December is a month of darkening skies and holiday lights. In the turn of the year, it invites us to draw in and get quiet at the exact moment the world is inviting busyness and running around. For those who have lost someone, those who are not as connected or embedded in people and community, and those who are sick or grieving, the dark nights and holiday season may be a time of sorrow.
Practicing presence, our worship theme this month, is about showing up for what is: from the darkness to the twinkling lights, to the errands, to the losses. Even if the ailments are different, the medicine is the same: show up and be with. Be present with your family, even when doing calls, be present with your feelings even if being is hard.
In community, we practice being present with each other in the entire range of human experience. We show up with the harried mom trying to juggle a million things, and with the person whose heart is hurting because their life is too quiet. We show up with love, with practice, with presence.
With love,
Jennifer
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister