Means of Grace: Advent

Advent is well under way and if you are like most folks, it may have gotten under way just a little earlier than you anticipated. This is due, in large part, to the fact that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, so the beginning of Advent falls four full weeks before Christmassomething that only happens about once a decade.


We could choose to be disgruntled about Advent’s early arrival, but it seems better to look at it as an opportunity to center ourselves more, to focus ourselves more, and to ready ourselves more for the coming of Christmas. For those who have an Advent wreath at home, it is a wonderful chance to light those candles each day, whether it is at mealtime or some other time and to spend some time in reading or in prayer or in song (or a combination of all three) in focusing on each week’s “theme”: hope, love, joy, and peace.


Even if you don’t have an Advent wreath, take the time to light a candle before your daily prayers and take a breath and focus on the Light that shines against this world of darkness; focus on the Hope of Christ’s return; focus on the Love that God has shown His children; focus on the Joy of having a Risen Savior; and focus on the promised Peace to come.


Whatever you do, take an opportunity to pause before the Lord in this season and to remember that Advent is our new beginningthe beginning of our church year as we reset our hearts and minds to hear the greatest story ever told all over againto acknowledge again that we are called to be God’s people.


~ Pastor Amy

Five Unique Churches Sharing One Common Mission

St. Paul’s UMC ~ Republic Trinity

Melmore UMC ~ Sycamore UMC ~ Union Salem UMC

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

When I think of the days before Christmas, the first thought that comes to mind is not waiting or stillness. But waiting is exactly what we are doing! We are waiting for the remembrance of Jesus birth. We are waiting for the promises of Advent, of peace, hope, love and joy. Ultimately, we are waiting for the return of Jesus.

The word waiting stirs thoughts of sitting, of impatience, longing or being stagnate. Waiting does not seem like an active way to live...yet Christmas is such an active time. How can this be a time of waiting and also a time of rushing? Can it
be both?


I suppose that it depends what you are focusing on. If we are focusing on cooking the big meals, planning the perfect holiday gatherings, and purchasing the perfect gifts, then there isn’t a lot of time for stillness in waiting. If we are buzzing from event to event, waiting doesn’t really enter into our minds. There doesn’t even seem to be time for waiting.


My prayer for you and for me this Advent and this Christmas season is that we will lean into the waiting. My prayer is that we can still our minds and our spirits and focus on the waiting. Waiting in hope helps us to build anticipation for the
celebration!


My prayer for you and for me is that we can see and understand that we are really living in a perpetual state of waiting. We are waiting for Jesus to return. We are called to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus.
May you be blessed in the waiting,
~ Pastor Charlene

Keep an eye out for Little Jesus!

You never know just where you might see him! If you find him and he stays, you may want to give him a hand shake. He just may let you spend more time to look at where he has been in your life and in the lives of others!

Don't forget though, he wants you to follow him and to do that you need to sign up, show up, and help his light shine by spreading the light.

“He who was seated on the throne said..."Revelations 21:5

“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” --Revelations 21:5

Things that are “new” can be very scary and oftentimes, if we are honest, we try to avoid new things as much as we can. We have our favorite cereal, our favorite pillow, and even our favorite pew at church.

And sometimes, sometimes, when we can’t have that old, familiar thing that we want, we get a little… well, grumpy, cranky, cantankerous, obnoxious… You get the picture. And let me be the first to say, there is nothing wrong with the things that we are familiar with— especially in church. That is why we feel so “at home” when we are there. It is the reason why we sing songs like “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” It is why we feel at ease as soon as we enter door… because we know what to expect.

Yet we know that even at church, there will be changes. It is inevitable, but as Christians, we should be prepared for even those. For there are so many scriptures that tell us that God is making ALL things new! (And if you want to check them out, try Isaiah 43:18-19, Isaiah 65:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 6:4, Galatians 6:15, Romans 12:2, 2 Peter 3: 10-13… the list goes on…) All things will be made new: our minds, our hearts, our bodies, the earth, the heavens…

And because God is in charge of making all things new, we can trust that when changes come, that “we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” (Psalm 46:2).

Obviously, the earth is not going to crumble and mountains will not be falling into the sea this summer, but there are changes afoot and I pray that with God’s direction, they will be good. We will move to a new worship time at 11:00 starting in July so that I can preach at Union-Salem at 9:00 and Sycamore at 10:00. This allows me to end my morning with all of you and to stick around for Fellowship time and anything else that might arise.

Another change coming up is that Pastor Charlene and I are going to join forces to put together a “combined” church newsletter. This will allow all of the churches to get an idea of what is going on within the connection AND it will also allow us to offer a newsletter to the churches that currently don’t have one. As an added bonus, the calendar will be chock full of even more events—and with lawn fetes and ice cream socials making a comeback in our area this year, we will all be wanting to watch that calendar.

Lastly, if you haven’t already heard, Nico and I will be moving into the parsonage in Sycamore. This keeps us a little more centrally located between the three “southern” churches in our connection and although we are currently surrounded by boxes (both packed and unpacked), we are looking forward to the change.

Yet, in all of these changes, one thing is always certain and sure: God’s love for us never changes. That is why is so many places, especially in the Psalms, God is described as a rock on which we can stand. So as long as we continue to build our church on that rock, we shall not fail.

Blessings,

Pastor Amy