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December 24/January 25 newsletter article

Happy New Year Church! Advent is the beginning of the liturgical new year. We change the colors to Royal Blue or Purple to mark this time of waiting and anticipation. We will decorate the church and our homes. How will we prepare our hearts this season?

As I write this, we are a little over one week post the election and emotions are mixed in the church and American society. Some people are breathing sighs of relief and others feel like they can’t breathe. I get it on both sides. But where are our hearts post-election?

Traditionally, each week of Advent has a particular theme: hope, love, joy, peace. As the light of the Advent wreath grows, we should be growing in our faith. We are called to be people of hope; hope that things will get better. Hope that we can be God’s hands and feet in the world to those who are hurting, scared, unsure, grieving, excited. We are called to be people of love: loving all our neighbors and society, yes even those we don’t like or agree with. We are called to be people of joy; sharing from the blessings we have, even when its hard to see/feel them around us. We are called to be people of peace; peace abroad and in our hearts and homes.

If we spend time each week reflecting and looking for these things in our lives and society, our hearts will change and grow. Our lives will become different as we embody more of God in our daily living. Is this easy? No. Will the world keep distracting us? Sure will. But let us try and try and try again to reorient ourselves to focus on God like things. Let us be moved to actions of justice, hope, love, joy, peace, mercy so we can build ourselves, each other and the world up.

Let us prepare our hearts for a new year, a re-birth of ourselves as we prepare to hear the familiar stories of Jesus entering the world once again.

Peace and Blessings – Kate

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