Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 22, 2008

Dear Friends,

The story of Christmas is a story of desperate people. Whether it’s the teenage mother of God with no place to birth her baby or the day laborer sheep herder; the heralding angels proclaim that unto you a child is born! Good news desperate people! Gather around and give glory to God, for this Son who has come will be your wonderful counselor, your mighty God, your everlasting Father, and the prince of your much needed Shalom.

It is the fourth Sunday of Advent and the crescendo is building. It is the anxious anticipating of the Son of God, His coming! Hurry … desperate people … say, “Come Light of the World”! Come into the dark places of our lives, our circumstances, our pain … come and bring the hope of your Presence, so that in your coming I know that I am not without your mighty love.

I know desperate people and I know desperation, myself. When I was in college we were taught to understand that our salvation allowed us as “beggars to show other beggars where the food is”. Years of desperations later, my beggarliness has taken countless forms, and I keep finding where His resources are, and the joy of my life is in showing others.

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World” but He also said to us, “You are the light of the world”. There is a group of young adults from my neighborhood who were born into desperation. I have known and loved them for a very long time. Death and darkness have been their companions. Good News, I have been shouting for most of their lives! The king of glory has come in … let Him in! And because of the tenacious love of God many of these desperate people are worshippers at the manger. This Advent of His coming is good news for us and miraculously good news through us.

May the Light of the World come to you bearing all you need from Him this holy season!

I love you, kit

Kindle, O Lord, in our hearts, we pray,
the flame of that love which never ceases,
that it may burn in us and give light to others.
May we shine forever in your temple,
set on fire with that eternal light of yours,
which puts to flight the darkness of this world;
in the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen

St Columba

Isaiah 9:2,6,7

Finances and Prayer

Every week we are giving you updates on how end year giving comes in. We need to raise $230,848 over and above what we conservatively expect to be donated through December 31, 2008.

What a precious time of year to wait for the Lord to meet the very real and practical needs of the poor in our city! For our faithful Lord will show up, in ways beyond all we can ask or think.