The Sunday Journal
Greetings and a warm welcome to all.
Today we begin a new church year. Therefore, I greet you with, Happy New Year! We are now in the wonderful and mysterious season of Advent – the time when we anticipate the birth of Christ. We wait with Mary as she prepares for the birth of her son, Jesus. Advent is not a penitential time like Lent; rather, it is a time set aside for meditation, quiet time, and prayer. The outside world is beckoning and enticing us with busyness, shopping, decorating, cooking, traveling, and endless activities related to the “Madison Avenue” version of Christmas that would have us experience only the hustle and bustle. The challenge for us as Episcopalians is to honor these next four weeks of Advent by focusing on the holiness of the coming of the Christ child into the world again. In truth, Christ never stops coming into our lives. Yet, we need to take this sacred and special time to remind ourselves that God, who came to us as the babe in a manger, is the center of our lives as Christians. It is Christ who sustains us with his love and shows us how to extend his love to others – to family, friends, and strangers alike. Advent also calls us to be patient people as we wait on God. O come Emmanuel!
In order to mark this Advent season we will make a few changes in our normal order of services. Each Monday from now until Christmas we will add a service of Morning Prayer at 9AM. On Saturday, December 5, this parish will host an Advent Quiet Day for all in the community. Our leader will be the Reverend Alice Haynes. Please plan to attend this quiet day of preparation for Christmas. This time set aside to focus on the holiness of this season will bring you peace and nourishment for the excitement that lies ahead in the days to come. We will also continue our Centering Prayer in the chapel on Wednesdays at 9 AM. Our psalmist writes to us this message, “Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths.” God surely wants to do just that, but God needs our prayerful attention first. O come Emmanuel!
Finally, each Sunday in Advent we will sing two verses of the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” for the sequence hymn at the 10:30 service. By the 4th Sunday in Advent we will have completed the hymn. The words serve as a gentle reminder that the mystery of the birth of Christ rests in the joy of our expectant and watchful anticipation with Mary and Joseph when all the world welcomes the Christ child again.
Peace and blessings to all,
Deedie+