My wife, Maurine, stays in touch with United Church of Christ ministerial annuitants (pensioners) on behalf of the Board of Pensions to let them know their service is valued. I asked her to share her holiday letter to them to remind us of deeper dimensions of Advent/Christmas.
Max
Dear Annuitants,
Ah! What a difference a year makes!
As we have visited this year – all by phone of course! -
you have shared different realities.
Frustration; wonder.
Goodness; pain.
Anxiety; creativity.
Covid – 19 has created a different way of living for us.
Facemasks; social distancing; hand-washing.
Yet the blessings of God' presence abide
in some unusual ways!
Zoom! Walks in the beauty of creation,
Quiet times to reflect. Face time.
God's presence abides as it always has.
This Advent/Christmas 2020, as we stay home and adjust,
My mind wanders to the event that began this tradition -
The journey that became Advent/Christmas 0000 -
The year Joseph & Mary, instead of staying home
as was customary for the birth of their child,
traveled for the Census, and there delivered
the one we know as Jesus, the Christ.
How different that must have felt to them,
and yet, they managed.
As will we.
God has blessed us “For such a Time as This.”
I am certain that each of you
will continue to embrace opportunities
to share the love, joy, and peace of God,
and I thank you for sharing those gifts!
Happy Advent! Merry Christmas!! Blessings in 2021!!!
We'll speak again next year – and in the meantime,
you know how to be in touch in the need arises!
Maurine
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