Dear Friends in Christ -
I spent a some time today with a group of women with whom I've prayed for over a decade. We have celebrated each of the last dozen (or so) Christmases the same way . . . gathering on a Saturday a couple of weeks before Christmas for prayer, food, fellowship and laughter.
The wonder-full thing about this wonderful, meaningful Christmas tradition is that I didn't "choose" this group. God chose it for me, before I even knew I would ever be living in New England.
Many years ago, in Salem, Oregon, two ladies from my church invited me to tea - and then asked me if I would like to join the prayer group they were a part of. They explained that their small group was connected to a larger, international group based in Massachusetts. While I liked the idea of being connected to a prayerful group of women around the world, I didn't give much thought to what it might be like to actually meet or spend time with those women. I was just enjoying the company of the women in Salem.
Then I moved. All the way across the country. To New Haven, a town I had visited once (for two hours) more than a decade before. I didn't know a soul. But, lo and behold, there was a prayer group (part of our network) in New Haven. They took me in.
Each Christmas, as we gather to pray, eat, talk and laugh, I remember the wonder of the season: that God has a plan, a plan for us - to save, to comfort, to love. Amazing.
Faithfully,
Janet+
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