 welcome be ye that are here joyful and triumphant welcome all and make good cheer sing choirs of angels welcome we another year please rise embody and or in spirit to sing together our opening hymn number 253 oh come all you faithful the words will also be projected on the screen morning my name is Drew Collins and I am music director for First Unitarian Society of Madison I'm joined today by my colleagues the Reverend Kelly Aspruth Jackson and Reverend Kelly Crocker my music staff colleagues Heather Thorpe and Linda Warren as well as Stephen Gregorius and Daniel Carnes hiding in the corner over there doing very important work and of course a special welcome and thanks to our five FUS choirs cherub choir where are you cherubs they're shy but they're there and choristers and our teen choir meetinghouse chorus and society choir and welcome to all of you this all music weekend one of two weekends each year when we play special emphasis on the role music plays in our worship and celebrate the contributions of the professionals and volunteers who contribute to worship throughout the year well at First Unitarian Society we question boldly listen humbly grow spiritually act courageously and love unapologetically a special welcome to any visitors we are so very glad that you are here with us we hope you will be able to stay and join us for coffee hour immediately after the service also held in the Commons today we are serving a warm wassail punch feature of this particular Sunday if you'd like more information about First Unitarian Society please stop by the welcome table located in the Commons or talk to myself and now I think we're going to invite the children forward so if there are any children who would like to come up and receive a special message just for you come right on up here and sit on the carpet you don't have to everyone will be able to hear it nice to see oh and good morning I'm so glad you came to visit me I wanted to talk to you this morning about joy now I'm very curious what is joy and the guesses love it yes happy when you feel happy anything else something that we feel maybe something that we enjoy doing makes us coffee right thank you so our joy is really important and here's something interesting you might not know this about me I used to be a kid it's true and when I was a kid I really liked to sing I sang all the time I sang when I was playing with my dolls I sang when I was making my bed or riding my tricycle down the street and I'll admit this there's one really weird place I like to sing I liked to sing in the bathroom I loved the way my voice would echo off the tiles it was very satisfying and this time of year when the holidays would roll around you want to guess my favorite part of the holidays singing even more than the presence I loved the music I know it sounds crazy but it's true now here's something that I really liked about it is that it felt good I loved it and it felt so good in my heart now there's something weird that can sometimes happen our joy is so important but sometimes we forget to make room for it in our lives as we get older our lives get a little busier fuller maybe with some more distractions I know it sounds strange joy is so important but sometimes we forget to make room for it in our lives and I fell into that trap I stopped singing for a long time for nine years I did not sing it's a long time right who here is nine yeah it's a whole life it's a whole life nine years I didn't sing unfortunately I met a group of people that reminded me how much I enjoyed singing and we sing songs together and I sang again and I remembered how much joy it brings me now I know there are a lot of music lovers in the room but I recognize there are more joys than music so I'm curious can we just do a quick check-in with yourself what do you love what brings you joy compost I love it compost what else yes food yes thank you what what else anything else how about candy I love it yeah your family yes giving people stuff they don't need that's very sweet your new car yes lots of joys so I thought maybe we could sing about our joy I'm going to start the song and I thought maybe you could join in with me and we'll see where it takes us here's how it goes I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart down in my heart down in my heart I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart down in my heart to stay I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart where down in my heart down in my heart I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart where down in my heart to stay I've got my Friends, friends, friends, friends, down in my heart. Down in my heart, down in my heart. I've got my friends, friends, friends, friends, down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to say, I've got my family. Down in my heart, down in my heart. Down in my heart, I've got my family. Down in my heart, down in my heart to say, wear my cat lovers. Mew meew meew meew mew mew. Mew meew meew meew. Yum yum, Rio meew meew, Mew meew meew meew, P�싱 pregnant. Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff Our joys are important and you are important and I hope you continue to find ways to make room for the joys in your life. Kiddos you can go ahead and stay here if you like we're gonna hear some more music. Thanks for coming up we're gonna sing you back to your parent's seats with this song that was written by one of our members Dick Goldberg. Kindness lights our world. You can make the world so broad. Winter comes its labored breath misting the morning frost sparkling on the pier. Exposed now the birds make no pretense of shyness smothering the feeders fueling against the cold. In March I didn't welcome spring celebration exploding from every limb's end but today I am not ready to batten down for winter. Give me another morning to stand coatless before the awakening dawn. But pine boughs have already been wreathed and bowed and fir trees cut and limbed for countless living rooms so let me breathe good fresh air and wrap my coat around me and let our hearts warm to the smells and the smiles of winter. Let us hold hands against the cold and sing carols to season winter with merriment and with hopeful hearts let this season of hope and joy begin. Let us not wish away it is a season in itself not simply the way to spring. When trees rest growing no leaves gathering no light they let in sky and trace themselves delicately against dawns and sunsets. The clarity and brilliance of the winter sky delight. The loom of fog softens edges lulls the eyes and ears of the quiet awakens by risk the unquiet. A low dark sky can snow emblem of individuality, liberality and aggregate power snow invites to contemplation and quiet winter is a table set with ice and starlight. Winter dark tends to warm light fire and candle winter cold to hugs and huddles winter wants to gifts and sharing winter danger to visions plans and common endeavoring and the zest of narrow escapes winter tedium to merry making. Let us therefore praise winter rich in beauty challenge and expectation. A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered all went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there the time came for her to deliver her child and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them do not be afraid for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is the Messiah the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to people of goodwill. And now let's rise together and sing hymn number 244 it came upon the midnight clear. And I invite you now into this time of giving and receiving where we give freely and generously to this offering which sustains and strengthens our community and this week specifically supports our music program. There's multiple ways to share your gifts this morning. You'll see on the screen that you can donate directly from our website fuss madison.org you'll see the text to give information there as well. There are also baskets at the entrances of the room for your donations. We thank you for your generosity and for your faith in this life we create together. There is a strange irony in the usual salutation. Merry Christmas when most of the people on this planet are thrown back upon themselves for food which they do not possess for resources that have long since been exhausted and for vitality which has already run its course. Despite this fact Christmas symbolizes hope even at a moment when hope seems utterly fantastic. The raw materials of the Christmas mood are a newborn baby, a family, friendly animals and labor. An endless process of births is the perpetual answer of life to the fact of death. It says that life keeps coming on, keeps seeking to fulfill itself, keeps affirming the margin of hope in the presence of desolation, pestilence and despair. It is not an accident that the birth rate seems always to increase during times of war when the formal processes of man are engaged in the destruction of others. Welling up out of the depths of vast vitality there is something at work that is more authentic than the formal discursive design of the human mind. As long as this is true ultimately despair about the human race is groundless. Together in the spirit of meditation and prayer may these moments of quiet lead us to the heart of this season which is peace. May we breathe deeply of peace in this moment. May we open our hearts to the magic and mystery of the story we know so well and tell again and again. Like the wandering couple may we find that our greatest trials issue forth from our greatest joys. Like the harried innkeeper may we find ways to be of help to others. Like the lumbering beasts may we be silent witnesses to the unfathomable glory of life. Like the shepherds on the hill may we know true amazement and allow ourselves to be overtaken by the wonder of a star. Like the journeying wise may we always have the courage to follow our hearts longing. Like the angels may we cry peace to a troubled world. Holy one to these prayers for our own transformation we add our prayers for all those who suffer who grieve who live in danger. May they find comfort and safety and may this season of peace and good will nudge our world toward its highest ideals for then will Christmas truly come. Blessed be and amen. Now let's rise together and body under in spirit to sing our closing hymn let Christmas come. Magic made by melody a spell of rest and quiet breath and cool heart that sinks through fading colors deep to the sub-aqueous stillness of the sea and floats forever in a moon-green pool held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.