Dear Friends and Members of BMUC,

Our thoughts and prayers go with you at this time of expectation – Winter is here. It came in fits and starts – hot days mixed with days of rain, but I think it has arrived, finally. Winter is a time of tremendous transition – falling leaves, the dying away of the summer’s growth, the need to bundle up against the cold and wet, a kind of hibernation – even in California.

However, we know that even though the frost may dust our gardens, life pulses beneath the surface. Seeds are germinating underground, and after a time of quiet and dark, we know there will be signs of new life. In this month, we celebrate our expectation of new life – the birth of Jesus. Waiting is never easy, but because we have gone through this transition before, we know that our waiting will be rewarded with joy.

Help prepare that new life by giving of yourself this season – get involved in a mission project (we have several planned), be generous with your local food bank or shelter. Remember our friends at Wadi Fouquin. There is so much need, and we all have much to give – help make new life a reality.

Death becomes life – God’s marvelous plan that depends, in part, on your faith and action. We pray that this season of waiting will be transformative for you. May your losses become blessings, may you bless others, and may your blessings be without number.

Rev. Naomi