Dear people of St. Paul’s,
Season’s greetings to you and yours! As you likely know, this year we have been observing a longer Advent, relishing this season of reflection and hope as we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s nativity. While we learn patience as we approach the light of Christmas, Advent itself is a season of gestation, pregnant with possibility and promise. This year, as we make our appeal for Christmas, I hope that each of us will consider the blessings we enjoy, even in the face of so much turmoil in the world around us.
The story of the holy child born in harsh times proclaims to the world God’s guarantee that humanity, for all our limitations, is still worth the risk of love. It was true at the first Christmas, and it will be true whenever life is renewed in this world. Fragile and vulnerable as this truth is, we embrace it, the astonishing assertion that God chose to be fragile and vulnerable with us, a newborn bringing light into the darkness. We will celebrate that truth this Christmas, as Christians have celebrated for millennia, and as our siblings in faith celebrate all over the world.
New life need not come only in the form of precious little ones: the God who makes a way in the wilderness can make new life from nothing. What new life is being brought into your world? Has St. Paul’s been a vitalizing presence for you this year? To the extent that you are able, I invite you to join me in making a special gift this Christmas, marking your gratitude for any growth in your life, as we look towards the brightness of God’s promise in the newborn Jesus. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not and cannot overwhelm it. This is the great and glorious news of Christmas. You can give now on our Give page, or mail or drop a check in the offering plate. Thank you for your generosity.
Wishing you a season of peace, joy, and goodwill,
Your sister in Christ
The Very Rev. Penny Bridges
