Pastors Corner
Dear Friends at FPC,
One of our church members had three Christmas trees up in early November and plans to keep them up until Valentine’s Day. I like that in that I take it as a protest of the way that the lights, joy and generosity of Christmas attempts to blow in and out of our lives as quickly as a winter blizzard.
In worship we have to keep the season short because it is hedged in by Advent and Epiphany. Wouldn’t it be nice if every celebration of the church was evenly spread throughout the year and there was time to dwell on the richness of the themes of the church throughout the century? To continue December’s festivities, music, movies, consumerism… throughout the year would be “The Nightmare After Christmas.” But to carry on the Christ child’s spirit of giving, expectation, and joy would enrich our world.
A pastor friend of mine (Dale Walker) recrafted this New Year /Christmas pledge and I pass it on to you as my prayer for our faith in 2020.
Yours through that Child,
Tempe’
One of our church members had three Christmas trees up in early November and plans to keep them up until Valentine’s Day. I like that in that I take it as a protest of the way that the lights, joy and generosity of Christmas attempts to blow in and out of our lives as quickly as a winter blizzard.
In worship we have to keep the season short because it is hedged in by Advent and Epiphany. Wouldn’t it be nice if every celebration of the church was evenly spread throughout the year and there was time to dwell on the richness of the themes of the church throughout the century? To continue December’s festivities, music, movies, consumerism… throughout the year would be “The Nightmare After Christmas.” But to carry on the Christ child’s spirit of giving, expectation, and joy would enrich our world.
A pastor friend of mine (Dale Walker) recrafted this New Year /Christmas pledge and I pass it on to you as my prayer for our faith in 2020.
Yours through that Child,
Tempe’
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Believing in the beauty and simplicity of Christmas, I commit myself to the following: To remember those people who truly need my gifts of love, of compassion, of friendship—as well as the gifts that I purchase and wrap To express my love for family and friends in more direct ways than presents To rededicate myself to spiritual growth through prayer and bible study and the example of other people of faith, fully expecting to hear God speaking to me through these means To examine my life and my behavior, not just at Christmas when Santa Claus is ”making a list and checking it twice”, but all year, in light of the true spirit of Christmas To initiate within my circle of family, friends, church, or work one act of peacemaking To live each day as a beloved child of God—for I am! |