Sr Warden's Report - St. Peter's Episcopal Church

From the Senior Warden

A Counter-Cultural Invitation: Waiting in Hope This Advent

Welcome to the start of a new church year and the beautiful season of Advent! The word "Advent" comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming" or "arrival," heralding the arrival of Jesus, our Once and Future King. It is a unique, counter-cultural season that invites us to resist the world's rush toward instant gratification and frantic commercialism, and instead, to wait patiently and intentionally for the Lord to come into our hearts and our world.

In our busy lives, waiting is often the hardest work of hope. Yet, this season offers us a precious gift: the opportunity to pause, take a deep breath, and make room for the Christ child in our lives.

As we light the candles on our Advent wreath each week, we focus on the core themes that prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of our Savior:

• Hope: The first candle, the Prophecy Candle, reminds us of the hope the Mes-siah brings, recalling the ancient prophe-cies that foretold His coming.

• Peace: We look to Jesus as the "Prince of Peace," reflecting on God's gift of peace in a world full of turmoil.

• Joy: True joy is not dependent on happy circumstances but is found in the knowledge that God is in our midst, a mighty Savior who renews us in His love.

• Love: Love: We remember that God's undeserved mercy and love were given to humanity through the sending of Jesus Christ.

This Advent, let's embrace the call to live with the hope of Christ rather than the hype of the "holiday season".

Ways to Engage This Advent Season:

• Weekly Devotionals: Follow our daily devotionals using Forward Day by Day or Our Daily Bread

• Advent Study: Join the Advent Study “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel at 9 am in the Diffenbaugh li-brary beginning Sunday, November 30th.

• Community Outreach: Join us in our annual Angel Tree collection, a tan-gible way to hare God's love and hope with those in our community.

• Worship: Invite a friend or neighbor to join you for Sunday worship (Children’s pageant on December 14th, Lessons and Carols at 9am on December 21st and our hymn sing and Christmas Eve service at 10:30 pm on December 24th.

You never know how God might work through your kindness to answer their prayers and fulfill their best hopes for this month. May this season be a time of deep spiritual formation for you, as we await the arrival of the One who makes all things new.

May God bless each of you this Advent Season.

Kimberly