Dear Friends in Christ,
I have always loved the season of Advent. Patient waiting has never come easily to me, but there is something about the active anticipation that we focus on in this season which holds my attention in a way that waiting for more trivial things never could. The great proclamation “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14) assures us that God has entered into human history through the incarnation of the Son. The season of Advent, a season of waiting, is designed to cultivate our awareness of God’s actions – past, present, and future. God muddying his feet in our world of diapers, death, digestion and disease (thanks Max Lucado, for the fun alliteration) out of immeasurable love for us and the sure and certain hope that he will come again. Now THAT is something that is worth waiting for.
As we wait together this season, we’re going to be exploring words for the journey through a Word-A-Day and Photo-A-Day challenge. This is something we hope everyone can participate in in some way. For each day of Advent, there is a different word. We invite you to reflect on what the word means to you and how you see God’s action through that word. We hope that you will consider sharing your responses with our church family by doing one or both of the following:
- Write a few sentences about your reflection. These could be something you see or observe, a prayer, or even a scripture verse that comes to mind.
- Take a photo or draw a picture inspired by the word of the day.
Finally, please share your photos and reflections with us. You can email them to revbethany@gmail.com or share them with the church via Facebook or Instagram (please make sure you’re following our new Instagram account (@melvillepresbyterianchurch). We will also happily take hard copies dropped off at the church. We will print, post and share submissions as they come in (without any identifying information unless you ask that we include your name) so that we can share in the joy of the season together. Note that if your photos have any identifiable faces in them (particularly children) we will ask for consent to share prior to posting them on any of our online platforms.
Finally, as we wrap up our fall focus on Christian Community, I want to share a piece of poetry with you. It’s called Harvest by Rev. Sarah Speed. She writes daily poems and shares them on Instagram and Facebook @writingthegood
Maybe none of it matters.
Maybe you can’t make a difference.
Or maybe that watermelon seed you spit out over the summer will grow into a green orb, full of sticky sweet fruit. Maybe the rain will nourish it. Maybe your mother’s hands will pull it from the vine, slice it into wedges, and place it on the dining room table. Maybe the neighbours will come over and chomp into that soft pink fruit, juicy water running down their chins. Maybe you will laugh at the shared experience, at this garden-grown communion, and maybe the stars will shine brighter that night.
People say the problems of the world are too big to make a difference,
But surely those people have forgotten the fruit that grows from one little seed.
— Rev. Bethany McCaffrey
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