Recent Vestry Notes

Vestry Notes

Vestry Notes (week of 12-7-25)

This Sunday, we will re-light the Candle of Hope and light the Candle of Peace.  And with these words, I find myself a little girl filled with wonder because, truth be told, I never learned the meaning of each of the candles.  I always simply thought there was one for each week of the season without thinking there was more to know.  But there is!

Each candle holds significant meaning symbolizing different aspects of the Advent season.  The first candle is the Candle of Hope and represents the hope and promise of Christ’s birth.  It is rooted in Isaiah which speaks of people walking in darkness seeing a great light.  May the Candle of Hope we light anew this Sunday help us find our way in this world.

The second candle is known as the Candle of Peace. The candle lit during the second week of Advent represents the peace that Christ brings to the world. The message of peace is deeply interwoven with Advent themes as we prepare for the coming of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  Lighting this candle invites a spirit of peace within ourselves, our families, and the larger community. It is a time to reflect on the ways we can contribute to healing and understanding in a world that often feels chaotic and divided.  So much is swirling around us as we experience gun violence, our streets occupied by the National Guard, ICE raids, global environmental degradation, death and destruction in Gaza, Ukraine and vessels in the Caribbean, and the list goes on.  It can be overwhelming to process.

But through it all, I am reminded of the words we shared in the Immigrant’s Creed in which we proclaim “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal immigrant from God’s kindom among us, who speaks all languages, lives in all countries, and reunites all races.  I believe that the Church is the secure home for foreigners and for all believers.  I believe that the communion of saints begins when we embrace all God’s people in all their diversity.  I believe in forgiveness, which makes us all equal before God, and in reconciliation, which heals our brokenness.  I believe that in the Resurrection God will unite us as one people in which all are distinct and all are alike at the same time.  I believe in life eternal, in which no one will be foreigner but all will be citizens of the kindom where God reigns forever and ever. Amen” And these words give me peace and hope.   May they do the same for you…  Stay tuned for the meaning of candles III and IV.

Colleen Hintz for the Vestry

Brian Malcolm, Paulette Bellew, Wardens
Vestry Members: Melissa Allman, Paul Cecala, Agnes Clyne, Leslie Harden, Colleen Hintz, Chuck Johnson, and Barbara Shannon.