Advent at COTC

Hi Church,

I hope that you are having a restful week with friends and family. As a practice, Thanksgiving is fundamental to our life as Christians generally and our life together at COTC. Psalm 100 suggests that we enter the presence of God with thanksgiving. One of my earliest memories of our COTC’s existence was singing this song, an adaption of the “General Thanksgiving” in BCP, together as a launch team before our first Sundays. 

This Sunday, being Christ the King, we will give thanks for Jesus’ reign and rule in our lives and in all creation. We will celebrate Jesus as our triumphant king as we look at the final section of John 11. Through the Sundays of December, recognizing Jesus as t king, and yet that the fullness of his kingdom painfully has not arrived, we will enter into the season of Advent and take on a posture of waiting. As we enter this season, I wanted to highlight a couple of things for us. 

Our Sunday worship over these weeks will touch on different biblical elements related to our waiting for Jesus to come again. We will focus on the lectionary texts of Advent and consider what we are waiting for and how we can wait faithfully and well. 

Prayer is the ultimate practice of waiting upon God. We will make it an emphasis over these weeks. We have a small booklet with the compline service that will be available for your use at home. In addition to our night of prayer and worship on November 29th, we are setting aside each Wednesday of Advent as a day of prayer together. We will have opportunities to pray morning, midday, evening, or compline at the church. On Saturday, December 9th, the church will be open for a “Quiet Day” of prayer and stillness before God.

As the start of this season approaches, be encouraged to consider the ways you might intentionally wait upon God as an act of faith and trust in Him. Prayer and Scripture reading, as actions rooted in the sense that God is alive and worthy of our attention, are basic ways we can enter into this season. Consider taking up some pattern of intentional engagement. There is no shortage of resources for this season. Priests Jonathan Warren and Tish Harrison Warren recently wrote this book that might be a helpful guide and spur toward engagement in this season. You might also check out our diocese's podcast, currently featuring reflections on the season, including one with Mtr. Kimberly. 

In Christ,
Peter+