Light Love Peace
Dear Members and Friends of First Parish Church, Congregational UCC—
Our Advent Vespers services have included meditations from a Christian poet, Christine Rodgers. Her poem, Canticle, calls us to remember—and live out the purpose of Advent and Christmas:
CANTICLE
The time has come
to be only Light
in the world
to be only Love
in the world
to be only Peace
in the world.
It is what this
sacred season
calls us to.
Light.
Love.
And a deep
abiding
Peace.
So, as the next few weeks unfold, as we scramble to finish buying and wrapping and cleaning and cooking and chauffeuring kids and grandkids to concerts and games and parties (and still having to work/volunteer on top of it all!), let us pause, often, to remember the Christ child, and let us open ourselves to his Love and Light and Peace.
For it is not by our strength/effort that the world will find Peace, it is only by allowing ourselves to be a channel of God’s Peace that the world around us will change. So, let us keep each other, our community and our world in our prayers, that all may be more open to the transforming power of God’s Spirit.
May our Advent/Christmas worship services be a vehicle for connecting us—and our community—to the Spirit of Christ in the midst of the chaos of our world.
If you have neighbors or friends who are not connected to a faith community, please consider inviting them to join you/us for Saturday Advent Vespers (December 22nd, 5:30 pm) or Christmas Eve worship (December 24, 5 pm and 7 pm).
I enclose a Christmas offering envelope if you wish to give an extra gift to the church for the Advent/Christmas season to help us continue to experience and share the Light, Love, and Peace of God.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
