In Spirit and Truth

For twenty-seven years, Afton Travis has served each of us at Faith. For twenty-seven years she has given her time, her talents, and truly, her very self to us. And we are all blessed by her presence. By now you have no doubt read the first page, and seen that after twenty-seven years, and after a great deal of thought, many prayers, and I’m sure a fair bit of deliberation, Afton has decided to retire. I am extremely grateful for her! She has been an incredible blessing to me, and to us all. When I think of Afton’s twenty-seven years at Faith, I am reminded of the scene in the classic movie The Fiddler on the Roof, where the main character asks his wife if she loves him. She responds with a list of the ways she has served him, and a list of her commitment to him over a period of twenty-five years, and asks, “If that’s not love what is?” I love this picture, and see it displayed through Afton’s life. For twenty-seven years she has been there to help us worship through accompany

advent - n. The coming or arrival,  especially one which is awaited. Advent - n The four Sundays leading up to Christmas. The coming of Jesus at the Incarnation. The second coming of Jesus. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language & Collins English Dictionary There is a phrase that I have come to love and identify with. It's a phrase I first heard in seminary, but have since heard in several other places. It's a phrase that speaks of our place in the story of God’s salvation, the status of the Kingdom of God and the condition of our faith. They are "already and not yet." For many, the season of Advent has been relegated to "the season we sing Christmas carols" or perhaps a season of preparation for Christmas. While these actions occur during Advent, they are not the primary purpose of the season. It is my belief that the primary purpose of Advent is to wait for God. Our culture doesn't like to wait for anything. The idea of delayed