Watching and Waiting

A couple of weeks ago at our Blue Christmas worship service, I shared that I’ve been participating in an online Advent Retreat led by a friend and colleague Rev. Jan Richardson. Jan is an inspired artist, poet, and writer who uses all these gifts to lead others deeper into the mystery of God with us (you can find some of Jan’s work at janrichardson.com).

This past Sunday, Jan’s reflection included a line that captured my imagination. Writing about the reaction of John the Baptist as he kicked and danced in Elizabeth’s womb at the sound of Mary’s greeting, she writes, “It would, in time, become a habit and a calling for John, to proclaim and prepare the way for the Christ that even he had not seen but whose light he knew in his bones.”

It was the last part of that sentence, “whose light he knew in his bones,” that caught my attention. As we stand on the precipice of Christmas, we prepare to proclaim once again the promise of God made real and visible in Jesus. We say along with the scriptures that “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2), and “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Is it possible that we know the light is there? That we too, like John, even in our darkest moments, can feel it in our bones? Is it possible that part of the reason so many folks celebrate Christmas is that without even realizing it, people can feel that the light really does exist, and they can feel it at Christmas deep in their bones?

The great miracle is that the light not only exists, has not only entered this world once and for all time in Jesus, but as Jesus said, the light lives in us! “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14.

This Thursday evening, we begin the celebration of the light that shines in the darkness and in and through us with our Pre-Christmas Eve worship under the stars at 7:00 pm, out on the lawn that faces Wickham Rd. This is a terrific opportunity to worship with family and friends especially if you will be traveling on Christmas Eve. Bring a blanket or chairs and enjoy this casual worship experience with carols, candles, and communion.

Then on Christmas Eve, we will host our usual lineup of Christmas Eve worship – beginning at 4:00 pm with Family Worship in the Worship Center, and continuing with 6:00 pm Contemporary Worship in the Worship Center and 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm traditional worship in the sanctuary. All services from 5:00 pm on will include communion, and the nursery is available at the 5pm, 6pm, & 7pm service. Our 7:00 pm service will also be live-streamed.

When you know “the light in your bones,” the best and perhaps the only appropriate response is to give thanks and worship the giver of the light! I hope you will join us either in person or online as we celebrate the miracle of the gift of light, love, hope, and peace in our midst. And I pray you will know, wherever you may be this Christmas, deep in your bones, the difference that light makes.

Watching and waiting for the light once again,

Annette Stiles Pendergrass

PS. Remember - one worship experience on Sunday, December 26, 9:30 am in the sanctuary.

Christmas Eve Worship

Yesterday morning we gathered some folks from our Oasis Women’s Ministry and Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) to celebrate the Christmas Season, share delicious treats, and enjoy one another's company. I heard over and over again around the room, “Isn’t it nice to be doing this again?”

On Monday I gathered with another group to share a Christmas Dinner. Last Thursday, too. This weekend, I’ll share in another Christmas party and then Sunday’s beautiful expression of worship in the Canticle of Joy and our Children’s Christmas Musical. I could ask the same thing of each of these gatherings: “Isn’t it so nice to be doing this again?”

While my weeks have felt cluttered, as I’m sure yours have, I have also felt such deep gratitude for a more normal season, one marked by delicious treats, gatherings, and joy. I gave a friend a big, unfettered hug after seeing them for the first time this week after a while away. I anticipate without fear, now fully boosted, my ability to see friends in the new year that I haven’t seen since before 2020.

And while of course, there is news to be worried about, tornado victims to pray for, a virus variant to keep our eyes on… we continue to say, with relief, “Isn’t it so nice to be doing this again?” The thing we had hoped for is on the horizon. Praise God!

One of the feelings that came up again and again during our (well, at least my) COVID-19 stay-at-home was the feeling that maybe we had taken for granted all the good, beautiful, hard, and fun things that we had enjoyed in a more “normal” life. Pausing meant that our eyes were cleared of the clutter and we could see just how beautiful most of our complaining was and that we could truly focus on what was important.

As we enter into more normal life again, each at our own pace, we may let that feeling fade and be replaced by the stress of the season. Yet Advent and Christmas offer us the truly joyful opportunity to appreciate all that we have been given. We can, with joy, say, “Isn’t it so nice to be doing this again?” to gatherings, giving, and the abundance of our lives. We can be reminded of the true presence of Christ amidst all of the “stuff,” and reorient ourselves to his purposes. We can recommit to our faith, and to the sharing of our faith, in this abundantly beautiful season.

Last year, one of the most painful parts of our Christmas season here at the church was our feeling that we couldn’t quite fling our doors open wide for all of our worship experiences. We wanted to keep folks safe with distancing and capacity requirements, and we did so even with a sizable crowd. This year: no limits! The blessings of vaccines and further movement through this pandemic means that we can, without reservation, invite our friends, family, neighbors, cashiers, dog walkers, babysitters, strangers on the street… Well, you get the picture!... to experience worship on Christmas Eve, or our Pre-Eve service on the 23rd outdoors. Isn’t it so nice to be inviting people again?

So, as we light the candle of faith on Sunday, I hope your faith is renewed in this unexpected, upside down, beautiful story of the Christ child come to be among us. I hope you are carried in a normal-feeling Christmas experience. I hope you eat all of the treats, sing all of the songs, hug as many family members as your heart desires, and that you again enjoy welcoming our community to be a part of our celebration of Christmas. I hope these expressions of Christmas only draw you further into the love of God, the faith that we’ve had in more normal existence, and the faith that even in the mess, God shows up to be with us and to love us completely.

Below are videos that Pastor Annette and I made to invite others to our Christmas Eve worship outside on the 23rd, and inside on the 24th. If you need an extra boost to share your faith and your church family’s witness this season, use these videos on your social media to invite others to our services. If you’re reading this and still on the fence, let this be my personal invitation to you: join us this weekend for our Canticle of Joy, our Christmas Children’s Musical, and then join us this Thursday and Friday for our Christmas Eve worship experiences. It just isn’t the same without you there. We promise!

We’ll see you soon,
Pastor Allee