Happy Thanksgiving! I pray that wherever you are, and whomever you are with, that you are able to find some time to enjoy this holiday and give thanks, despite how strange our celebrations maybe this year.
We are only a few days away from Advent. Many of you no doubt have already set up Christmas trees in your living rooms and strung lights outside. It has been a rough year, and who can blame you for wanting to create a little early cheer? Traditionally, Advent has always been rooted in anticipating the arrival of Christ in our lives. If you are like me, you are probably sick of anticipation right now. It has been a driving force for many of us since last March. We have been waiting and hoping and praying for an end to this pandemic so that we can return to a time when we can once again gather with and embrace those we love.
In previous years, I have viewed Advent as a brief four weeks where we Christians can practice anticipation. We know Christmas is coming. Carols and candlelight and cookies are all a guarantee. And so we can think of Advent as a time of eager hope, like children tearing the loops off a paper chain, counting down the days until our hopes become reality. If we practice Advent well, then when the harsh reality of life demands it, we might be more prepared to handle the struggle that comes with waiting.
This year is different. We won’t so much be practicing hope as recognizing the exhaustion we all have from hoping too long. This season, we can name our frustrations over slivers of hope which come and go, even as we trust the guaranteed in-breaking of God’s love. You will notice this growing hope symbolized in the ever-expanding decorations during Sunday worship. The greenery will be minuscule this Sunday, but it will continue to expand and brighten along with our Christmas hope throughout the season.
We hope to worship together on Christmas Eve, and so we are planning for six brief candlelight services to be held outside, along with a full worship service online. The outdoor services will include carols, a telling of the Christmas story, prayer, communion, and singing Silent Night with candles. These 20-minute services will be at 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm. If the weather and pandemic rules allow, we will gather around fire pits on the east side of the building; otherwise, we can simply remain in our cars. Reservations will be required, and you can sign up at our website beginning on December 1st. I have a feeling that these will be special moments for all of us to celebrate the promises God has given through the birth of Jesus.
We also hope to have other festive occasions in December. Bob Rub and our choirs are working hard to produce a pre-recorded Christmas Concert. The shifting mitigation rules create constant challenges, but we hope to have this gift ready for you by mid-December. Many folks are also preparing to have our first-ever Live Nativity from 6pm to 9pm on Saturday, December 19th. And, plans are underway to provide time for you and your loved ones to take a few moments in the sanctuary for family photos on Sunday, December 20th.
Of course, all of our hoped-for plans are subject to the health department’s mitigations for this pandemic, which seems to be worse than ever at the moment. We can all embody our hopes by doing everything we can to slow the spread, which includes staying home as much as possible and wearing our masks when we are in public. The more we work together, the sooner we can come together again in worship and joy.
Peace,
Pastor Chad McKenna
