The pandemic has certainly rocked our world. It brought unexpected change, loss, and fear into our lives. I love people and I love our congregation, so one of the personal losses I have felt during the pandemic was the loss of a sense of community with family, friends, and our family of faith. Advent is the season leading up to Christmas Day. It is a time set aside for the preparation of our hearts and minds to fully celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Last year, as the season of Advent approached, we longed to find a way to help us all feel connected with one another, even though we were not together physically.
Through a generous gift from a family in our church, we were able to offer a beautiful heirloom advent wreath and guide to each family in our family of faith. With a solid walnut base and holes drilled to hold the Advent candles, the wreaths were simple, yet elegant. The guide helped us understand the meaning of Advent and the candles for each week. We placed a gold sticker on the bottom of each wreath that read:
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:5
The global pandemic did not extinguish the Light of Christ and it did not prevent us from sharing the Light of the world.
There was a staging area that housed all the components of the wreaths and that space, the Vaught Chapel, became our distribution center. It was a busy place, sometimes a messy place. Each time I entered that room, I saw beauty around me instead of the chaos, because for me, it became an instant connection to you, our family of faith. I felt close to you and grateful that we could find community in sharing this beautiful tradition. How appropriate that we assembled these holy gifts in a sacred space in our church. I felt the light of Christ present in that very room and these simple gifts reminded me of the birth of Jesus. His humble beginning is a reminder to us all that there will continue to be times in our lives where the circumstances are not ideal, where we must face the unfamiliar, and we fear the unexpected, but the richest of blessings and the greatest of gifts can come out of those times.
We’ve all learned that life does not always turn out as we expect, but abundant blessings have also evolved out of these days of darkness. We are more inclined to be grateful for things we perhaps once took for granted. Spending time with family, friends, and our family of faith has brought smiles, tears, laughter, and joy back into our lives. As we anticipate the birth of the Christ Child, our Savior, the Light of the World, I encourage you to let His light shine through you. This year, as you light the candles in your Advent wreath, may you find the love, peace, joy, and faith that Christ brings to us and may you share His love with others.
Marsha Long, Director of Hospitality Ministry
