God With Us

Beloved of God,

    I want to remind you that if you have any interest in helping us secure a couple of Christmas trees for our Great Room, there is still some space among the hunting party. We’ll be heading out from the church parking lot as soon after 9:00am as we can manage, and hoping to come back with the trees in the early afternoon.
    If you would like to spend some time helping to festoon the Great Room on Saturday, there are times lots available for that as well. We would love your help, and one doesn’t often get the chance to festoon or even use “festoon” in a sentence.

Please use this link to sign up if you are interested in doing either, or email Vanessa or myself and we can put you down. Spots are limited, and time slots are in place to make sure we are keeping each other safe.

Our Psalm for Sunday (Ps 113) closes this way:
      7
           He raises the poor from the dust
               and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
     8
          he seats them with princes,
               with the princes of his people.
     9
          He settles the childless woman in her home
              as a happy mother of children.
              Praise the Lord.

It’s hard for me to read something like this and not think of some of the mothers in Scripture who receive God’s notice and action in special ways. But this time of year, I think of one in particular. I ran across this image several years ago, and I always like to revisit it during Advent and Christmas because it humanizes the story so well:

   

Jose y Maria by Everett Patterson

Advent is a time to ponder the reality of God’s presence with us. God has come among us not just physically, but as one of us in Christ. He indeed is a God who sets the poor among princes, and calls the childless into motherhood. These aren’t abstractions or nice ideas. These are things God has done and will do. What a wonderful thing to know that “God with us” really does mean God with us.

Please join me this week in praying for:

• An end to this pandemic.
• Those who have experienced loss or harm because of this terrible virus.
• Those who are dealing with sickness in a time when medical services are stressed.
• Doctors, nurses, PA’s, paramedics and other healthcare professionals as they work to keep all of us well.
• Those who are grieving.
• Leaders in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local level.
• Those who are anxious, depressed, desperate or weary as we enter the Christmas season.
• God’s defense over those who are anticipating and celebrating the arrival of a child in these days.
• Brothers and sisters in Central America as they continue to recover from Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
• The safety of Christians throughout the world, preparing to celebrate Christmas at a difficult time.
• Those who approach the season having lost a job, or discouraged as they search for one.
• Those who are cold, and hungry, and can’t find a place to stay.
• Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall