Thoughts for December

I love Christmas carols! Not only are they beautiful and tell versions of the Christmas story, they illicit years and years of Christmas memories for me. Each time we sing a Christmas carol, I can still see myself as a child standing next to my parents, carefully holding a lit candle at our Christmas Eve service. And I remember holding my own little babies singing Christmas carols to them, and feeling the excitement of Christmas Eve with our girls. Memories of those first Christmases without my grandmothers or after my parents’ divorce also bubble up with the songs. Just like Christmas carols, the entire season of Advent and Christmas can bring up a lot for each of us, joys and pain. This year our worship theme will be based on the Christmas Carol, “What Child is This? Beyond the Lullaby.” This will be our last question among many questions we have explored together this year as a church.

Here is a description of our worship series as explained by the creator, Marcia McFee:

In 1865, William Chatterton Dix penned a poem that would become the beloved Christmas-time favorite, “What Child Is This?” During Advent, we will dive into this question that is much more complicated than the lilting lullaby tune, “Greensleeves,” conveys. We will see the story of the time leading up to the birth of Christ in its historical trauma-informed fullness. The story of humanity and its recurring themes of oppression and corruption run right through history and into our own narratives. Yet, we can rely on the assurance of the carol to confirm that God is “present with us” in powerful ways that continue to be the Word of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love even and especially in the midst of hard times.

Along with Sunday morning worship around this theme, we will also have a Sunday morning study based on the theme and we will be using the free Advent devotional booklets that go with the theme. Devotionals can be picked up in the narthex. We will have the study on December 7, 14, 21 from 9:45-10:30. I hope you will join us as we explore together who the Christ child is and how his life makes a difference for us today.

Gratefully,

Wendy