Poquonnock Bridge Baptist Church

The Second Week of Advent

Our God is the One who comes to us
in a burning bush,
in an angel’s song,
in a newborn child.
Our God is the One who cannot be found
locked in the church,
not even in the sanctuary.
Our God will be where God will be
with no constraints,
no predictability.
Our God lives where our God lives,
and destruction has no power
and even death cannot stop
the living.
Our God will be born where God will be born,
but there is no place to look for the One who comes to us.
When God is ready
God will come
even to a godforsaken place
like a stable in Bethlehem.
Watch…
for you know not when God comes.
Watch, that you might be found
whenever
wherever
God comes.
(from “Kneeling in Bethlehem” by Ann Weems)

Do you see what I see? Usually at this time of year we know where to look for signs of Christ’s birth…angel banners and Advent candles; the star in the sanctuary and gift tags under the tree; our holiday bazaar and parsonage open house; family gatherings and services at church. But if you are having trouble knowing where to look this year, you are not alone…do we look for the vaccine to arrive or for pandemic numbers to drop; for hospital staff to find relief or for families to find food security; for businesses to survive or for jobs to return; for our nation to finally heal?

Maybe the poem is right. We cannot look for God; God just comes…when we expect it and when we don’t; when we’re ready and when we’re not; when we celebrate and when we can’t. This year let’s watch for both joy and sorrow, help and hurt, light and darkness, love and loss. For no matter where we look or what we see, God is with us. Emmanuel…Pastor Claudine

The First Week of Advent

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
the distant scene – one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent,
till the night is gone,
and with the morn those angel faces smile;
which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

I love the poetic language of this old hymn. Some of us listened to Ken Medema’s arrangement of the hymn at our last Bridging the Gap gatherings…that seems like such a long time ago now! As many of you know, what began as my “short time away” turned into a long time of recovery, after testing positive for the Covid virus, along with my sister and my parents. Know that we are abundantly grateful for the concern you have poured out and the prayers you have lifted on our behalf. We are feeling better, regaining our strength gradually as we step back into our lives.

After the last month and the challenges we all have faced, there are several phrases from this hymn that speak to me in a special way. I am longing for a “kindly light” to guide my path. I am waiting to find my way home to all of you. I am trying not to look for what the future holds or when exactly it will come; instead I pray that just one day, just one step, will be enough for me.

Feeling as though I had lost you for awhile, I realize once again how much I have loved you all the while. I look forward to recording this week’s Sunday service and joining you in worship. There are Advent devotionals and key tags at church if you’d like to pick them up or have us send them to you. May our lives shine a kindly light in the darkness, so that each morning angel faces will surely smile. May God lead us on, and may that be enough…Pastor Claudine

“Thanksgiving”
A Poem by Joyce Rupp

cornstalks once tall and green
are now brown, dried, surrendered,
ears of corn with full kernels
shaped and turned golden
in a summer of sunshine and rain.
they fill to fullness wide wagons,
falling now into tall, round bins,
copious in their generosity,
abundant in unrestrained harvest.

this plenitude of the land
signals my own gathering of grain
as I turn to the bounty
found in the field of my heart.

all those daily gifts
that grace my humble path,
come tumbling forth,
like a corn harvest
of golden goodness.

they are my bin-full,
my thanksgiving treasure,
my wide wagon of richness.
they are my sureness
that the God of the harvest
still hurrahs.

As I write this, I am aware of new waves of pandemic here in CT, and increasing cases across the globe; storms and fires bringing devastation to our country; civil rights movements calling us toward justice and peace; a divided nation compelling us to vote and exercise our civic duty.

Yet as I write this, I am also aware of the abundant bounty of God’s goodness in our lives; the unrestrained generosity of your hearts toward me, each other, this church, and the world; the daily gifts that tumble forth from your hands, the thanksgiving treasures you always provide.

As you read this, I will be taking some time off in order to rest my spirit and restore fullness to my soul, and I will resume these weekly words on November 18th. If any of you have any pastoral needs over the next two weeks, please call the church office. Until then, know that because of you, I have faith in the God who still gives us reasons to rejoice…Pastor Claudine

Gratitude
To be grateful for what is,
instead of underscoring what is not.

To find good amid the unwanted aspects of life,
without denying the presence of the unwanted.

To focus on beauty in the little things of life,
as well as being deliberate about the great beauties of art, literature, music, and nature.

To be present to one’s own small space of life,
while stretching to the wide world beyond it.

To find something to laugh about in every day,
even when there seems nothing to laugh about.

To search for and to see the good in others,
rather than remembering their faults and weaknesses.

To be thankful for each loving deed done by another,
no matter how insignificant it might appear.

To taste life to the fullest,
and not take any part of it for granted.

To seek to forgive others for their wrongdoings,
even immense ones, and to put the past behind.

To find ways to reach out and help the disenfranchised,
while also preserving their dignity and self-worth.

To be as loving and caring as possible,
in a culture that consistently challenges these virtues.

To remember to say or send “thank you”
for whatever comes as a gift from another.

To be at peace
with what cannot be changed.
–Joyce Rupp

This year we may have to look harder for reasons to give thanks, and reach farther to show our gratitude. But may we still praise God for daily graces, and simple blessings.
Pastor Claudine