Dear Church of the Foothills,
This Sunday, we are doing something a little bit different.
On this final day of our church worship calendar, you will hear multiple voices during worship reflecting on the gift of gratitude. You will earn that the first prayer many Jewish people speak upon waking up is “thanks”. You will also hear from some of our leaders like Miguel Manana, Mae Parrett, and Jim Rosenquist as they think about gratitude ahead of a holiday week and as part of our resistance to division, hatred, and violence. And especially, you will hear from our young people.
Alongside music that will touch us, this worship is a special opportunity to ground ourselves in the gift of gratitude in a time when we are frustrated and anxious about our future.
Beginning in December, our church calendar shifts to the season of Advent. In truth, Advent starts a new year for us, as we begin to tell once again ancient stories of hope, God coming to us in the midst of our pain and suffering. Our series for Advent is called “Hear the Story”. We will begin with the Gospel of Luke and pay attention to these strange and beautiful stories of angelic messengers, faithful families, joyful singing, and hope overcoming injustice. Each week, a different storyteller will step up and share a new perspective on these ancient tales.
Be prepared to sit at the edge of your seat as you “hear the story” for the first time or all over again.
Alongside this, our growing Children’s Education ministry will be offering Advent workshops throughout the month after worship. Our children will lead us in a Christmas pageant on December 15. Our choir is gearing up for a fantastic concert on December 21. And, yes, we will come together for a powerful worship of communion and candlelight on December 24 at 7 PM.
One more thing – it’s so important for us to return to scripture and explore new perspectives. We will be offering at least two opportunities to go deeper in the Christmas stories using Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s book, Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent. You can purchase a copy for around $10. We’ll hear from Dr. Amy-Jill Levine directly for each session and have time to respond to what we are learning.
Thank you again for your generous response as a church as we have taken some faithful steps forward with our next budget. Let’s celebrate that as we prepare to move into a new year and opportunity to share God’s abundant love with a hurting world.
– Rev. Nathan Hill