December 1, 2021 Weekly Update
Last Sunday we began the season of Advent with a new worship series entitled “Come Home for Christmas.” During Advent, we prepare and wait with anticipation for the Christ child to be born and make a home again within us and around us. But too often, our spiritual preparation gets overwhelmed by the distractions and demands of the holiday. Those distractions and demands – gift buying, decorating, party planning, working, etc. – are good and lovely and important! But there’s a depth and richness to the Christmas experience that we don’t want to miss or forgot – God makes God’s home with us to save and heal us, and our world.
You know what your ‘demands and distractions’ are going to be in the coming days and weeks. So how can you acknowledge the Christmas story in the midst of the busyness of this season? How can you pay attention to the sacred moments of everyday life so that the hope, peace, joy, and love infuse your spirit with THE Spirt of God?
Last Sunday was also the first day of Hanukkah for our Jewish neighbors in the Flathead Valley. While driving north on Hwy 93, I spotted a police car with a train of vehicles behind it. At first I thought it was a funeral procession, but then I noticed that all the cars had Menorahs lit up and attached to the roof of every car! It was like a Hanukkah procession bringing light in the darkness all over the valley. I loved it! It gave me great joy.
I hope we, too, can live our faith in ways that bring hope, peace, joy, and love to all our neighbors.
Advent blessings,
Pastor Jared