Embedded Files
"Form The Manger "
Our Advent theme centers on the birth story of Jesus, found in Luke 2. It embraces the playful symbolism of a newborn Jesus being laid in a feeding trough in a town called “House of Bread.” Beginning Advent with the birth of Jesus may feel unconventional, as we usually hear the words of John the Baptist urging us to “be aware.” However, by approaching Advent through a different lens, we might discover new ways of waiting and anticipation. This liturgy invites us to reflect on the life-sustaining hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus brings, and to notice how the baby born in a bread town continues to feed a hungry world today.
One of the largest missions we support at Forest Street Union Church is Neighbors in Need (NIN). We help NIN with donations of money, time, and food gathered on a monthly basis. Hunger is a universal human experience, highlighting not only our basic need for nourishment but also our deeper needs—peace, liberation, and meaning in life. It’s no wonder that the story of Jesus—the one who came to feed the hungry—begins, ends, and revolves around food.
As we focus this Advent season on a baby born in a town called “House of Bread” and work to feed the hungry around us, may we grow in our awareness of the need for hope, peace, joy, and love to flourish within us. We have come to understand that we are not waiting for the “move of God”; we are the move of God. May this truth resonate deeply in our hearts as we prepare this Advent season for the true meaning of Christmas to be revealed to each of us.
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~Pastor Carrie
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