Sunday, November 27 marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of watching and waiting for the coming of Jesus. We invite you to prepare for “the Promised One” as we move through this season together!

In-person worship services take place in the sanctuary at 11:00am on Sundays. We will continue live-streaming for those who prefer to worship from home via our YouTube page. Here are the upcoming Scripture readings:

11/27 - Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 24:36-44 (1st Sunday of Advent)
12/04 - Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:1-12 (2nd Sunday of Advent)
12/11 - Isaiah 35:1-10; Matthew 11:2-11 (3rd Sunday of Advent)
12/18 - Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25 (4th Sunday of Advent)
12/24 - Isaiah 62:6-12; Luke 2:1-20 (Christmas Eve)
12/25 - Isaiah 52:7-10; John 1:1-14 (Christmas Day)

Need a guide through the season of Advent? We recommend The Promised One, a collection of devotions published by Christianity Today. We will have copies of this devotional available at the church (suggested donation: $10), or you can purchase an online copy here.

Our Christmas Music Program will take place on Dec. 11 at 6pm in the Sanctuary. Members of both our adult and children’s choirs will perform Advent and Christmas music for all to enjoy! We hope to see you there.

We are hosting a service of Worship on the Longest Night on Dec. 14 at 6:00pm in the Sanctuary. This will be a simple, contemplative service of wholeness and healing in which we share our grief, name our struggles, and claim the promises of God to make all things new.

We will also be having a Candlelight Service of Worship on Christmas Eve. We will gather on Dec. 24 at 6:00pm in the FPC Sanctuary, and a reception will follow in our Fellowship Hall. Everyone is welcome, of any age, from our congregation and community!

“Who do you say I am?”

This is Jesus’ question to his disciples in the gospels, and it is his question to us as well. He doesn’t ask us who scholars or skeptics or saints say he is; he asks us who we say he is, guided by Scripture.

We might say that Jesus wants to make things personal. Not private, but personal. He wants to spark conviction in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, so we can turn from our sin, call him our Lord, and follow him on the dusty road of discipleship for the renewal and restoration of the world.

I once heard the Scottish professor and writer, Andrew Purves, put it this way: “The great theological question,” he said, “is essentially a who question: not ‘how did you do that?’ or ‘what did you do?’ or ‘can I do what you did?’ The essential question is, ‘Who are you, Lord?’”

I don’t know about you, but this “who question” has become more important to me during the past two years, both in terms of Jesus and in terms of his body, the church.

Living through a pandemic has made me depend on Jesus more than ever – as all my idols have been interrogated and so many of my comforts have been stripped away. Who is the one who loves us without fail, who will never let us down, and who promises to give us hope and a future? It’s Jesus, Emmanuel, our Savior.

At the same time, living through a pandemic has made me realize the importance of community – as Zoom meetings, quarantine, and endless TV and Internet commentary have revealed the primordial truth that “it is not good for man to be alone.” Who are the people that Jesus has given me to share the journey? It’s you. The people of First Presbyterian Church, living as the body of Christ and an outpost of God’s Kingdom.

I know I sound like an owl or maybe like Dr. Seuss, but the “whos” make all the difference – the “who” of Jesus, and the “who” of you. Because when they come together, we get the cruciform (cross-shaped) witness of the church, a witness that this wounded and weary world so desperately needs.

Take a deep breath and consider how you can enter into February with Jesus and with others, too. Can you spend some time reading Matthew this month? Could you come to Sunday School and worship on Sunday mornings? Why not give me a call or send me an email so we can get together and catch up? The Christian life is always personal, but never private. Let’s keep walking the path together, trusting the Lord to lead the way.

Yours in Christ,
Blake

Image: Owls in Flight by Victoria Lakes

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