tap”, followed by a bell which gave me pause. I struggled

at first to place it, then it hit me. The sound was once quite common in offices everywhere, but was now virtually extinct. It was a typewriter. The second sound was a bit harder to get, but eventually it came to me. A call was being placed on a rotary phone. (Yes, you read that right.)

I was the only one in the waiting room, and after waiting what has to be the mandated American Medical Association’s Standard Doctor wait time, I was led into one of the exam rooms. Apparently Norman Rockwell used this very room as a backdrop in some of his paintings. “Did I just walk through a time warp?” I thought to myself. Waiting for me was another one of those hard, dark, wooden “chairs”. Actually I think a boulder, or slab of granite, would have been just as comfortable. The walls in the room, as well as the hallway outside, were decorated with an eclectic assortment of antique maps, documents and forty-five year old medical certificates and diplomas. There certainly was no lack of interesting artifacts to peruse while I waited. And wait I would.

After an indeterminably long amount of time a slight, Woody Allen-esque man with white hair and white doctor’s coat, entered the room. “Why are you here?” he immediately asked me. I hesitated at first, caught off-guard by the questions. I regained my composure and explained the reason for my initial visit. “But... WHY are you here?” he asked me again. For a moment I thought we were about to delve into some kind of transcendental discussion involving the meaning of life. I just needed a mole looked at. No such luck. It turns out this mild-mannered dermatologist, with over forty-five years of experience as a medical professional, fancies himself a philosophical sociopolitical comedian. Throughout the entire process, from the initial consultation and biopsy, to the subsequent surgical removal of the offending

malignant growth, the conversations wound through a complicated forest of politics, nutrition, environmental issues, health, women’s rights, children, eugenics, war, you name it, all the while interspersed with unexpected jokes, and the requisite needle sticks. There was much humor throughout, and it stood in stark contrast to the lengthy period of time I spent waiting by myself. You had to have your wits about you in this exam room, or you got left in the dust! No longer will I come unprepared to this office. My waiting will serve a purpose: I must prepare. Prepare for the conversational acrobatics that lay ahead.

What does all this have to do with Advent? Part of Advent is about waiting, but it is also a time to prepare. It is interesting to me that Advent shares more with Lent than just the rhyming of its name. It has been called a “lesser Lent.” I try to be mindful of that as the days tick down, and the holiday rush winds up. How we choose to wait this Advent season is up to us. Do we while away the time idly, or do we prepare for the excitement that lies ahead? Do we wait alone, and on uncomfortable chairs? Or do we spend it engaged with others, in a way that stimulates and uplifts our moods as well as our souls? I know the way I prefer. Even if it involves a rotary phone.

F O C U S O N Waiting

The Waiting Room by Roger Jermyn

Photo by Voxphoto/Ross via Flickr Creative Commons

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F O C U S O N Waiting

Anathema by José Borrás

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Waiting…is there anything more anathema to our present culture than that concept? Our consciousness molding mechanisms better known as Advertising and Public Relations engulf us with its opposite; now, instant indulgence, why sow when you can just reap!

We see it in a popular commercial that depicts one dimensional characters competing with each other as they hold their “smart” phones going, “oh that’s so 2 seconds ago, already knew it,” quicker, faster, instantaneous upmanship. Does anyone care that the information being disseminated is trivial, banal, of no consequence? Or how about the credit card commercial where the young man’s repetitive jingle is “I want it all and I want it now,” or the one where consumers are seen bringing home a brand new product just to see an ad showing it is already obsolete, something faster is already out, you got 4G? Well, 5G is out! Got to have it then!

How sad to see this obsession with faster, no waiting. The need to enjoy the fruits of one’s actions right now is what rules.

“ Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.” - Kierkegaard, Journals

We seem to have forgotten that truth. It has even permeated into the political-economic sphere where the main drive is for short term solutions. The politicians and economists fill us with empty promises, the quick fix that will work results soon. But none dares tell us the truth that our problems are so severe, of such magnitude that yes we have to start implementing right now, but there are no quick fixes and no solutions without accompanying strong sacrifices, and by the way the results won’t be seen for quite some time. That would be political suicide. The economic, political and environmental crisis we see all around us has been long in the making. Capitalism has been evolving to its present predatory stage since the 17th century, the amoral, authoritarian all-powerful version of the present State has also been long in the making and grew stronger during the moral bankruptcy of both World Wars. Previously the accepted normalcy was carnage on the battlefield, WWI expanded that to include neighboring towns and villages,

WWII expanded it to include the whole nation, society. Expanded evil became the new normalcy, which lead us to Hiroshima expanding the carnage to the whole of humanity. Even the weakening of man’s religiosity and faith has been long developing since the Renaissance and the introduction of Humanism. The degradation of our environment got rolling with the Industrial Revolution. Reversing them is also going to entail a long process short of violent change.

Our anti-waiting culture is incapable of solving these problems which require long term implementation, present-day sacrifices for results that might not be completely seen in our lifetime. Sadly, waiting is anathema and consumerism is one of the main driving forces behind the disease of speed, wanting it right now.

“ A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, and fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.” – Chris Hedges

This anti-waiting disease has even permeated into religion as several churches promise that you only have to believe, to join us to receive abundant grace, ours is a wide door that leads to wealth, riches and security here and now on earth as signs of God’s love for you. But the Bible already tells us that the gate instead is very narrow and requires also picking up your own cross. Dietrich Bonhoeffer already said that grace that requires no suffering, no life transforming change is “Cheap Grace” as opposed to “Costly Grace” which comes at the price of sharing in the Passion and being rejected by the world.

The concept of waiting is indeed central in the Bible, waiting for the seed to bear fruit, waiting for the Kingdom. Waiting requires patience and patience is fortified, strengthened by a Faith that understands that the end is already a foregone conclusion. Good has triumphed over Evil, Eternal life has triumphed over Death and the Kingdom is all around us. We wait, alert and in Faith but not inactive as we live and act on our beliefs not requiring to see the results now nor in our lifetime necessarily but in the certainty that the result is already a reality.

Waiting is one of the hardest things in life and the most important. You have to wait for church to start and you have to wait for food at restaurants. Sometimes I can’t wait for school to start or getting to say the pledge of allegiance on the loudspeaker. You get impatient with yourself.

But you have to control your anger because good things will happen. For example you might be waiting for food at a restaurant. Two really hard things I can’t wait for is my birthday (which is May 13th) and Christmas. Other people may be impatient when they order food at some restaurant but the waiter

or waitress never comes for half an hour and the people are very hungry and annoyed. Well you have to remember to be patient. Patient is another word for wait. Sometimes since church can be a little long I really can’t wait for it to be over. That’s all I know about waiting so BYE!!!! : )

F O C U S O N Waiting

Waiting by Helen Jermyn, age 8

ChristChurchEpiscopal•Waltham,MA

O U R P A R I S H Family

The Cohn Family

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The Cohn family joined Christ Church in the fall of 2011. Like many newer members of the community they immediately felt welcomed and knew it was just the right fit for them. They love the fact that there are many families who are very involved in the life of the parish, as well as longtime members who share their stories and serve as great spiritual role models.

Peter grew up in Waltham in the same house on Lyman Terrace where the family now lives. He and his sister Sara went to St. Jude’s for elementary school and then Peter went on to graduate from St. Sebastian’s School in Needham. Peter’s Roman Catholic upbringing continued to be a strong influence in his life, as he went on to attend and graduate from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. It was at Fordham where Peter and Michele met as English majors, although not until the end of their senior year.

Michele grew up in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, a small town on the Delaware River. Michele also comes from a strongly rooted Catholic upbringing and attended St. Philip and St. James elementary and All Saints Regional High School, graduating in 1991. Michele went to church every Sunday with her parents, who continue to be actively involved in their new parish in Easton, Pennsylvania, where they now live.

After graduating from Fordham, Peter and Michele spent several years living in Brooklyn, New York, she working in medical publishing and he as a bookseller. They cultivated many lasting friendships that continue over the miles to this day, and had many exciting experiences in their early adult lives. In 1998, Peter made the decision to reconnect with a large extended group of family and friends, and returned to Massachusetts. Michele stayed in New York, but it was not long before a long-distance relationship just wasn’t what they wanted and she joined Peter in Massachusetts.

In the summer of that year, Peter began working as a Case Manager at the Greater Waltham ARC (GWARC), an organization strongly rooted in the Waltham community. He had volunteered for GWARC in high school, helping with Special Olympics training and his father, Peter Sr., had long been involved in the organization

as well. Michele brought her medical editing experience to a position at a Boston hospital, working on virtual case-based curricula for medical students. She went on to become a course administrator at Harvard Medical School and has worked there for the past 11 years.

Peter and Michele married in 2001 at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Cambridge. They attended mass intermittently during these years, but never felt comfortable enough to establish themselves in a local parish community. It was not until their children, Kira and Nicholas, were born in 2005 and 2007 that finding their spiritual identity as a family became truly meaningful.

After being a stay-at-home dad for almost five years, Peter went back to his position at GWARC in 2010. With Kira in kindergarten and Nick

starting preschool, the family began to fall into a happy routine, but they continued to lack the fulfillment that they felt the right spiritual community would bring. As it turned out, that rich faith community was only blocks away from home at Christ Church!

Peter and Michele have marveled at how easily Kira and Nick, now in second grade and kindergarten at Fitzgerald Elementary, have embraced participating in Godly Play, the children’s services and the Christmas pageant. They love to come to church each Sunday and coffee hour is always a highlight of Nick’s week! The Cohns truly feel that they have found a spiritual home at Christ Church and look forward to becoming more involved in church activities in the coming year.

In Pictures: A L L S A I N T S J A Z Z M A S S W I T H R E V. N O R M A N D S T E V E T A D D E O A N D F R I E N D S

Photo by and courtesy of Kristin Harvey

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A strange story from the archives of Gene Burkhart

destination in 20 minutes? It is just a 10 minute difference, but it seems much longer. First of all, the frequent bus stops—picking up and dropping off passengers—seem endless and raise anxiety levels. Second, when sitting in a bus, the lack of control that one has over the speed and maneuvering of the bus can be infuriating, especially when compared to the illusion of freedom while driving a car, even if the car is also stuck in traffic.

For the transportation planner and for the bus passenger, the biggest problem is

transfering from one vehicle to another. So transportation planners offer two views of time: “real time” and “perceived time.” They treat each minute of transfer time like a four to five minute wait. Incidentally, in one’s willingness to use public transportation with transfers, the perceived time (not chronological time) is the determinative factor.

Waiting can be a real drag in our fast paced technological society. Yes, there are many benefits we derive from that technology, but being slow or waiting is frowned upon. The perceived time becomes the actual time, because perception often

determines our reality. How long is a minute wait? The answer

is: “It all depends.” Perceived time and real time are quite different. The biblical view of waiting is not like “Waiting for Godot” who does not show up in the manner expected. Waiting in the Bible is waiting for God’s deliverance, when we are certain it will occur, even if we do not know the timetable. If our perceived time and chronological time are so different, how much greater is the gap between God’s time and our time?

Wait for the LORD—That waiting can be energizing and sustaining if we really put our trust in God.

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A strange story this is about wise men coming from the east. Magi they were called. A word which conjures up magic and magician. They studied the night sky, the stars and planets and came from the land of the great empires of Babylon and Persia where startling discoveries were made in astronomy and mathematics. Behind the veil of nature the Magi saw patterns and laws which set them apart from other men and made them useful to those in power. Unlike the common people who saw the world as a playground for hordes of gods, who like humans were capricious and unpredictable, the Magi’s cosmos was based on ideas and abstractions; not Venus but love, not Mars but war. They pondered the All, the One, and marveled at the impersonal order of the universe. As an elite possessed of esoteric knowledge, of nature’s mysteries and secrets, they were esteemed by the powerful and rewarded with the comforts of that world. Their connection with political power is seen today in the popular tradition of calling them the “Three Kings.”

And then they saw a star and something was set ablaze in their hearts. Without quite understanding why, they knew they had to make that journey. Not an easy thing in those days. “The ways deep, the weather sharp, the very dead of winter,” writes T. S. Elliot in his poem of the Magi. And there was the threat of the brigands, the vast desert to cross and the expense of such a caravan. Yet they went, and after a while the Magi entered the lands of the Jews. The Jews, those odd people, who claimed that their King David was also a wise man, he who wrote the psalms and once sang, “like a deer that longs for the water brook, my soul longs for you oh Lord.”

In Jerusalem, the Magi ask, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews?” We read that Herod and all Jerusalem became very troubled. We know why Herod was upset, but why were the Jews? Could this be the one?, they no doubt wondered. The Jews had been waiting, expectant for so long. They knew they had a special place in human history. They had been especially chosen and one day they, as a nation, would shine like a beacon for all the other nations. They had been drawn near to One whose very name was too holy to pronounce; One so different from the other, lesser gods.

The Magi leave Jerusalem, and here the story gets even stranger. We hear of their joy when they see the star again, and guided to the child, they kneel down and worship him, giving him gifts fit for a

king. But what kind of king was this? No palace here, but a shelter for farm animals. Instead of perfumes and incense, the smell of sheep and goats. And for a cradle, no silks or cushions, only rough wood and straw. This royal family, far from home and unwelcome, would soon be fugitives fleeing for their lives under cover of darkness. The lowliest of lowly, the most unkingly of kings.

How then were the wise men to understand this? They, who had relied on the superior powers of their intellect, which had been so good to them giving them honors and privilege, and which now was of no use here, they had to open themselves to another source of knowledge, a new capacity for knowing, which to those outside looked like the utmost foolishness. Risking everything, their wealth, prestige and very lives, they put their trust in the child, and defied cruel Herod, whose fury would know no limits, who would spill the blood of the many innocents.

The Magi escape however, and returned home to their lands. And while we learn no more about them, the story, does not end there. We will hear about the child, how he grew in power and wisdom, how his people wanted him to be king, proclaiming him to be the Messiah leading him triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey. How he was betrayed by the leaders of this nation and executed by the Romans with a sign above his cross which read, “King of the Jews.” Again, not much of a king, whom the Magi once worshiped.

But here is where the story becomes most truly strange. Wise and holy men and women, heirs of the Magi, began to appear in increasing numbers in the ancient world, speaking of the child, proclaiming that he was the Messiah, and more, that he was God’s Son and that the Holy One of Israel, the Absolute, the Perfect, the Eternal the most transcendent of gods, had become the most tangible, incarnate touchable, flesh and blood and lived closely and intimately with a small group of friends. That He is present at any place and moment when one who is thirsty is given to drink. And most astonishingly, these men and women were convinced that their vocation in life was to seek His face in that other who stood in fount of them within the reach of their loving arms.

What a strange, wondrous, frightful, incompressible sweet story – the Epiphany of Matthew’s Gospel.

ChristChurchEpiscopal•Waltham,MA

Sabbatical UpdateRev. Sara is finishing up her sabbatical and heading for Africa on Sunday, December 2nd. She will travel to Tanzania and Uganda to visit church folks, HIV/AIDS workers, and schools, and maternal health centers.

She returns to Waltham on Monday, December 17th, and will be back in the office on Tuesday, December 18th, if all goes according to plan! She will lead both services on Sunday, December 23rd and Christmas Eve on the 24th.

The service on December 30th will be Carols and Readings, no Eucharist. Rev. Sara will take her annual vacation between Christmas and New Years in Florida with her family.

Outreach Updates:Grandma’s Pantry: Please bring tea, veggies of all kinds and cereal/instant oatmeal. Open Friday mornings from 9-11 to Waltham seniors.Grandma’s Attic: Special hours this weekend - see page 7.Diaper Depot: We need donations of diapers in all sizes (especially larger) as well as volunteers to shop for diapers (you can be reimbursed). Talk to Cathy Hughes for information.Hannaford Gift Cards: Please consider a donation of a gift card to Hannaford in the amount of $15. Checks may also be made out to Christ Church with “food assistance” in the memo line. These cards are made available to people who stop by the church looking for assistance buying food. Thank you!Community Day Center Lunch We are still serving lunch, but on a new day: every third Wednesday, 1:30-3 p.m. (34 Alder Street, Waltham). Volunteers are asked to prepare/serve food for 40 people during winter months. Appropriate meals include pasta, sandwiches, soups & stews. They are grateful for this simple act of kindness. Feel free to contact the Day Center’s Marilyn Lee-Tom (781.3962.6311) or Anna Jones with questions.

Announcements Waiting for Building ImprovementsWe spend much of our life waiting. We wait in line at the store. We wait at a traffic light for a green signal. Right now we are all waiting to see the remarkable things that were talked about when members of the Capital Campaign Committee visited our homes and asked us all to commit to the future of our beautiful, historic Church.

We have seen some work with $35,000 of CPA funds that repaired many of our beautiful windows. You may not have known that last month the attic over the offices was insulated for the first time with a green grant from the Diocese. We have seen small projects completed like parking lot repairs with capital campaign funds. But most of us are still waiting for something big.

We were hoping for a little luck and that we would start to see construction crews in the church yard by now. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy and a nor’easter had other plans for us. It’s too cold now to do phase 1 which was mortar work on the tower, so now we wait some more until winter comes and goes.

Seeing the improvements promised in the capital campaign has been deliberately slow. First because we only have one chance to do it right and second because we have to wait as everyone makes their scheduled contributions.

We will now wait together in eager anticipation that these improvements will one day become a reality and we help insure that the church given to us by our predecessors will still be here for the next generation to worship in. But as we wait, we should reflect on how lucky we are to worship in such a beautiful building. Maybe none of us will have our image in stained-glass as Lydia Lyman Paine, but we will all be part of the long legacy of Christ Church that began on Central Street in 1848.

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Stewardship UpdateMany thanks to those who have already handed in their stewardship cards! We currently have raised $53,508 with 24 pledges since kicking off our annual fundraising effort on Septmber 30th. We hope to raise $100,000 in pledges this year to support the operational needs of the church by keeping lights and heat on day-to-day, plowing the snow, paying salaries, etc. If you still need to get your card in, or have any questions, please contact the Church Office. Thank you!

Thanksgiving BasketsMaureen and Bill Fowler and Sally Lobo were delighted to be able to distribute 24 Thanksgiving baskets to families at the Plympton and Northeast Elementary schools due to the continued generosity of their fellow parishioners at Christ Church. This year a local company, BlitzMedia, which is located at the newly renovated Waltham Watch Factory, joined us by donating 10 baskets filled by their employees and helped to deliver them and received a true sense of how their generosity made a difference to these families. Thank you again for your kindness in continuing this outreach program. ~Sally

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Fieldstone Dinner & Silent AuctionJoin us for the annual Fieldstone Dinner and silent auction Friday, November 30th. Althought tickets haven’t been mailed out this year, you may contact Anna Jones for tickets (and to volunteer for clean-up!) at annapeacebaby@gmail.com. Hor d’oeuvres start at 5 p.m. and the dinner along with silent auction and raffle at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12/ adults and $7/child. See you there?

Special Grandma’s Attic HoursWe will not host the great Fieldstone Fair this year, but Grandma’s Attic will have special hours for some great finds this season. Be sure to stop by before the Fieldstone dinner, Nov. 30th, 4 - 5 p.m., or the next day on Saturday, December 1st, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

We accept donations year round and will accept household items, lightly worn clothing & shoes, books, DVD’s, CD’s and small furniture that can be lifted by one person. We do not accept TV’s, computers or large furniture. Please contact Suzanne Hughes if you have any questions.

Women’s Group Christmas eventTo celebrate the Christmas season, join us on Monday, December 10th at 6:30 for a social evening of food, friendship and presents in Upper Fales Hall! This would be a great way to get to know other members of our church. If you are interested in participating in a old-fashioned Yankee Swap, please bring a wrapped gift (approximately $20), and we’ll have some fun opening and exchanging some good laughs. Please bring an appetizer or a dessert to share. If we all bring one small food item to share, there should be plenty to nibble on.

Tuesday Advent GatheringsJoin Rev. Norm Faramelli, Sue Burkart and José Borrás for three Advent mid-week programs on Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Titled “Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace,” each week will focus on: Dec. 4th – Pacifism in the early Church- leading up to the days of Constantine.Dec. 11th – The uses and misuses of Just War Theory (JWT) , and how the current versions of JWT lead us closer to non-violent solutions.Dec. 18th – The practicality of Non-Violent Solutions to political disputes.

Christmas Memorial FlowersIf you would like to dedicate flowers this Christmas season, the dedication forms will be in Upper Fales starting in December (suggested donation $15-$20).

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Parish Prayer list

Members of our parish community:Rona Scott, Jim and Jeanne McDonald, Muriel Nurse, Andrea Shirley, Lucie Faramelli, Dot Smith

Family and friends: Marcia Libertini, daughter-in-law Elaine Libertini

Robert McCullough, brother of Sally Lobo recovering from a stroke

Jeanette Finch, niece of Pam Hopkins

Michael O’Brien, Father of Jim O’Brien

Pat and Karl Burgess, Perry Kroll, Roberta Walz, Stephen Tallent, Karl Clarke, Jen and Donna Fray, Bill Connors, Kelly Burke, Jen, Alice & Matt Nelson, and Lachance Family Family and friends of Sue Burkart and Jim O’Brien

Regina Nelson, Jeanne Starr, Mary Ryan, James Kelly, Sue McCallum, & Mary Ryan, Family and friends of Janet Corliss

Richard & Karolyn Hagearty, Parents of Erin Jensen

Michael German, Father of Jennifer Hobin

Emery Maddocks, Father of Eric Hobin

Bob and Jim MacStravic, Brothers of Marcia Luce

Virginia, and Dale and Libby Shaw, Friends of Marcia Luce with chronic health issues

Danielle Haché Morgan, Sister of Michelle Haché, recovering from brain tumor surgery

Edward Stettner, Father of Victoria Sundgren and grandfather of Max Sundgren

Fred and Fran Hartman, Family of Marjie Hartman

Mary Kittredge, friend of Marjie Hartman

“ When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world and I am free.”

Wendell Berry The Peace of Wild Things

Submitted by Sue Burkhart Has a quote caught your eye, mind or heart recently? Email it to news@christchurchwaltham to appear in a future issue and pass on the thought and inspiration.

750 Main StreetWaltham, MA 02451 A church of the Anglican Communion Established 1849

Contact750 Main StreetWaltham, MA 02451781-891-6012Church Office Hours: Tues. - Thurs, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Emailoffice@christchurchwaltham.orgrevsara@christchurchwaltham.org

Webwww.christchurchwaltham.orgFacebook: Christ Church WalthamTwitter: @CCWalthamRestoration blog: ccwaltham.wordpress.com

Sunday Services8:30 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, Spoken10:00 a.m. – Holy Eucharist, with Music

Christmas Eve7:00 p.m. – Candlelight Service

Save the DateNov. 30th Grandma’s Attic open, 4-5 p.m. Fieldstone Dinner, 5 p.m.Dec 1st Grandma’s Attic open, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.Dec 8th Diaper Depot prep (2nd Saturday of every month)Dec 10th Women’s Group EventDec 15th Diaper Depot distribution (3rd Saturday of every month)Dec 20th Children’s Christmas Pageant, 5:30 p.m. potluck dinner afterDec 24th Candlelight service, 7 p.m. Dec 25th Christmas Day Every Friday 9-11 a.m. – Grandma’s Pantry

For a full listing of events, go to the Events page on our website and click through to Events Calendar.

Coming up in the next issue...Submit your ideas for the next topic! | Submissions due Monday, March 11th. All are welcome and encouraged to contribute articles, art or announcements.Contact Kristin Harvey or email news@christchurchwaltham.org

At a glance