Edmonds Presbyterian Church
  • Home
  • About
  • Sermons
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Facility Rental
  • Education

Pastor Amy’s Thoughts….

12/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Greetings,
The holiday season is rapidly approaching. As I write this, I have a Thanksgiving dinner grocery list in my pocket, the first Christmas gifts are awaiting their wrapping paper, and my church to-do list is growing daily. It sometimes feels like all the lists of Christmas can take the place of the heart of Christmas. But it doesn’t need to be that way. This Advent, I invite you to join me in four practices as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
First, practice hope. Paul closes the letter to the Romans with these words:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
During this busy season, it is an act of hope to take time for ourselves and our loved ones. When we take care of ourselves, we are saying that we are valued. And when we care for and spend time with our loved ones, we are affirming their value in our lives. Hope is an expectation that the God we love and follow values us so much that God will one day lead us into a future that is worth the wait.
Second, practice peace. In October I took part in a workshop that taught us a few principles of the dramatic art of Improv. One of its key principles is a willingness to stay engaged with your partner in the exercise. To do that, we respond to whatever our partner says with “yes, and…” Not “yes, but.” For instance, if one of my kids said to me, “Let’s go to the zoo!”, I might be tempted to say, “Yes, but it is raining and we’d need to dress for the weather.” Instead, using Improv techniques, I might say “Yes, and we’d better wear our raincoats, it looks like rain.” Responding with “yes, and” keeps the conversation going, affirms the person who started the conversation, and in general helps us to practice peace in our relationships.
Third, practice joy. The wise men who brought the first gifts to the child Jesus, followed a star to find where Jesus had been born. We read in Matthew’s gospel,
2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
If you are like me and the wise men, you may also find joy at Christmas in giving gifts to others – whether finding just the right present, or offering a gift of your time or service to another. Listening deeply to one another is always a gift that is received with joy.
And fourth, practice love. As 1 John 4 reminds us,
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
As we share the love we have received with others, we are sharing God’s love with them. This is the message of Christmas, that God loved us so much that he gave his only Son so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16-17).
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are also the themes for our Advent worship this year. I hope you will join me in taking a long loving look at each practice and how it shows up in our lives.
Have a blessed Advent and Christmas season,
Pastor Amy
 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    The Caller

    A monthly newsletter of upcoming events, celebrations, and news of the church community.

    Categories

    All
    Bible Study
    Deacons
    Education
    Events
    Fellowship
    Jobs
    Mens Fellowship
    Missions
    Music
    NW Coast Presbytery
    Pastor Thoughts
    Prayer
    Scouts
    Session Info (church Board)
    Stewardship
    Sunday School
    Womens Assn
    Worship
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from KarenBorterPhotography, peddhapati, Jamie In Bytown, Evim@ge