God of Advent

God of Advent,
We are so close to Christmas Day, that
We can see your light shining in the dark
As we come closer and closer.
And as we draw nearer we find ourselves
tempted by all the busyness
Of the holidays to lose our focus on you.
Help us o Lord to keep our eyes on you.

God of Advent,
We have been waiting for what seems like a long time
For that special day to celebrate the birth of your son.
We have waited with hopeful hearts.
We have waited with longing for your peace.
We have waited with a desire for your joy.
And now we wait with a yearning for your love to be born in us again.

God of Advent,
When your steadfast love is birthed in us we will sing of you
And your love forever and ever.
When we are anointed by your love,
we will open our hearts and hands to the lonely, the needy,
the sorrowful, and those who are hurting.
We pray that we are able to share your love with all we meet.

God of Advent,
We pray that we are able to say yes to you when you call.
We pray that we are able to say “Here I am to you Lord.”
We pray that we can be your servants.
We pray that we can say as Mary said so long ago,
“Let it be with me according to your word.”
May all that we are glorify you, and may we rejoice in you
For you are our God, You are the rock of our salvation.
Yes, all our praise and love is focused through Jesus
On you o God.

Amen

cross posted from revgalsblog

Re-enchanted

Within these fragmented days,
a gentle invitation
threads through our lives,
reminding us that all is sacred
and rooted
in a love that knows no bounds.

And with that quiet knowledge we re-enchant our times,
taking risks on holy ground:
hearing God’s heartbeat in our global discomfort,
halting our harshness in our work for justice,
loosening our souls as our fears are named,
recognising new markers
in the passions of our prayers.

Re-enchanted,
we journey freely,
re-imagining God’s presence
with re-awakened minds;
discovering afresh that surprising healing Word
which today, so powerfully,
illumines our poverty of understanding.

~Peter Millar , Iona Advent collection

In Darkness and Light

We walk with God,
guided by the light of God’s loving spirit,
who enters the shadowed places of our hearts
and leads us into truth and life.

We wait for God,
and for the fulfilment of God’s promises,
for the time when the darkness will hold no fear
and the light will no longer blind,
but creation will be made whole once more
and God’s peace will reign for ever.

Amen

~Cally Booker, excerpt from Iona Creed for Advent

Spring Break trip to Living Waters in Cherokee, North Carolina

We have just started walking alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ at Living Waters ELCA church in Cherokee, North Carolina. This is the only Native American ELCA mission east of the Mississippi River. Liz Gaskins put us in touch with Pastor Jack Russell there and they would love to welcome a group of us over spring break.

Living Waters has been sharing their digital newsletter with us now for a few months and we hope to share ours now too more easily since it is going digital. In their newsletter they highlighted two new ministries: a clothes closet and food pantry for those who need either or both. We have supported their new clothes closet and food pantry ministries through mission committee, Mission Endowment and Thrivent funds. We are also sharing prayers and hope to continue to find more opportunities for learning and sharing our faith communities. Above are some photos of their Christmas tree, including a hand painted ornament.

Pastor Jack said they would love to have us join them for worship on Sunday, March 11 in North Carolina. They integrate some of their Native American traditions into the ELCA worship service. We are talking with Pastor Jack about staying a few days perhaps to work on a joint project together before heading back.

We would love to get an intergenerational group together to drive there for this "alternative spring break" trip. If you are interested in going, but don't think that it will work for you in March, please let us know. We might be able to arrange a trip in the summer either in addition to or instead of one in March. Please let the church office or Shari/Mission Committee know if you are interested in exploring this opportunity!

Kate and David at Glocal Mission Event in January

Our ELCA missionaries, Kate and David, will be presenting at the Glocal Mission Event in North Carolina at the end of January. They are unable to visit us in Bloomington over the holidays this year, so going to the Glocal Mission Event is a wonderful opportunity to see them and participate in the wonderful worship and learning experiences there. Let's see if we can get a group of St. Thomas folks to attend!

What: Glocal Mission Event
Where: Cary, North Carolina (suburb of Raleigh)
When: Friday afternoon and Saturday, January 27 and 28
Cost: $35 registration fee plus your transportation/housing

For more details, look on the ELCA website, call the church office or talk with Shari.