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Pastor's message
December 2012
Dear Water Family,
Our Advent preparation has served us well these past weeks and now we are fast approaching the coming of Christ in the Celebration of birth, story, and song. Jim joins me in wishing you all the blessing and joy that comes with God’s love-giving, peace-bringing presence into our lives!
We are alive in worship and spirit in this place and it is a grand gift – thank you! I pray your Christmas season celebrations will include worship and I hope you’ll be able to enjoy each other’s company at our next Fifth Friday Feast! The schedule and demands of family and friends don’t often allow us to spend holiday time with our water family and friends – but this year it just might work for you on New Year’s Eve Eve! And since it’s Christmas – I suspect we’ll be doing a bit of carol singing!
The following prayer authored by Katherine Hawker has captured the full wonder of the season for me. May it do so for you.
God spoke in the beginning; out of darkness came night and day, out of emptiness came creation, out of loneliness came humankind. And God said, “This is very good.” God spoke when the world was troubled; giving voice to prophets from the earliest days, moving through Mary as she gave birth to her child, crying as a vulnerable baby lying in a manger. Still God said, “This is very good.” God speaks today; breathing energy into our weary lives, challenging our celebrations and sharing our pain, dancing with songs of justice and peace. Now we know that, “This is very good!"
Amen. Live gently and love greatly!
Peace,
Pastor Debbie
Bishop Mark S. Hanson's Recent Statements
August 12, 2011
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Today I have been thinking about those who pray with eager longing, "Give us today our daily bread." In the Horn of Africa, the lives and livelihoods of millions of people have been devastated by the worst drought in 60 years. Crops have failed and water is scarce. Desperate families are abandoning their homes seeking aid. Hundreds of thousands of people have already made their way to refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. More than twelve million people are in need of help now ...
A complete list of the Presiding Bishop's messages may be found at http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Presiding-Bishop/Messages-and-Statements/2008-Message-Archive.aspx.
This page updated 12/20/2011.
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