Written by Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett
The Word Among Us
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth."
(John 1:1 & 1:14 NASB)
The holy season of Advent begins this year on Sunday, November 29th. In this season we await with eager longing the coming of God’s Messiah. The season of Advent is four weeks long and the name "Advent" means, "arrival." With each passing week we draw nearer to the arrival of the One who is the Word made flesh; the Word that came to dwell among us, full of grace and truth.
The Word of God dwells among us richly at Pleasantville, and in this season of Advent you will find some wonderful ways that the Word has been dwelling with your sisters and brothers in Christ. Twenty different people from Pleasantville Church have dwelt with the Word of God, reflected upon it, prayed over it, and offered in response a wonderful collection of Advent Devotions for each of the 28 days of the season. Pick up your copy of these inspiring devotions so you can journey more deeply into the gifts of the season.
In January, the Word will dwell among us with power in Peggy Dominy’s "Meet the Prophets" class. Peggy is a consummate teacher: thorough, knowledgeable, and most importantly – in love with the Word of God. If you have been hungering for an encounter with the Word, join this class for its careful study of the prophetic literature.
The Word has dwelt among us in acts of service and loving kindness, everywhere present in the life of our congregation. But one of the ways the Word dwelt among us came through the ministrations of 11 people from Pleasantville, who braved fierce weather to spend a weekend gleaning apples for the Palmyra Food Larder (see page 9). "Gleaning" is a biblical custom that allows the poor to follow the reapers into the field and collect the crops that are left over after the harvest:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field,
or gather the gleanings of your harvest;
you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.
(Leviticus 23:22, NRSV)
The Word among us indeed!
The great and holy day of Christmas is the celebration of God’s Word made flesh through the Incarnation of Jesus. Let us be attentive to all that is possible when we take seriously the many and wondrous ways that Word dwells among us, full of grace and truth!
Blessings, Pastor Hilary