EVENTS

How do we celebrate hope, peace, joy and love in a year that has confronted us with so many challenges? How do we find wonder in this magical season when we are forced to be alone, unable to safely gather with friends and family? Our Advent worship will remind us that Jesus was born into a time of great oppression, fear and violence to challenge the status quo and lead us to transformation.

It is believed that during the Holocaust, an anonymous Jewish poet scrawled on a wall the words, “I believe in the sun, even when the sun is not shining.” These words become the theme song that is the focus of our worship in Advent as we fill the night with music and light and affirm and act on the reasons why we can still believe even when we are discouraged.

AFFIRMATIONS OF FAITH
In a challenging time when disappointment abounds, it is an important act to name our lament or the ways that we have been disappointed, perhaps even by ourselves. At the same time, it is a prophetic act to name and claim our belief in the promise of joy. As part of our “I Believe” series, we will include an affirmation of faith each week in worship. We would love your help in creating this litany of belief by asking you to write couplets, pairs of fill-in-the-blank statements that share your confession and affirmation using the following format: “I believe that [fill in the blank with a lament, a sorrow, a confession] ” AND “I believe that [fill in the blank with a prophetic word of change].” Please send your submissions to Vicki as soon as possible.

These examples may be helpful:

• I believe that we have sometimes been silent in the face of injustice AND I believe that we are capable of raising our voices and insisting on goodness for all.
• I believe that sometimes we wonder if we can make a difference AND I believe that small acts of kindness and help do make a real difference.