This Sunday, Dec. 15, is the third Sunday of Advent. Join us this Advent season as we worship and wait on the Lord’s Promises.

On the Wednesday evenings of Advent we worship at 7:30pm in the Chapel. Join us as we gather together with Christ Deaf Lutheran Church to hear again the story of “The Gift” God gives this season.

Calvary’s Christmas Eve service will be held at 7:30pm on December 24th, featuring Holy Eucharist and a Candlelight Hymn Sing. Calvary Christmas Day service will be held at 10:00 and include Holy Eucharist.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with Breakfast with Santa, and to those who attended. It was once again a wonderful event, we welcomed many people from our community, and were able to pack over 60 bags of love to be donated to the community.

The Wednesday morning Men’s Fellowship is meeting at 7:00am in the Fellowship Hall. All men welcome! Enter through the downstairs rear doors.

An online calendar has been established for Calvary events in order to provide a more user friendly experience when seeking information on our activities. You can find this calendar through the Calvary website, or by visiting: http://calvarysilverspring.view-events.com

This Sunday
The readings for this Sunday are: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

Incarnation Everywhere

This week I came across a quote by Madeleine L’Engle, author of the well-known children’s classic, A Wrinkle in Time (among other books). In Walking on Water, L’Engle reflects on the intersection of faith and art and writes these words:

There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.

What she means is that there is nothing in this world that cannot give evidence to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. A baby, a family living their daily life, a donkey, a simple feeding trough – each of these ordinary, everyday objects were present when God entered his own creation. Each of these earthly things then, became sacred, because they played a role in the working out of salvation; in witnessing and making known the savior who had come down.

And, as Madeleine L’Engle reminds us, simple objects and activities can today still be vehicles for conveying incarnation truths. As she writes:

…to paint a picture or to write a story or to compose a song is an incarnational activity. The artist is a servant who is willing to be a birthgiver. In a very real sense the artist (male or female) should be like Mary who, when the angel told her that she was to bear the Messiah, was obedient to the command.

Stories, no matter how simple, can be vehicles of truth; can be, in fact, icons. It’s no coincidence that Jesus taught almost entirely by telling stories, simple stories dealing with the stuff of life familiar to the Jews of his day. Stories are able to help us to become more whole, to become Named. And Naming is one of the impulses behind all art; to give a name to the cosmos we see despite all the chaos.

If we are willing to look, we will find evidence of the incarnation everywhere. A meal reminds of God’s provision, and of Jesus’ feeding thousands. A glass of water refreshes, and fills us with the knowledge of the One who gives water that we may never thirst again. And art, especially art, whether music, book, or painting, reveal to us a God who is the author of creativity, beauty, and intentionality – allowing us to be like God in our own endeavors to create.

Whether artist or observer, creator or lover of creation, we can find evidence of incarnation in many places, and echoes of a baby’s birth, who changed the world forever.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

Even So, Come

He which testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

These words are found in the final verses of Revelation (Rev. 20:22), which are the final verses of scripture. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” is a response to the One who promises he is coming soon. It is a way of saying “we know you are coming Lord, and indeed, we desire for your coming to be soon at hand.” We need you Jesus, come into our world, our lives, our hearts.

These sentiments are the focus of our Advent worship. Jesus has come, is here, and promises to come again, and yet, often we see that this world, and our own lives do not align to God’s desires, and so we say, come, Lord Jesus. We desire for the peace, the true love, the compassion, and the generosity of Christ to fill us, to give us hope, and to change us to be more like himself.

Come, Lord Jesus. This is our Advent prayer.

Join us on Saturday, December 7th for one of our most popular events of the year, Breakfast with Santa.

Enter through the downstairs, rear door of the building to find a festive atmosphere, a warm, hearty breakfast, crafts, and of course the arrival of our very special guest. There will be many opportunities for photos with Santa, as well as a chance to help give back to our community by organizing items for “Bags of Love” which will go to those in need this Christmas season.

The price for Breakfast / Admission is $4 per person.

This year we are adding one new way to help give back to others. We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys to donate to A Wider Circle, one of our wonderful community partners.

Fourteen members of Calvary gathered at Wheaton Regional Park last Saturday for a Holy Hike outing. It was a good morning enjoying God’s creation together. The next Holy Hike will take place in February. Please let Pastor Mike know if you have suggestions for the hike location.

A special food collection for Manna Food is being held during the month of November. This special collection effort is being led by Calvary Confirmation Student Hank Schwartz as part of the confirmation process. This Sunday, Nov. 17 we are asking for donations of canned meats and fish.

A service event at A Wider Circle will take place this Sunday, November 17th following the worship service. Please contact Lori Schwartz for more info or to RSVP if you would like to attend.

Breakfast with Santa will take place on Saturday, December 7th from 8:30-11:00am. Calvary members are encouraged to invite friends and neighbors to this morning of food and fun. Volunteers are needed to support this event. Please talk to Becky Johnson for volunteer information and sign up on the poster in the Narthex.

Save the date for the annual Women of Calvary Christmas Dinner on Tuesday December 10th! All women members and visitors of Calvary are welcome to attend, and guests are encouraged. Appetizers and fellowship begin at 6:30pm, followed by dinner at 7:00 and an Advent themed program to follow. This year we welcome as special guest the founder of A Wider Circle, Mark Bergel, who will talk briefly about the North Pole Project that we will again support with generous help from Thrivent. Please bring a dish to share and a new unwrapped toy for the North Pole Project toy drive.

The Wednesday morning Men’s Fellowship is meeting at 7:00am in the Fellowship Hall. All men welcome! Enter through the downstairs rear doors.

An online calendar has been established for Calvary events in order to provide a more user friendly experience when seeking information on our activities. You can find this calendar through the Calvary website, or by visiting: http://calvarysilverspring.view-events.com

This Sunday
The readings for this Sunday are: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44