26 Nov Advent at FBC–An Unexpected Christmas

    Alex Trebek, the longtime host of the popular game show Jeopardy! died of pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. In his memoir, “And the answer is. . . reflections on my life” Trebek offers the following advice: “Stop worrying about the future. Just treat every day as a blessing and try to be aware when you leave this earth you made a difference in the lives of other people.”

    Nothing has happened this year in the way we could have imagined. The year 2020 was supposed to be for “renewed vision” (20/20, right?) and optimism. Yet, the pandemic ushered in a time of uncertainty, frustration, and disruption of our routines and livelihoods. That sentiment is reflected in the theme of our Advent Devotional Guide: “An Unexpected Christmas.” I appreciate so many of you who offered devotionals and artwork for us to enjoy, and encourage all of us to read through this together.

    December seems a good time to reflect upon what has occurred these last number of months. And, even though we anticipate the beginning of a new year, the same challenges related to COVID-19 remain. I’ve been encouraged by news of a vaccine to be made public soon, but this won’t get to us for several months yet to come. Let’s remain vigilant in our mitigation efforts.

    For those who faithfully tithe and give your offerings to the church, I am truly grateful for your financial support. We’ve learned how to use the giving tab on the website, mail in our contributions, use bank drafts, drop offerings off at the building and use the offering box in our worship spaces. Your faithfulness is inspiring and important to maintain a ministry presence in our community and around the world.

    The missions committee has set our Global Missions Offering Goal at $8000. You can designate your contribution to either the CBF Global Missions offering or the SBC Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

    The pandemic, an election, plus numerous personal challenges have all been part of 2020. We’ve also recognized the importance and value of family and our church family; I hope we never again take these relationships for granted.

    Let’s slow down and embrace the season of Advent. It’s a time of waiting and preparation as we celebrate the birth of our Savior once again. I look forward to sharing in the upcoming worship experiences, and hope you’ll take part in them either in person or online over the next several weeks.

    Finally, if you’ve been around the building lately, you’ve no doubt noticed the Christmas decorations up around our campus. We definitely “need a little Christmas” these days, and I appreciate the efforts of the Hostess Committee to make our buildings look so festive!–DC