THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Dec. 12, 2021, Gathering and Devotion on Zoom this Sunday, Third Sunday of Advent. If you have any questions, or are interested in a conversation, contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com.
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Dear Community of Pilgrims!
Happy third Sunday of Advent! The theme this week is joy! Philippians 4:4 captures it well, and is a song, a round, I’ve sung many times with young people around campfires: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! And again I say rejoice!” In a round, around a campfire, it is magic. I also like the rest of the passage: Let your gentleness be known to everyone. God is near. Don’t worry about anything (!), but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts, minds, and bodies in Christ” (vv. 5-7). So, next week, here is your word of intention: joy, or rejoice.
The Scripture reading this week showcases none other than John the Baptizer (Luke 3:8-17). After last week’s reading, in which we got caught up with the prophecy of his dad, Zechariah, the son, John, has really turned out to be one of the great Hebrew Scripture prophets. He is the personification and embodiment of the term, “prophetic presence.” And he comes out swinging in the Gospel of Luke, with a call of repentance. Confession. We begin our worship together, Sunday after Sunday, with worship in the Protestant churches (PCUSA and ELCA). We do it both corporately, as a body, and give space for us to do it individually. Heck, we can do it daily, like the Jesuits suggest, in which we are then open to the practice of daily conversion to Christ in our practice of repentance, committing ourselves to whatever we can reasonably do to make things right as a nation, as well as in our personal lives, in our relationships, and in all other parts of our world that touches our lives. This practice of confession is, itself, made possible by the initial gifts of God’s grace and love, knowing that we are already loved, saved, adored, and appreciated, just as we are, because of the gift of God’s only child to our world. So, perhaps it is right for us all to sing, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say ‘rejoice!’” for the gift of God’s grace that makes repentance, confession, even possible, and productive. Join us this Sunday as we talk about the creative tension between repentance and being joyful some more!
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THANK YOU! Thank you for supporting us, The Community of Pilgrims in 2022. If you still haven’t sent us your Pledge form send it to Bill Kinsey, our Treasurer, via email (email address is part of this email.) Thank you, again, for supporting us.
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Events!
Dec. 12, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Third Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 19, 4 pm, Gather and Devotion on Zoom! Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Dec. 24, 5 pm, Christmas Eve service at Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church, 7119 N. Portsmouth Ae., Portland, OR 97203!
Dec. 26, Holy Holiday! Happy Christmastide!
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
We pray to the Creator of all creation:
· Maureen following the recent death of her husband Philip Cuomo.
· Thanksgiving that Yarrow's recent bone scan shows her cancer has not spread to other parts of her body.
· Karen's beloved cousin Jim who suddenly died today.
· Karen's college roommate Linda Deasy in Kansas who just died.
· Safe travels next weekend for Karen as she travels to a memorial service for Ron Frase who passed away a couple of weeks ago.
· Safe travels for Ron who flies home tomorrow from an exhausting trip to visit his aging parents.
· People of Myanmar where the civilian leader has been sentenced to four years in prison, and for the people of Afghanistan under Taliban rule, in which most people live in poverty.
· Refugees from Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and other Middle East countries experiencing widespread violence and knowing that US policies have contributed to their plight.
· Parts of the world which have no vaccines.
· Slow down the spread of COVID and the new strains and variants like Omicron.
· People pay attention, be politically engaged, and do the right thing.
· Gun control following the Michigan high school shooting.
· Protection of voting rights as many states enact laws making it harder to vote.
· Young people struggling with mental health challenges.
· Safe travels for Brett on his trip to North Carolina the week of December 13th.
· Thanksgiving that Helena and friends returned home safely from the BTS concert in LA.
· Control of the gun violence in Portland.
· Effective and wise leadership in Portland and Multnomah County.
“God, in your love, attend our prayers…”
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Poem
For Joy, by Jan Richardson
You can prepare
But still
It will come to you
By surprise
Crossing through your doorway
Calling your name in greeting
Turning like a child
Who quickens suddenly
Within you
It will astonish you
How wide your heart
Will open
In welcome
For the joy
That finds you
So ready
And still so
Unprepared.
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Buen Camino! Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.