Dear Church Family,
I hope you had a most enjoyable Thanksgiving and found ample opportunity to “count  your many blessings,” as the choir sang last week. 
It is stewardship season and I trust you have  read Susan Kelsey’s touching letter.  What we give to the church is done out of  gratitude for the blessings God has given us, and not simply to “make the budget.”  But your pledges help the Trustees do wise planning, so I would urge you to return your commitments by December 4. 
The new church year begins this week with the 1st Sunday in Advent.    This is a season of anticipation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.  It also looks forward to the 2nd coming of Christ, in the fulness of his glory.  Perhaps you have used an Advent calendar or special devotional book to guide you through this season.  Waiting, being patient is not a virtue of our times and so it is a challenge in the midst of our hurried preparations to decorate, and buy gifts, and send cards, to slow down and prepare ourselves spiritually.    That opportunity is one of the blessings of worshipping each week.
There is something of a debate going on now over the appropriate liturgical color for the season.  Traditionally it has been purple, but in recent years Lutherans  (especially those who origins are Swedish)  and some Presbyterians and Methodists argue for blue.  Purple, they suggest is too much a color of penitence, associated with the somberness of Lent, while blue is identified as a color of hope, which they argue is more in keeping with the joyful message of the Advent season. 
So, feel free to make your choice and come in either purple or blue.  As for me,  I’ll be keeping to purple.  After all,  how often do I get to wear my purple sport coat, without sticking out too much?
Blue or purple, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.  We’ll be lighting the 1st candle on the Advent wreath.  The texts are Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 and Matthew 24:36-44.  The sermon is based on Jesus’ unusual image “Thief in the Night.” 
Peace and Joy,
Rich