Church family,
What a meaningful beginning to Advent we shared on Sunday. Our children’s Radio JOY program lifted our hearts, and the lighting of the Peace candle reminded us that Christ’s light breaks into every darkness. Advent is a season of waiting—but also of welcoming God’s holy interruptions.
From the very beginning, God built interruption into creation itself. Sabbath teaches us to pause and remember that God is sovereign over our schedules (Genesis 2:2–3). Advent invites us back into that rhythm—slowing down, listening, making room.
We see this clearly in the shepherds. They were simply doing their work—counting sheep under the weight of Caesar’s census—when suddenly heaven broke in (Luke 2:8–15). An angel spoke words still meant for us today: “Do not be afraid… I bring you good news of great joy.” God met them in the ordinary, reminding us that divine moments often arrive right where life feels most routine.
Yet we resist interruption. Our culture prizes busyness; we cling to plans and productivity. Advent challenges us to loosen our grip and allow God to redirect us, to speak peace into our hurried hearts.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow knew that kind of interruption. Amid grief and the chaos of the Civil War, the sound of church bells became for him an unexpected voice of hope—an echo of the angels proclaiming peace on earth.
And each time we come to Christ’s open table, we experience another sacred interruption: ordinary bread and cup transformed into extraordinary grace.
As we journey toward Christmas, I invite you to simple practices of attentiveness:
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Take five minutes of silence each day.
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Choose one Sabbath activity that nourishes your soul.
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Be an agent of peace in one relationship or situation this week.
Beloved, the bells of God’s good news are still ringing. Christ is still breaking in with peace and light. May we pause long enough to hear and receive Him.
Grace and peace,
Pastor David
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