The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · January 10, 2021
THE STAR STOPPED OVER THE PLACE WHERE THE CHILD WAS By the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral Any astronomers around? Only one of the four gospels describes a star going ahead of some magi looking for the Christ. Matthew 2:9 says that “when they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was.” When I talk about the possibility of that famous star, the “Star of Bethlehem,” I start with that verse, because it says something that should bewilder us, whether we fancy ourselves serious astronomers or not. The verse says that “it stopped over the place where the child was.” Now, if you were to go outside under a starlit sky, how in the world could you possibly tell that a particular heavenly body—whether the moon, or a planet, or a star—was directly over you, or directly over someone, say, fifty miles away? Obviously, the night sky is so vast, and the heavenly bodies so far away, that there is no way of saying that a star is over one place on earth, and not over another! (Unless we are at a Christmas Pageant, and the wonderful star, about three feet wide, is being held aloft over a manger scene!) Here beginneth, then, my meager analysis of what led the magi. (I use here the analysis of Michael Molnar, a retired astronomer of Rutgers University.) First of all, they were magi, or astrologers – not astronomers in our modern sense of the word. They associated heavenly bodies like the planets, and the moon, and constellations, with people and times of life. The constellation, Aries, was associated with the Jews. The planet, Jupiter, was “the regal star that conferred kingships.” Well, in 6 BC, when the moon was passing through the constellation Aries, the moon also “occulted,” or “passed over,” Jupiter. When Jupiter emerged from behind the moon, the astrologers were to assume a royal birth of some sort, and Aries was the sign of Judea! Thus, a king of the Jews had been born, emerging from behind the moon. Furthermore, Jupiter then stopped! Yes, the planets that are outside the orbit of the earth appear to “stop” in the night sky, occasionally, when the earth passes them, in our smaller orbit. (Then, the planet goes “retrograde;” it appears, to us, to reverse direction and to go backwards in the night sky.) That, I believe is what the gospeller Matthew means when he says that the “star stopped over the place where the child was.” It means the “star” (the planet, Jupiter) appeared to stop in the night sky. My sense is that when the planet Jupiter “stopped,” the important thing was where the magi were! Not where the star (or planet) was. Wherever the magi were when the planet stopped, had to be the place. And, wherever they were on their journey, that was where the Christ, the Messiah, had been born. They went into the house (yes, in Matthew’s version, they go into a house, not a stable) and found Mary and the child. It might be an explanation that works. (Maybe not!) The important thing is that a light shone in the darkness, and that light was the light of the world. Or, as John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Furthermore, the light is stopping over you. Yes, you. And the light is stopping over me. And all of us. “The star stopped over the place where the child was.” We are all children where the star stops to shine over us, wherever we are. All of us. This season of Epiphany is the season of celebrating light growing in the world, and growing in us. Think of yourself as the place where the star stops to shine. When we celebrate the baptism of Jesus on this coming First Sunday After the Epiphany, we will hear that a voice from heaven declared, “Behold, you are my child. In you, I am well pleased.” That child is also us! The star stops over us, each of us, the place where the child is, the place where Christ is born, the place where God is well pleased.
This SUNDAY
JANUARY 10, 2021 · The First Sunday After the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord, Year B Genesis 1:1-5 · Psalm 29 · Acts 19:1-7 · Mark 1:4-11
REGISTER FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES OF KOINONIA AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, OR BY CALLING 404-365-1009 STARTING WEDNESDAY, 10 A.M. THESE SERVICES ARE LIMITED TO 50 ATTENDEES, WITH MASKS REQUIRED.
7:45 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, CLOISTER GARDEN 8:45 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, LABYRINTH 11:15 A.M. SERVICE OF KOINONIA, LABYRINTH 1 P.M. SERVICIO DE KOINONIA EN ESPAÑOL, CLOISTER GARDEN REGISTER BY CONTACTING DEACON JUAN SANDOVAL, JSANDOVAL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG. CONTINUE TO WORSHIP WITH THE CATHEDRAL ONLINE AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/STREAM, ON THE CATHEDRAL APP, AND ON THE CATHEDRAL FACEBOOK PAGE.
8:45 A.M. AND 11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder Preacher: The Very Rev. Sam Candler Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, BWV 684 Hymn 120, “The sinless one to Jordan came" Psalm 29 (Anglican chant: James Turle) Hymn 116, “ ‘I come,’ the great Redeemer cries” This Endris Nyght Richard Lakey, Spirit of God, descend upon my heart Hymn 121, “Christ, when for us you were baptized” Caithness Gaston Litaize (1909-1991), Épiphanie
PRAYER List FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: IMMEDIATE NEEDS: Judy McLeroy • Patricia Schooley LONG TERM PRAYERS R. Huntley Allen • Anne Bao • Penny Barnett • Edgar & Judith Beach • Perry Benton • Virginia Bicksler • Elizabeth Brannon • Michael Carrin • Heather Clark • Sharon Crews • Terry Dornbush • Sarah duBignon • Deborah Ellington • Dan Elson • Jenny Ham • Louise Kan • John Patrick Kelly • Lisa Krysiak • Sandy Land • Carol McDonald • Glenn Miller • Ashley Minear • Royce Mitchell • Laura Moore • Susan Myers • Charlie Neal • Linus Nickel • Marion Palmore • Beth Pitzer • Garry Pryor • Rowland Radford • Rubye & Wayne Reid • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Fred Rudolph • Louis "Skip" Schueddig • Dave Thompson • Tommy Truesdale • Faye Van Winkle • Michael Wood
FAMILY AND FRIENDS Bettina Bass • Bella Bond • David Bond • Lynn Chandler • Roy Eugene Chatham • Andrew Clark • Vickie & Bob Coffman • Marie Corrigan • Robyn Kim Crennan • Carleton Fuller • Lamont Glover • Marilynn Hill • Cadel Ingraham • Vivian Johnson • Stephen Jones • Robin Kemp • Grace Lawson • Pete Livezey • Lauren Makhlouf • Pat Martin • Marge Massey • Michelle Maxwell • Katie McCae • John Mitchell • Betsy Moore • Steven Norman • Dot Oscher • James Sands • John Sewell • Cindy Snell • Paul Sturtz • Caroline Southerland • Tina Susco • Yvonne Tate • Pierson Thames • Jeffrey Thomas • Wayne Thurman • Roger Traylor • Ron M. Wallace • Roslyn White • Whit A. Wright • Hollis Youngner
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED Tommy Ripley • Alfonso Torres
MUSIC SUNDAY AFTERNOON RECITAL CUARTETO ORGÁNICO MCDUFFIE CENTER FOR STRINGS, TOWNSEND SCHOOL OF MUSIC, MERCER UNIVERSITY STREAMING LIVE AT 3:15 P.M. SUNDAY AT CATHEDRALATL.ORG/RECITALS AND ON FACEBOOK
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Opus 18 Allegro Andante con moto Allegro Presto
Adult EDUCATION
These classes gather on Zoom at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday. Go to cathedralATL.org/education for links.
OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY SCHOOL January 10 through February 14, 2021 What does Jesus mean when he says “I am”? Epiphany is the season that we use to celebrate the manifestation of Christ. In the Western churches, we tend to focus on the visit of the magi and the worldwide mission of the church. The Eastern churches tend to focus instead on Christ’s baptism by John, when the heavens opened and a voice from heaven declared Jesus to be God’s beloved Son, and the miracle of Cana in Galilee, where Christ first “manifested” his glory. This year in Old Fashioned Sunday School, we’ll take a more eastern approach to the season of Epiphany by exploring the Jesus Christ that is manifested in the Gospel of John. It won’t be like the reading of the fourth gospel that you are used to hearing, though. We will be reading it from the center. We’ll assume that the story of the sea-crossing (6:16-21) is the structural center of the gospel and talk about what the gospel might be telling us about Jesus if this is true. Much of the approach taken in the course will be from The Good Wine: Reading John from the Center by Bruno Barnhart.
HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO GOD’S PEOPLE In this group, we hope to quiet the mind and invite the Holy Spirit into our presence. All are welcome and no experience is required! Cathedral Seminarian Will Drosos leads this class, along with Canon Cathy Zappa.
PARENTING UNSCRIPTED Parenting is hard...find a community of support. Join other parents in discussions around faith, parenting teenagers, and how to support their spiritual growth. This group is led by Scott Russell and others.
The CATHEDRAL off ST. PHILIP The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music The Rev. Lauren R. Holder, Canon for Community and Education The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar The Rev. Catherine Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care The Rev. John William Harkins III, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Nathan G. Huddleston, Priest Associate for Youth and Young Adult Ministries The Rev. Julia B. Mitchener, Priest Associate The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate Del King, Senior Warden Samuel T. Wilmoth, Junior Warden
CATHEDRAL TIMES SUBMISSION DEADLINES: FOR THE SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6. FOR THE SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13. TO RECEIVE THE TIMES BY EMAIL, CONTACT MELANA DICKSON, MDICKSON@CATHEDRALATL.ORG. TO SUBMIT AN ANNOUNCEMENT REQUEST, CONTACT SARA CRAIGGOODELL, SCRAIGGOODELL@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
404-365-1000 | cathedralATL.org pastoral care emergency line: 404-365-1003
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POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by January 9, 2021
St. Veronica's GUILD EPIPHANY DRIVE It’s Epiphany: when the Wise Men came on their camels, bringing gifts. Please help St. Veronica’s Guild this Epiphany by giving gifts of funds to purchase toiletries for our neighbors served by Emmaus House, Crossroads Community Ministries, Church of the Common Ground, and Holy Comforter Episcopal Church Friendship Center. St. Veronica’s Guild gives toiletries to these ministries throughout each year to use with vulnerable people affected by poverty, inadequate housing, and poor health. As these ministries have responded to the pandemic, personal care items are even more important to maintain health but are usually only available through private donations like those of St. Veronica’s Guild. To meet the ministries' increased needs, the guild has shifted from collecting personal care items to collecting funds to augment their pre-pandemic earmarked monies. Bulk purchasing and distribution are more flexible and cost efficient. SecureGive donations to the St. Veronica’s toiletries ministry can be made through cathedralATL.org or at the atrium kiosk. Donations of any size make a big difference. A few dollars add family size soap bars for the Emmaus House food pantry, or fill a Crossroad guest’s hygiene kit. The guild’s signature Epiphany camel sits near the Cathedral atrium kiosk. She symbolizes the Epiphany tradition of bringing gifts for those in need, and conveys thanks for your generosity.
Cathedral BOOK STORE
POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES (USPS-093440) is published weekly by The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
Cathedral ANTIQUES SHOW
THE CATHEDRAL ANTIQUES SHOW "REIMAGINED" FOR THIS MONTH The Cathedral Antiques Show presents its 50th Anniversary Show in a new and exciting virtual format for 2021. Everyone’s favorite events will be online, Thursday, January 21 through Saturday, January 23. This year’s beneficiary will be the 180 Degree Kitchen at City of Refuge – a life-changing ministry on Atlanta’s Westside. Since 1997, City of Refuge has helped more than 20,000 individuals return to selfsufficiency by focusing on four key impact areas: health and wellness, housing, job training and youth development. Hardships caused by COVID-19 have intensified the need for these vital services. All your favorite events will be offered: The Preview Party will offer a gracious Southern welcome, with artfully curated dinners with wine delivered to the homes of patrons and donors based on giving level. Flower Friday brings world-class floral designers, garden clubs and flower guilds, and the Iron Floral Competition to teach, demonstrate, and inspire. The All-Star Design Panel presents Alex Hitz, “the very best host in the world,” live-streaming An Intimate Gathering of Friends, as he is joined by Lisa Fine, Richard Keith Langham, Frances Schultz and moderator Margot Shaw. The Tour of Homes will be an intimate, virtual tour through three of Buckhead’s finest residences, hosted by the designers and architects who created the décor and architecture of these stunning homes. Verbal appraisals will be available in person, the silent auction runs Sunday, January 17 through Sunday, January 24, and our dealers will be available for online personal shopping. Details and tickets at cathedralantiques.org