THIS SUNDAY: The Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, Second Sunday of Advent. Bring two candles! On Zoom or at Rise Church,10445 SW Canterbury Ln, Tigard, OR 97224. Contact me if you need a Zoom link. 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,
The second Sunday of Advent is upon us! It is December, which seems to have come too quickly this year. There is snow on the ground in and around Seattle, and a wet wintry mix predicted now and then for the Portland area. Cities and towns around the country and world are lighting public Christmas trees and menorahs, with holiday craft shows and pop-ups everywhere around us. ‘Tis the season.
It is also the “season” for John the Baptizer to help us, in the Christian community, to focus on what matters most: living in the realm of God’s love. The Scriptural focus is Matthew 2:1-13. The one verse that stood out to me as I read it, again, this year was verse 2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Repent, or repentance, of our sins, is an action we, the hearer and receiver, are to do, which we do in the Protestant tradition weekly, if not daily. We are capable of doing it because of God’s gift of grace which always saves us from ourselves, even before we know it. Why is it important to be made clean? Because the “kingdom of heaven has come near.” That’s the reason for the repentance of sins: the kingdom—or reign or realm of heaven, which is God and God’s Spirit—has come near in John’s time in the person of Jesus. Interesting: These words were supposedly uttered before Jesus showed up to be baptized by John in the River Jordan. But then Jesus appears! And we now live in the day and age of living as God’s forgiven and forgiving people, in the realm of God’s love, already inaugurated by none other than the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ, the first born of creation, and the first born of the dead. With all of John’s bluster and bravery, embraced by the overwhelming Good News of salvation, we read this text this Sunday to remember what God and only God can do: make us new, each and every day of our life, as members of the mystical-yet-real body of Christ. Join us this Sunday as we discuss such things!
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Pledge Time! It is that time again in the year for making a church pledge of time, talent, and financial funds to the Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship. Our Community is dependent upon its members to support it, together, as we gather in life and continue to learn how best to love God, love neighbor, do justice, practice loving kindness, and walk humbly with God in the topsy-turvy world in which we live. In the coming days, you will receive a letter and an email from the Community of Pilgrims, asking each one of you to, please, prayerfully consider your support of our Community. And thank you for past gifts of time, talent, and financial gifts. The deadline for the pledges will be Friday, Dec. 16, 2022.
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Advent-Christmas Service Project: We will join with Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church in “adopting” two Congolese families, 9 people in total, with the assistance of Lutheran Community Services NW. We are aiming at providing $100 per person of gift cards. Simply write a check to “The Community of Pilgrims,” for whatever amount you choose, and send it to Bill Kinsey (our Treasurer), 1828 SW Terrace Dr., Portland, OR 97201. Bill will collect the money, purchase the gift cards, and get them to Lutheran Community Services NW. Thanks!
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Events!
Dec. 4, 4 pm, 2nd Sunday of Advent; Gather and Devotion on Zoom or Rise Church, Holy Communion, and welcoming Tom Letts.
Dec. 11, 4 pm, 3rd Sunday of Advent; Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Dec. 18, 4 pm, 4th Sunday of Advent; Gather and Devotion on Zoom or at Rise Church.
Dec. 24, 7 pm, Christmas Eve worship at Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church.
Dec. 25, 2022, and Jan. 1, 2023, Holy Holidays!
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
We pray to the Creator of all creation:
· Cancer surgery went well for Roxanne’s friend Maureen and her margins are clear.
· Discussions and let’s keep having them.
· Thanksgiving and a time to express gratitude.
· Brett’s ordination 39 years ago.
· Roberta’s invitation to preach on January 1st at East Woods.
· Today’s brief sun and the small amount of rain which we need.
· Ric and Jo Ann Tower’s anniversary this week.
Prayers of concern for:
· Larry Cobb, a Dragon Boat friend, had a stroke this past week, and is in palliative care, along with Charles Flaum, another paddler who is struggling with cancer;
· Chris’s friend Diane who is going through marital difficulties.
· Lorinda’s two friends Connie and Marilee.
· Ken Miller has been in the hospital for several months. Prayers for his family.
· Gun violence in this country and for those families and friends who have suffered because of shootings. Our country and the news have become numb to the violence.
· Tommy the homeless man who came into Portsmouth Trinity Lutheran Church this morning.
· The homeless and houseless people in Portland who are not getting the mental health care they need.
· Katie and friends and all college students returning to campus for the last weeks of the term and prayers finals go well.
· Voting rights in the US.
· Congress will pass the Respect for Marriage Act.
· Countries around the world experiencing conflict and violence including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Syria. Iraq, Pakistan.
· Global climate change.
· Our friend Linda, who died this past week, and all those in palliative care and hospice care.
· Those who are incarcerated. Thankful Governor Brown has removed convictions for possession of a small amount of marijuana.
· Women’s reproductive rights.
· Lack of public defenders in Portland.
God in your love, attend our prayers. Amen
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Poem
St. John the Baptist, St. John’s Eve, by Malcolm Guite
Midsummer night, and bonfires on the hill
Burn for the man who makes way for the Light:
‘He must increase and I diminish still,
Until his sun illuminates my night.’
So John the Baptist pioneers our path,
Unfolds the essence of the life of prayer,
Unlatches the last doorway into faith,
And makes one inner space an everywhere.
Least of the new and greatest of the old,
Orpheus on the threshold with his lyre,
He sets himself aside, and cries “Behold
The One who stands amongst you comes with fire!”
So keep his fires burning through this night,
Beacons and gateways for the child of light.
Buen Camino! Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell and Karen Cornwell Fortlander