Worship Service for Third Sunday of Advent, Sunday, December 11, 2022

 

Worship Service for December 11, 2022

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      God’s love has been made known among us, for God has sent Christ into the world that all might live.

P:      If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

L:      No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God abides in us.

P:      Let us worship God and seek to love as God has loved us.

 

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Today we light the third Advent candle, we’ll call it the Angels’ candle.  This candle is offered in honor of the angels who told the good news to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill to all.”  The angels sang with joy so that all who could hear were filled with joy.  In honor of all the angels who continue to proclaim the good news of joy, we light this candle.

Prayer:

Dear God, You surround us with Your angel of love so that we are able to live a life filled with joy.  Thank You for these angels, and help us to become angels of love for others.  AMEN.

 

Opening Hymn –  Angels from the Realms of Glory      Hymn #22/259

Prayer of Confession

O Holy God, our very waiting in Advent is itself a confession: If we are waiting for Emmanuel, we are not yet with You; if we are waiting for Jesus, we need a Savior; if we are waiting for Messiah, the proud are still powerful, the mighty are still exalted, the hungry stand unheard at the door; if we are waiting for Your incarnation in human form, we confess that we have not known You in our sister, we have not loved You in our brother, we have not served You in our neighbor.  In this time of great meaning, in the stillness of Advent love and light, hear our deepest confession; heal us and make us new through the good tidings of Your presence in our lives.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

 

Assurance of Pardon

L:      This is the good news in Jesus Christ.  We stand before God, not through our own goodness, but through God’s great kindness to us.  Rejoice and be glad, for God comes to you!

P:      Thanks be to God.  AMEN.

 

Gloria Patri

Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  AMEN

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

God of Advent waiting and watching; hopeful and full of love, we have come to You this day with hearts that are heavy, with concerns for family and friends; for world situations; for struggles at home, in our community, state, and nation.  We sometimes feel powerless to affect any changes.  So, we withdraw into ourselves, quick to criticize and slow to change our own behavior.  Today, You have called us to prepare ourselves, to wait with anticipation.  You remind us that Christ is the one who will bring messages of peace and love, joy and hope. He will help us to become faithful disciples and servants.  But we have much work to do.  Our preparation needs to focus on our own attitudes and our own actions.  We need to clean our spiritual houses of the cobwebs of hate, greed, apathy, suspicion.  We need to focus more on Your absolute love and forgiveness.  And then, as we turn our lives to You, offering names and situations in prayers for Your healing mercies, help us to remember that our own healing is also vital, that our own healing is necessary, that our own healing, helps heal others.  Enable us to be strong and confident workers for You in this world.

Holy Lord, heal our hearts, heal our wounds, and heal our souls. 

We thank You for all that You’ve done for us in the past.  Hear our heartfelt pleas for those we love….We remember….

And now in this moment of silence, hear our unspoken prayers.

Gracious God, we thank You for this day, for one another, and for our opportunities to worship You as we prayer together saying…Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  AMEN.

 

Hymn –  What Child Is This?                 Hymn #53/281

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Isaiah 35:1-10

Second Scripture Reading – Luke 1:46-55

Sermon –  

Patience Rewarded

(based on Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:45-56)

 

          If you’ve been out doing any kind of shopping, you have probably found yourself standing in long lines.  It doesn’t really seem to me that the past couple of years of Covid isolation has reduced the number of shoppers out this year.  In fact, in some cases, I’ve stood in longer lines than I have in a number of years.  The same is true regardless of whether it is food shopping, Christmas shopping, or at the post office.  And when it comes to calling something that used to be called Customer Service – I don’t know what they think they call it today – because time literally stops, from their perspective.  The occasional reminder that a representative will answer shortly is generally laughable and doesn’t make the wait any easier.

          So, what do most people do when they wait?  How do you keep yourself occupied, when half and hour or 45 minutes seem like a whole day has gone by?  Having a smart phone can prove helpful, at least while waiting in a line at the store or the post office.  At least you can check Facebook, emails, etc… And if the line is really long you can open up a book or an article in a Kindle application.

          But what if you’re waiting…not for the line to go down or for the representative on the phone to suddenly appear, but what if you’re waiting for God to act?  To do something?

          As we’ve mentioned in previous weeks, this season of Advent is by definition a season of waiting.  We pray and even sang last week, “O come, o come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.”  Every year we sing these words of expectation, while waiting for Emmanuel to be fully revealed to us, not as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, but as the real deal, the returning king.  We sing, “Desire of nations bind all people in one heart and mind” and “bid envy, strife and discord cease.”  Today, as we do nearly every Sunday, offer prayers of peace, longing for a time when the world will be filled with heaven’s idea of peace.

          I think the season of Advent can be very frustrating, because there are so many signs of Christmas surrounding us…and yet…nothing really seems to change.  It’s so easy for the message of Advent and Christmas to bet lost in the shuffle of finding just the right gifts during Holiday shopping, finishing up decorating and baking, all the added activities, company parties, friendly get-togethers, family gatherings.  It’s exhausting.  But our Advent candles that we light each Sunday symbolize our desire to experience something else.  They symbolize our desire to experience hope, joy, peace, and love.  However, we need to wait until that moment of longing inside of us gives way to the deeper meaning of Christmas – beyond the sparkling lights and the shimmering glitter.  Perhaps they are there too, to heighten our senses in waiting for it to come.  But, what exactly is “it”?  What exactly is that deeper meaning of Christmas that our longing gives way to?

          I think it is when our patience is rewarded; when hope, joy, peace, and love are fully realized in us through God’s unconditional gift of mercy, and grace.  When we can see our lives and the lives of those around us through God’s eyes.  I think that is the deeper meaning of Christmas and what is rewarded in our patience at Advent.

          I remember when I was a child, looking longingly at the Christmas tree, sizing up the packages under the tree, wondering what might be in them for me.  As I grew older, I learned that Christmas was not only about receiving, but also about giving.  We give because God gives to us.  So, while it’s not easy to wait, the reward for waiting is often greater than we can imagine.  That’s especially true if what lies beneath the tree is a new ______ and not a pair of socks!

          On this third Sunday of Advent we read from Isaiah and from the gospel according to Luke.  In each of these readings there is a long list of wonderful things that are coming for those who wait.  That our patience will ultimately be rewarded.  But, it is not easy to wait.

          In recent years I’ve begun learning about how the way we perceive time changes as we grow older.  When you’re a child, times goes by so very slowly.  These next two weeks are going to be agony and will seem like an eternity to a six year old, but for someone who has been on life’s journey for a number of decades the next two weeks are going to go by in flash.  When I look back over my life, it seems like it was just yesterday that I was leading youth groups to Alaska or Mexico, but then I realize that their children are getting involved in the same youth groups I use to lead.  I look at their Facebook posts and see posts of their kids growing up and wonder, where did the time go?

          We live in the time between advents.  The first advent of Christ’s birth that we celebrate anew each Christmas and the advent of Christ’s return which we anticipate in the future, what we currently hope for and wait for.  How are we to live in this time between advents?  In one of his letters to the church, Peter writes in 2 Peter chapter 3 that we “ought to lead lives of holiness and godliness” as we wait for the Day of the Lord.  During this period of waiting, he encourages us to “strive to be found by Him at peace, without spot or blemish.” And to be thankful, that’s God’s patience is our salvation.

          As we strive for that peace, perhaps the words of the Psalmist will help guide us in the time of waiting:

          “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His faithful, to those who turn to Him in their hearts.  Surely God’s salvation is at hand for those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land” (Psalm 85:8-9)

          We live in difficult times, when fear of the other causes us to withdraw and huddle behind closed doors.  We may feel like throwing our hands up in frustration.  We may be growing restless, and wish that the end would come quickly so our misery might end.  That is an understandable feeling, but I don’t think it is the message of Advent.  I don’t think THAT is the theology of waiting that our Advent should be about.  The in-between times, although they can be difficult, should be filled with joyful anticipation. 

Here is how Isaiah saw that anticipation; we wait for the eyes of the blind to be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame to leap like the deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.  Or how Mary, Christ’s own mother put it; her God, her salvation, has shown strength with his arm, scattered the proud, brought down the powerful, lifted up the lowly, and has filled the hungry with good things.

If there is to be peace on earth and goodwill for all, then it needs to start with those of us who know, appreciate, and acknowledge this Advent season of waiting.  As we seek to be faithful in this time between the first and the second Advents, may each of us find our place to contribute to the peace of God on earth as it exists in heaven.

Thanks be to God.  AMEN.

 

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

Loving God, as a thankful response to these gifts that we offer this morning, we also offer our beliefs, our commitments, and our whole lives, that we may hasten the time when no one will hurt or destroy on all God’s holy mountain.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing             Hymn #31/277

Benediction –

Postlude

Worship Service for Sunday, December 4, 2022

 

Worship Service for December 4, 2022

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      We hear the promise of the coming of Jesus into a manger and into our hears and homes.

P:      Bless our Advent waiting;

L:      Fill our worship with anticipation of Your love.

P:      Help us prepare Your way by lifting up the valleys in our lives

L:      and making smooth the rough places of others.

P:      Come to us, Emmanuel!

 

Lighting of the Advent Wreath

Today we light the second Advent candle, we’ll call it the Bethlehem candle.  This candle is offered in honor of the birthplace of Jesus as well as the many places where Christ is born in the hearts of believers.  While Bethlehem was so busy with commerce that it had only a stable to offer Jesus, let our Bethlehem be places of warmth and welcome.

Prayer:

Dear God, who comes to us through Jesus at Bethlehem, enable us to open our hearts so that we might have Christ in us.  We give You thanks for the places where we meet Him.  AMEN.

 

Opening Hymn –  O Come, O Come Emmanuel   Hymn #9/245

Prayer of Confession

Silent Word, Creative Act, Hidden Truth, Revealed Love: we wait for You.  To be precise, we are impatient for You to come and set things right.  We are insecure with our world, fearful of crime in the streets, and anxious about ourselves.  We refuse Your guidance, but we often wish You would act according to our plans.  We seldom pause to consider that You are waiting for us: waiting for some genuine act of contrition; waiting for us to repent and change; waiting for us to listen and respond with a burning passion to Your truth, Your justice, and Your mercy  Furnish us with humble hearts and willing spirits to receive You as You come to us through all the experiences of our lives.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

 

Assurance of Pardon

L:      This is the good news in Jesus Christ.  We stand before God, not through our own goodness, but through God’s great kindness to us.  Rejoice and be glad, for God comes to you!

P:      Thanks be to God.  AMEN.

 

Gloria Patri

Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  AMEN

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

Almighty and merciful God we believe, despite all the strange coming and goings of humanity, that our history belongs to you.  We give thanks that your eternal purpose is weaving its way through the events of time and space.  Sometimes, O Lord, it’s a challenge to hold on to this belief, but our confidence is in Christ, your Son and our Savior.  We believe his death and resurrection are our confirmation that even though we can’t understand the big picture of things, we can know history’s final outcome.  Gracious God, we watch with eager expectation for the return of Christ.  Our souls buzz with anticipation of seeing the One, face to face, who authored and sustains the universe, the One in whom and through whom all things hold together, the One who will one day sit in judgment.  We believe that on that last and great day all of history’s scoffers will drop to their knees in recognition of your Son.

          In this season when the darkness is banished and the light has come, we look to you for comfort and strength.  We hand over to you the concerns of our hearts and pray for….

 

          Not only these do we pray for, but we also pray for the burdens that are too difficult to share…hear us, Lord, in this time of silence.

 

We pray these things because Jesus taught us to pray together saying… Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  AMEN.

 

Hymn –  Gentle Mary Laid Her Child              Hymn #27 Blue Hymnal

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Isaiah 11:1-10

Second Scripture Reading – Romans 15:4-13

Sermon –  

Waiting

(based on Isaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13)

 

          How many of you would consider yourself to be a patient person?  Has your patience ever been tested?  How long can you last before you can’t take it anymore and have to say something or do something?

          We don’t tend to be patient people, do we?  And yet, the Bible is replete with stories of people having to wait and be patient.  Sometimes that waiting period is short… such as when David waited three days for a sign that all was well for him to return.  Or when Noah sent out a dove after 7 days to see if it had found dry land.  Or when the people of Israel waited for Moses to come down from the mountain.  But sometimes that waiting period can be long like when Abraham and Sarah waited for God to fulfill his promise that they would have children.  Or when Anna, the prophetess, had waited 84 years to see the gift of the Messiah when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for his circumcision.  Or when the Hebrew people were in bondage for 500 years waiting for someone to free them from Egypt.  Or in today’s account when the people of Israel heard from Isaiah that one day a shoot would come from the stump of Jesse and become the Messiah, the long awaited one.  But they would have to wait another 800 years for that to occur.

          Are you prepared to wait that long for something to be fulfilled?

          As Christ the King Sunday rolled around two weeks ago, a colleague in ministry wrote a sermon about the cycle we talk about in our Creeds; birth, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection.  Think for a moment about the words we said during the recitation of the Apostles’ Creed this morning.  We believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who was born, suffered, was crucified, died and buried; on the third day, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.  That is the life cycle of all living things…with hopefully, one exception; most of us will never suffer to the extent that we are crucified, but we do, all of us; die.  Just like the rest of it, we all go through – birth, suffering, death by some means, burial and resurrection.

It is part of reality.  It is part of our daily existence.  All things are born, suffer, die, and are buried, then rise again whether to life eternal or to a new form of life on this earth.

But there’s one part of this pattern that we fear.  And why so many of us are afraid of letting go.  It’s certainly not the birth part.  We celebrate new beginnings all the time.  It’s not even the suffering part.  We all know that life isn’t always easy and that there will be moments and periods of time that are difficult.  It’s not the death part either, even though loss can be devastating and difficult.  It’s certainly not the resurrection part.  As resurrection people, we look forward to that with anticipation. 

It’s the burial part.  It’s the time between death and resurrection that we fear the most.  The deep, dark, painful time of waiting for what comes next.  It is the unknown.  It is the part of our worst nightmares.  What if something new doesn’t happen?  What if I’m stuck in this lonely pit of isolation?  What if what comes next isn’t better than what I let go of?  What if it’s actually worse?  Burial; that’s what we’re afraid of.  The grieving, anxiety producing, waiting period of time.  That’s why we are often afraid of letting go.  Because it’s the scariest part of the pattern. 

And yet, I contend that waiting is the most necessary.  To wait with faith is to acknowledge that the waiting is not pointless.  It is to believe that the waiting will be worth it.  It’s in this period of time that new life finds root.  It’s in this period of time that we become stronger, braver, more courageous, and more whole.

Waiting is a time to look around and recognize that all is not as it should be or could be.  Waiting is the time to lean into these feelings of longing.  It is a time to lean into those feelings that not all is right, and that there is something better to come.  It is a time to dream; it is a time to imagine.  When we wait, though it seems that death and suffering run rampant and unrestrained through our world, we dream of being comforted.  We dream of being reunited with loved ones.  We dream of a time when God is going to make everything alright.  To echo the words of Isaiah, we dream of a time when God’s promise is fulfilled, when the wolf will lie with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, that calf and the lion together, when the cow and the bear will eat grass and their offspring will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  When nothing will be hurt or get destroyed on God’s holy mountain.  When all will live in safety and flourish.  We dream of a day when God will execute justice and righteousness throughout the land. 

But, how long, O Lord, how long?  How long must we wait for that?

Advent is a time to stop and to hesitate.  It is a time to dig into the discomfort and seeming incongruities Scripture presents to us.  It is a time to linger with questions rather than rush to answers.  These moments of delay or disruption create space to feel.  In these coming weeks leading up to Christmas, may we all pause and look around.  May we notice those things which are and those things we wish would be.  Certainly, we believe in Christmas and the theologies of Incarnation and of God’s presence with us.  But we also believe in the not-yet.  We hold onto those feelings of discomfort and of doubt.  We believe in Christmas, but let us also believe in Advent.  This time of waiting and burial for the not-yet.  It is a time to let go of our fears, to let go of whatever is holding us back from becoming.  It is the time to release what we’ve been holding onto, in order for the something not-yet to come.  Certainly, we believe in Christmas, a time of miracles and the miraculous, the stump of Jesse to become the branch of love, joy, peace, hope for the whole world.  It is the time of the anticipated birth of Baby Jesus.  But let us also believe in Advent.

What does it mean to believe in Advent?  To believe in Advent is to believe in waiting, to allow ourselves to be buried in the not-yet.  And may our waiting be full of dreams for a better world, full of God’s justice and love made present to all.  It’s time to let go and WAIT for what comes next.  Amen

Offertory –

Doxology –

Holy Communion

Prayer of Dedication –

Eternal God, how majestic is your name in all the earth.  The whole earth is full of your glory.  Please accept our humble offerings of ourselves and our resources.  Please use them to herald your hope to all persons everywhere who are living in physical, moral, and spiritual poverty.   Bless our gifts this day, O Lord.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – O Little Town of Bethlehem                 Hymn #44/250

Benediction –

Postlude

November 27, 2022 - Venice, Italy

It’s humbling to not feel well or to be sick in a foreign country.  Nothing bad, just bathroom issues which lasted a couple of days, hence no blog posts.  The unfortunate thing was that I really couldn’t leave the apartment in Sicily for very long or go very far.  I tried to go to a Pharmacy to find Imodium or something like it and while I was looking at the products and trying to figure out what I needed, before I could ask I needed to make a very fast retreat ASAP back to the apartment.  So, never got anything.  Luckily, life got back on track after a bit.

I did manage to get something for my Thanksgiving dinner; Pizza.  Honestly, I’ll be happy to not have anymore Pizza or Pasta for awhile after I return.  Although it’s been delicious, I’ve had enough. 

Pizza and Pasta are not the only things that people eat in Italy.  You can get “street food” which is mostly fried foods like Arancini, which are fried balls of rice and cheese and a meat or vegetable mix inside 

and sandwiches (such as Panini).  These cost about 3 or 4 Euros.  You can get lots of different pastas, risotto, soup, or pizzas on the menu which is called Primi or First Dishes.  And these items range from 8-12 Euros.  Then there are the real cuisine items such as fish, chicken, steak, pork called Secondi or the main dish which generally range from 22-34 Euros.  My budget just couldn’t afford those kinds of foods at each meal.  Plus, that’s all you get.  If you want a salad or a vegetable or a potato to go with it, it’s all extra and those generally cost another 4-6 Euros each.  And, unlike in American Restaurants where you’ll get a free glass of unending water, in most of Europe, you pay for that water and it can cost anywhere between 2.50-5 Euros per bottle.  So, food is not very cheap in Italy, if you want to eat well.  I did, however, check off a number of MUST TRY Italian foods during my days in this wonderful country.  Most of them I have already posted about.  Here are a few more.  

Cassata, which is particularly popular in Sicily, is a very sweet dessert made of Ricotta Cheese, Sugar, Dried Fruit, Cognac, and Fondant.

These are Involtini di pesche Spade.  Basically, fish meatballs.  I had them on my second day in Sicily.  Not sure what the white sauce was, but similar to what we might call tartar sauce without a pickle flavor.  I have no idea what the red stringy things are.  I ate them.  They were very strange in flavor, somewhat carrot-like, and had a mild numbing quality on the tongue.  If my bathroom issues had anything to do with food, it might have been these red things.

Caponata - This is a mound of cooked Zucchini and Eggplant in a Red Sauce with Chocolate Nibs on top.  Very odd combination, but tasty.

On my return trip to Venice, I finally had some Cicchetti.  Similar in concept to Spain’s tapas, these are tiny sandwiches, either open faced or closed.  I had a varied selection of six - two were open-faced.  They were served on Focaccia bread, which I am now obsessed with and wish my Focaccia Bread making class had not been cancelled.  I’m definitely going to learn how to make it, though!

Tiramisu - which, of course, everyone knows.  I had it a couple of times.  This was by far, the best.

Last night I went to the grocery store to purchase a couple of items, like bottled water (which costs .30 in the supermarket!) I found this yogurt.  At home I’m normally a plain Greek yogurt guy.  I don’t like anything in my yogurt - fruit flavors, no sugar, nothing.  Just the slight tang of the yogurt.  However, I fell in love with this and hope I can find it at home or order it from somewhere.  I’ll even give up my ban on the sugar.  Best Yogurt Ever!  Pistachio - seriously good!

After all this eating, I’ve decided I need a new wardrobe.  So, I’m coming home with a complete new Italian wardrobe.

When I was in high school or college, I might have actually dressed like this.  But, I’ll leave to the younger, slimmer crowd!

Here are a few shots of my last day/night in Venice and Italy.  See you all soon!

November 23, 2022 - Sicily, Italy

 I forgot to mention a few things about Mt Vesuvius when I visited Pompeii.  So here’s a picture for reference.

If you draw an imaginary line from one side of the slope upwards and from the other slope upwards from the two peaks that now make up Mt Vesuvius, you’ll have a general idea what the mountain looked like in 79 AD when it had the huge eruption that buried Pompeii.  Mt Vesuvius is still an active volcano.  The last time it erupted was in 1940 and it was pretty small.  Volcanologists/Seismologists believe that Mt Vesuvius will erupt more than likely within the next 20-50 years and they hypothesize that it will be larger than the one that happened in 1940, but can’t say just how big.  One of the world’s most active volcanoes is the one on the Stromboli Island (yes, that is indeed the name of the island!) off the coast of Sicily.  in fact it erupted just last month and has been doing so quite regularly since 1932.  But the volcano that is of most concern to Volcanologists isn’t Mt Vesuvius or the one on Stromboli Island, but rather a submarine volcano off the coast of Ischia Island.  It is 100 times larger than Mt Vesuvius and last erupted in 1302.  Volcanologists believe that it is just a matter of time before it erupts again.  Who knew there were so many active volcanoes in this part of the world?

When I left Sorrento on Tuesday, I had a few options to get to Palermo, Sicily.  One was to fly from Sorrento to Sicily.  Normally flying is cheap in Europe, but the cost for this particular flight was nearly 400 Euros.  I don’t know why.  The other option was to take a train from Sorrento back to Naples and then from Naples to Sicily at a cost of 47 Euros.  That’s the one I chose!  However, it was going to take the entire day and part of the evening.  However, I love train travel and I thought it would be a good opportunity to just relax and see the landscape of Southern Italy.  The night before leaving, I learned that there was also an overnight ferry from Naples to Sicily at a cost of about 100 Euros (if you wanted a sleeping cabin).  I decided to stick with the train.  Overnight the wind and rain picked up with lots of thunder and lightning.  During the train trip the next morning, which goes along the coast almost the entire way and watching the turbulent sea and waves that were at least 10-15 feet high, I was glad I had taken the train.  By midday the skies had cleared and the sea looked much calmer.  And it was at this point that I got a huge surprise!  There is a small strait that goes between mainland Italy and Sicily, Villa Giovanni and Messina.  I assumed one of two scenarios; we’d get off the train, take a ferry and get back on a new train in Messina or that there was some kind of train bridge between the two.  But no, neither of those two scenarios were accurate.  Instead, our entire train was loaded onto a Ferry while we were still on it!  The train was split into two sections and one half was loaded onto the right side of the Ferry and the other half was loaded onto the left side of the Ferry.  The entire process took about 10-15 minutes at most!  It was awesome!  Once we were secured, we were allowed to get off the train and go top side on the ferry or we could just stay on the train.

In Sicily, I spent a really nice leisurely morning doing nothing except watching the rain.  My apartment has a terrace in the front and the back and my host provided an entire refrigerator full of snacks, oranges, water, a bottle of wine and all the ingredients necessary to make my own pasta.  I’m leaving the pasta ingredients for my Thanksgiving Dinner.  But enjoyed a few of the pastry snacks and some of the oranges this morning.  When it stopped raining, I ventured out to see what Palermo had to offer.  It’s basically split in half by the old town and the new town.  In many of the European towns I’ve been in that have an “old town”, I expected narrow streets and wandering alleys.  Not in Palermo, the old streets are quite wide and are only for pedestrians.  I visited the beautiful Cathedral, several other churches, and the Theater.

The Cathedral of Palermo is enormous.

The Archbishop’s Palace was closed today, but will reopen tomorrow.  So, I plan to go back and see it.

I just wandered for a while and came across some really interesting old churches built in the 12th Century.

The Meridian Line that goes through the church

Church of Santa Maria.  It was closed by the time I got there.

Next to it on the right hand side with the three domes on top is the Church of San Cataldo.  Most fascinating church I’ve visited so far.  It is quite small and has more of that Middle Ages feel to it.

For my last stop of the day, I got a tour of the largest theater in Italy and the third largest theater/Opera House in Europe after the Palais Garnier in Paris and the Hof-Opernhaus in Vienna.  It was built in 1871 (the same year our house was built)!  It is 7730 square meters.

This is the actual scaled model version built by the architect to present to the committee for the award-winning design.

This theater is known for its perfect acoustics.  But it is in this domed reception room, known as the Echo Chamber, that the sounds really make a huge noise.  When you go to the center of the room and talk, the returned message sounds like it comes back to you from everywhere.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of a Sicilian Specialty - Pasta con le sarde; this is fresh, salted, and grilled sardines with fennel made into a sauce on top of Pasta.

 

I also had Sarde a beccafico, another Sicilian Specialty, which is a stuffing of sardines, pine nuts, raisins and breadcrumbs.  They were delicious.  

I thought I was a Northern Italian cuisine lover.  But the further south I’ve gone the more I like the food.  Well, they seem to use more fish!