Pastor's E-Letter

Pastor's E-Letter

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Showing items filed under “Annette Stiles Pendergrass”

I'm Diving In

Last week, Scott and I were headed somewhere in his truck, and he had on a Pandora music station that he likes that plays early 2000’s contemporary Christian music (don’t be a hater – that Jars of Clay is good stuff!) and a song came on that I haven’t heard in almost 20 years! The song is called “Dive” by Stephen Curtis Chapman, and while I know I’m dating myself, hang in there with me – there is a point here.

The chorus of the song says, “I’m diving in, I’m going deep, in over my head I want to be – Caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head I want to go – The river’s deep, the river’s wide, the river’s water is alive – So sink or swim, I’m diving in.”

As I listened to the song, I realized that it describes how I feel about this new year. I have such a sense of hope, joy, and expectation over what God will do in and through all of us this year. I’m ready to dive in – to deeper discipleship, to deeper relationship, to deeper faith and trust in the power of God at work in me and here at Suntree UMC.

Of course, this song also speaks to the power of baptism to renew us and fill us with grace. Another verse says, “There is supernatural power in this mighty river’s flow - it can bring the dead to life, and it can fill an empty soul.” That is the power of the grace we find at the river with Jesus in the waters of baptism.

This Sunday, we will do so by reflecting on the immense love that God has for us as we study the parable of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-24. While we often refer to it as the parable of the prodigal son, the truth is that the story teaches us even more about the extravagant love of the Father who is always waiting to welcome us home. It is a picture of God’s love and grace that is so radical and shocking that we can never fully comprehend it. So, we keep telling the story and keep proclaiming its truth: we are loved with immeasurable love. We are always welcomed home no matter how far or often we wander.

We also see that truth is embodied in the baptism of Jesus and our baptism. So, this Sunday, you will have the opportunity to reaffirm your baptismal vows, to dive into the waters of grace, and be renewed and refreshed through the water. If you have never been baptized, you may hear God calling you to “dive in,” surrendering to the loving embrace of God, our loving Father. For those who have already been baptized, this is an opportunity to be renewed in that grace and renew our commitment to living as followers of Jesus.

All of this is the prelude to our next message series, “Follow Me” which we will say more about next week. But we hope that for the next six months, we will “dive in deeper” as a faith community and as individual followers of Jesus. Together we will be exploring who Jesus is as seen through the gospel of Luke and what it means for us to “follow” him in word and deed.

We hope you will join us for worship on Sunday, either in person or online. If you are worshipping online, prepare your home altar with a small container of water to join in the baptismal renewal.

The river of grace is indeed deep and wide. I pray we will all have the faith and trust in God’s amazing love to dive in deeply to that grace!

Grace and Peace,
Annette Stiles Pendergrass

Year-End Finance Update – Praise God! Through your faithful generosity and the amazing power of God to provide, we have ended the year after paying all our bills, including 100% of our connectional giving obligations, with a positive cash flow of $18,829.02. Yay God! And thank you, thank you to everyone who gave so generously and faithfully through this last year. Suntree UMC is a faithful, grateful, and generous church and every gift helped us accomplish this important milestone. Thank you!!

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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.

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