Pine Street Life
Thanks to all who have turned in their 2026 Estimate of Giving pledges!
There’s still time to submit yours to the church office by the end of the year.
the Sleber residence e program year.
Letter from the Minister of Music and Worship:
Why Silence Matters at the Beginning and End of Worship
In the rhythm of Christian worship, every element has meaning; each hymn, prayer, and silence forms part of a greater conversation between God and God’s people Among these moments, the opening voluntary, the music that begins our worship, often speaks most eloquently when we allow it to be heard in stillness The organ or instrumental voluntary is not merely background music or a prelude to “get settled.” It is, in fact, the first act of worship. Like the ringing of the carillon that calls the faithful to prayer, the voluntary invites us to cross a threshold from the noise and hurry of daily life into the stillness of God’s presence. It gathers the heart, quiets the mind, and opens the soul to the mystery of grace that unfolds in the liturgy.
Our Book of Order, in the Directory for Worship, reminds us that music in worship is not ornamental, but integral. It teaches that:
“In worship, the gift of music is offered to God as prayer and praise, thanksgiving and lament. Instrumental music, as well as song, may serve to express the faith of the church and to lead the people into the mystery of God’s presence.”
(W-2.0502–W-2.0504)
Thus, instrumental music, whether organ, piano, or other instruments, is not simply an accompaniment to words; it is a proclamation in its own right. The musician serves as both minister and interpreter, offering sound where words may fail, giving voice to the inexpressible beauty and depth of faith
In Scripture, God is often encountered not in the earthquake or the fire, but in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). The voluntary helps prepare us to hear that voice. As the music fills the sanctuary, we are invited to listen not only to notes and harmonies, but to the Spirit moving within and among us. The silence of the congregation is not passive but prayerful attention. It is our collective act of reverence, our way of saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.”
This same reverence extends to the closing voluntary. Just as the opening voluntary prepares our hearts for worship, the closing voluntary sends us forth in peace. It is the church’s musical Amen, a benediction offered in sound rather than words. To remain silent during the postlude is to allow the worship that has been offered to God to reach its natural completion, without interruption or haste. In that moment, we listen one final time for the whisper of the Spirit, giving thanks for all that has been said and sung, prayed and proclaimed.
When we remain silent during both the opening and closing voluntaries, we offer one of the most profound gifts we can bring to worship: presence In that shared stillness, the community begins and ends its worship in unity, devotion, and awe
So, the next time the organ begins to play at the beginning or the end of the service, resist the urge to whisper or move too quickly. Instead, listen. Let the music draw you into prayer, into reflection, into readiness for what God will do next.
For in those moments, God is still speaking.
Grace and Peace, Joseph Garrison
Minister of Music and Worship
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 14 – 4:00 pm
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a beloved MAPS tradition. This uplifting service of scripture and song traces the sacred journey from ancient prophecy to the joyous celebration of Christ’s birth. Featuring readers of all ages, the program weaves together timeless texts and stirring music in the majestic sanctuary of Pine Street. The Pine Street Chancel Choir, under the direction of Joseph Garrison, is joined by guest organist Matthew McMahan, a brass quintet, and percussion for a moving and memorable evening of worship and wonder. A gala reception follows the service.
I hope you will bring a friend and join us for the service of scripture and song.
Grace and peace, Joseph Garrison Minister of Music and Worship
Welcome Home Sunday: A Joyful Success
Eileen A Kunkle, Congregational Life
On September 7, 2025 many members and visitors at Pine Street enjoyed participating in Welcome Home Sunday. There was food, a special 50 anniversary cake celebrating Marna and Roger Holt, and twelve table displays highlighting some of the many active boards and ministries within our church
Attendees enjoyed time for fellowship, learned about opportunities to get involved, and many even signed up to participate in specific ministries. Smiles, laughter, and positive energy filled the room throughout the event. This was a slightly different approach to what has been know as Rally Day for many years.
Special thanks go to the twelve groups who prepared display tables;Suzanne and Mike Hogarth for organizing the food; our dedicatedstaff for their involvement; the Congregational Life Committee for coordinating the event; and everyone who participated and made the day such a success.
Sanctuary Lighting Update
Property Committee
After nearly seven years, the sanctuary lighting has finally been fully converted to LED bulbs The delay was mainly due to the complexity of the project each chandelier has three lighting circuits with different types of bulbs.
Joseph Garrison led the testing process to find bulbs that worked well with our dimming system and maintained the warm color of our existing lights. Some bulbs didn’t dim properly or changed color, so it took time to find the right combination. Fortunately, newer bulb technology eventually met our needs.
Once one chandelier worked correctly, we replaced all bulbs on a test circuit before moving on to the rest of the sanctuary. We hired electricians to handle the full installation for safety and reliability, and they repaired one faulty socket along the way Volunteers replaced bulbs reachable by ladder to help save money.
To allow access for the lift, over half of the long pews had to be unscrewed and moved, then put back afterward by volunteers.
Special thanks to Mike Putt, Marty Gruver, Bob Kerr, Joseph Garrison, and Roger Zimmer for their hard work. In total, about 313 bulbs were replaced, and the church saved a significant amount of money through staff and volunteer efforts
Pine Street Book Club
There’s something special about sharing a good book – which is what folks at Pine Street have been doing on a regular basis for longer than anyone can remember. The Pine Street Book Club meets at 7 PM on the third Sunday of most months September, October, April and May are in-person meetings at members’ homes. In November, January, February and March the gatherings are via Zoom. Discussions are thoughtful and lively and there’s always room for a new face or a fresh take on a book.
Each May choices and discussion leaders for the following season are selected by the attendees. Titles, authors and dates for the remainder of the 2025-26 season are listed below. Watch for an announcement in Around the Church and join us each month this winter and spring as we share our thoughts and enjoy each other’s company.
January 18
February 15
March 15
April 19
May 17
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin
The Frozen River by Arial Lawhon
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
This year’s season of Music at Pine Street kicked off with performances by violinist Jacques Forestier with pianist Yoni Levyatov and organist Eddie Zheng.
Thanks to all who have contributed. We’ll see you at upcoming MAPS events this year!
Like the season of Lent before the feast of Easter, the season of Advent, leading up to the feast of Christmas, is a season of preparation, which means it is also a penitential season.
Traditionally, the four Sunday sermons in Advent would be delivered on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. We don’t do that anymore. You’re welcome!
Instead, most churches have taken up a household practice started by the Lutherans in the Reformation--the Advent Wreath--with its candles for Faith, Hope, Joy, and Love to mark the season. You could call these first things, and they are certainly more pleasant topics for reflection
But truth be told, Advent still ends up being a penitential season. Except it isn’t one we choose as much as it’s a penitence forced upon us by the season, itself.
The cold keeps us bundled up at home alone and the busyness of the season can isolate us. The daylight diminishes as darkness encroaches on both sides Holiday indulgence leads to wild swings between hunger and satiation. And, at a certain point, we have to run from the Christmas earworms to get a little bit of peace and quiet.
So, this year, our devotional will include reflections on things found in the middle, centered around four of the five senses
Darkness, or the absence of sight
Silence, or the absence of sound
Hunger, or the absence of taste and Solitude, or the absence of touch.
As much as Advent is about preparing for the arrival of Jesus, it’s also about waiting, about the absence we feel all the way until the hope of presence, about the uncertainty that things will actually turn out alright.
The one sense left off, smell, is a tougher one for to imagine absence, or its absence being all that consequential. Smell is also often associated with memory.
So at this time of intense sensory overload, we are called to remember just as much as we look ahead to remember when God’s people faced darkness, silence, hunger, and solitude on the road to fullness. Advent is like a womb, with growth happening where we cannot see it, in ways we can’t control or predict. And in this season, we are called to remember that God is even there, especially there.
Yours in Christ, Stuart
Darkness 1
The darkest thing met me in the dark It was only a face and a brace of teeth that held no words . . .
From Coyote in the Dark, Coyotes Remembered Mary Oliver
In my younger years, I was a caver (sort of) Back then, the common source of light was carbide lamps – the same as miners historically used. The lamp was affixed to a helmet, and let off a rather dim light, which was amplified by a reflector. The lamps could be fiddly – they relied on a chamber dripping water onto calcium carbide, which created acetylene gas, which (when ignited by a flint) burned and produced a flame.
Caving taught me that darkness – at least some physical darkness – could be a choice It was common, once deep in a cave, for everyone to extinguish their lights and sit in the darkness. Generally, this was accompanied by silence, so the experience of darkness was also an experience of isolation and solitude, even though others were nearby.
As a new caver, darkness brought serenity mixed with fear and anxiety It is very, very dark in a cave without any lights! You literally cannot see anything What if the lights did not re-ignite? How would we ever find our way out? What if no one noticed we were gone? How would they find us? What if there was a horrible beast waiting to do us harm? Pennsylvania – and other east coast caves – are generally chilly (around 52˚) and damp. That is noticeable once you stop moving.
On the other hand, consider all of that dissipating when the lights did reignite And, best of all, stepping out of the cave into bright sunlight on a warm dayDon’t get me wrong, I did enjoy caving, but the best part was exiting, especially if I knew the rest of the day included camping, a shared meal and sitting around a campfire listening to friends play music.
Last Advent, my meditation was on facing the east and the sun So much of our understanding of God’s creation - our earth and the rhythms of our own lives - revolve around light and darkness It begins with Genesis. God divides the darkness from the light. God did not banish the darkness, but God saw that the light was good. Perhaps God wants us to understand that we are called, from time to time, to live in darkness, having faith that the light will overcome it, and knowing there is a community of love to support us. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome him John 1:5
Why do people keep asking to see God’s identity papers when the darkness opening into morning is more than enough?
Certainly any god might turn away in disgust
Think of Sheba approaching the kingdom of Solomon. Do you think she had to ask, “Is this the place?”
I Wake Close to Morning Mary Oliver
Elyse Rogers
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 1:5
Light one Advent candle. Read the Scripture lesson.
Meditation:
As a pastor’s wife of nearly 40 years, I was often aware of the darkness in people’s livesof great tragedy, pain, illness, death and the dark side of the human condition. I watched people suffer and stumble when darkness enveloped their lives.
But I also saw the light of Christ first-hand in the ways in which others responded with kindness, giving and hope in the midst of darkness. When we can start to see the light of Christ become manifest in our lives and enter into our dark places, we can see the beginning of the healing that produces hope and joy and peace. His light can heal our deepest sorrow and sin. His light can show us the way to keep going. His light will always overcome darkness.
In His great love for us, God has chosen to shine His light on all people. He has chosen to give us Jesus, the light of the world, to help us see through our darkness.
The season of Advent is a season of waiting for the light of Christ to come again. We are living between the first and second coming of Christ, and our Advent call is to prepare ourselves and the world for His coming now and in times to come Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Activity: With one candle lit, turn off all the other lights around you. Sit and meditate on how even that small light spreads a glow in the dark.
Prayer: Light of the World, as we wait again for your light to help us see in our darkness, illumine us with the light of your peace, with hope and renewal this day, that we may be reborn into your likeness and live into your plans for us. Interrupt us with your words and teach us who we are and whose we are. Be with us on our journey to the stable of life and help us always look to you to guide us to your perfect light.
Xavia Sheffield
The Spirit moves over the face of the waters and the lord divides darkness and light
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the Darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
It is so difficult for us to imagine how dark it must have been on this planet before there was light. Even when we try to look for stars or capture a glimpse of the northern lights, it is difficult to find a place where it is dark enough to appreciate the wonder and awe of these natural lights appearing in total darkness.
This past September I spent a few days in Cape May. I stayed in a wonderful place with a balcony that looked out at the beach and the ocean.Since I don’t often get to enjoy such a view, I spent lots of time there watching people, sand, and surf The last night of my stay was cloudy and rainy, and after dinner, I sat out on the balcony for a few minutes and looked out at the ocean again. This time, it seemed vast and ominous. With no moon in the sky, I could not see the horizon where the ocean and sky meet.Looking east, it was complete darkness.
In reflecting on the Genesis story of God’s creation of night and day, I began to think about how many times we look for lights at Christmas and we sing about light in countless numbers of carols One phrase that comes to mind is, “Still through the cloven skies they came…” I imagine the shepherds sitting in total darkness on a hill outside Bethlehem tending their sheep. What was it like to be there when the skies parted to reveal brilliant light and glorious angels singing news of Jesus’ birth? What would I have done if I had seen such an awesome sight out over the dark ocean that September night?
Dear God, in this season of Advent, prepare us to see the wonder, mystery, and awe of your birth with new eyes. With so much darkness around us, help us to search for signs of light, peace, love, and joy in our lives. Amen.
David Colestock
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
Photograph by Deborah Weaver Anderson
Deuteronomy 8:1-6
“The entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know, then, in your heart that, as a parent disciplines a child, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
Part of my morning routine is feeding the cat Due to health issues, he is on a prescription diet, so his feeding schedule is fairly regimented. When the alarm goes off, his meowing begins. As the minutes tick by, the meowing becomes louder. If there is a delay, the meowing becomes incessant. Sleeping in is rarely tolerated.
When I reviewed the passages available for commentary, the reading from Deuteronomy jumped out. Moses faced scrutiny from the Israelites for taking them out of Egypt to wander in the wilderness They were frightened, and unsure if there would be food to sustain them They complained They questioned his leadership. I imagine their voices became louder, more incessant. Did Moses feel pressured to provide? Did he question what God asked of him and of the people? Did he just want to “sleep in”?
My cat watches intently as I prepare his breakfast. He knows the routine. He begins to settle down, knowing his meal will soon be placed in front of him The heightened tension of the morning abates His posture relaxes
I wonder, when the manna began to fall, did the Israelites’ tension abate? Did they relax? Did they cease complaining?
In this passage, Moses reminds the Israelites of their long journey through the wilderness, and how God humbled them by allowing them to hunger, and then fed them with manna. Moses reminds them that God provides Moses instructs them to remember God
My morning routine with Zeus will continue. But moving forward, I will try to remember that it is God who provides. God has blessed us with innumerable gifts, including wonderful, demanding cats. As Moses instructs, I will REMEMBER GOD.
Amy Chick
“ a man came along who was covered with leprosy When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”And immediately the leprosy left him…crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:12-16
In the 1990s, the question “What Would Jesus Do?” had a major resurgence and encouraged Christians –particular youth – to live a more Christ-like life The question had its origins in the 1890s and continues to speak to new generations as we consider how Jesus would act in various situations. I was a young adult in the 1990s, I grew up in the church, and I don’t remember the suggested answer to that question being to seek solitude.Maybe I missed that part. However, in the verses above and on multiple occasions in his time on earth, Jesus models for us the importance of solitude in his life on earth. He prepared for the beginning of his ministry with 40 days in the wilderness He went to solitary places to pray before and after he healed the sick and taught the crowds He withdrew to a solitary place after hearing that his cousin John the Baptist had been killed. Before his arrest, knowing the cross was before him, he went away from his disciples to pray alone.
The kind of solitude Jesus models is rooted in prayer and connection with God the Father. Often the type of solitude we focus on is the solitude that we do not choose, that feels empty and lonely. Deafness and hearing loss runs in my family, and one of my young cousins was terrified of bedtime as a young deaf toddler, well beyond fear of the dark or night terrors.After trying many options, his parents allowed him to sleep in the same bed through the night with a sibling, close enough to continually touch. I imagine in his mind, at his very young age, deaf and in the dark through the night, he felt all alone in a void. That is how solitude can feel for us as we face grief, change, and challenges. Perhaps that is how the leper felt in the verses above, cast out from the community until he sought healing from Jesus
What would Jesus do? In solitude Jesus rested, prayed, prepared, grieved and anticipated his arrest and death. In his solitude he prayed and looked to God his Father. Whether facing solitude not of our own choosing or seeking solitude as we rest, prepare, grieve or grapple with a challenge, we can look to God the Father to use those times to bring us closer to him.
Prayer: Dear God, help us seek and use times of solitudes to prepare for the gift of the Messiah this Advent season and draw us closer to you. Let us sit in silence with you, so that you might work and
Prayer
Dear God, help us seek and use times of solitudes to prepare for the gift of the Messiah this Advent season and draw us closer to you. Let us sit in silence with you, so that you might work and dwell within us. Amen.
Joanne Book-Coles
