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Merry Christmas!
<<First Name>>,
As we've met for worship the past four Sundays, we've explored the core themes of Advent.
We've considered joy, reflecting on Mary's grateful enthusiasm for her expected child and for the compassionate care of a God intent on bringing about many "reversals" in our midst.
We've considered hope, reflecting on the future toward which Jesus points us and how this future helps us not only endure the "in-between" but also actively participate in its transformation.
We've considered peace, noting especially that the path to peace—peace in us, between us, and among us—may be a painful path for some, even if a worthwhile one.
We've considered love, wondering at the mystery of the "Word become flesh" and how God's loving participation in our experience can be a model for our love for others.
I hope and pray that as you gather and celebrate with family in the coming days you will experience joy, hope, peace, and love. A joy that magnifies all that is good in your life and world. A hope that sustains and empowers you in the midst of your darkness. A peace that unites, heals, and overcomes. A love that affirms you, comforts you, lifts you up, and sets you free, even as you extend this same love to others.
Merry Christmas!
-Matt
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