“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   “Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight” ’,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
— Mark 1:1-4

Each of the Gospel writers begins the story of Jesus from a different perspective, and includes different parts of the narrative. Matthew starts with the genealogy of Joseph, to whom the angel speaks, and tells us about the Magi. Luke, wanting to give an “orderly account” focuses on Elizabeth and Mary, and tells us about the simple shepherds and temple sages. John gives us a spiritual explanation of how Jesus comes to be a part of the world, but skips the narrative of Jesus’ birth. Mark focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise of God, and starts with John the Baptist, fully grown, calling us to get ready for the arrival of the Lord.

Many of us have read, or at least heard about Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. We understand that we show love in different ways, and have different ways that we experience being loved. Relationship difficulties when my way of showing I love you doesn’t match the way you need to experience love.  The five “love languages” are

• Words of affirmation,
• Quality time,
• Giving and Receiving gifts,
• Acts of service,
• Physical touch.

Isn’t it amazing how each of these five expressions are found in different measure in the stories of Jesus coming into the world?! The Magi with their gifts, Elizabeth and Mary spending time of comfort and excitement with each other, the Gentle touch of Joseph the wood-worker, the Word-made-flesh-ness in John’s explanation, Mary’s affirmation in the Magnificat… these are all direct examples. But beyond the literal expressions of the “love languages,” there is something more.
Through this variety of perspectives and focus, each of us can find someone like ourselves in the story. Each of us can learn about how God comes to us in our particular situation, with our individual needs and priorities. It is the same story of love, told in differing ways.
And it is an affirmation that we can show the love of God in our own ways, using our own unique gifts.

Holy God, we open ourselves to the arrival of your love into our world and into our lives. We await Emmanuel: God’s love with us. God’s love in us. God’s love through us. Amen.
 
So, your questions for worship this Sunday are:
1. How do you show love?
2. What do you need to know that you are loved?
3. What part of the Christmas story speaks of God’s love to you?
4. How, then, can you best show God’s love?

Pastor George

Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable. Hebrews 10:23

Last week I received some disappointing news.  Ashley, our commUNITY yoga leader, let me know that after months of struggling through the pandemic, she and her husband, Gilbert, were going to have to give up their Yoga Studio.  This was sad news on many levels.  First, it was sad to see the impact the closing was having on my friends…two people who’ve put so much time, love and energy into their 11 year old business.  It was also sad to think about the impact this news would have on the community.  Ashley and Gilbert support the local and global community through many service and mission projects and impact the lives of their student community through their constant commitment to whole body wellness.  Lastly, I was sad on a personal level.  When we are able to gather again, I’m really going to miss classes at the studio.

This is where my heart and head were at as we entered this first week of advent where the focus is on the gift of hope.  During our commUNITY yoga meditation, Ashley asked “Where do you see hope?” and in Pastor George’s sermon on Sunday, we were asked “What brings you hope in these times?” and I have a couple of answers to these questions…but most surprisingly to me, is that I can say this disappointing news is one place that I see hope and it is also giving me hope in these times. 

I find hope in the attitudes of Ashley and Gilbert who are giving up a dream they’ve been very successful at.  They haven’t focused on what they can’t do anymore but instead are looking to what they might still be able to do in new ways.  They aren’t viewing this as an ending, but a beginning.  The challenges they’ve faced this year have been overwhelming, but they aren’t bitter and they haven’t just thrown up their hands and walked away. Instead, they are continuing to connect with and serve their community and are using their creativity to explore how they might still help others find wholeness and wellness. In the face of some very hard times and decisions, their trust that they were led to this decision, that everything will work out and their desire to continue to make this world a better place every day is inspiring to me.      

While this chapter of their lives, and for all of us who practice with them, is coming to a close, it doesn’t feel like the end or as hopeless as it did initially. God’s light of hope reflecting in them has inspired hope in others and has inspired hope in me.  In many ways, there are similarities to the hope I find in our church community.  We’ve learned during this pandemic that there are many new possibilities open to us even in the face of all that this year has brought us and taken from us.  We are continuing to meet challenges in creative ways and we are adapting.  We’ve learned, more than ever, that it’s not the building that makes us a church. It’s the relationships, the connection and the community.  It’s about loving, serving and taking care of others.  It’s about trusting and being the people God calls us to be everyday. 

We often say at Messy Church that God is with us in the mess – this year has been messy…we don’t know what the future will hold but we do know that God is with us, always, and together we will move through it.

So, may we be grateful for God’s gift of hope and be inspired to continue doing God’s work in all the ways we can in all the places we can…and in doing so, hopefully we might even inspire hope in others.

Dear God, thank you for the words of the Prophet Isaiah that remind us that you are the source of our hope.  We give thanks knowing that you will meet us even in the mess of our world.  We find peace knowing that you are working beside us as we face challenges. Help us to share your light with others and live each day as hopeful people.  Amen. 

Leyla

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me. Psalm 23:4

…..weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

The Psalms offer much hope in the midst of calamity and chaos. Every morning I have started a routine of listening to the news for about 30 minutes. I say to my smartphone, “Good Morning Google” and it quickly gives me all the information regarding time, weather and other pertinent information. It then gives the days news, along with other interest stories. About a month ago I heard an encouraging message from a Rabbi. The interviewer asked him for words of inspiration during this pandemic season, and he went directly to the 23rd Psalm where he talked about “walking through the valley.” As bad as things may seem to be, we are walking through, which means that we will get past these times to the other side.

The Rabbi continued to direct the scripture and mentioned  the presence of shadows. “If  there are shadows, he exclaimed, “then there is light somewhere.” These words were an encouragement to me and reminded me that we are the light of the world. In the midst of darkness we have an opportunity to be light. During this Advent season, we remember the light and how it guides our path.

“Walk in the light, beautiful light;

Come where His love and His mercy are bright.

Shine all around us by day and by night,

Jesus, the Light of the world.”

James Calhoun

Gracious God, we thank you for leading us through the trials of life to places full of love and light. We thank you that after the darkness, dawn is soon to follow with its joy. Amen

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:11

While this Thanksgiving will be different and smaller this year, I have so many things to be thankful for. One of the biggest things is all of you, my church family.  I am always amazed at how you all step up to the plate when asked to serve in ministry.  It is such a blessing to work with all of you here at CUMC.  I just stamped over 100 thank you cards for health care workers that were collected and delivered to Orange Coast Memorial Hospital.  We will do this again for another local hospital soon.  There were all types of cards from beautiful hand painted ones, computer printed ones, and store bought.  All of them had heartfelt messages of gratitude and thanks for those people who work so tirelessly to help others get well.  It warmed my heart to see all of them.  These cards will let them know that their work does not go unnoticed and hopefully will get their Thanksgiving week off to a great start.

So many of you have donated to help others have a Thanksgiving dinner through our Food Closet.  It has been amazing to see the amount of canned goods, turkeys, pies, etc. that have been given out to those families in need.  When we put out a call for TP because our Food Closet was very short on supply we were beyond fully stocked up in days. How wonderful is that?  We have sifters for people who have lost their homes due to fire that were built by our EngageHB worship and will be finished off by our youth.  Those sifters will help start the process of healing after dealing with such devastation.

Shortly, my office will be filled with gifts for children, youth and senior adults who might not have a Christmas gift if it was not for Social Services whom we collect for.  Even while living in uncertain times, you all show your love of people whom you do not know by your actions and that is why I am so thankful to be a part of this church family.  We are still living out our faith in deeds, not just words.  We are living out what our church is called to do by reaching out to others and helping them. Even while we cannot worship inside our beautiful new sanctuary, we worship God by our deeds by helping others in need. Letting them know that they are a beloved child of God and that they matter to us and to God. They are important.

As we gather around our table, computer, separate tables outside, or however you are gathering this year, may we remember to be thankful to God for our continued blessings, even during this difficult time. We are blessed. We are blessed to have people in our lives to care about and to love and nurture, let us not forget that and let us not forget to tell them that they are a beloved child of God and that they matter to us and to God.  So, reach out in word and deed to let God know and let the ones closest to you know that you are thankful for them.  That you are blessed to have them in your lives even when they drive you crazy sometimes.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Gracious and loving God, Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow, and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health, and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
—From The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley

Stay well, stay safe and be the hope you wish to see in the world,
Suzanne

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. – Psalm 69:30
 
We have entered my favorite time of year, Thanksgiving. Putting the recent election aside, people just seem to be genuinely kinder, more grateful, and more thankful than usual this time of year. For me, this time of year carries the greatest traditions.

For a few years of my childhood, my Mom implemented what I thought was the absolute worst tradition ever. On Thanksgiving Eve, she would serve only a bowl of white rice for dinner. No seasoning, no sauce. Just bland, sticky, white rice. She wanted to remind us of our blessings. The next day we would be feasting on turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry jello salad, pecan pie; but there were people in the world that never experienced these feasts. There were people who were going to bed with empty stomachs and no clue where their next meal was coming from. My brother and I seemed to miss the point, at the time. We whined through the entire meal and begged for even a sprinkling of salt. We suggested that we send that rice to those hungry people and get on with the feast. But, considering we still talk about this tradition at nearly every family function to this day, perhaps she made her point more clearly than she thought. Kudos mom, even though we hated it then, you taught us a valuable lesson.

My favorite tradition is purchasing and packing up a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need. I love thinking about the people we’ve shopped for on Thanksgiving Day, hoping that they see the love packed in that meal; praying that they find peace, rest, and hope as they settle down to eat together. As I’ve brought my own family into the world, this tradition means even more, as together we share with others.   

Over the past few years, I have loved the new tradition people initiated on Facebook through the month of November, posting something they’re thankful for each day. I wish these attitudes would carry on year-round so that social media remained positively social rather than degrading into arguments that aren’t going to change anyone’s mind.

This year, we implemented a new tradition in the Sugano household: the thankful pumpkin. I saw a post about getting a pumpkin and writing down something you’re thankful for everyday running up to Thanksgiving, and then using that pumpkin as your centerpiece on Thanksgiving Day. We began our first thankful pumpkin in September. Since then, Brinklee has taken it upon herself to be our thankful pumpkin steward asking everyone each day what they’re thankful for. She often helps her little brother come up with his items, as well, listing things like toothbrushes and bubbles. Each day, we experience great joy reflecting on what we’re thankful for. This tradition may stick a little bit better than the white rice on Thanksgiving Eve, although the sentiment of gratefulness, thankfulness, and sharing with others is the same.

What traditions remind you to be thankful at this time of year?

Emalee Sugano

Lord, though the world is in turmoil, there is much to be thankful for. Thank you for your abundant blessings. May we always remember and be grateful. Amen.