Pastor Nikki's Notions

Dear Friends,

Advent begins on Sunday, December 3. As Christmas draws closer and closer, we may be inclined to ask ourselves, "Am I ready for Christmas?" Of course, this question can mean a variety of things. It could be translated, "Have I selected all of the right gifts for my loved ones?" It could also mean, "Have I prepared the perfect menu for the gatherings I will be hosting?" Or perhaps it means, "Have I successfully transformed my home into a winter wonderland?" Of course, it could also refer to all of the the general busy-ness the holidays bring into our lives. We might ask ourselves, "Am I prepared to run from event to event? To have myself double-booked? Am I ready to deal with holiday traveling and all of the anxiety that comes along with it? Am I prepared to be completely exhausted by the time Christmas finally arrives?" We may ask ourselves these questions. And certainly, there is nothing wrong with asking ourselves about these things. After all, we want to see our families and friends at Christmastime. We want to give gifts that bring joy to our loved ones. We want things to go well. And so we must prepare.

But I am not entirely convinced that these are the only things that ought to spring to mind when we wonder whether or not we are ready for Christmas. After all, the real question Advent calls us to address is, "Am I ready for Christ to come into my life?" This question is not as easily answered as the others. It is one that can only be answered through calming our minds and our souls, and listening for the voice of our savior anew, being born again and again and again into our lives. As Mahatma Gandhi famously spoke on the subject of Christmas, "Although we sing, 'All glory to God on High and on the earth be peace,' there seems to be today neither glory to God nor peace on earth. As long as it remains a hunger still unsatisfied, as long as Christ is not yet born, we have to look forward to him." This is precisely why we must continue to wait and watch for our savior. We still stand in need of the Christ-child to be born anew into our world, we still wait and hope for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth, for implements of war to no longer be use, for our hearts to overflow with joy, for angels to fill the sky with singing, for love divine to reign over us, for our deepest longings to be fulfilled. And so, dear friends, let us wait, even in our need. Let us continue to wait in hope for the birth of our savior! It is my prayer that your Advent waiting will be blessed.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nikki  

1. Email me (Lynn Marsh) with the dollar amount of gift card or cards you would like to donate and if you prefer Target, Walmart or Kohls for the card.
2. Put a check made out to DPC SCRIP in an envelope in my mailbox at church or hand it to me on one of the next two Sundays.
3. I will be ordering the cards on Sunday, December 10, so that they arrive by the 17^th to distribute to the families.  Please let me know by 12/10/17 if you would like to make a child’s Christmas a little brighter.

• This position is voted on by the session on a yearly basis – not a life sentence.
• The clerk records minutes from session meetings and congregational meetings and distributes them to the session via email.
• The clerk keeps a file of the minutes on computer and is responsible to share them at a review conducted by the Presbytery on a yearly basis.
• The clerk files 2 reports via internet to the Presbytery and the PCUSA yearly.
• The clerk keeps a file of the current roll of members.