“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”
–Luke 2:10

I recently had a conversation with a woman who lives just down the street from the Church. They had actually stopped in during our Trunk or Treat and appreciated the hospitality and warm welcome they received. In the midst of our conversation she shared how difficult things have been as of late and she was fearful that she wouldn’t be able to have anything for her kids on Christmas morning. In what I can only describe as a nudge of the Spirit I asked her if we could help make Christmas happen for them. There was a moment of silence before she was able to respond but the appreciation I could hear in her voice came through loud and clear. In that moment I think she was able to experience a glimpse of that “good news and great joy” that the angel spoke of when it appeared to the shepherds. You see, she had been afraid; afraid of not meeting the expectations of her kids, afraid of the feelings of failure, afraid of how she was going to give her kids a little joy this Christmas.

So my friends the ball is in our court. At my prompting she is putting together a list of a few items for each of the kids (clothing and toys), and I encouraged her to put a few items for herself as well. We will be putting them onto individual notecards and placing them out on the table in the Narthex. I hope that each of us can be in prayer for this family and as the Spirit moves you to consider taking one of those cards and picking up the item listed on it. Bring it in (wrapped or unwrapped either way will work) with the notecard attached and put it in the office by Dec. 15th and we will make sure all the items get to the family. I know there are no shortage of places that money, gifts, and time can be donated this time of year. I will never question the worth of any of those opportunities, but I hope you will join me in helping to support a family right here in our neighborhood.

As we enter this season of Advent I hope all of us can take time to appreciate and embrace the peace, hope, joy, and love of the season as we prepare to celebrate our Lord and Saviors birth.

God Bless,
Pastor Devin