Happy New Year! No, I am not ahead of myself. I am Inside this Issue: wishing you a Happy New Year because the church begins a new liturgical year, each year, as we enter into the season of Advent. The liturgical calendar is a circular one that has different seasons and colors that correspond to the different events in the life of Jesus and the early Church. It is a way of keeping time that fits with the rhythm of celebration and growth that Christians walk each year.

For me, Advent has been always been a time of beginning again. I love the feeling of building anticipation and light as we move toward the celebration of the birth of our Savior. I have numerous Advent wreaths, calendars and devotionals I follow each year. Sometimes, being in ministry makes it harder to really enjoy the season and truly find meaning in the days leading up to Christmas and through Christmas. The twelve days of the liturgical Christmas season, beginning with Christmas day and going thru January 6 are actually time when I really soak in Christmas. The seasons of Advent and Christmas are important to first make us ready (not with decorating, gift buying and cookie making) and then to immerse ourselves for twelve days in the Joy of what God has given to us in our Savior.

This year, as I am reading “Celtic Advent” as my daily devotional, I have appreciated beginning 15 days earlier than traditional Advent and I am enjoying the slow movement toward the celebration of Christ’s birth. The book has some wonderful reflection prompts that have actually made me work with a journal – which I have not been very good at in the past. Maybe this will become part of a new tradition for me as I walk through Advent.

We have wonderful traditions here at Plum Creek, that help us move through this time of preparation and reflection in Advent. We decorate the sanctuary with candle light and with purple, the color of Advent, we light the Advent wreath each week, we have our Gingerbread making activity, we give food bags to the food pantry, we set our nativity scene out in front of the church, the children get ready for a children’s program and of course, we have the Living Nativity! I hope you will make room for some of these things in your preparations during Advent, but also find time for reflection and worship with us too.

As we move into this season, I want to be able to share a little bit of me with you and a tradition that is part of my educational background in the church. I hope you will enjoy them as you are able.

Beginning on Sunday, December 1st, I will be setting up a display of the many nativities I have collected over the years. The collection will be set up in the room at the end of the office and education hallway (the former Wonder Space room) thru Dec. 7. You may visit it any time the church is open, Sunday morning, weekdays from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM and Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 AM – 11:30 AM.

Also as a special reflection time gift from me, there will be a different Advent “station” set up in the Welcome Center each Sunday. They will be themed to the 4 verses of “O Come All Ye Faithful”. It will be a small interactive way to engage with our Advent theme for worship, “O Come Let Us Adore Him”.

It is hard for me to believe that it is coming to the end of my first year serving as your pastor. I am grateful for the encouragement, patience and support I have received as I found my way this year, helping the church to move forward to being a church that is preparing for the future while still holding on to foundations of who Plum Creek has been too. I thank you all for your love and my greatest wish for all of you is that the you will be filled with the joy and light of Christ as we celebrate His birth!

Blessed Advent, Pastor Carolyn

December 2024