It’s Monday, December 17 at 7;30 pm, and as I type this, it’s hard to believe that next week, literally at this time, we will be celebrating our Christmas eve service! It’s so easy, in the midst of grief, to feel that the promise of new life is not meant for us.
It’s so easy, in the midst of stress, to lose sight of the deeper meaning of God with us.
It’s so easy, in the midst of fear, to want to close ourselves off from the hope and promise of love.
As the great Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart once wrote, “God is always wanting to be born within us”
I believe that it’s true, and like pregnancy and birth, we need to be active participants in the process.
I offer you some suggestions for preparing a space within yourself.
- Take time to read the timeless words of the prophets, that speak to us, personally and collectively, as people
- living in the wilderness, in need of comfort, living in a land of deep darkness. I love the words of Isaiah 40, and 35, and 9.
- Take time to read the birth narratives, especially Luke 2.
- Take time to be still, to breathe deeply, to breathe in peace, to breathe out fear, and to allow yourself to be fully open, vulnerable, and real, with the God who loves you completely.
- Take time to be grateful, even in the midst of all of the pain, violence, and suffering, for the gift of life, of love, of this moment, of the beauty that is all around and within us.
Blessings and peace to you this week, with love, Pastor Laurie
Join Pastor Laurie and Music Director 
of carols where everyone is invited to take part in the pageant. Come wearing a costume or put on one of ours when you arrive! Be a shepherd, sheep, king, queen, angel, superhero, or donkey! All are welcome – friends, family, all are invited!
On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin to prepare for the story of Jesus’ birth with the strangest of readings, near the end of Luke, and just a few lines before the story of his death. 
