Newsletter - Rouge Valley Pastoral Charge

Rouge Valley Pastoral Charge

Nov. 17 2011

Joy to the World! May heaven and nature sing!

Warmest Greetings of the Christmas Season to our friends far and near,

As we enjoy these last few days of beautiful fall weather, many of us are already turning our minds to gift-giving. So it seems the right time to reflect on the very first gift every person receives. Each of us is given the gift of a unique and precious life. It is a gift given to us but also to the world- this world with all its beauty and its pain. Each and everyone of us is needed. Jesus once told us to stop hiding our lights under bushels or denying that we are lights (Mt 5:15) and instead to embrace our heavenly origins and be a light to others. This sometimes feels more like a burden than a pleasure, more an obligation than a joy-filled opportunity. For in this commercialized “season of joy” when so many of us earnestly seek that elusive Spirit of Christmas, the gift of giving of oneself can get confused with the giving of objects.

Each of us can be as a “Joy to the World” by letting go of the fears and sadness that inhabit us. When we direct our attention to the things that are not perfect in our lives, we can’t help but be sad about the past and fearful about the future. Instead, each Christmas we are being asked to prepare a place in our hearts for joy. Leonard Cohen once said “ there’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” True enough, none of us is perfect. Not only does light get in through our cracks, but light comes out as well. By allowing ourselves to be truly seen, with all our cracks and vulnerabilities, we remember the small baby who came into this world in open-heartedness and vulnerability, who grew to manhood and preached open-heartedness and vulnerability, who died on a cross in open-heartedness and vulnerability. He left us all wondering: “can this be the true nature of God?” This Christmas may you each discover your unique preciousness in the eyes of God. May the joys of this life overshadow the darkness. I invite you to join us in some of the many ways Christmas is being celebrated in our community this year, as listed on the reverse of this letter.

May this season be a blessed time for each and every one of you. May heaven and nature sing for the wonders of His love, as you live out your calling as a child of light and love.

Yours in Christ,

Lee Ann Hogle, pastor

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Christmas letter 2008 more...