Hello Church,
December has arrived! Advent has begun! We have begun our preparation for the arrival of Jesus! Greens are hung, and will be here each Sunday despite the wind's best efforts. We will continue to "present" the Advent Wreath and Candles each week, though they may not actually be lit this year. Last week, we shared the Advent Candle representing Hope. Our Advent Hopes are always a mixture of the abstract and the concrete. We often find ourselves wondering how to best make "peace on earth and good will toward men (or creation)" tangible in our community and world this year. This year our list of specific hopes are a bit longer and more urgent than last year.
This Sunday we will share the Candle of Love. In a time when we must be so cautious about our interactions with our neighbors, we find ourselves asking anew "How can I best love my neighbor today?" We know it can't look exactly like last year.
We may find ourselves feeling our need for prayer more deeply than we normally do. I am praying. Today I am praying for the town where I grew up, and for a couple of particular families who were so much a part of my life then. When I was in elementary school, Mrs. Thomas watched me many a day after school. Both of her sons were in my dad's ag. classes and worked for us on the farm. They are still close neighbors today. You may remember me writing about our hay hauling partners, the Yoder family, a few weeks ago. This weekend I received word from my dad that Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Yoder died last week as a part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many others, I am not sure how to express my sadness, especially for the many friends and family that surround them even now. And so I ask that you pray.
Offer prayers of healing, for all of those among us and around us caring for neighbors and loved ones, and for those who are missing neighbors and loved ones. Offer prayers of love in word and deed, remembering our neighbors and living always for one another more than we do for ourselves. Offer prayers of Hope, that next Advent will be different, that Christ will seem even closer, that we may more actively make the Kingdom of Heaven visible on earth. For Christ has come, indeed. Christ will indeed come again. May we continue to shine our lights until then.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Alan