 It's one of those street cars, that is. Well, no. The front end of the hall. Yes, it is. And, like, wait. And Jan Jan. That's it. Where? Jan Jan. He laid something down. I forgot it. You don't know? Yeah. You don't know? You don't know? Yeah. You don't know? You don't know? Yeah. You don't know? You don't know? Yeah. No. You're a swindler. Ulrich Schoen. You don't know? No. You're a swindler. No. You don't know? Well, no. You don't know if I'm a swindler? No. No. You don't know? No. No. No. Okay. No. No. No. No. No. No. I don't know if you're gonna do that with me. I don't really want to do it with you, but I'll do it with you. I'll do it with you. Yeah. So, what do you think? I don't know if you're gonna do it with me. It's fine. Okay. I'm gonna do it with you. Yeah. Are we doing it together? Yeah. No, I'm gonna do it with you. I'm gonna do it with you. Two, two, one. I'm not too bad. No? You guys are beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, that's beautiful. I love you. You know, how do you see the world? Yeah. I thought it was a good idea. I mean, you guys are awesome. Yeah. More than you were. What's your problem? Yeah. The world is beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad I got my work done. I hope you've had a good weekend. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Cheers! Cheers! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks for loving me! Oh, here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! If you will join me now in a moment of centering silence, a moment to come fully into this time, together, and this place. And if you will join me in our in-gathering hymn, it is printed in your order of service. I'm sure the tune is familiar. It's We Three Kings. And welcome to the First Unitarian Society of Madison. This is a community where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical, and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Kelly Crocker, Minister of Congregational Life, and it is truly my joy to welcome you all to this special Old Bifana service. I'd like to extend a special welcome to any visitors who are here this morning. We are a welcoming congregation, so whoever you are and wherever you happen to be on your life journey, we celebrate your presence among us. Newcomers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour after the service to visit the library, which is directly across from our center doors. Members of staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. You may also look for persons holding teal stoneware coffee mugs. These are FUS members knowledgeable about our community who would love to speak with you. Guides are generally available to give tours of the Sustainable Edition or our Landmark Meeting House after the service. If you're interested in a tour, please just meet up here in front of the ramp on that side of the auditorium, and if there's a guide, they'll meet you there. This is a great time to turn off all electronic devices that may ring or sing during our time together. A thank you to the folks who are helping our service happen this morning. Our lay minister is Anne Smiley. Our greeters upstairs when you arrive, Nancy Webster and Lynn Scovey. Our ushers, Samuel Bates, Elizabeth Barrett, Anne Smiley, and John Webster. Thank you to all of them. Special announcements on the inside of your red floors. You will notice our Christmas Eve services, Saturday is Christmas Eve and we have four services here. A note about our two o'clock away in the manger service for our young or not so young who would like to see our Nativity pageant. You can dress up as an angel, a wise one, or a shepherd if you would like, or a police officer. Everyone would like to be a police officer this year, so we may have a police officer at the manger. You're right. I forgot, honey. Or a shepherd with a really cool hat, maybe. We ask that you bring some cookies to share after the service if you can and also an item for the food pantry, those will be collected during that service. Another note for today, the parking garage down below at the 800 building, if you parked in there, it will be closing at one o'clock. So if your car is in that nice warm and dry space, please make sure that you've pulled out of there before one o'clock today. Our offering today is an outreach offering to be shared with the Salvation Army of Dane County's programs to provide temporary housing for homeless women and families with children. You can find out more about their good work either in your order of service or at the table, across from the auditorium, a special note from the Salvation Army. The shelter is going to be open all day today because of these wonderfully cold temperatures. We do not have a collection during our service. You may have noticed the glass jars outside all of the doors that say offering. We ask you to put your donation in those on your way out today. And we thank you one for remembering to do that when you leave and for your generosity. And now our special service today, Old Bifana. According to Italian folklore on the night before the feast of the epiphany in early January, Bifana flies around on her broom delivering gifts. She leaves candy, fruit, or small gifts in the stockings of children who have been well behaved throughout the year. And on the other hand, if you haven't been that well behaved, you might find a lump of coal or something else left in your stocking by Old Bifana. Ken will tell you more about that later. But today we are fortunate enough to hear this magical legend and to be swept away in the wonder of the season. So if you will join me now in welcoming Old Bifana. Keep finding what days are here in 18 inches of snow. 55 degrees below zero. Staying at your homes. Don't be off road. You should come to the person who's Italian society. They hear all about the fish at the bottom of the server. This is on the dash. These will bring a good price. Oh, I can see you're wondering why they're crying. You're crying me around so much while it's simple. Now I was out of snitches. Vegetable cellar and noodles. Zippiner? That is tricky. I think you asked me. Oh, good morning. My friend, let me try. Are you feeling as excellent as an eggplant? Oh yeah, so better. Much better. At least my customers are buying medium. I tell such an exhaustful tale all by myself. What if we help you? Please? We'll help you. Shit in his hand. The story has been told. You know, about a thousand times, a thousand times. Especially during the holiday time. You know, some kind of cheat. However, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and always Christmas. This is her family. Or all the bonus time. Now you may not have heard too much about her, but believe you me, over in Italy, she's as much a part of the holiday season as candlelight, and snowflakes, carols, and hot chocolate. Some of you say the story can't be true. Others swear it is. All I know is, from the time I was just a little boy, it's the most magical story I've ever heard. In the streets, a guy for no good reason, keeping their neighbors off. People were so annoyed. All the bright colors of the stars on their chests, no one knew why they dressed that way. Maybe they had an inner light, they were showing iron, but they were strange. Some people wore sweaters all the time. Who ever heard of such things? There were others strange again. I've seen the music. You know what I'm talking about. Sometimes women dressed in blue were bests. It was unheard of really in the fashion world, but still they didn't care. And they wore their outfits in public too. You know the knife. Everyone in that village is strange. But the strangest one of them all, without a doubt, was all the five percent. She kept to herself. She wasn't very grateful. She chased the dogs out of her yard. Unpleasant, but it wasn't just grumpyness that made people wonder about all the five. You see, she lived all the way. She was always playing, hanging like crazy. The smell was drifting out of her windows, collecting the noses of her neighbors. Oh, fine. Share? No. She sure did. Oh, sing. You know, I wanted one. They'd be drawn back for us out of the twinkly stars that's hit by magic. Someone was singing. It sounded beautiful. And they'd look at each other with amazement, but they realized it was all the five. Well, how can such a grump sing so beautifully? Oh, she sounds so sweet when she acts so sound. With the font of earthen, she'd stop singing and slam her windows shut. Thanks so much. You know what you... Oh, all I need to agree with you about the whole of the font was that she loved to sleep. That sounds crazy, I know. And it was. But she always had a room around her and she'd sweep her little house. She'd sweep her front steps. She'd eat a suit from Walkway. All the way down to the road. The village was this wide. When you visit, no one turns mud in your house. But sweet she did. And everyone thought she was true. In a different village with a husband and he's happier than her with those truthful folk away from her. Characters, so visually in front of her. She would do that much. Well, you see, that was why Sweat, Bait, sang at the time. She was just trying to remember her public health back when she used to do those things to the family. So every evening she'd fall asleep with a well-buy on her lips the dream of after your time until one evening. And this is where the story really went. After supper, after she did the dishes and swept the floor, a lot of the daughter got ready for bed. She'd put on her slippers and her magnum in her room. Pete's on her. Do you know where it is? Never. Then it changed him to be seen in the talk. We see a special time. Our folks and those that when a bright sun appears at peace and goodwill who will help the poor and make the world a better place are looking for this peace. They say life can be stopped and we're bringing gifts to all of the child. Some girl in a tambourine running up to old Conner. Never just in a moment her heart softened then she shook her hand. She'd slept in a scarf and the children ran along. What a sweet and spicy perfume and as she baked she said, I'm a special child and made two fine gifts. She was so happy she sang all day long. It was dusk she built her basket and opened her door and then she noticed her room. Little child's parents all fell like that that'll make three fine gifts from all of us. Well she walked toward the horizon but she didn't walk. No, no, no, no. She swam to the sea, what happened in the end? Ah, the end. Probably you can't see that. Maybe not at all. Well, I'm sorry to tell you the fine never did hedge off the angels for the character. She never found peace on her and she never found that special child. But according to the legend people follow the fine they issued 13 gifts to this day. Every year on the feast of the three kings the sixth of January using the gift of flight that was given to her by the angels on that magical night so very long ago still takes up her room and her basket and flies across the sky bringing cookies and candies and cakes to children everywhere. She sees them along the line as they sleep and then she sweeps their rooms all clean. Why? Well, all the fine would tell you it's because she has no idea which child might be the special child. Who will make a difference in the world? And they did, but I think it could be you. The first full year he was with us last year probably in comedy sports Mr. Joe Thompson. It was three years ago, that's no end. He's on a dark night job but he's not the right she knows how to pass away and how to lead the funny actors the right way. She had a lot of things in the show but this is the first time she's ever had a staff when she's walked around and she's put her back out a couple of days ago and she gets the MVP award for her performances today. Hearing this story told to me by a storyteller back in 1986 she said cannot it be like an access hour on WRT would you come and play the guitar and sing some bells and I knew it was a story she said hold on I said I've never heard of it she said that's okay raise some bells and play some music so I did and I'm doing this story and the next year we wrote this music and we first performed in the very new theater with a giant compass and a lot of people brought this show to different cities different worship communities libraries performing arts centers and it's always been where the same look has changed but this year we didn't make one significant change in the story a couple of years ago we were thinking about all the violence and war going on in the world sadly these days ISIS has got we've got to put more emphasis on peace in this story even though they're already nice and what we did is we changed one of the word a town meeting when I first heard the story from a storyteller who told me she was telling one of the Christian theories of the story the story is actually at least a thousand years before ISIS would tell me this story so the version I had heard said that they were looking for Bethlehem so it was on the road to Bethlehem oh Bethlehem, is that the name of that star? I thought it was Bethlehem's head peace or murder were they really looking for Bethlehem? no they didn't even let the star shine more they were looking for peace the child of peace but that's the way to change the story for Bethlehem and you know what anyone really could be and can be the one doing the world best place if I'm nicer to you maybe a little more patient we'll tell you in fact before we give each other that gift every day we make the good world another place, just a very good place to tell you that when I was in 2nd grade I don't know why she's saying to me now can you can you all of it go to the room and you know she's like just a very good place I don't know why she's saying to me but I don't know I don't know why I was so confused she was like sister Mary John Arthur, never mind okay, so this story really is true when kids ask me this story true I tell them yes it is true, you can make the world a better place there are many versions of all the fun in Poland she's called Babuśa in Russia and in France she's called Babuśa, the star she wears that she could brand another thing in Romania she's called Babuśa and in Italy in some of her own traditional stories when you stop and you go back I remember this you know what that's the problem I remember because it's Brim that was Brim's stories in her original version but we once wrote a little song about that and we used to do times in the show not this year until this second the fun of life's you baby, it's you the fun of life you don't even want to know if you're happy just be happy you'd be super thankful that's how you do the hard part is that you know that you're Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa Babuśa I know that in Eastern Europe this folk tale was so popular for so long that when the Church – when the Christian Church grows and you're up, there are certain things that they love, traditions that they can let go of. I've seen a lot of people who love old fun in Eastern Europe. People have asked me, what was the child that they were searching for? All I know is that somebody was coming looking for this child. I don't know what the street is. It doesn't make sense because they were still searching for a city. They were always looking for a better world. Better than David. Whether it was a saint or not. I don't know if there's no worship. But they were looking for a child who would have peace in their heart and bring it to the world. And that child was you. And you. And all of you. Yes. Has this story been told? Well, as I mentioned before, I don't know. I'd like to pretend that I'm a little everything. But, alas, it's not really true. I know that Spain is going to be a talent also in Spain. Most of Eastern Europe, people are not allowed to go home. They Google it. Maybe they'll find out. Anybody else? Am I missing anything? Although I am a visionary. My vision is not that good. Right. I would like to say to you all that we're happy to share our humanitarian society. It's so special for us to be able to bring this story in particular to this community. We hope that you all have a beautiful new year. And a well-beautiful time to see me. And we hope that the whole time you'll be looking to be small. Imagine it. No heavens. Teach you to try. No time. No hell we know. We kill the darkness. Imagine all of these things. Life can't be saved. I'm a dreamer. I'm the only one. Someday. A brother of a sister. A brother of a sister. Imagine all of these things.