Dear Ark and Dove Community,

This Sunday we light the second candle of the Advent wreath. As we light the wreath, the church provided, at home, I tell my granddaughter we are getting ready to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. Jesus is called “the dawn from on high” in Luke 1:78. The arrival of Jesus sparked a new dawn, which we both celebrate and continue with worship, mission and ministry.

Verse 6 of 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' (at least verse 6 in our hymnal) uses the word Dayspring instead of Dawn. It goes like this:

Advent and Christmas have ample power to disperse the gloomy clouds of night. And yes, we can admit, this year many days have been gloomy, yet Advent and Christmas proclaim the love and light of God coming into the world to chase the darkness away. As your Advent wreath grows brighter, let the light bathe you with hope. Lighting the wreath is an act of prayer.

On Christmas Eve, we will gather outside with Lanterns and Luminaries for a short service at 5:30. We will share Christ’s light with carols and prayers and end with 'Silent Night.'  We will soon be starting a sign-up for the service online. And this is another reminder that we must wear our masks and keep at least six feet distance from other households in the church. That will be our Christmas covenant with each other. And there will be cocoa. Carols and Cocoa.

Peace of Christ,

tstern@arkanddove.org

Dear Friends and Members of Ark and Dove,

When I was leaving church on Wednesday evening, Amy Stavely was in the parking lot setting up for her Girl Scout meeting. She was arranging items under one of the parking lot lights. As I walked towards her, she called out to me, "I am so grateful for these lights." 

These parking lights, if you have not seen them at night, are really bright. Pre-pandemic, we might say that these lights are too bright. However, due to the fact that some groups in and attached to Ark and Dove are meeting outside in the evening, these lights have been essential to sustaining community. They have enabled conversation, games, activities and prayers. Like Amy, I am so grateful for these lights as they have granted us the ability to meet around something other than the light of a screen.

This Advent, as we consider the theme of light, those bright parking lot lights under which people are gathered remind me that God is still gathering us around perpetual light. Shepherds, magi, and angels were brought together by the light emanating from a manger. Now, Christ's light shines on the faces around the parking lot light of a church in Maryland. I am grateful for that.

Peace,

jnelson@arkanddove.org

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Merlin Berry; Dick Paronto; Bob Johns; Camille Dubois; John Mikeska; Richard and Edie Budd; Vaughn Brown; Frances Keyes; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Dotty Kaufman, her son, Bill, daughter-in-law, Carol, granddaughter, Sarah, and grandson Nathan; Lewis Shorter and Lewis Shorter’s niece, Jennifer Schwandt-Gayle; Bob Fuller’s brother, Joe Fuller; Dot Forloines’ family and her great-grandson Luke; Amanda Crose's grandmother, Betty Davis; Donna Anderson's brother-in-law, Tom Brown; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s family in Connecticut and daughter, Allison; Linda Taylor’s mother, Izola; Grant Kirby’s mother, Caroline, and Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd; Clarke Beaudry’s mother, Judy LaMarque; Kennon Bauman’s uncle, Dan Johnston; Amy Goldberg’s grandmother, Ruth Cooper; Christy Yeager’s mother, Linda Jordan; Michelle Schoonmaker's Auntie Bernice; Diane Johnson's Uncle Ed, Aunt Janet, and cousin Richard; Shelley Franklin's father; Hollis Butterworth’s daughter, Rachel Mershont and brother-in-law, Brian Smith; Amanda Wehage’s mother, sister and father, Dave; Laurie Barrow’s nephew, Gunther Kurtz; Sabonna Keeney’s mother; Bernabe and Griselda Solano, and Griselda's sister, Irma; Laura Doughty’s brother-in-law, Carl Hahn, and Paul Doughty’s uncle, Wes; Cindy Knott’s mother, Madeline; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Bill Ruble’s mother, Mary Jane Weathers; Ann Hirschy’s aunt, Cindy, and brother; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Patriceo Green’s cousin, Philip Brown; Lou Kareha’s aunt, Judy Kochis, and cousin, Thomas; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sisters; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Kathy Miller’s friend, Sandee Dickson; Sue Hanburger's friends, Barb, Phyllis, Martha and Craig; Linnie Girdner and Jan Hof’s friend, Grace Ligon; Ylonda Fauntleroy's friends, Gloria Jean Austin and Tanya; and Kathy Emmert's friend, Patty.

PRAYERS OF HEALING for those with COVID-19 including: Jon Nelson's sister, Meredith; Emily Crose's grandmother, Lois Echhorn; Doug Walcutt’s father, Chuck Walcutt, and stepmother, Linda Walcutt; Diane Johnson’s grandson, Avery Woods; Ed Barrett's friend, Joe Bogner; Julia Kirby’s friends, Sam and the Speer family; Robert and Marissa Lyle; Lisa Marino, Jay Mulholland, and their 4-month-old daughter Lily; Ylonda Fauntleroy's family, Annette and Leah Turner, and friends, Sandra and Elijah Williams; Michelle Schoonmaker's colleague, Ajita Robinson; and Jennifer Roman's aunt, Laura Clay, and grandmother, Louise Nothdurft.

PRAYERS OF LOVE, SUPPORT AND PROTECTION for all essential workers workers around the world, including: Bill Gaurin; Tricia Gray’s mother; Becca Distad; Jack Burnett; Caitlyn Bussey; Emily Sanders; Audrey Miller; Linda Jordan’s nephew, Russell; the Ralston’s family members and friends; Simone Stiegler’s friend, Jean Marie; Mike Stiegler; Amy Grimm’s mother; Jeff Grimm; Amy Goldberg’s brother, Joseph Alexander, and parents, Michael and Maryann Cooper; Judy Cooper’s daughter; John Mikeska’s son, Jonathan; and Hollis Butterworth’s sister-in-law, Cyndie.