A Message from Pastor Heidi

Dear Beloved Church-

Having grown up in Southern California, I got used to not having a snow-covered Christmas. As kids, my sisters and I were more familiar with “snowmen” made from tumbleweeds than the real thing. Last week the sky tried to spit out a few flakes, but it was mostly freezing rain.  As we get closer to Christmas, people will start asking clergy and weather forecasters if they can please bring snow for Christmas. (And yes, people really do ask this of their pastors.) It’s a desire for the big day to come with all the bells and whistles. Yet, as the church we’re not quite there yet.

The season of Advent is a time of expectation. We are called to prepare a place for Christ in our lives and to be ready for his return. But Christmas also brings another batch of expectations. We expect to gather together. We expect there to be candles and music and singing. There should be twinkle lights and little girls with sparkly new shoes. We expect certain foods, certain treats, certain traditions. We long to be home and when we arrive, we expect to be greeted with hugs and exclamations of joy. The pandemic taught us that these things are not always possible,  but we also learned that the best parts of Christmas cannot be swept away.

On Christmas Eve we will hear again the story of Joseph and Mary’s trek to Bethlehem. Rather than being warmly welcomed at the door they will be turned away many times before finding an innkeeper willing to squeeze them in. We can only guess at what they hoped for, but it certainly wasn’t a barn crowded with animals. Yet in that stable, the most amazing thing happened as God arrived as a tiny baby- Emmanuel. What started out as a hugely inconvenient journey to a less than welcoming place became something miraculous. Jesus made his home among humanity and the world was blessed with a new definition of family and home. In Christ we are brothers and sisters. With the church, our home is never too far off.

As we mark the days of Advent to Christmas, may we expect to meet Jesus, even as we know he shows up in the most unexpected places.

Pastor Heidi