Peace and Blessings to you, Beloved Church.

Waiting, Watching, Preparing 

Advent begins this week, beloveds. And I am grateful for it.

It’s one of those times of the year with blessed complexity, holding in tension the world as it is against the world that God is yet revealing. Advent is that moment when we hold our breath, plunge into a new beginning, and push upwards towards the light that is coming, the light that reveals joy and truth and love. Christmas is nearly here, and this year I am wondering: how might we keep watch for what God is up to? How might we continue to “Prepare the way of the Lord,” as John the Baptizer calls across the eons? What does it look like to wait with the world, to sit together and share about what we hope might change in the days, months, and years to come? 

Perhaps that’s just it – perhaps Advent is as simple as *being together* – recognizing the Divine presence in the simple things and sharing our “hopes and fears of all the years” with each other knowing that God is both already here with us now and is also drawing us forward towards a much fuller realization of justice, peace, and love. It can be hard to be together sometimes, but it is important to nurture the relationships among us, whether with friends, family, chosen family, or otherwise. So lean into it all, dear Church. Lean into the connections, the relationships, and the tension of the season, towards the light that is emerging soon in the blessed Christ Mass of God’s Love made known here among humanity. 

c/o Pastor Paul