It feels like November FLEW by and here we are with another December already before us – and for me that includes entering into my fifth year at Forest Hill! I can hardly believe it. When I finish here in the spring, I’ll have been here nearly twice as long as anywhere else I’ve been an Interim Minister.
Changes are coming. The Search Committee is into the hard work now of deep listening and discernment. Keep praying for them in their discussions and deliberations.
As much as they are able, they are keeping us advised of their work, and then will be making recommendations to the congregation.
So, what does this have to do with Christmas? Well, actually, if you were in church, you’ll know that we’re not there yet. December is Advent, the church’s season of preparation. To mark Advent is to accept an invitation to centre oneself spiritually and to deliberate about what matters in life. Advent is about getting ready for the new life God is bringing to birth.
It’s about having the courage of Mary and Joseph to defy convention and to dare to allow Divine Mystery to work within one’s whole being. It’s about hope and trust, longing and anticipation.
Preparing well means that when what is new comes, we’ll have shed our resistance and fear and be open to all the possibilities that beginning has to offer.
Wishing you the deep and reorienting blessings of Advent,
Pegi