What a joy to gather this last week and watch the Christmas story unfold before us. A tremendous thank you to everyone who participated in the pageant and to Jay Britt and Brian Schuetz for helping to make it happen. I'm so grateful!
This coming Sunday is both the 4th Sunday of Advent when we celebrate God's gift of love and also Christmas Eve. I hope you'll join us for both services. In the morning, we'll sing our favorite carols together. We'll also have a chance to share in more depth our joys and concerns for the season -- I know that some of us have missed doing that these last couple of weeks. Our morning service is at 10:00 am as usual.
Our Christmas Eve service will also be filled with special music: a string quartet, a bell piece, Ben Bickerstaff singing Ave Maria once again, Jenna Votaw singing "Oh Holy Night" and of course our amazing choir! We will share communion and sing "Silent Night" beginning with a verse in German as we have for as long as any of us can remember.
I hope and pray that in the midst of the busy-ness, in the midst of the mad dash to have everything ready for Christmas, in the midst of missing those who are not with us, grieving broken relationships, lamenting the terrible violence happening around the world, we will remember that Christ came for a world such as ours. Christ came for this world and for us. God loves us by becoming us. By walking with us. By weeping and laughing with us. And how can we not hope with a love like that? How can we not sing? How can we not rejoice even in the midst of our weariness and grief? A love like that calls, as Mary does in her proclamation as she stands on the threshold of Elizabeth's home, for justice and reconciliation -- for an up-ending of the status quo.
Thank God we are invited to remember and celebrate that every single year. I know I need it. I know I need you. I know I need our community. To remind me that love comes. No matter what. And love calls us.
