Dear Friends,
It was so good to be together to applaud the children who were in the pageant and to light the candles of Hope and Peace on Sunday evening. Our Christmas light is growing brighter in so many ways! But, of course, to keep these lights burning, we need to move beyond symbolism. The peace light the prophets are shouting about is a just-peace— Shalom!—the light we carry into the world to shine on and address the breaches among us that need healing, leveling, or dismantling. But where do we start? Maybe on our own patches of holy ground….
In the Advent at Home resource I’ve attached, I’ve suggested a couple ways we might do that using the Passing the Peace video from Sunday night. It’s a COVID peace body prayer created by Jessica Young, who is an associate professor in the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling program at Columbia College in Chicago. See if this creates a small heart habit of sharing the light of peace and compassion in your home. See if it feels like you are saying to the LORD, “Come in! Come in!”
This week we light the Candle of JOY! Join us on ZOOM on December 13, at 6:30PM. You’ll find the link in the Thursday Highlights. We’ll be lighting three candles: hope, peace, joy. To prepare for the candle lighting gathering:
1. Talk with others about the difference between happiness and joy. What brings you joy?
2. Start next Sunday night with something warm to drink and add a candy cane.
3. Have a favorite carol in mind you’d like to sing. We are going to pour out our requests to Bron and she’ll fill our ZOOM boxes with some Christmas joy!
Last thing: I just want to thank everyone who contributed to the Advent Devotional. I’m savoring each piece each morning. So beautiful. Thank you.
Let heaven and nature sing, everybody! And remember you are a part of the song this Advent!
Pastor Karyn
