The pink candle on the Advent Wreath is the signal to "Rejoice.... Christmas is almost here!". This year, our December meeting date corresponds with the weekend of the third Sunday of Advent, or Gaudet Sunday. In keeping with our tradition of December meetings in the past, our gathering this Friday will be a somewhat festive occasion, with the content focused on the theme that was especially meaningful to both Gilbert and Frances Chesterton; The Incarnation.
At our last meeting, I had announced that we would read through a play by Frances Chesterton, but due to difficulty assuring that everyone could get a copy inexpensively, I have decided to alter the course of our readings. Instead, we will discuss the classic chapter "The God in the Cave" in Chesterton's great book The Everlasting Man. To prepare for the discussion, please read the chapter before the meeting. If you don't have a copy of The Everlasting Man, let me know by email, and I will forward you the chapter "The God in the Cave" in a document format that you can easily print out. Do not worry if you haven't read the rest of the book, as the chapter can easily stand alone. As an addendum to your reading, you may wish to view this link to the video of a talk on the "The God in the Cave" given by Dale Ahlquist last December at a conference outside of Washington D.C. You may especially enjoy the Q&A that follows the talk after the host makes his announcements.
In addition to the discussion of "The God in the Cave", we will share some poetry. I will be bringing some poetry by Frances Chesterton. If you have any particular "Incarnation-ally" themed favorites that you'd like to share from either of the Chestertons, please bring them along.
(Please note... there is a link on Martin Ward's "G.K.Chesterton's Works on the Web" internet site titled "The God in the Cave", but it is only an excerpt from the chapter. If you are searching on the internet for a copy the chapter, make sure that you find the chapter in it's entirety.)
Please bring a contribution to the festivities... any desserts, fruits, cheeses or beverage contributions will be appreciated. Coffee, teas and paper products will be provided.
Please note the adjusted time frame for the December meeting only. This will allow plenty of time for each of us to have had dinner before coming to the meeting.
The doors will open at 7:30 pm for a pot luck of cheeses, desserts and festive treats, with the discussion beginning shortly thereafter. The meeting will wrap up sometime around 9:45pm.
As usual...Our meetings are held in the Village of Middle Lancaster, at the Lancaster Township Community Center located on Kings Alley and Community Center Drive, in Butler County PA. Kings Ally is off of Rt. 19 approx. 4.5 miles north of Zelienople, and just north of the Zion Lutheran Church and just south of East Lancaster Road. (The Community Center is a former one room school house, adjacent to the ball fields at Bauder Park.)
...and as always, feel free to email me at wpachesterton@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
Here's a direct link to that chapter in the full version on Martin Ward's webiste:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/everlasting_man.html#chap-II-i
Thanks Chris.
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