Happy Holidays Dear Church!
What a joy it is to see our beautiful sanctuary decked out for the season. There is nothing that warms my heart more than the efforts of our Board of Worship. They take a vision and make it a reality. Our first Sunday of Advent was a beautiful time reflecting on the “light at the end of the darkness.” I hope that you are embracing your present circumstances, dark as they may be, and still find the light of HOPE that is at the end of your darkness. As we slowly move through the Advent season, you will begin to see how HOPE, PEACE, JOY, AND LOVE are not just the four weeks of Advent, but are also God’s dream for each of us.
This coming Sunday we will venture into the promised PEACE of Christ. I am reminded of a song we will be singing this Sunday. A classic, especially at this time of year is “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” Of course, it is not necessarily a “song of the season,” but as we approach the Sunday of PEACE, there is not a better song for us to sing, to remember, and to be challenged by. You will not want to miss Sunday morning. It is also a communion Sunday, the table where we ingest God’s PEACE … PEACE comes alive.
The World Council of Catholic Bishops wrote a beautiful piece titled, “The Challenge of Peace … God’s Promise, Our Response” In the piece I was most struck by this line:
“Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus.”
With this truth in mind, I wonder, how are we doing with this responsibility? I invite you to think about that question this week as we reexamine this fundamental truth. Until Sunday, embrace the LIGHT; the light of HOPE, the light of PEACE, the light of JOY, and the light of LOVE. I love being your pastor.
Holding you close and lifting you high!
Pastor Greg
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