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Dear Siblings in Christ,
In moments, or even seasons, of darkness, John’s Gospel proclaimed in Christmas
morning services may be the most important message we can hear collectively as the
Body of Christ. Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
As a helicopter ferried 42 of us from the mine tailings to Lucerne during the evacuation
on December 13, we could see the damage caused by landslides after landslides on
FS road 8301. The devastation of the landscape mirrored our broken hearts in that
moment, even while knowing that evacuation was the best decision. Rain continued
while high winds uprooted and snapped trees, making some of the infrastructure work
too dangerous on steep waterlogged soil. Our hearts broke yet again as the remaining
crew evacuated.
Community of Holden, we are abundantly aware of darkness brought on by grief, fear,
and frustration from the closure of Holden from road washouts and the unknowing of
what lies ahead for the people and infrastructure of the village we hold dear. Landslides
of soil and forest debris may continue. Rather than allowing our grief to become
landslides of frustration, our way forward is through the One who is the Life and Light so
that we may reflect the Life and Light into the heaviness of the larger world and of the
particularities of Holden.
Today, the Dancing Servant, a symbol of the One who brings light and life, is holding the
center of the worship space in Fireside surrounded by Advent banners, waiting with us
and for us. As the Holden Village board, Directors Bjorn and Elise, and the larger
community discern the best path forward, may we all embody the prayer, “We offer with
joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us--ourselves, our time, and our
possessions, signs of your gracious love.”
Christ, the Light and the Life, has come for all people!
Blessings on this Christmas season,
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