Beyond the Pulpit 12.15.24
Happy Gaudete Sunday CUMC!
Gaudete Sunday is the Third Sunday in Advent. It is also known as Joy Sunday because we are now over halfway through this season of preparation for Christmas! When thinking of lighting the Advent candles on the Advent wreath in worship, we light the lighter candle, the pink one, on this day to indicate that now there is more light than darkness on our journey to the birth of Christ.
This Sunday you will also notice that there are poinsettias adorning the worship space. Another indicator that we are nearing Christmas. Poinsettias are $20 each and can be dedicated online (see links below) or in the offering plate. A special thank you to Becky & Mike Lewis and Louise Gingue who helped to coordinate this effort!
This week we’ve also been preparing for the Blue Christmas Service which will be held in our sanctuary at 5pm on Sunday, December 22. Once again we are partnering with our neighbors from Tabor Presbyterian Church for this service. We hope you’ll plan to attend, and bring friends and neighbors, too, because everyone experiences loss. This service is a time to acknowledge our grief. There will be a variety of opportunities for honoring our grief.
- There will be a special message and activity for children who attend this service. It’s important to remember that children grieve too.
- David Breininger is creating a beautiful wooden candle display where participants may light a candle in memory of their losses.
- Also, we are inviting you to help us create a memory tree at this service. You may pick up a small picture frame from me or from the church office anytime this week. We invite you to place a picture representing a loss in the ornament frame, and bring it with you to the Blue Christmas Service and hang it on the Memory Tree.
Together, we will create tangible signs of the grief that we share.
On a more joyful note, I hope you’ll come out and join Gary, me and others for our annual Christmas Caroling event this coming Tuesday evening. Don your festive gear and meet us at the church at 4:30pm. No prior experience necessary…only a desire to spread Christmas Cheer!
Finally, beyond the pulpit this week, we had some jarring moments in the church office! JES arrived to replace the sump pump and install a better drainage system in the church office area. There’s nothing quite like working to the sound of a jackhammer breaking up 100 year old concrete! Special thanks to Gary who has been temporarily displaced from his office as that is one of the primary places the construction took place!
Looking forward to seeing you soon as we travel together “Close to Home” to Christmas.
With Joy!
Pastor Christy