Last Sunday we celebrated Christ the King when we remember and honor Jesus Christ as the King of All Creation. It is the last Sunday of the Church's Liturgical year, and so here we are on the cusp of a brand new year, giving thanks for all that has been and all that will be. And though in 1 Thessalonians it says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances," it is nice to take a whole day to express our gratitude to God and one another.
“Lord God, we gather around this table to humbly thank You for all that You have given us this past year- not just what is on the table, but who is sitting around this table. Thank you for life and laughter, for health and happiness, for relationships and memories. Thank you, too, for the lessons learned and the tears we’ve cried because of Your ability to grow us through them. Thank You for Your comfort and Your presence, in light of good days and bad. Thank You for what we have now, for what we had yesterday, and for what You will continue to give tomorrow. Let us never take that for granted, but to always be grateful for every good and perfect gift that comes from You. May we have hearts full of thanksgiving not only today, but EVERY day of our lives. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.” Cindy McMenamin
I realize that everyone is busy with Thanksgiving details, but how about a few Advent tidbits just to get us excited about the upcoming liturgical season...
AN INVITATION
A LITTLE LEARNING
Our Faith Formation theme for the year, THE BIG REVEAL, is being explored by our elementary aged kids by learning the stories of salvation history through the tradition of the Jesse Tree, creating ornaments for each one of Jesus's ancestors. If you aren't familiar with the tradition of the Jesse Tree, check out this short video:
AND A SONG
I would be remiss not to thank all of you for your loving support over the year. Thank you for reading along and participating in programming and taking this journey of faith with me!
I wish you all a Thanksgiving stuffed full of love and family and friends, and pie... definitely pie!
With hope, peace, joy, love,
lyn