Merry Christmas– yes, still!
Faith-full friends:
Merry Christmas! Yes, I mean it—Merry Christmas! While much of the world has moved on to fitness resolutions and Valentine’s Day candy displays, we Faith folks are still lingering in the glow of the manger and the miracle of God among us in human form.
The Christian proclivity to adhere to liturgical seasons that aren’t always in sync with what the rest of the world is doing reminds us that God’s timing is often (delightfully, if you ask me) out of sync with the world’s priorities. Jesus wasn’t born into a world ready and waiting with party hats; he came quietly, unexpectedly, on God’s time. Sometimes, being out of step with the commotion around us is the most faithful thing we can do to make space and listen for God.
As we step into a new year, I’d like to invite you into a simple spiritual practice: “One Word Prayer.” Instead of making long lists of resolutions or crafting complex prayers, take some time this week to choose one word to focus on in your relationship with God for the year. Your word might be “hope,” “peace,” “patience,” “joy,” or something deeply personal.
Once you’ve chosen your word, carry it with you. Write it on a notecard and place it where you’ll see it often—on your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, or even the refrigerator. Let it guide your prayers. When you feel scattered or unsure, whisper your word and ask God to meet you there. This practice can center you and keep your heart tuned to God’s presence in every season.
Thank you for being a faithful part of this church community. May 2025 bring unexpected blessings, quiet joys, and the deep assurance that God walks with us daily.
I leave you with a poem I recently encountered, that is giving me much to savor as I think about what I hope to cultivate in this new year:
Ligatures
Binary thinking leaves out so much. For example,
Reading only left to right, or up and down,
Ignores all our wishes for comfort, for circular motion,
All the ways that the happier letterforms seek the option
Not to stand alone. Their living space is ample,
Hot in June, cold in March, with pencil lines of frost
Along the stems and twigs in all their dewy, new-built
Nests. Some warblers build more than one.
Each feels tiny compared to thunderstorms, construction
Cranes, plate tectonics and how the past
Harms the present with its slush-avalanches of guilt,
And yet it made us—us. How little we know. How much
Knowing isn’t the point. We love how the letters can touch.
by Stephanie Burt, from We Are All Mermaids
with joy,
-Intern Pastor Sam
Advent Greetings & Christmas Updates
Advent Greetings!
With joy, this month I invite each of us (myself included)— to just take a breath, or at least a few minutes’ worth of them. The follow are a little pile of questions, and updates for this fun, but packed month:
Did you get the recent emails from me? I’ve started a semi-regular email newsletter, and the last one had links to a handful of excellent Advent devotionals and details on Advent Wednesdays at my place. If you’re not getting the emails, check and make sure I’m in your address book: InternPastorSam@gmail.com. Also, check your spam folder. It might be in there.
We’re doing things differently this Christmas, and I hope that I’ll see you there at one or both services. The details for both are below:
- Pay special attention to the December 24 service. Janice and I have been working on a fun surprise—- let’s just say… Comfort Ye, my friends. There are Good Tidings potentially being Tellest to The People That Walk In Darkness, and truly if this all shakes out there will be much Rejoicing Greatly in the end! Hallelujah! 🙂
- The December 25 evening service will be simple, but warm and full of carol singing. I know many people prefer to stay in with their families on Christmas Day, and if you are one of those people, do not feel obligated to show up. However, if you feel like closing out Christmas Day with a simple service might be up your alley, I hope you’ll be there.
Last but not least– the paraments for Advent, like our Advent worship aid covers, will shift and change throughout the season of Advent and into Christmas. I offer either a very quality bag of chocolate treats to the first three people who stop by and give me theological reasoning for why I would design these to grow and play off one another through the Advent season and into Christmas rather than just change to an entirely new set of paraments once Christmas arrives.
Happy December, Faith Lutheran! I’m so grateful to be blessed by your presence in my life and can’t wait to see what we do together and learn from one another in the coming month.
-Intern Pastor Sam
Songs That Are Most Rare
Painting by Sam. R. LaDue, 2024 | “The songs of the guardians of silence are the most powerful– they are the most rare” Joy Harjo, Singing Everything
October was Pastor Appreciation Month, and I am so touched by the heartfelt messages you wrote in cards for pastors who have supported faith. It reminds me of what makes Faith Lutheran so special: your boundless love. Thank you for taking the time to recognize all the pastors who have served and continue to serve our community.
In the last month, I have noticed Galatians 5:6 coming to mind, often. Do you know the verse? It concludes with, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” When I think about Faith Lutheran, I see a congregation dedicated to expressing that kind of love. I wonder, how do you perceive our community? Do you see yourselves as embodying this message? I’d love to hear your thoughts, stories, and experiences. After all, our journeys are richer when we share them with one another.
Connecting and Caring: New Ways to Reach Out
Speaking of expressing faith through love, I’m excited to share a new way to connect. It’s taken me a couple beats to be able to get my calendar straightened out and accessible. But- I am finally all organized and ready to go. Whether you’d like a visit, need someone to bring communion, or just want to talk about God and spiritual stuff, you can now easily schedule time with me. Just head to calendly.com/InternPastorSam and choose a time that works for you.
Book Reading Adventure: “Our Unforming”
On a different note, the Lay Internship Committee and I are embarking on a book-reading adventure! Our first pick is Cindy S. Lee’s Our Unforming: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation. If the idea of exploring this book intrigues you, let me know! We plan to schedule discussion times by early November. And if you can’t join this round, no worries—I’ve got at least four other books lined up for the year. There will be more opportunities to dive into thoughtful conversations together!
Advent: A New Way to Gather
Looking ahead, Advent is right around the corner, and we have some exciting plans. This year, we’re trying something a little different with midweek gatherings. Starting December 4, we’ll be meeting at my place for dinner and fellowship at 5:30 pm each Wednesday. For those in the choir, rehearsals will be held at 4:30 pm, followed by dinner together. Afterward, you can join us for Holden Evening Prayer at 7 pm at Bethlehem Lutheran, just a short walk away. This collaboration with Pastor Tyler will offer a lovely opportunity to enjoy music, worship, and community.
Post-Vote Vigil: November 6
On a different note, there’s an upcoming event I’d like to invite you to. On November 6, at 6 pm, a post-vote Vigil will be held at Thanksgiving/Knox. I’ve been working with Pastor Janet Blair, Pastor Lindsey Bell-Kerr at Christ Church UMC, North Bay Organizing Project, and Deep Democracy to create this special time. It’s a time for us to exhale, recenter, and connect with one another and the Divine. Everyone is welcome, and I encourage you to join us for this important gathering.
Reflections on the Season: Finding Stillness
Lastly, in my last reflection, I shared how much I love the “thinness” of this time of year. And that still holds true. There’s something special about the changing colors and the quiet moments that invite us to pause before the busyness of the holiday season. I often turn to poetry during these times, and there’s one by Indigenous poet Joy Harjo that I’d like to share with you. Her poem Singing Everything helps me center myself each morning this time of year. I hope it brings you the same sense of peace and reflection:
Once there were songs for everything,
Songs for planting, for growing, for harvesting,
For eating, getting drunk, falling asleep,
For sunrise, birth, mind-break, and war.
For death (those are the heaviest songs and they
have to be pried from the earth with shovels of grief)
Now all we hear are falling-in-love songs and
Falling apart after falling in love songs.
The earth is leaning sideways
And a song is emerging from the floods
And fires. Urgent tendrils lift toward the sun.
You must be friends with silence to hear.
The songs of the guardians of silence are the most powerful—
They are the most rare.
As we move through this beautiful, ever-changing season, may we embrace its invitation to pause, reflect, and be present. I look forward to continuing our journey together, growing in faith and love.
with joy,
Intern Pr. Sam