He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
(Revelation 21:5 NRSV)
One unforeseen impact of our efforts to adjust to our pandemic reality might just be the death of the snow day. For those of us who are adults, the idea of a snow day may be a distant memory anyway. But now, thanks to Zoom, Google Classroom, iPads, Chrome books and the rest, why would we bother cancelling school on account of the weather? That is, assuming we all have electricity, heat, and internet, everything should be fine, right?
Sometimes changes happen so swiftly they go unnoticed until their internal logic makes it impossible to overturn them. We have the ability to teach even when it snows now. Therefore, we should. Right? Well, maybe not. Wisdom teaches that just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.
A key part of this life of discipleship is training ourselves to awaken to grace, the inbreaking, unmerited, unearnable love of God. God’s grace sneaks up on us, in particular in forms as simple as snow days. When else do we wake up and see our entire world frosted and made bright, beautiful, and new? When do we pull the blanket tighter and say “no, no, NO, I am not going out there yet?” When do kids wake up expecting another day of more of the same only to have that expectation upended, bins of gloves and mittens dumped out and time spent chasing each other through fresh powder?
It is my hope that you all stay warm, cozy, and safe through the storm today and tomorrow. If you get yourself in a fix and need someone to shovel you out or drop off some bread or anything, reply to this message and let us know and we will see what we can do. Above all else, take the time to experience wonder. Pray, meditate, reflect, and give thanks for the gift of a pause.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Ben
Announcements
Christmas Eve Worship, 7PM on Facebook Live
While our traditional candlelit service is not taking place in person, Greg and Pastor Ben are working to put together something beautiful to welcome all of us into the joy of the season. There will be a service of Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve at 7:00PM on Facebook Live. Invite your friends, family, neighbors, and anyone else to join in. All are always welcome here.
Links to Stay Connected:
You will find every newsletter, worship service, devotional, and additional material posted to our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/FlemingtonUnitedMethodist/
Even if you don’t use Facebook, you can access everything we have there. If you do have a Facebook acount, “like” to follow our page and be notified when new things are posted or when videos are about to go live so you don’t miss anything.
There are also several ways of connecting over Zoom, too. Laura hosts a weekly coffee hour after worship. Bruce and Lynn are both hosting Advent small groups. Additionally, we may have a special link for a time of caroling to share soon. For now, here are all the current links to groups and studies:
Coffee Hour
Bruce’s 9AM Sunday Group
Bruce’s 7PM Wednesday Group
Lynn’s 2PM Tuesday Group
If you have any difficulties accessing any of those links, please reply to this message or call the church office at (908)782-1070 and we will get you connected right away.
Room to Breathe