Active Care Together this Advent

This second week of Advent you may continue to hear, "December is going too fast," or "there is too much to do." When we center our priorities around Christ, and adopt a willingness to say no to the things that distract from Him, you might find that the pace does become more manageable. May these opportunities to keep Christ at the center of your calendar, give you a focal point each week.

This Wednesday, we combine our congregational voices with our Advent Hymn Sing and celebrate having our organ back! Join us in song with some of this season's favorites and connect to scripture through some of our most ancient and beautiful hymns. It's a wonderful service to invite someone to!

As we sing our hymns this Wednesday, it does remind us that Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, and there is plenty of reason to celebrate the birth of our Savior. However, we still live in a fallen world, and hidden emotions like being alone, feeling overwhelmed, crushing sadness, grief, and loss require extra energy to hide during an already exhausting season. Next Tuesday evening, our 3rd annual Blue Christmas Worship service creates a space at the foot of the cross where we can feel these very real emotions together and know that 'happiness' is not the same as hope. Indeed, the hope for us is not in ourselves, but in Jesus Christ who has forgiven and redeemed us in spite of how we feel. The lighting will be low, tissues will be in every pew, and no matter the reason why you are there, you won't need to pretend for anyone else. If someone you know could benefit from this worship service, walk alongside them by going with them. In the body of Christ, we are never alone.

This is most certainly true even if sometimes we feel alone! Through prayer, we care for so many who might not even realize their lives are surrounded by people who are praying on their behalf. Three years ago, as part of our Community of Care initiative, we structured a way for people in our congregation to step up and say, "I want to be actively involved in our prayer ministry." In response we crafted specific teams that pray for cancer, children, grief/mental health/addiction, hospitalization & surgery, marriage & family, military, pregnancy, and terminal & general illness. Through PrayER teams, the Lord has blessed us and allowed the members of St. Peter's to bless others.

Without question, this time of year can be difficult, but the Lord has given us so many ways to understand His love and care during the holiday season. Join us here at St. Peter's as we celebrate the coming of our Lord!