Dear Friends,
We have come again to Advent, the holy season of waiting and preparation for the birth of our Savior. In a few short weeks, we will hear the story of the birth of Christ and (hopefully) feel anew the wonder and mystery of the moment when God chose to live and dwell with plain old people.

But what about the people who were part of that story before the journey to Bethlehem, before the full inn and humble stable, before the bright star, friendly beasts, awed shepherds and courageous wise men? Jesus was God and eternal.
But Jesus was also human, born like all the rest of us into a family–a family that had doubts and questions, tenacity and hope. Jesus was born to human parents whose faith was surely changed as their family was. Jesus was born to bring them love and grace, too.

This Advent, we will dig into the stories of Elizabeth and Zechariah, their son (and Jesus’s cousin) John, and the human parents of our Lord, Mary and Joseph. We will look for our own faith journeys in theirs, considering how God uses plain old people to usher in justice, peace, and love. And as plain old people ourselves, we will prepare to be part of that justice, peace, and love, praying every day “come, Lord Jesus, come.” By God’s binding grace, may we know again that we are part of the family of God. I am grateful to be on this Advent journey with you.