SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” - Psalm 62:5-8 As I ponder the meaning of this season of Advent in my own life and in the life of our congregation, I find myself drawn to the words of meaningful carols and songs from all times and places. Last year during the Advent season each week we sang the song, “Prepare Him Room” as we lit the candles on the Advent wreath in all of our worship services. This year our theme for the Advent/Christmas season comes from words found in the beloved Christmas song, “O Holy Night.” The lyrics include this line: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” I find myself humming this and wondering daily about ways to share this hope of Christ in a weary world. The other day I was scheduled for a repeat of a medical test. I felt vulnerable awaiting the procedure, sitting in a room with a few others. We were all hopeful for a good outcome. All of a sudden the young lady across from me began humming. I listened and smiled as I realized she was humming, “O Holy Night.” It was a God-incidence, not simply a coincidence that I had been praying about offering hope for a weary world, and this new friend offered that hope to me in the midst of my own prayers for comfort in my weariness. I thanked this young lady for her gift, and then assured her that she would be in my prayers. We are made to share our lives together. “Lord of hope, you bless our lives every day. We sometimes forget that all these blessings come from you and we overlook them or decide that we just deserve all the wonderful things that come our way. It seems that every year the push for the commercial holiday expectations comes earlier and earlier. By the time we approach the Holy Day we are exhausted; we cannot gather the strength to praise you. Make us ready Lord. Slow us down and help us find release from the demands. Enable us to make decisions that will build hope and community, rather than foster greed and selfishness. Help us reach out to others with gifts of kindness and peace. Enter our hearts and remind us of the peace you bring. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.” (This prayer comes from the Ministry Matters website- December 1, 2019) Pastor Ellynda MONDAY, DECEMBER 2 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” -John 3:16-17 (NIV) “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” -Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV) My son, Gabriel (5 years old), just started Kindergarten this past August. Gabriel thrived last year in our church’s preschool as he learned to connect well with his teachers and classmates, so Natalie and I were anxious to see how he would adjust to “big school.” The first day of school was bitter-sweet for us and Gabriel was a little nervous as he stepped on the bus early that morning. As the bus drove away, we waved goodbye, said a prayer, and also shed a few tears as we walked back to the house. The day passed and we were both eagerly waiting for him at the bus stop. As soon as Gabriel got off the bus, we asked, “How was school?” And his response was, “It was boring…” We chuckled to ourselves but we tried to encourage him every day that first month and, eventually, he seemed to hit his stride. He’s come to make lots of new friends with both students and teachers, alike. I can imagine the “newness” of it all as Gabriel began Kindergarten. It could seem daunting and even scary at times facing the unknown. And so, when I asked Gabriel what “Hope” looked like to him, he decided to draw a picture (see above) and describe it to me: “He’s trying to be brave to help someone. He has a thought-bubble and it says ‘brave.’ He’s trying to find someone to help. He’s being brave to help strangers. He’s on the playground looking for ways to help. He’s playing with everyone but also helping if they’re crying or if they don’t have any friends.” I asked Gabriel why he thought the figure was being so brave. He said, “He’s a good helper because he’s nice and kind. He’s nice and kind because Jesus has been kind to him and he wants to be nice and kind like Jesus.” As my heart melted, I asked if what the figure was doing was giving people hope. He said, “He’s giving strangers hope by being their friend or helping them out if they’re sad and if they don’t have any food he can share his food.” Wow! What a blessing to see hope in a weary world as my son, Gabriel, learns to not only have faith to face the unknown in his own little world but to also pay attention to others around him and finding ways to be nice and kind to them. ---------- There is nothing like knowing the love and kindness of Jesus. I think about Jesus being brave as he came into the world to save us. He interacted with all sorts of people, but he especially noticed those that were hurting, alone, and hungry and extended God’s love and grace to them. Jesus is the One who brings us an eternal Hope in our weary world and we, as his followers, are called to do the same. Rev. Tyler & Gabriel Jackson TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” - Jeremiah 29:11 I struggle from the “not ———enough syndrome.” What goes in the blank changes on a regular basis. Sometimes I’m not good enough. Other times I’m not knowledgeable enough, and yet other times I’m not courageous enough. Then I think back to all the people God used in the Bible who really weren’t qualified enough to complete the task before them. It didn’t matter that Moses stuttered, or Abraham was really old. Or think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I’m sure she had some thoughts when the angel appeared and told her she was carrying the Son of God in her womb. I can think of many words she might have used to fill in the blank! The point is God placed all of us on this earth for a reason. He has a plan for us and it is our responsibility to listen to God and obey the task He has placed before us. You don’t feel equipped? That’s okay, God’s got this. You don’t have the time? That’s okay, God’s got this. You’re not a natural born leader? That’s okay, God’s got this. As we prepare for this Advent season and look forward to the New Year, I pray you will listen to the amazing plan God has for your life. All it takes is some faith and some “God’s got this”! “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” -Jimmy Carter Pamela Popham WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4 “Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” -Proverbs 13:12 Hope. You’re going to hear a lot about hope whether it is how much you need it or how much it can help you. Hope is not just a one-way ticket to being happy. That does not mean that hope is bad and that it can’t be helpful. Hope is a tool used to keep you happy when you are going through tragedy. You have to be careful with hope and what you are hoping for. Hope can hurt you if you put your hope in the wrong thing. Hope in money or foolish worldly things can cause you to become tired with life or the world. It is said in Proverbs 13:12 “Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Your hope like your faith is powerful if you put your hope or faith into something that is not worthy, and it will hurt you and tear you down.