Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul’s,
December is a busy month at St. Paul’s. Check out the calendar to see all the great things going on! Amidst the preparations and celebrations, we also wait for the birth of our Savior.
Our Advent waiting is threefold: we wait for Christ to come as a celebration of the historical birth of Jesus, we wait for Christ to come to us in the Eucharist, and we wait for Christ to come at the end of time.
This waiting is different than much of the waiting we do in our world. As we wait for Jesus’ birth we wait not with anxiety or fear, but we wait with hope, anticipation, joy, and excitement. This is the child we’ve been waiting for, the Savior of the world! As we hear in Isaiah, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
This kind of hopeful waiting gives us peace and stability, knowing that there is something more to come. We are reminded that the light of Christ will never be overcome by fear and darkness. Instead, the light of Christ shines brighter, giving us hope, and sustaining and strengthening us for anything that lies ahead. I wish you peace and joy as you anticipate Christ’s birth.
But, here at St. Paul’s, we have a different kind of waiting going on, too! We are waiting to welcome our new Director of Music, Edmund (Ed) Robertson. Ed comes to us from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Holly, where he has served as the Director of Music for nearly 20 years. Ed is also a music teacher at Jackson Memorial High School and directs their choirs. He is looking forward to working at St. Paul’s, getting involved with the Same Spirit Band, and leading our other musical ensembles. We wait and look forward to getting to know Ed and anticipate all the skills and energy that he will bring to St. Paul’s. Ed starts on January 1.
In this season of faithful waiting and worldly waiting, we are invited to cling to hope and joy, trusting in God’s promises to give light to our darkness, and hope amidst despair. Even when the world around us seems gloomy and hopeless, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit is at work and will soon bring to us a child born in a manger who will give light to the world.
I pray that this Advent and Christmas you see signs of God’s presence in our midst, and that your waiting is filled with hope.
Peace,
Rev. Jessica Hahn