Greetings Siblings in Christ,
I pray that you all had a joyful and peaceful Christmas. I want to take some time to thank everyone for a wonderful Advent and great Christmas. First, I specifically want to thank all the people who participated in the planning and leadership of worship. I appreciate all of you, and the way you have used your talents to further God’s Kin-dom here on earth. Secondly, I want to thank all the members of Faith and Jerusalem. You all have always made us feel so welcomed and loved. It’s hard being so far away from family this time of the year. However, you treat us so well, and we are grateful for you all. You have definitely become family to us. Speaking of family! In January, Eileen, Luca, and I will be taking our annual winter trip back to our homeland of Illinois. We will officially be on vacation from January 1st-10th. We are excited to see our loved ones and to take some time to rest.
The other day, I saw that the State of Illinois is in the process of reimagining their state flag. Currently, the Illinois state flag is white with the Great Seal of the State of Illinois on it. This seal depicts in profile a bald eagle perched on a rock with wings spread and holding a shield, with a banner in its beak and sunrise over water in the background. The current flag was adopted in 1915. However, now in 2024, the state is holding a contest to reimagine this flag. Why are they doing this? Well, flags often symbolize and reflect the values of a given territory, state or county. They stand as symbols of the past, present, and future. And so, Illinois citizens have been given an opportunity to reflect on who they are now and what their values are as individuals and as a state. 5,000 new flag renderings have been submitted from across the state, and the people have now narrowed it down to 10 designs. These designs all have their own meaning and symbolism. Some reflect the industry and agricultural heritage of the state. Other designs pay tribute to Abraham Lincoln. Then, others pay tribute to the natural beauty of the state, highlighting things like the Mississippi River or Lake Michigan. And so, I wonder which one will win? I wonder which one of these flags best represents the past, the present, and the future of Illinois.
Like the citizens of Illinois, we as Christians have also been given the opportunity to reflect on who we are, what our values are, and what that means for us as disciples of Christ. In God’s gift of faith, God grants us the opportunity to reflect on this every day and calls us deeper into faith and into discipleship. We are called, both together and individually, into discernment to reflect on our past, present, and future. We are called to listen to God and to listen to the needs of the world. Then, we are to ask ourselves whether our identity and values have changed over time? We are to reflect on our values and how they influence the way we live out our lives. Most importantly, we are called to reflect on how our values align with God’s. And so, this January, we are urged to reflect on this. It is the start of a new year. Thus, it is a new beginning, and this is the perfect time to ask these questions, especially as we have our annual meetings. In Lent, we will dig deeper into these questions together with the Nourishing Vocation Project. However, until then, let us meditate on the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” So, in the likeness of Christ, we become symbols of him, and that is good news! Amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
I pray that you all had a joyful and peaceful Christmas. I want to take some time to thank everyone for a wonderful Advent and great Christmas. First, I specifically want to thank all the people who participated in the planning and leadership of worship. I appreciate all of you, and the way you have used your talents to further God’s Kin-dom here on earth. Secondly, I want to thank all the members of Faith and Jerusalem. You all have always made us feel so welcomed and loved. It’s hard being so far away from family this time of the year. However, you treat us so well, and we are grateful for you all. You have definitely become family to us. Speaking of family! In January, Eileen, Luca, and I will be taking our annual winter trip back to our homeland of Illinois. We will officially be on vacation from January 1st-10th. We are excited to see our loved ones and to take some time to rest.
The other day, I saw that the State of Illinois is in the process of reimagining their state flag. Currently, the Illinois state flag is white with the Great Seal of the State of Illinois on it. This seal depicts in profile a bald eagle perched on a rock with wings spread and holding a shield, with a banner in its beak and sunrise over water in the background. The current flag was adopted in 1915. However, now in 2024, the state is holding a contest to reimagine this flag. Why are they doing this? Well, flags often symbolize and reflect the values of a given territory, state or county. They stand as symbols of the past, present, and future. And so, Illinois citizens have been given an opportunity to reflect on who they are now and what their values are as individuals and as a state. 5,000 new flag renderings have been submitted from across the state, and the people have now narrowed it down to 10 designs. These designs all have their own meaning and symbolism. Some reflect the industry and agricultural heritage of the state. Other designs pay tribute to Abraham Lincoln. Then, others pay tribute to the natural beauty of the state, highlighting things like the Mississippi River or Lake Michigan. And so, I wonder which one will win? I wonder which one of these flags best represents the past, the present, and the future of Illinois.
Like the citizens of Illinois, we as Christians have also been given the opportunity to reflect on who we are, what our values are, and what that means for us as disciples of Christ. In God’s gift of faith, God grants us the opportunity to reflect on this every day and calls us deeper into faith and into discipleship. We are called, both together and individually, into discernment to reflect on our past, present, and future. We are called to listen to God and to listen to the needs of the world. Then, we are to ask ourselves whether our identity and values have changed over time? We are to reflect on our values and how they influence the way we live out our lives. Most importantly, we are called to reflect on how our values align with God’s. And so, this January, we are urged to reflect on this. It is the start of a new year. Thus, it is a new beginning, and this is the perfect time to ask these questions, especially as we have our annual meetings. In Lent, we will dig deeper into these questions together with the Nourishing Vocation Project. However, until then, let us meditate on the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” So, in the likeness of Christ, we become symbols of him, and that is good news! Amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
