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DECEMBER 2025 MILLS’ MUSINGS – GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the music of the Christmas season. From Linus and Lucy Can Rock to You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch and from Frosty the Snowman to Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, music from the animated specials of my childhood still brings a smile to my face.
Through the years, I have added an appreciation of more substantial works, including Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria and George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah. Although they were written about 300 years ago, both are still widely performed when Christmas time is here, eloquent evidence of music’s ability to convey profound truths to human souls.
And I never tire of playing or singing Christmas carols. My favorite is Angels We Have Heard on High. The melody comes from a traditional French piece, “The Angels in Our Countryside.” “Traditional” is one way musicians say, “We have no idea who wrote this tune.”
The author of the 10 original verses is equally unknown. We do know that in 1860, these verses were translated into English by James Chadwick, a Roman Catholic bishop from England. I was surprised when I learned that it was not until 1966, when the American composer Austin Lovelace was preparing to include it in a new United Methodist hymnal, that this centuries-old carol was first given the title “Angels We Have Heard on High.”
One of my earliest musical memories is learning to sing this carol for my home church’s Christmas pageant. This annual event was the standard small church bathrobe drama, complete with shepherds and angels, wise men and a plastic baby Jesus. But with each tableau, the Junior Choir sang a verse or two from an appropriate carol. When we got to Angels We Have Heard on High, I was asked to sing the alto line for the refrain.
That was a revelation.
As the carol’s refrain began, the sopranos held their note for several beats while the altos sang shorter notes below them. Then we held a long tone while the sopranos kept changing notes above us. I was hooked. It would be years before I learned that the technical term for that musical procedure is “polyphony,” literally, “many voices.” It took me even longer to recognize that this compositional technique provides an ideal way to set the text of the carol’s refrain, which is taken from Luke 2:13-14:
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
By definition, a multitude of angels would include many voices. Using what a former pastor called my “sanctified imagination,” I can imagine that the voices of the heavenly host ranged from low to high, each with its own distinctive timbre. And while I can’t imagine what that heavenly choir sounded like when they praised God from the sky, I’m sure that what the shepherds heard was glorious and that it glorified God in the highest.
As together we begin this new Christian year, journeying through Advent to Christmas with the music of the season ringing in our years, let me encourage you to listen a bit more carefully to the carols you’ll hear and sing. For even though we know them all by heart, if we pay a little more attention to both the words and the music, we just may find our souls refreshed in unexpected ways.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
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News & Announcements for Sunday, November 30, 2025
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS – ORDER TODAY
It’s time to order poinsettias to help decorate our sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas season. You are welcome to donate one in memory and in honor of loved ones. The sign up sheet and order forms are available on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary. They are $10.00 each and the deadline is Sunday, Dec. 7. Please contact Linda Lange if you have questions.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 3:30 PM
The Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday, December 2nd at 3:30 p.m. We are using the book, ‘Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilkin. Karey Garrison is our facilitator and teacher. Please work on pages 21 -35 before you come to class. Also, if you would like to bring a snack to share that would be great! And, as always, feel free to bring a friend.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 11:30 AM
The Book Club will meet at Depot Grille at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 4th. We will not be reading anything special for December but if you have a favorite Christmas short story or poem that you would like to share, please bring them. Also, please bring a wrapped and gently used book that we will give to one another as gifts. This is an Icelandic tradition that we started last year and will continue this year. See you at our Christmas celebration on the 4th!!
HANGING OF THE GREENS – SATURDAY, DEC 6, 9AM-Noon
You are invited to join us on Saturday, December 6 from 9-noon as we prepare our church to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We will decorate beautiful trees with Chrismons, set up Advent candles, wreaths, and banners as we enjoy light brunch refreshments, Christmas music playing in the background, and above all, each other’s company.
HELPING HANDS OFFERING – THIS MORNING
Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!
MISSION FOCUS FOR DECEMBER – CHRISTMAS BASKETS
The December Mission Focus is the Christmas Baskets. Please bring items to help bring a little joy to needy families in our area. Details can be found in the December newsletter.
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News & Announcements for Sunday, November 23, 2025
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS – ORDER TODAY
It’s time to order poinsettias to help decorate our sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas season. You are welcome to donate one in memory and in honor of loved ones. The sign up sheet and order forms are available on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary. They are $10.00 each and the deadline is Sunday, Dec. 7. Please contact Linda Lange if you have questions.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 3:30 PM
The Bible Study group will meet on Tuesday, December 2nd at 3:30 p.m. We are using the book, ‘Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilkin. Karey Garrison is our facilitator and teacher. Please work on pages 21 -35 before you come to class. Also, if you would like to bring a snack to share that would be great! And, as always, feel free to bring a friend.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 11:30 AM
The Book Club will meet at Depot Grille at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 4th. We will not be reading anything special for December but if you have a favorite Christmas short story or poem that you would like to share, please bring them. Also, please bring a wrapped and gently used book that we will give to one another as gifts. This is an Icelandic tradition that we started last year and will continue this year. See you at our Christmas celebration on the 4th!!
HANGING OF THE GREENS – SATURDAY, DEC 6, 9AM-Noon
You are invited to join us on Saturday, December 6 from 9-noon as we prepare our church to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We will decorate beautiful trees with Chrismons, set up Advent candles, wreaths, and banners as we enjoy light brunch refreshments, Christmas music playing in the background, and above all, each other’s company.
HELPING HANDS OFFERING – NEXT SUNDAY
Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!
MISSION FOCUS FOR NOVEMBER – CHRISTMAS BASKETS
The November Mission Focus is the Christmas Baskets. Please bring items to help bring a little joy to needy families in our area. Details can be found in the November newsletter.
Read more...
News & Announcements for Sunday, November 16, 2025
JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:30-10:30. We look forward to seeing you!
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – THIS MORNING
The Session has called a congregational meeting for Sunday, November 16 following the worship service to receive the report from the Nominating Committee. The elder-nominees are: June Hedrick (Class of 2026), and Debra Irvine (2028 & Clerk of Session).
WOMENS BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 @ 10AM
The Book Club will meet on Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 a.m. The book we are reading for this month is The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley. Please join us as we discuss this book and bring a snack to share with the group. Come even if you have not read the book. And, as always, bring a friend!!
MISSION FOCUS FOR NOVEMBER – CHRISTMAS BASKETS
The November Mission Focus is the Christmas Baskets. Please bring items to help bring a little joy to needy families in our area. Details can be found in the November newsletter.
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS – ORDER TODAY
It’s time to order poinsettias to help decorate our sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas season. You are welcome to donate one in memory and in honor of loved ones. The sign up sheet and order forms are available on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary. They are $10.00 each and the deadline is Sunday, Dec. 7. Please contact Linda Lange if you have questions.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOXES
This year our church will again be collecting shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Please see the Operation Christmas Child table in the narthex to pick up a shoebox and learn more. We will be collecting the boxes on Sunday, Nov. 23. What a joy to celebrate Christmas by giving gifts that can change the lives of children throughout the world.
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News & Announcements for Sunday, November 9, 2025
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – NEXT SUNDAY
FALL 2025 COLLEGE CARE PACKAGES
WOMENS BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, NOV. 11 @ 4PM
Join us for the November meeting on Tuesday, November 11 at 4pm. We will be starting our study of The Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkins. Copies of the study guide can be picked up in the church office.
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS – ORDERS BEGIN TODAY
It’s time to order poinsettias to help decorate our sanctuary for the Advent-Christmas season. You are welcome to donate one in memory and in honor of loved ones. The sign up sheet and order forms are available on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary. They are $10.00 each and the deadline is Sunday, Dec. 7. Please contact Linda Lange if you have questions.
WOMENS BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 @ 10AM
The Book Club will meet on Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 a.m. The book we are reading for this month is The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley. Please join us as we discuss this book and bring a snack to share with the group. Come even if you have not read the book. And, as always, bring a friend!!
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOXES
MISSION FOCUS FOR NOVEMBER – CHRISTMAS BASKETS
The November Mission Focus is the Christmas Baskets. Please bring items to help bring a little joy to needy families in our area. Details can be found in the November newsletter.
Read more...
