Thoughts From Your Regional Minister Article
Written by Rev. Tom Stanley, Co-Regional Minister & President
Published in the December 2022 issue of the Kansas Messenger
As we enter the Advent season, we look forward to the birth of Jesus, Christmas Cantatas, Christmas morning, and many other things! But is that all we are looking forward to? Is that all Advent has become?
Advent is the season of waiting and preparing. Advent is the season when the Church prepares to receive our Lord! Advent is the season we wait for, when God’s love is finally revealed in God’s Messiah, Jesus the Christ. It is a season of expectant waiting. Waiting patiently is a challenge for all of us! But it is amazing and wonderful to know that God’s love has been and will continue to be revealed to us.
I am writing this today so that you will not skip Advent! Don’t rush headlong from Thanksgiving to Christmas! The season of Advent is a season where we get to prepare to receive Jesus. To use the words of John the Baptist, we get to “prepare the way of the Lord and make it straight.”
This season in the life of the Church is not a passive time! It is a time to prepare, get ready, and help others see Jesus! So, I hope you will use this season in the life of the Church to prepare yourselves and the way for Jesus on Christmas morning!
Thank you much for your love and grace; I am grateful for your gifts to the whole Church, DMF, the annual fund, and the Disciple’s Special Day offerings enabling ministry around Kansas and the world!
You are helping to train and educate clergy; you are training lay leaders and growing disciples everywhere! So, thank you on behalf of your siblings in faith around our region and the world.
Shalom, hope, and joy to you this season!
Tom