Christmas Around the World

by Pastor Linda Skinner

On my trips to Israel, one of my favorite spots to visit is the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The current Roman Catholic Church was built upon the foundation of a Byzantine church that was built on what was reported to be the site of the home of Mary the Mother of Jesus. The very home where the Angel Gabriel visited her to announce that she had been selected to give birth to the Savior of all people.

One of the most beautiful displays in this church are the bigger-than-life mosaics of Mary and Child donated by nations from all around the world. What is so special about these mosaics is that each one has Mary and Jesus depicted in their nationality and dress.

On one of my trips as I walked through the gallery of mosaics, I came up a Japanese family gathered in front of the mosaic from Japan. The children were smiling and clapping their hands chattering to their mom and dad with great joy as they pointed at the beautiful Japanese Mary and Baby Jesus. I don’t speak Japanese, but the body language was saying, “Look mommy and daddy, Jesus is just like us.”

This scene reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas Songs. I first heard it on Andy Williams Christmas Album from the 60’s and now I listen every year on my digital album done by James Taylor. The song is “Some Children See Him” and it was written in 1951 by Alferd Burt, a Jazz Musician who wrote a song Christmas Card every year for his friends. The last verse of that song says it all:

The children in each different place
will see the baby Jesus' face
like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
and filled with holy light.
O lay aside each earthly thing
and with thy heart as offering,
come worship now the infant King.
'Tis love that's born tonight!

This weekend we are celebrating our International Christmas. Pastor SuJong Baek of our New Korean Congregation will be preaching. Pastor Chet McVay from our Native American Congregation will open us in prayer. We will have our own worship team, also the worship team from our new Hispanic congregation leading us in worship. On Sunday, after the 10:30 service, we will have an international potluck. Bring food to share that celebrates your heritage.

It will be a great reminder to all that Jesus is indeed the “Savior of All People.”

Christmas Blessings,

Pastor Linda

Second Week of Advent

by Pastor Linda Skinner

Last night Rich and I went shopping for toys. We were going to a Christmas Party where the Marines were going to be collecting “Toys for Tots” and we wanted a couple of fun toys to donate to the cause. Now, we haven’t done much “toy shopping” lately all the children in our family have outgrown the toy stage. Their children all live far way and have asked not to be sent any more toys. So, we had no idea of what was on the market lately. I was amazed to see an entire section of interesting “Advent Toys.”

Now, my recollection is of paper Advent calendars with little doors on them that you open to find a little picture reminding you of what Christmas was really all about. Those evolved to more secular Christmas pictures and then to a chest with little draws that might contain a little toy. Much to my amazement, I discovered a whole new complexion to the meaning of Advent. To demonstrate here’s a partial list of some interesting Advent possibilities you can purchase in 2019:

• LEGO – Friends Advent Calendar (Toy solider, Snowmen, Mice, Boom Box, etc.)

• Funko Pocket POP Advent Calendar Harry Potter (Complete with all wizarding characters.)

• Hatchimals CollEGGtibles Advent Calendar – Little animals in Christmas colored Eggs (Complete with Christmas baby chick, cat, bird.)

• Star Wars Micro Force Advent Calendar – Complete with Mini Action Figures by Hasbro (I have to admit R2D2 in a Santa hat is pretty cute.)

These little “Advent” toys, reminded us how easy it is to get caught up in the fun part of Christmas and forget “The Reason for the Season.” I have nothing against the fun, crazy part. I got a big chuckle looking at these crazy Advent calendars. (And, no, we didn’t purchase any of these as our donation.) I think God gets a chuckle too. But I also think this a great reminder to all of us to remember every morning of Advent (and our entire year) that we celebrate a God who is with us “Here and Now!”

This weekend Dr. Marty Folsom will be sharing a great message “Christmas Is God Here and Now!” On this Second Sunday of Advent come join us and celebrate the real meaning of Advent. Eliot, band and choir will be leading us in a Christmas Carol sing. (Eliot asks us to wear our ugliest Christmas sweater, if we dare.) We’d love to have you join us on Saturday night at 5:30 pm or Sunday morning at 10:30 am.

Christmas Blessings to All,

Pastor Linda

PS – Pastor Tim sends his best wishes to all. He had a little repair work done on Wednesday for some internal stitches that came undone, but he is really looking forward to seeing you all at our Christmas Lights the Night Services.

Christmas Is Here Again

By Pastor Linda

More than likely, you haven’t even made your first pot of Turkey Soup from Thanksgiving leftovers and we are getting ready this weekend to celebrate the First Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, Advent (derived from Latin word meaning “coming”) is that time of the year followers of Jesus Christ get their hearts prepared to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Growing up, I loved the Advent Season. We traditionally had Advent Candle lighting every Sunday and it was the start of Christmas Carols in church. Christmas Carols were very much a part of Advent. Being raised in a very traditional denomination, most of our music was a bit somber and sometimes a little depressing (some of you may know what I mean.) But Christmas music was so much brighter, and joy filled. Mom always volunteered for the Christmas Choir and I went to every practice with her. As soon as I was old enough, I began singing in the choir with her. I loved it when on the 1st Sunday of Advent, we rolled out Christmas.

Saturday before that first Sunday, the ladies would come together and decorate the church with green boughs and red ribbons and the place would come alive. The smell of fresh evergreen boughs, candles burning and the sound of Christmas carols, meant to me that Christmas is here again.

I think it is why I love our church so much at Christmas time, and this Saturday and Sunday is even more special. Saturday morning at 10:00 am the ladies of the church are gathering to decorate. Fiona has the Advent candles ready to be lit. Even better, we are launching Advent with a beautiful concert of Christmas carols and songs. Our music director, Rhonda, has been practicing with the Choir and Joy Ensemble for months now to prepare for just this Saturday and Sunday. Some of the songs are originals that Rhonda has written and arranged.

Pastor Josh will have a short message on “Christmas is Joy” to get your Advent season under full swing. We all wish you a Christmas Season filled with God’s many blessings. A great way to kick it off is to join us this weekend for the start of Advent.

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas

Pastor Linda

PS If you’d like to join in on the decorating, you can join the group at 10 am Saturday at Spirit Falls Sanctuary. It will be fun.

Grateful or Grumpy?

By Pastor Linda

Have you ever put on a Santa Suit? I mean the whole thing…Big Red trousers, Red coat outlined with white fur, white wig, red hat, fake beard – the whole nine yards. I actually haven’t put on a Santa Suit myself but I’ve many times helped Rich put on his. Something that I’ve learned about Santa Suits, they can be very uncomfortable. I know Rich is always getting that white beard fiber in his mouth and I must bring lots of water because those suits are made for the North Pole not the Pacific Northwest. Another thing I’ve learned is no matter how uncomfortable they might be, you cannot be grumpy when you have a Santa Suit on. There’s just something that happens when a person puts on that suit, they must “Ho, Ho, Ho” and they have to be jolly and nice to people. Now I know all the movies about grumpy Santa’s’, but I think those are actors being paid to put on a Santa Suit and act grumpy. I’ve been a part of the Santa Conspiracy at Washington Cathedral for many years now and I cannot remember ever once encountering a grumpy Santa. It just can’t happen.

This weekend, while Pastor Tim is rehabilitating from his knee replacement surgery, I have the joy of sharing a message with you – Christmas is Gratitude. Maybe every day when we get dressed in the morning, we need to think of putting on our Grateful Suit. When we have the Grateful Suit on, we can’t help but be thankful in all situations. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:15: “All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.”

The mighty grace of God can fill our hearts with gratitude even in the difficult times. I hope you can join me as we explore more about cultivating a “grateful life” and the benefits we will receive from that endeavor. I’ll give you a hint…it all starts with a Baby in a manger.

Don’t forget to bring some non-perishable food to help fill the food banks at this important time of the year. We will have a special time at the end of the service to bring our food to the alter as an act of gratitude. See you Saturday night at 5:30pm or Sunday morning at 10:30am.

Blessings,

Pastor Linda

PS If you haven’t heard, we are getting ready for Santa Conspiracy on Sunday, December 8th. If you would like to help out, we have lots of opportunities to get involved.

We need more Santa’s and helpers. If you would like to sign up to be a Santa or Helper you can do that on our Santa Website (www.wacathedral.org/santa) or fill out a form at the Connect Center.

We need more Bears. You can see the bear display in the lobby for suggestions. The 8-10” bears are the best for our needs. If you don’t have time to shop, you can make a donation to the Santa Bears fund either put a check or cash in the offering plate this weekend, mark it Santa Bears or go to our App or Online Giving and select the “Santa Bear” fund. We need to order bears no later than Friday, November 29th, so please make your donations before that date.

Food for Santa’s. If you enjoy making a crock pot of soup or some yummy sandwiches, salads or desserts to feed our Santa’s and their helpers when they return from their “Ho, Ho, Ho” visits, that would be a great way to help out. Please email us at santaconspiracy@wacathedral.org and let us know what you plan to bring.

If you have any questions, just give me a call 425-830-7101 or email linda.skinner@wacathedral.org

Let Your Light Shine

By Pastor Tim White

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:15-16 NIV

Last week we opened the door to a life altering discussion on living an inviting lifestyle. Church growth is not that complicated. It simply means take the step of being All In to Jesus Christ. (1) Make the church a place of Belonging. (2) Serving our neighbors. (3) A time when worship is becoming excellent. (4) Giving is joyful. (5) Inviting is fun.

Now we enter a season when people want to come to church. The Holiday season just doesn’t feel right without a faith component. That is why this season is our opportunity to grow. Let’s invite our families, friends and neighbors to the special holiday services. Christmas time is a great time to reach people. This year we pray that our dynamic, moderate-sized church can reach 1,500 hundred people. We are working hard on the services to make them the best we have ever experienced. Can you help? Let’s live an inviting lifestyle that attracts our family, friends and neighbors. It is an exciting time to follow Jesus Christ.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Culture of Growth

by Pastor Tim White

I love to read blogs and I love to write them. My friend of many years Father Luigi is a recently retired catholic priest who served much of his life in the Baltimore area. When he writes a blog, I love to read it and correspond with him. Recently he posted this powerful truth. “Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.” - Maya Angelou. What a powerful thought. Most people try to go through life without ever changing, which is impossible because we have events and forces that cause us all to change. Sure, we have inborn personality traits, gifts and weaknesses that don’t ever seem to be far away; but live long enough and you will notice that to some degree your strengths and weaknesses will be even more pronounced than before.

For most of us, we have a hard time receiving new ideas. We don’t have to relinquish our responsibility to filter good ideas from not so good ideas. No, we just need to examine new ideas quickly and, after confirming they are a good strategy, we can implement this new way of living. Then as we move on in life's joyful adventure, we can adapt those new ideas to become our ideas and refine them to work better and better as we utilize them to the fullest. Sometimes they don’t work out as we thought because the variables in our lives are changing. So, we start over again in the process of refining our working world view. When we go through that painful process, we grow. God’s definition of success becomes more attainable and we miraculously grow.

Join me this week as we study God’s practical process to grow. It is a lifestyle of invitation and we will become much better at worshipping the living God this weekend.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Astonished by God

by Pastor Tim White

What in the world surprises you? Taxes? No, we have figured out where we stand on taxes and we are not too surprised when someone pushes another agenda on us. What about God surprises you? When we open our eyes and our ears ... everything about God astonishes us. Yes, it is amazing grace and yes, we sing: My God how great thou art! I’m still astonished by old miracles in my life. The church that God has given me to serve. My children and grandchildren who God has loaned to me. My wife of 45 years is still a miracle that I am trying to comprehend. Our nation. The more I travel the more I appreciate the opportunities we have here.

When we are astonished, our hearts race with adrenaline. Our eyes shine with amazement, our energy kicks in. What if I told you that you could sign a contract to live in thankful surprise? And this thankful contract will be renewed every week for the rest of your life. Come to church this weekend and be astonished by God. Read Isaiah 61 and you will be prepared to be surprised this weekend.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Exploring Worship

By Pastor Tim White

I love this season of life. This year, we get one more ‘set your clock back’ holiday on November 3. And this is my favorite holiday of the year. I love the rain--it’s an inspiration to read and study. My book per week reading increases at this time of year and what’s better than to be in a book, with a cup of coffee, in front of a fire on a blustering, wet evening in autumn.

This week we explore taking our worship to the next level. A worship that is more authentic and straight from our hearts to the heart of the living God. This means our personal and family worship should be winsomely heart-felt. Worship that leads our TLC’s (Small Groups) to be more restorative and deeper in discipleship. Worship where music and praise come straight from the hearts of the entire congregation. Worship where sermons are given and received from the depths of our souls. I love the opportunity to grow in this area of my heart. We want the giving, communion, prayers and fellowship to take another stride in our passion and sincerity.

It’s going to be a challenging adventure - so let’s get up for entering into the God Zone with new enthusiasm this week!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Send Me!

One of the most startling core beliefs of Washington Cathedral is that we a serving church. We live in a world where people honk their horn in traffic wanting everyone else to get off the road because they are in the way. People are evolving into egocentric members of the new modern society. Washington Cathedral’s core value of “Care for the People You Find and Find People to Care,” does not resonate with some people. I heard someone say: “It makes me tired to think about building the greatest caring network ... can’t I be a Christian and just not care for my neighbors?” And I get it - many people in this age of vacations and energy-saving devices are just tired. We are in an age where we receive reports that over 50% of people feel that nobody cares about them. My heart goes out to them and our community.

Our DNA to care and serve comes from the DNA of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t work if we are not constantly infusing our hearts with the Jesus we have chosen to follow. And the source of my joy and strength is Jesus; and to be on his team and do the things he teaches us to do.

This week we will experience an inspirational worship aimed at freeing us of those things that

weigh us down and rob us if our energy and love of life. If we want to be All In for life, then we need to let down our insecurities and dare to belong. But to belong we need to learn to serve, because that is what following Jesus means. And yes, there is a lot to learn about the way serving can fuel us rather than make us tired. I don’t think any of us can afford to miss this weekend of worship.

Your friend always,

Pastor Tim

Belonging...

Phase One of our new, church-wide campaign on ALL IN brings us to Belonging. The first opportunity for each of us to belong in a local church is a really big step. Most never really experience this step towards life blessing. You can try out a church, even for 35 years, and still miss the security and the rest of knowing that you belong. Isaiah Chapter 2 teaches about this big step. It shows how we must relax and trust in an organization of imperfect people and vast cultural differences. Only God can help unusual people to love one another and become the Family of Christ.

We had a great 35th Anniversary and thank you for your part in the astonishing history of Washington Cathedral! This week hear a testimony from someone who was really transformed by the love, acceptance and forgiveness they found in our fellowship. We have an amazing slideshow of the history of this great caring network. Also, be lifted by the vision of this body of Christ for the near future.

I know you will be encouraged and strengthened in your life from the worship this week. Strengthen your bond of belonging to a great organization who actually believe that-

“greater is he who is in you then he who is in the world.”

Your friend always,

Pastor Tim White