Pastor's Message
December, 2011
Friends:
Advent is upon us. It's the darkest time of the year.
So many people in darkness. So many people looking for light.
So many of us have so much to give, so much light to impart.
The season is all about hope. And it's all about light.
Even on days when hope seems most distant, when the news coming from
near and far seems nothing but bad news, when our own lives seem in as
much chaos as the world, the hope is still there. God’s promise still assures
us that all is not lost, that the new day will come, that it does not all rest
on our weary shoulders. God is the one who will establish this – that is the promise.
We are called right now, this season, to watch: to pay attention for the
glimpses of God’s presence we will see if we can look past the store
displays, past the crowds of frantic people. We are called to watch not only as
individuals, but together as God’s church, to gather for worship, prayer, and rejoicing.
We are called right now to work: to do the things that make for peace
right now, to give of what we have to help those who are hungry or lonely or
inured or ill, to do much more than fill that empty space under our Christmas
tree.
We are called right now to hope: to cast aside our cynicism and despair,
to embrace the hopeful vision of Isaiah, to let it touch our lives right
now, right here, this season, this Advent. We do so even as we look forward to a
day – God only knows what day – when it will fully be realized among us and
among all people. About that day and hour no one knows, but when it
comes nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war any more.
Peace and Love,
Pastor Jed