From the Pastor - December 2018

Veni Emmanuel is an invitation for God to come and be with us.  It is Latin for “Come, Emmanuel.”  The phrase suggests an age-old desire and a deep yearning for the presence of God in our lives.  I chose the image of a person gazing at the starry sky because I believe it evokes that longing.

We are so tiny compared to the enormity of the cosmos.  Our life hardly seems significant next to the challenges we face and the problems of our day. 

Yet God chose to come to us in a tiny baby on a starry night in a little village called Bethlehem.  The Savior of the world came as a person because our human lives are significant in God’s eyes. 

Even now, God is with us — in spirit and truth.  In the longstanding promises of Scripture.  In the faithful community of believers.  In the beauty of holiness.  In the sweet smell of pine and cinnamon.  In the glow of candles that defy the darkness.  In our hope for the future.  And in the prayer of our song: “Come, Emmanuel.”

The refrain of Veni Emmanuel is Gaude!  It means “Rejoice!”  It is a rousing call to be glad.  We dare to invite God and to believe that God will answer the invitation of our hearts because God has come already in Jesus. 

And so, we can look into that big sky full of stars with gladness and courage because we are not alone.  God is with us.