Pastors’ Column

This Sunday at 4:00 p.m., the family of BMPC choirs, along with the renowned Brandywine Brass, present its annual Christmas Concert. This concert, the third in this new season of “Concerts with a Cause,” will celebrate the Christmas season with the words of Mary’s “Magnificat” – My soul doth magnify the Lord. You’ll hear a spectacular setting of the Magnificat by Gerald Finzi, along with works by Franz Biebl, Paul Halley, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, William Dawson, and more. In the spirit of magnifying the Lord and in response to God’s incredible gift of love to each of us, 50 percent of the offering received at the concert will go to support Prevention Point Philadelphia.

God of all creation, as we celebrate this uniquely American tradition of Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks that we are a country founded among diverse peoples. For our Native American predecessors and for our immigrant ancestors who came to these shores and enjoyed a season of peace together, we give you thanks.

It’s Thanksgiving morning. You’re going to be cooking all day, everyone is staying at your house, including Uncle Bob who never seems to understand that everyone doesn’t want to hear about his latest medical procedure. This day is going to take a lot of energy and effort, and you just need to take one thing off your plate.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church have much for which to be thankful. We celebrate that by the abounding generosity of this congregation the hungry are fed good things, those who thirst drink from the rivers of life, the sick are visited, and the poor have good news brought to them in word and deed. By the generosity of this congregation, people of all ages are being nurtured in faith, upheld by hope and encouraged to trust that the future belongs to the goodness and faithfulness of God who blesses each of us with abundant life. By the generosity of this congregation, for the first time in a decade we have a full pastoral team to help lead the congregation to fulfill our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Earlier this week I heard a story on the radio about the holiday shopping season being six days shorter because of how late Thanksgiving is this year. But listeners and retailers alike were told not to worry, because technically the holiday shopping season is already upon us. As I reflected on this story, I realized I have been receiving emails from retailers informing me of their Black Friday sales that are already underway.

This Sunday, November 3, there will be a special commemoration of All Saints as we remember and give thanks to God for the lives of our church members who have entered the church triumphant. Those who have died within the year since last All Saints Sunday will be remembered by name during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper at both of our morning services. As we gather around the communion table to enjoy a foretaste of a heavenly banquet to come, we will recall the great crowd of witnesses who have gone on before.