Walnut Hill Church Weekly Letter

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Greetings to all!

Consider this different way of thinking about the season Advent…

Advent, meaning "the coming," is a time when we wait expectantly.  Christians

began to celebrate it as a season during the fourth and fifth centuries. Like

Mary, we celebrate the coming of the Christ child, what God has already done.

And we wait in expectation for the full coming of God's reign on earth and for

the return of Christ, what God will yet do.  But this waiting is not a passive

waiting. It is an active waiting.  As any expectant mother knows, this waiting

also involves preparation, exercise, nutrition, care, prayer, work; and birth

involves pain, blood, tears, joy, release, community.  It is called labor for a

reason.  Likewise, we are in a world pregnant with hope, and we live with the

expectation of the coming of God's kingdom on earth.  As we wait, we also

work, cry, pray, ache; we are the midwives of another world. 

(from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)

Worship this Sunday, December 16, the Third Sunday of Advent…

*Preaching - Teresa Larson, an M.Div. student at Louisville Seminary

*Liturgist - Mike Ward

The Messiah, an exploration of the honorific titles often applied to Jesus as

found in Isaiah 9:6, continues this Sunday with a discussion of the title,

"Everlasting Father."  We will discuss what Isaiah might have had in mind

when he wrote/spoke these words, why the early Christians thought they

applied to Jesus, and what they might mean for us today.

THE WALNUT HILL CHRISTMAS PARTY will be held this Sun, Dec 16,

3pm - 5pm, at the Hilliard residence.  Bring an hors d'oeuvres or dessert item 

to share.  This gathering is intended for adults. Use reply email to request

more information.

Poinsettias- We will be decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas with traditional 

poinsettias and wreaths.  You can "sponsor" a poinsettia for $20/plant.  Make 

your check payable to Walnut Hill Church (memo: poinsettia).  Let us know if 

your sponsorship is in memory/honor of someone special to you.

Looking Ahead:

Sun, Dec 16, 3pm - 5pm - Christmas Party at the Hilliard residence

Sun, Dec 23, 11am - Christmas Communion

Mon, Dec 24, 5pm - Lessons and Carols for all ages

                       9pm  - Evening Prayer Fireside

THANKS…

…to the children/youth and adults who presented the Christmas story in

music, reading, and costume this past Sunday.  It was a joy-filled occasion for

all.

…to all those who participated in the Giving Tree outreach this season.

Two car loads of gifts were delivered to the Nathaniel Mission for distribution

to children involved in their after school mentoring program.

…to the dozen youth who attended the annual Christmas Party at the

Ward residence this past Sunday evening.  It was a great evening of food,

games, and "fun" gifts, as well as 24 winter warmth items (gloves, hats, etc)

collected for our neighbors at the Catholic Action Center.

Peace to all.

Mike Ward