December 2025
Click to access December Steeple
Dear Church Family,
Welcome to Advent - a season of intentionality and hope as we wait for the light of the world. It often feels like a battle to engage with the Christmas season and have our full attention to what God has and is doing. With my kids, it’s so much about presents and Santa - even when they are getting in the spirit of generosity it still feels transactional and material. I love the rhythm of being together as the church especially in seasons like Advent, because it calls us to be grounded in truths about who God is amidst the weary realities of life.
Each Sunday in Advent has a different theme to pair with the lighting of a candle from the advent wreath. Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. This words, while inspirational and ‘nice’, get a lot more depth when we explore what they mean through scripture and as representations of the character of God. Hope - anticipation for God’s action, which means faith even in the face of impossibility. Peace - not just to receive it, but to partake in making peace. This word often gets associated with longing for world peace, or peace and quiet. But in God’s kingdom, it really means neighbor to neighbor, bringing peace into places of conflict, accessing God’s peace within us when we tempted into conflict. Joy - not just constantly seeking happiness, or smoothing things over as if all is perfect. Instead it is living in the full reality of life with its ups and downs, sacrifices and celebrations, centered on the faithfulness of God, with a lens of gratitude and wonder of how God is present in it all. Love - that God would choose us over and over and over again! The story throughout scripture is a repetition of how often we make a mess of things, and how consistent God is in meeting us, and inviting us to be made new.
This year I’m trying another Advent calendar tactic with our kids (don’t worry it still pairs well with chocolate). The blocks in the picture above count up to 25, with a star that travels along the top until it finally rests upon a block that holds a picture of the world. A depiction of God’s coming to us in Christ - Emmanuel! Each day we read a story from scripture, and are reminded of God’s character, creativity, and especially of God’s great love for this world we inhabit. We’ll see if any of it sticks with our kids through the years, but I appreciate the rhythm - being reminded of how Christ’s coming isn’t just a gift of eternity to those who say yes, but a transformational and relational reality for those of us who want to say yes to Christ with our lives every day.
I pray that you might know the nearness of God’s light this season. Winter can be dark - literally and figuratively! The longest night of the year being Dec 21st, but we also may feel an encroaching darkness during the holidays of what has been lost, or how expectations have not been met. But God meets with us exactly in these places - in our darkest nights, not just our highest heights. As you revel in the reality of Emmanuel, God with us, may you be encouraged and heartened by his holy presence.
Hope, Peace, Joy & Love,
Pastor Becca
