Friends of East Shore,
December brings the darkest night, the Winter Solstice, the Chanukah miracles, Christmas wishes, and the quiet invitation to pause and reflect. Amid the season’s busyness and beauty, we are reminded to seek the light within and around us, even when the days feel heavy with shadow.
This month, Soul Matters Sharing Circle offers some questions for our ponderance:
- What is going on in my life right now that makes this question so pronounced for me?
- How might my inner voice be trying to speak to me through it?
- How might Life or my inner voice be trying to offer me a word of comfort or challenge through this question?
As we navigate these reflections, the words of theologian Anthony Pinn call us deeper into meaning: “At its best, religious life invites us to embrace the fullness of our humanity—its beauty, frailty, and strength—as a way to honor the sacred.” This season, may we hold space for the complexity of our human experience and find grace in the questions that shimmer within us.
We come together as we fortify ourselves against the oppressive forces anticipated. We come together as a community that fosters safety for becoming whomever we are growing into. We come together to advocate and accomplice our communities into affirming the worth and dignity of each of us, of all of us. In this sacred act of gathering, we honor not only our own growth but also our collective responsibility to nurture hope, equity, and love.
As we gather in community and contemplation, let us honor this sacred season by seeking deeper connection—with ourselves, with one another, and with the divine spark that lights our path through the longest nights.
With hope and peace of the season,
Rev. Will
