Advent “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:1-5
Sisters and brothers, Even though the calendar flips to the end of the year, we are, in a spiritual and liturgical sense, at our beginning with the season of Advent, the coming of the anointed one, Emmanuel, God with us. The Christian story begins here, with a helpless infant, and with Mary and Joseph, overwhelmed, confronted by angels, shepherds (according to Luke’s gospel), a despotic king and giftbearing Wise Ones (according to Matthew’s). From Advent, to Christmastide, to Epiphany, these three interconnected seasons of the Christian Church year offer us an opportunity for renewed life and hope in a time of war, great need, and financial uncertainty.
The incarnation of God is a celebration of the new life that came into being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, new life that is fully human and fully divine. Winter is often thought of as a time of lifelessness, yet it is in the womblike darkness of these winter days that radiant life emerges. What new life is coming into being in us as a community of faith? As we prepare for the coming of the anointed one, in whom we live and move and have our being, let us look with hope to new life being born within us. Let’s lay to rest the hurts and grievances of the past. Let’s release the fear and anxiety about the future. And let’s bring forth the reality of God within each of us, a reality of mercy and forgiveness, of peace and justice, of radical hospitality and passionate spirituality. In this new season that unfolds before us, may we seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God so that the radiance of God may indeed come into being within us and in our world.
Have a holy and blessed Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.
Peace,
Pastor Sara
|
||||||||
 To Contact Rev. Lamar-Sterling |
|
| Mail: |
Rev. Sara Lamar-Sterling |
| Phone: | (203) 624-2521 |
| E-Mail: | RevSara@sbcglobal.net |
| Our Pastor |
|
 Rev. Sara Lamar-Sterling is a native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2000. She also holds an M.A. in Music History from CUNY-Graduate School and University Center, and a B.A. in Music, Drama, and French from Hofstra University.Before her appointment to F&SUMC, Sara served as the Associate Pastor at Park Avenue United Methodist Church. Previously, she served Nichols United Methodist Church in Trumbull, Connecticut.
Sara chairs the Commission on Higher Education and Campus Ministry of the New York Annual Conference. In 2008, Sara received the Francis Asbury Award for dedication to ministry in higher education, and she was elected chair of the NYAC Personnel Committee.
|
|