Below read Pastor Andrew’s November letter to the congregation. Follow up with more from the November newsletter and previous newsletters. Also visit the calendar page to know more about events at Faith Lutheran Church in Columbus, Wisconsin.
Autumnal Greetings Faith
The autumn season is upon us – as I write, the leaves on the maple outside the church have turned a deep read and begun falling off the branches they once clung to so tightly. O f course, the fall season also means the shortening o f day light and soon we’ll find it nearly dark before we’ve even sat down for supper. For many of us, this is likely our least favorite change this time of year – the light so quickly vanishing from our day can feel like a loss almost. In liturgical time, it is also the beginning of the church calendar as we observe the season of Advent.
Darkness is often associated with feelings of dread or disorientation, and during Advent, we recognize the presence of darkness within our own lives. We sense how lost the world is – like a people wandering in complete darkness is the image the prophet Isaiah uses – and we recognize the futility of our own efforts to save ourselves from escaping such darkness. Such an experience can be uncomfortable for us – in fact, there is a whole industry within our society dedicated to profiting from our internal need to not experience that darkness – but during Advent we remember again the story of Mary and Joseph and experience the miracle within the darkness.
This Advent we’ll focus on Joseph in particular, often called the “silent saint” for he never speaks in any of his appearances in the birth narrative in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. He is present, he acts in obedience to the Spirit’s guidance, he listens but never speaks – Joseph has much to teach us! During our midweek services (each Wednesday evening from 6:30-7), we’ll contemplate the silence of Joseph and how we might experience the presence of God in that darkness we often try to avoid. To prepare us, I’ll share a hymn we’ll be singing each Wednesday evening, it comes from the purple hymnal All Creation Sings, #1027, titled Don’t Be Afraid. The lyrics are simple but poignant for the season, i encourage you to incorporate them as part of your prayer life:
Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger,
my love is stronger than your fear.
Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger
and I have promised,
promised to be always near.
God indeed is near, may you know this in truth and love
Pr. Andrew