November 21st, 2025 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Beloved Friends,

               I pray you are having a week filled with newfound stillness and time to commune with God. I know: I am writing you a note, on a screen, about how wonderful it has been to put down the screens this week. The ironies of this week include that I sat on an eight-hour District Committee on Ministry Zoom call yesterday and have a variety of writings that have required extra attention on my various devices.

Wouldn’t you know, though? Even the extensive time on screens has been holy work, as I heard the stories of those following their calls into ministry; even as I make ready a time of preparation during Advent.

               As this series comes to a close, allow this final week-and-a-half before Advent be a time for you to prepare your heart and mind for the season to come. Yes, Advent is a time of preparation, so it may seem a little redundant to prepare just to prepare some more, but the reality is that we have to be able to settle ourselves to hear the still small voice of God, to look for the spark of hope in the midst of the darkness. For that’s where Advent begins- in the darkness. Even as the streets are bedecked with dazzling lights, even as the Christmas music blasts, even as we indulge in the goodness of friends, family, and food, we recall the darkness of a world longing for a Messiah. So, start in the stillness. Start in the darkness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

With Love and Peace,

Pastor Rachel