“People, look east. The time is near of the crowing of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table. People, look east, and sing today. Love, the Guest, is on the way.” — People Look East (verse 1), Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymn 248
Dear Reformation,
I word I often associate with this time of year is “tradition.” These are the weeks of the year where the rituals that we do year after year are a place where we continue to find comfort and meaning. For some it is the way in which they pick and decorate their Christmas tree while for others it is about making family recipes with all the generations packed into the kitchen.
This time of the year holds some of my favorite Reformation traditions: our gift giving and the visit from St. Nick, our blessing and hanging of the greens, our food bag collections for local organizations, our Advent and Christmas worship services.
The gift of these traditions are that they connect us with each other and with the saints of every age who have and continue to celebrate the great gift of God’s love coming to dwell with us. The power of our witness now echoes out to the people of God in generations past and yet to come.
As you live these weeks, filling your days with your own traditions, I pray that it continues to remind you of the joy of God’s promise and love that guides us through each day.
In hope,
Pastor Alina