Archive for January, 2010

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

New Year’s greetings to you in the name of the One who makes all things new! As I return from vacation, a time of Sabbath and renewal, I’m filled with gratitude for the time away. Rest, though, gives me much energy to be back with you, in a community I love, who shares love so generously with others. I hope in this holiday season you have found time for fellowship and renewal and I look forward to being in ministry together in 2010.

As I reflect in this new year on my first 6 months at HCUMC, I am continually overwhelmed by the new ways this church spreads the Gospel of love and hope. We are a community who participates in fresh ways of offering faith-including ALL, especially the LGBTQ community whom many churches reject; justice through feeding the hungry and clothing the cold; advocating for the least of these; creative and engaging small groups that deepen faith and relationships; caring for those in our congregation through prayer, meals, and rides; I could go on. As we participate in new ministries, we must ask ourselves: Why do we share God’s love anew? Because we are connected to a very old faith. The ancient words of Scripture, prayer, and tradition have shaped who we are as Christians and the old words shape our new ways of spreading the Gospel. So this winter, we are going to go deeper as a community and explore the ancient tenets of our faith that ground us, provide the roots, for the new ways we are in ministry each day.

Fresh from the hope of Advent and the joy of Christ’s birth, this week we begin a new sermon series: Wade in the Water: Wellsprings of Faith. As we live into the deep days of winter, we’ll dig more deeply into our spiritual lives, wading in the waters of our faith. We’ll ask: Who are we as a Christian community? What do we believe? In whom do we believe? How do we pray? What are the foundations of our faith? For five Sundays, the Lord’s Prayer will shape our worship life, as we examine this powerful prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, and meditate on how these ancient words speak freshly to us today.

We’ll begin our wading into the waters of faith by celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. We’ll join with Christian churches all over the world who remember, this Sunday January 10th, the way the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and marked him as God’s beloved. In remembering his baptism, we also remember our own baptisms, and remind ourselves that God claims us and calls us beloved. In preparation for this Sunday, I invite you to take some time this week to remember your own baptism, if you can, or to ask others about the details of your baptism. If you are not baptized, please know that our service is open to ALL, and you are welcome-as we remember the baptism of Jesus, we will all equally participate by touching the font and reminding ourselves of God’s continual love that washes over us like water.

In 2010, we’ll wade in ancient prayer as we worship in new ways through a God who is alive and acting anew like waters pouring forth:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

See you Sunday, and think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,

Kate

“The Gift of Christmas”
Jeffrey A Dodson
Sunday, December 27, 2009
First Sunday after Christmas
Focus Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

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Merry Christmas everyone! I welcome you to this First Sunday after Christmas here at Holy Covenant; I welcome you from the places you have traveled, both far and near, from the spaces you have come, filled to the brim with joy or pulsating with sadness and loss. I welcome you here, in whatever frame of mind you come, to this place and at this time so that we may seek to experience the birthed Christ, alive and dwelling in and with and through us.

This year at Holy Covenant, we have been encouraged to seek Compassion, Not Consumption. Rather than focus on the consumption that prevails in our communities and our country, it has been beneficial to focus on the compassion of Giving. The intention and awareness we have of the gift we give can bring as much meaning to ourselves as to the person who receives. As part of this campaign towards Compassion, the church has taken up United Methodist organization Water for Life’s mission to “develop a safe water system that will meet the domestic water needs for the entire community” in Kosovo. In doing so, we acknowledge the benefits that come with spending less on our consumption, and more on the needs of the world. In a tangible way we experience and celebrate the birth of Christ. It is fitting that on His birthday, we do something great for the kingdom of God. (more…)