A Message from Pastor Kaji

Dear Church: 

As we move into the final days of Advent, I want to begin with gratitude.

Because of you, families in our neighborhood will have food on their tables this Christmas. Your generosity, time, and care are making a real difference for people facing food insecurity. Thank you for sharing your gifts so freely and faithfully.

I also want to name something important about this week. As events unfolded in our city, very close to our church and our people, our staff made space to respond with care. They worked across full schedules and shifting demands to share the pastoral resources I prepared, to gather support information, and to hold the community steady in a moment that required attention. They are supporting me in holding a loss liturgy for our community’s youth, just days before Christmas. You are receiving this newsletter with added detail and care because of their commitment. I am deeply grateful for them.

Relatedly, we often wonder why there was no room for the Holy Family when Mary and Joseph were searching for a place to rest and give birth to the Christ child. The wisdom of hindsight teaches us this: when we see need, we respond. When we can give, we do. Love shows up.

As of this writing, we are approximately 10 donations away from meeting our Christmas meals goal. If you have been waiting to give, now is the moment. Every gift matters, and every gift goes directly toward feeding our neighbors.

Thank you for being a church that shows up, in love, in generosity, in prayer, and in care.

Christmas Meals: How You Can Help

We still need:

• 10 more donations to fully fund our Christmas meal outreach

We also need volunteers:

• Sunday after worship to pack meal bags

• Monday at 2:00 pm to pack and deliver bags to the school for distribution

If you can give time, resources, or both, please do. This is shared work, and it matters.

A Note on Care and Support This Week

In response to recent violence that has touched our wider neighborhood and members of our church community, we have prepared two pastoral guides:

• After a Death by Suicide

• After a School Shooting

These guides are available on our website and are meant to be shared gently, whether for yourself or for someone you love. They include pastoral reflection, grounding guidance, and support resources.

We are also holding a prayer gathering on Saturday at 6:00 pm (information below) for anyone whose lives have been shaken by recent violent events. If you feel able to serve as a greeter or offer quiet support during the gathering, please let the church office know.

Please continue to hold in prayer all who are grieving, afraid, or carrying questions that do not yet have answers.

This Sunday: Advent IV Cantata

Love

This Sunday’s worship will be a Cantata. The music will carry the story, and we will let it preach.

We gather with a story full of people who reached the end of what they could figure out on their own, and with a God who meets them there.

As we sing, listen for beauty and assurance.
For the God who sees and sends help.
For Emmanuel. God with us.

Let us worship in truth and in joy.

Scripture for the Week

Matthew 1:18–25

Our text this week is one of the few in the Gospels that directly addresses Joseph. The passage teaches that Joseph is a just man who runs out of options and then receives what he could not have imagined: help, clarity, and courage.

Questions for Reflection or Conversation

You might sit with one of these on your own, or share them with others:

1. Where in your life have you reached the end of what you could figure out on your own?

2. What does it mean to trust that God sees your dilemma, even when you cannot see the way forward?

3. What do you make of angels?

Looking Ahead with Gratitude

As we come to the end of Advent, I am deeply thankful for this community. You have given generously. You have volunteered faithfully. You have been angels to one another and to our neighbors.

Thank you for being you.

With love and gratitude,
Pastor Kaji