Friends in Christ,
We are coming up on one of my favorite seasons in the liturgical year: advent! Advent marks the beginning of the church year as we prepare for the presence of God with us. Over the next four weeks, we welcome God’s reign of justice and peace among us. It’s this very thing that Jesus embodied and taught: that justice would flourish, that people would live without fear, that the vulnerable would be cared for, that we would embrace life that really is life.
In the tradition of the prophets who came before us (and the prophets in our very midst) we welcome Jesus Christ with names like wisdom and liberator, God of might and sun of righteousness…and perhaps most profoundly, Emmanuel– God with us.
Advent is a season of waiting, waiting for the Messiah to come, waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled, waiting for the fullness of God to be revealed. In this season of waiting, we will wonder together about the things that just cannot wait. What demands our immediate attention? What requires preparation and participation? What is it that God can’t wait for? Is it our praise, reconciliation, and proclamation? Is it the end of suffering, isolation, and fear?
The following themes will guide us each week as we wonder and question and wrestle:
God’s Promised Day Can’t Wait
Repentance Can’t Wait
Delight Can’t Wait
Courage Can’t Wait
In addition to worship each Sunday, there will be a variety of other ways to explore this question of “What Can’t Wait?” together. Daily devotionals for families and individuals will be available for use at home. During our adult forum time we will practice Visio Divina (divine seeing), a method of meditation, reflection, and prayer guided by artwork and other visuals.
This Advent, I invite you to join me in imagining, prioritizing, and preparing. As we wait, what can’t?
Pastor Melissa