With Joy in Our Hearts

Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman

The opening words are Still So Much Good, and Beauty, and Joy, by Rev. Gretchen Haley.

Come in, all who long to know
how to love this world
How to keep eyes open
hands unclenched
arms wide
Breathing deeply
In, and out
This is a time to practice
Because there is
still so much good, and beauty, and joy
But it can be hard to keep telling this tale
With all the news
and the wind, and the rain, and the trembling earth
(Who wants to love this life, anyway?)
Come in, all who teeter
on this edge of cynicism
broken hearted and trying still to remember
laughter and kindness
And the chance to be alive
in these days when so much is at stake
In this place we remind each other
Why we persist
Giving each other courage
to take this path that is not always easy
to keep practicing
This love
That cannot, will not let us go
And still calls us on
Come, let us worship together

Moment of Perspective – Happy Holidays! – AJ Fox

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9th Century Latin, Based on John Mason Neale
Adapt. by Thomas Helmore and John Weaver
Performed by Emily McKinney and Eva Riebold
Permission Granted

We Three Kings
Written by John Henry Hopkins; arr. John Prescott
Public domain
Performed by John Prescott, Luke Prescott, and Eva Riebold