A Christmas Message From Pastor Heather

Merry Christmas!

May your Christmas be filled with the wonder and awe of God-come-to-us! The Christmas story, Jesus born to a poor family in a manger, never ceases to fill me with hope. In our messiest places, in the parts of our lives that are depleted and empty, in the darkest corners of our soul, God is there. The proclamation of the birth to the shepherds, the choosing of Mary, an unwed mother, the birth among the animals, remind me that there is nothing beyond the reach of God. 

This Advent season we have been celebrating that everything is sacred because God is everywhere. All of creation comes from the hand of God, and God has called it good. Every person is created in the image of God and called beloved. Every circumstance has the potential to be redeemed by God, something we will especially remember in the Easter season. Even our most ordinary moments are pregnant with sacredness if only we have the eyes to see.  

As we move towards the celebration of Christmas Day, I pray that you see the sacred in the people you meet, in the long lines at the grocery store, in the relatives that annoy you, and in the wonder on a child’s face on Christmas morning. May you find moments of stillness to reflect on the Christmas story, and may you have moments filled with the chaos of celebration. The Christmas story holds all of this - silent wonder, and a chorus of angels. Mary pondering the blessing of her child and extravagant gifts from the Wise Ones.  

I will spend time this Christmas giving God thanks for the miracle of Jesus and the boundless love God has for the world that caused God to come to us in human form. And I will be looking for sacred moments when I catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God right here and now. More often than not, that glimpse of the Kingdom that I catch comes from the people of this church.  

Just today, before writing this article I witnessed advocacy for a child, prayers for new people coming to church, and identification of a group of people in the church who might be lonely and efforts to remedy that. I watched a church member stop by and gather worship CDs to take to someone who cannot leave their home, and answered phone calls about making sure that people in need have a holiday meal. We have coats hanging on our coat rack, waiting for someone who is cold during this harsh weather to come and get one. The sacred work of God happens each and every day through the people of FUMCO.

So, Merry Christmas and thank you for being such faithful and generous people. You make my Christmas merry and bright!

Grace,
Pastor Heather