See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. —Malachi 3:1
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In looking through old files recently, I ran across a letter tucked away that my mother had written to me. In it she was thanking me for their visit to our home in Houma, La., for Christmas 1984. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that I had not seen this letter in more than 30 years. There it was, coming back to me again, as though I was reading it for the first time. She wrote of how much she enjoyed unwrapping and putting the gifts out that we had given them when they returned home. Her favorite gift from us was the picture we had framed of John, Lane and me sitting on the front steps of our home. I know that picture well. Our copy is now on our dresser in the bedroom. Reading that letter and holding those handwritten pages was like a part of her coming back to me as we prepare again for a Season of Advent and Christmas 2017. She closed with these words, ‘We had such a good time being with all of you. It was one of the best Christmases we have ever spent.”
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What made that Christmas so special? I cannot say exactly. Yet I think it is what we long for each year. We long to “make it so special, it will be remembered as one of the best ever.” When that happens, I sense it is not because of something special that was under the Christmas tree. Rather it is the way we came together as family, as friends. It is the way we opened our hearts to one another, shared with one another, laughed together, played together, sat at the table together. Will we remember 30-plus years from now what the gifts were? I doubt it. But there is something about celebrating the birth of the Christ Child that holds the potential to create and capture memories that will linger for a lifetime. Memories like those that appeared to me in her letter. This Advent carol calls us to this season of preparation for those coming to share it with us, and to look about, for Love, the Guest, is on the way.
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People, look east. The time is near
nof the crowning of the year.n
Make your house fair as you are able,
ntrim the hearth and set the table.n
People, look east.
nLove, the Guest, is on the way.n
By Eleanor Farjeon
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Rev. Dr. Carole Cotton Winn
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Home Worship & Advent Wreath Reading*
nWeek 3
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Welcome Celebration
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Read: Isaiah 35:1-10
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Light: We offer the following reading as you light the first three candles on your Advent wreath. If you do not have an Advent wreath, we invite you to light a candle, reminding you of the joy that comes at Christmas.
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This is the third Sunday in Advent, and today we light three candles. The candle of Joy joins the candles of Hope and Love. May remember again God’s gift of Jesus to the world and know the joy his presence brings.
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(Light the first, second and third candles)
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Reflect: Christ came to lift people up, not tear us down. Christ came to save us, not to destroy. Christ came as a gift of love, and in response, we offer joy and celebration. This Christmas, we will be “welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness” (Isaiah 35:10, The Message).
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Pray: Dear God, Thank you for the joy remembering Jesus’ birth brings to my life. Help me live in such a way that my words and my actions help others know of the joy You give and the joy of this special season. Amen.
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Respond: There are people in our neighborhoods, in our church and in our community who need to know of God’s joy. Select someone to visit by phone or in person this week. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a visit to a home. Maybe there is someone you see in a place where you go to eat. Stop by and talk with that person. Tell the person you visit one way he or she brings joy to you.
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