Dear St. Lukers,
As I write this, I’m about to board a plane to Ohio for a conference, and when I arrive at my destination, it will be 27 degrees outside. Yep, you read that right. 27 degrees and snow on the ground. I’m getting at least a little bit of a “white Advent” for a few days! You may be familiar with this – as a Floridian, suddenly traveling somewhere cold, realizing you need to pack your suitcase, and also realizing that none of the clothes in your current rotation are appropriate for your destination. That panic moment…where did I store my heavy coat? Do I need base layers? Do I even OWN socks?
It’s not the only panic moment of the season, right?
Who’s hosting Christmas Eve? Who will be there? How many presents do I need to buy? Where did we put the wrapping paper? You have WHAT project due for school the week before Christmas?
You can add your specifics to this list, as I’m sure they’re already flooding your mind this week. Maybe you’re thinking, “If I can just get to Christmas Eve…when things settle down.” But I’ll tell you a secret…once Christmas Eve comes, a whole new set of questions will arise. The new year, school starting, Spring Break, and Easter’s coming too.
So maybe it’s not about just “getting to” the next milestone. Maybe Advent is a chance for us to realize that we can be present all along the way, both in the waiting and in the arriving.
I am not looking forward to an arrival welcomed by frigid weather. But instead of just looking forward to being in a warm building or even back home in a few days, I hope I can find some time to be present: to watch some falling snow, and appreciate the quiet peace of it all, even in the midst of the chaos of travel and conference events.
This Sunday, Pastor Jad will be inviting us to go deeper into our Advent journey as we look at what it means to find PEACE even in the midst of the waiting, and even when we don’t know if the “when things settle down” will ever come. Join us at 9:30 in Founder’s Hall or 10:00 in the Sanctuary for our second Sunday of Advent, and let’s see if we can find a little PEACE together.
Blessings,
Pastor Melissa
