Dear Glen Mar friends,

We aren’t sure of the exact day of Jesus’ historical birth, but our forbears placed it in late December, after the winter solstice (in this hemisphere, anyway), when the nights are still long but there has been a turning, away from shadows to light. A time when winter’s days are numbered. A time when hope whispers that the people who walk in shadows will see a great light.

I had to make a sudden trip to see my parents in North Carolina for a couple days, because my mom is facing a serious health issue, and I woke up early (even for me) to pray. In the pre-dawn shadows, I sat on the porch of our little hotel room and heard the chorus of morning birds. Advent is like that. It starts in darkness and it comes to us in our real lives, our December lives… with the chorus of songbirds hailing the coming of a dawn they haven’t seen yet, but is coming. As surely as our Savior has come, is coming and will come to us.

The journey we are on is not a solo expedition, but a walk together, leaning on God’s promises and on one another. I pray you will join us for the ancient acts of Advent—prayer, giving, waiting, watching, and worship. This weekend we will talk more about the blessings of this season, and how to see and claim them—blessings God gives and blessings we give each other.

See you in Church,

Pastor Mandy

PS As the year draws to a close, please consider Glen Mar in your year-end giving! It will help us end the year strong and go into 2023 better equipped to praise God, grow disciples and serve the world. Your giving makes a real difference in our ability to be the Church God is calling us to be.

For more information on what’s going on at Glen Mar, check out our blog “This Just In.”