December 20, 2024

Dec 20

HTML Teresa's Note - December 20, 2024

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Dear friends and members of University UMC:

Each year as Advent comes to a close, I feel the need for a do-over. After all, Advent is about preparing and waiting, and I haven’t done much of either. Especially the waiting part. Advent is about carving out space for prayer and meditation. I wish I had done more of that, too. With Christmas Day just around the corner, I long for a few extra days to magically appear. Time to light a candle, reflect, and simply be. But fortunately, with God, there is no “Advent exam” that we either pass or fail. Instead, with God, there is always the opportunity to begin again. This is a helpful reminder whether you’re someone who wishes for an ‘Advent do-over’ each year or someone who looks to a New Year weighing the pros and cons of a resolution, new practice, or discipline. With God, every new day is an opportunity to begin again and I am grateful for this promise of grace.

Below is a Blessing created by the team at “A Sanctified Art.” We’ve been using some of their liturgy in worship this season and this blessing speaks to Advent’s promise of new beginnings. I’m also including a Christmas Blessing by Kate Bowler. As our Advent season comes to a close, Pastor Earl will preach in worship this Sunday on Mary’s Magnificat and we will bless the preemie blankets made by members of our community for area hospitals. If you’re in town, I hope to see you at one (or more!) of our Christmas Eve worship services. More information can be found in the Econnection and on the website.

I’m also thinking of those in our congregation who are in need of prayers for healing and those with loved ones in the hospital. If you are facing surgery or are hospitalized or are just going through a difficult time, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Pastor Earl or me. We are here during the Christmas week and remind you that you are loved and not alone. Safe travels for all of you heading out of town. And may the joy of Christmas be yours!

What a joy to be your pastor!

Teresa

Note: I’ll be in worship Sunday, December 29 but the next Friday Note will be Friday, January 3.

A Blessing

by Rev. Sarah Speed

As you leave this place,

may you have the wisdom to lean on one other.

May you have the courage to hold onto hope,

the compassion to do the good that is yours to do,

and the confidence to trust that God sees you as a blessing.

For in a world full of dead ends,

Advent invites us to begin again.

So start here.

Start now.

Start with love and begin again.

In the name of Christ,

our new beginning,

go in peace.

A Blessing for Love to Come at Christmas

by Kate Bowler

God, we are waiting for love,

not the simple kind or the sweep-you-off-your-feet kind,

but the absurd kind.

The kind wrapped in rags,

resting in a bucket of animal feed.

Love enough to save us all.

Blessed are we who look for Love

deeper, fuller, truer—than we have ever known,

than we could have ever hoped for.

Blessed are we who seek You,

the light that dawned so long ago

in that dark stable.

Love given.

Love received.

Receive this gift, dear one.

Love has come for you.

The Longest Night

special worship service and some resources

Saturday, December 22 at 7pm in the chapel we will have a special worship service called The Longest Night. This service is a reflective time when we will hold sacred space for any who are experiencing a difficult time, or for whom the Christmas Season can spark memories of grief or loss. If you are struggling this season you are not alone and we hope to see you at this special service.

Some Additional Resources