Dear Five O' Clock Friends,
First a big "thank you" to all of you who helped bring Live at Five to the 9:00 worshipping community last Sunday. It was a great celebration of La Virgen de Guadalupe's feast day. For me, the most moving moment of the morning was at the offertory when the whole congregation brought their roses and layed them at the feet of Guadalupe--the Mother of the Americas bringing us together as one community.
First a big "thank you" to all of you who helped bring Live at Five to the 9:00 worshipping community last Sunday. It was a great celebration of La Virgen de Guadalupe's feast day. For me, the most moving moment of the morning was at the offertory when the whole congregation brought their roses and layed them at the feet of Guadalupe--the Mother of the Americas bringing us together as one community.
This Sunday we are treating the whole community of St. Michael's to another celebration--Las Posadas. We'll gather in the Parish Hall at 5:00 p.m., go from door to door at St. Michael's as we re-enact the journey of Joseph and Mary. At the end, we'll gather at the altar as we remember in the bread and wine the One who comes to share our lives and to lead us into light. Afterwards, we'll have a Potluck Supper in the Parish Hall. There'll be food, pinatas, and lots of laughter.
As we come to the end of another Advent together, I want to share with you the words of Howard Thurman--mystical theologian and activist pastor--who formed the first multi-racial, inter-denominational congregation in the United States (The Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples). In Advent, I always turn to Thurman's book The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations for my morning meditation time. Here is the poem I read this morning:
Gifts on My Altar
I place these gifts on my altar this Christmas;
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine.
The quiet hopes that flood the earnest cargo of my dreams;
The best of all good things for those I love.
A fresh new trust for all whose faith is dim.
The love of life, God's precious gift in reach of all:
Seeing in each day the seeds of the morrow,
Finding in each struggle the strength of renewal,
Seeking in each person the face of my brother.
I place these gifts on my altar this Christmas;
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine.
Thank you all for the gift you have been in my life this year.
Susan+
As we come to the end of another Advent together, I want to share with you the words of Howard Thurman--mystical theologian and activist pastor--who formed the first multi-racial, inter-denominational congregation in the United States (The Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples). In Advent, I always turn to Thurman's book The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations for my morning meditation time. Here is the poem I read this morning:
Gifts on My Altar
I place these gifts on my altar this Christmas;
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine.
The quiet hopes that flood the earnest cargo of my dreams;
The best of all good things for those I love.
A fresh new trust for all whose faith is dim.
The love of life, God's precious gift in reach of all:
Seeing in each day the seeds of the morrow,
Finding in each struggle the strength of renewal,
Seeking in each person the face of my brother.
I place these gifts on my altar this Christmas;
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine.
Thank you all for the gift you have been in my life this year.
Susan+
RSS Feed
