Being a Community of Hope and Thanksgiving

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. — Collect for the First Sunday of Advent

This year we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent the same week many of us gather with friends or family for an abundant Thanksgiving meal. More than ever, we are aware of those who are not blessed with such abundance. The outpouring of generosity from this community for the Thanksgiving baskets for families at Crockett Academy, and the strong response to our annual Christmas gift-giving there, demonstrates how much the community of St. Mark’s knows the importance of sharing abundance with others.

Gratitude, thanksgiving, and hope are contagious postures. We learn them in community and then offer them in the world. We cannot expect to sustain these values alone; when we isolate ourselves from community, we too quickly can fall into the pattern of fear and scarcity when left to our own devices.

We have many reasons to be thankful at St. Mark’s. This Sunday we will give thanks for the Reverend Matt Wise and pray his family on to the next season. They will bear their light in a new community, and while we will miss them terribly, we also give thanks for the rich decade we were privileged to share with them.

Life in community is always about fostering hope and thanksgiving as we pray, serve, and share life with one another. It is rooted in our main place of thanksgiving—the altar. The grounding point of our worship is always when we gather to make Eucharist with one another. It is not surprising the word Eucharist, our central act of worship, is translated from Greek as “a giving of thanks.”

Grounding ourselves in hope and thanksgiving is a spiritual practice. The more we look for points of gratitude, the more grateful we are. The more we claim hope and put on the armor of light, the more resilient we are to the chances and changes of this life. Give yourself the space to enter Advent this year. Come to the Quiet Day or one of our intergenerational events. Attend a special music or worship offering. Remind yourself, in community, of all we give thanks for in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Claiming hope is a radical posture in a world that quickly guides us toward despair and cynicism. Be of good courage and join the people who also want to bear light in our world. You will not regret those choices. Over time, those choices become second nature and foster a way of life that God so wants us to enjoy. Choose the light over darkness. And choose community over isolation. God came among us as a vulnerable child so that we might realize our need of one another. This season reminds us of that light and what it offers us in the fullness of life.

Peace, Beth +