Pastor’s Letter, January 15, 2025

Dear Members & Friends,
When Barbara and I carried our firstborn out of the hospital where he was delivered, it was by way of an elevator “packed like sardines.” We were jammed against the doors. And, when that crowded elevator’s doors opened onto the hospital lobby floor, Barbara and I simultaneously exclaimed, “Thank God that’s over!”

Now, some might have thought we were referring to that elevator ride, but we weren’t; we were referring to the longer, more difficult three days that we’d spent in the hospital that included a day long delivery. But, no sooner were our words out of our mouths than there came from the back of the elevator a voice saying: “It’s only just beginning!” It was our delivering obstetrician who knew what we’d gone through, and he was referring to the parenting ahead of us!

Following Christmas, many a happy, but relieved, person may be found exclaiming, “Thank God it’s over!” They’re usually referring to their rituals of Christmas celebration. But, if stop to consider carefully, they may hear another voice, one saying: “It’s only just beginning!”

In prose entitled The Work of Christmas, 20th century American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader, Howard Thurman captures the spirit of this voice:

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost, to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.

For us who belong to Christ’s church, the work of Christmas is just beginning – yet again! And, 2025 will offer plenty of both the usual – and unique – kinds of opportunities. Will we be ready?

Blessings in Christmas work, Pastor Ed

Pastor’s Letter – January 8, 2025

Dear Friends in Christ,
Happy New Year! And, a Wondrous Epiphany season, too!

I greet you this way because the year 2024 is over. And, Christmas has come and gone.

But of course, neither is finished with us. The past lives in the present, and the past has consequences for our future. This is why English artist, Caryll Houselander, wrote in her 1949 book The Passion of the Infant Christ, “Christ is born in us today.” In us

Of course, the question is, what does it mean to declare this? Is it merely a belief statement of the mind or an emotional feeling of the heart? Or is it a transformational growth experience in your portion of soul?

When you hear or say that “Christ is born in us today,” what does it mean for you? The season of Epiphany – which means manifestation, perception or insight , especially of a divine nature, – is a season for pondering this question. And for having a deep, God-moment-kind of experience!

So, when I wish for you the blessings of this season, I mean to say, “I hope you discover and experience the eternal love of Christ Jesus growing in and around you in a powerful, life-changing kind of way!”

Blessings of Epiphany,
Pastor Ed