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First Congregational

United Church of Christ

... exploring the frontiers of faith in Jesus

Advent Thoughts from the Parish Nurse

Advent candles

December 2, first Sunday of Advent, week focusing on HOPE
ADVENT 2007 begins today. As I pray and read during this special season, I am going to be posting daily thoughts such as I did during Lent 2006. Each week I will be focusing on that week's word be it HOPE, PEACE, LOVE or JOY. Please look in daily and share a moment with me during this busy time. Perhaps it will calm you and bring a moment where you too can get a glimpse of the STAR.

December 3, first Monday of Advent
HOPE ... It can be a difficult word to define, because it encompasses such a wide range of emotions. Our very gifted minister, Tim Ensworth, helped me realize that as long as I have God in my life I have HOPE. Now if your can’t grasp what he means ... think a moment about the direct opposite of HOPE. That word is despair. With God in your life you will never know Despair ... because there will always be HOPE.

December 4, first Tuesday of Advent
HOPE was filling Mary’s heart. Think about Mary. Is it any wonder that she was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus? How much she loved her God to accept and go forth into the unknown. So young, so alone, so trusting. Think about Joseph. Is it any wonder that he was chosen to be the earthly Father of Jesus? A man so faithful that he accepted the words of the angel and gathered Mary up and went forth to bring HOPE to a weary world. So along they went. So trusting. So full of HOPE.

December 5, first Wednesday of Advent
Everyone is busy decorating their homes and wrapping packages with pretty paper and ribbon. It really is a time for decorating. I like to think that Advent is a time that I can decorate my heart and mind to accept anew the Christ Light that came into the world with the birth of Jesus. This light is so significant to me in my Spirituality. I can feel the flame of the light inside of me. It is what fills my life with HOPE.

December 6, first Thursday in Advent
I am taking a class on Living With Chronic Illness. This made me stop and think about Jesus. I know we are in the time of anticipation, making ready for his birth, but with birth comes the process of dying. Now look what Jesus did as a very old man. He began his teaching at a very old age. In the time in which Jesus lived 90% of the population was dead at the age of 40. Now think what he did at the end of his life. Think of a very old man climbing the mountains to preach. Walking the dusty roads. Pictures of Jesus show a young man, but in reality he was probably very wrinkled, graying, and looking like the aged man that he was. This realization has helped me in my living with the aches and pains that I have. I can talk to Jesus more freely now about my disability knowing that little babe whose birth we soon will celebrate also knew what the aging experience was.

December 7, first Friday of Advent
When I see an Advent Wreath, the evergreens represent the promise of everlasting life and the candles represent the light Jesus brought to a dark and cold world. The birth of Jesus brought HOPE to a waiting world.

December 8, first Saturday of Advent
There is so much to HOPE for in this world. HOPE is the only thing that will transform us. We must pray. We must make our needs and wants known. We then must sit back, confident that our prayer has been heard and the answer is on the way. Here is the crux of the matter. Prayers are answered in God's time, not ours. Know your prayer is being answered and above all Hope and keep praying.

December 9, second Sunday of Advent, week focusing on PEACE
I want Peace.

I believe that peace is God’s will for the world. Didn’t the angels proclaim: “On earth peace?” Didn’t Jesus speak of peace again and again? "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…"

I believe that the peace of the world begins in individual hearts. Open your heart this Advent Season. Let it be filled with God’s soft, pure peace. May you experience a peace so profound that it sustains you to your true heavenly peace.

December 10, second Monday of Advent
I believe that as you realize the deep and abiding peace in your own life, it flows from you to others and promotes harmony, understanding, and respect among the people you come in contact with. You are living the way of peace that the birth of Christ proclaimed. You are letting the spirit of peace be expressed through you to light the world.

December 11, second Tuesday of Advent
I believe that when you have peace in your inner being, you will find that you have calmness, self-control and a dynamic sense of inner peace which will enable you to handle all situations with love, courage, wisdom, and good judgment.

December 12, second Wednesday of Advent
I believe that we are doing wrong whenever we encourage our children not to be Peacemakers. For example, whenever we buy a toy gun or a play tank. Isn’t there enough pain in the world? Why would you want to encourage your children to pretend they are inflicting pain onto another human being? Inflicting pain and calling it fun ...

What is wrong with this picture?

December 13, second Thursday in Advent
I believe that all people regardless of language, race or cultural differences have the same fears, the same hopes and dreams, and even the same challenges. We all have the same need for love and understanding. We are alike in so many ways. Surely we can work together for peace!

December 14, second Friday of Advent
FUTURE PERFECT, by John D. Engle. Jr. and Sally Walker.

I see a river running from a fountainhead of song --
A mountain made of music,
Towering over greed and wrong.

All the landscape breathes with beauty;
The sky above is calm,
And the earth resounds with music
While the river signs a psalm.

In bright homes along the river
Live free souls who dare to dream,
And their dreams are interwoven
With the songs of earth and stream.

“Peace on Earth” the river sings ...

December 15, second Saturday of Advent
We prepare to light another candle on our Advent Wreath. As the brilliance grows my prayer is that it will rekindle within each of our hearts the desire to prepare a way for the birth of Christ.

December 16, third Sunday of Advent, week focusing on LOVE
We light the beautiful pink candle today. The light of LOVE shines forth. May we look with love onto all as we prepare our hearts to welcome the Lord of Light who will come to us on Christmas Day.

December 17, third Monday of Advent
So many beautiful ornaments. The holly green, the candy canes of red and white. Nothing says Christmas as much as a candy cane. May these sweets be a reminder to us of the sweetness of the baby Jesus who’s birth we now await.

December 18, third Tuesday of Advent
May every greeting we send be signed with love, friendship and prayer. May our greetings, so written, be fun to open and treasures to keep.

December 19, third Wednesday of Advent
May we be protected from shopper’s fatigue. May we take delight in the Marketplace which is now transformed in beauty, lights, and music.

December 20, third Thursday in Advent
My prayer to all is that you suffer no anxiety over what to give ... that you concentrate on How To Give.

December 21, third Friday of Advent
Give with you heart ... and accept
With your heart ... and love will abound.

December 22, third Saturday of Advent
May our hearts fill to overflowing with youthful, humorous delight as we prepare for the coming of Christ with Advent longing.

December 23, fourth Sunday of Advent, focusing on JOY
It is snowing outside. I am safe and warm and joy fills my heart. Soon the world will be filled with the joy and love of Emmanuel. My Mother always told me that if you listen really, really well, at midnight on Christmas Eve you can hear a baby cry and that is when all the animals can talk. Mother said the animals were telling the world about the wonderful gift of Mary's precious baby boy.

December 24, Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve

how still the night in its snowy crown
robed like an angel choir in white
tonight earth's cares and stains and scars
will be washed away and Love come to life
for now white solitude of silence
awaits God's gift of Light.

- s. walker

December 25, Christmas Day
IF EVERY DAY WERE CHRISTMAS

If every day were Christmas,
How different life would be,
If not one day but all the year
Were ruled by charity.
Had we the faith in miracles
A child has Christmas morn,
Each day would be love's manger
And Christ would be reborn.
In us again to change and heal out outworn wars and ways --
Had we a child's or Shepherd's gift
For wonderment and praise!
Yet every day is Christmas
When we have learned to live
By love's law, learned not how to get
But only how to give;
And like a child can wonder
And like a child can pray,
But have the grown-up wisdom
To give ourselves away.


- author unknown