Anticipation

“Anticipation, anticipation, it’s making me wait; it’s keeping me wai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ting…” As this jingle’s melody danced through the heads of Americans in the 1970s, our televisions provided images of cute and desperate children attempting to get Heinz Ketchup out of its bottle and onto their hamburgers. Now when it comes to condiments, I’m a pretty laid back guy, until we get to ketchup. I’m picky about my ketchup. Clifford learned how picky the first time she came home from the grocery store with a different brand. I like the taste, the thickness, and the challenge of getting that Heinz out of a new bottle.

Waiting is a good and holy endeavor that stands as a witness in the midst of our culture that demands instant gratification. We have grown accustomed to the immediate, from communication (emails, text messages, or voicemail) to purchasing (internet shopping, overnight delivery, and credit cards). “Why wait when you can have it now?” has been the message marketers have offered us for years, a message that has slowly seeped and penetrated into our collective consciousness. As individuals who live in such a culture, waiting doesn’t feel very holy. It ends up feeling rather like something has gone terribly wrong.

I was asked by an extended relative over Thanksgiving dessert, “So do you finally have a church in Charlotte?” My answer was playful and immediate: “Oh yes, we have a wonderful church of about 200 people. But if you’re asking me whether the church has land and plans for a building, we are still waiting on God for that.” I imagine that my answer was not very satisfying to her. Without the facility, our culture’s goal and expectation, do we really count?

Advent, this time before Christmas, is a gift. It’s a gift because it offers us a reminder that we can choose to live a different way. Instead of becoming exhausted by frenetic preparations, we can actually slow down and wait, anticipating and seeking the satisfying and glorious life God has prepared for us. When the credit card company asks, “What’s in your wallet?” we can ask, “What’s in my heart?” When the inconveniences of worship setup/teardown or the long hallway at Community House Middle School makes us impatient, we can reflect on God’s abundant generosity in providing us a beautiful and affordable worship home with spaces large enough for us to grow to twice our current size. When our finances don’t allow us to purchase the “perfect” gift, we can put the plastic back in our wallets and rediscover what the definition of “perfect” really means. When we don’t get what we want under the tree on Christmas morning, we can remember that God has already given us everything we need.

God isn’t into instant gratification. The world is. That’s why Heinz ketchup now comes in squeeze bottles. Waiting and anticipation are holy pursuits, for they lead directly to God’s loving direction and embrace. The world is looking for the perfect gift. It’s our job to show them that we have found him, the Savior Emmanuel who will one day reign over the peaceable Kingdom—that place where God will be all in all.

J. Derek Harbin, priest

Around Beloved…Advent, the season when we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus, is a great time to bring your friends, co-workers and neighbors to worship as new ones to Charlotte begin to seek a welcoming place to celebrate the Savior’s birth…Christian Formation for adults and children resumes this week. The adult focus for 2005-2006 is Living a Passionate Life following Jesus. Thus far we have explored planning a Spirit-led financial future and God’s directives for a balanced and fruitful life of rest and work. Fr. Derek begins the third segment this Sunday in the hospitality area on “Finding God’s path in the messiness of living”…This Sunday is the day to sign up for Beloved’s 5^th Annual Epiphany Pageant to be held during worship on Sunday, January 8. Adults and children interested in participating need to sign up so we have enough costumes ready. Please note if you want a speaking role…Beloved’s Worker Bees (youth 9-12) and metamorphosis (youth 12-15) each have a Movie Night coming up this week; the younger group on Friday (12/2) and the older group on Saturday (12/3) beginning at 6:30pm at Beloved Garden. Don’t forget to bring $3 and a friend…The Beloved Band's incredible first CD, Looking through Windows, is a great gift for that person who needs a little something or a stocking stuffer. CDs are on sale each Sunday, at Beloved Garden, or by mail. For more details, click here…Mark your calendars now and watch for more information about the annual Greening of the Church and Potluck Chili Supper that will take place on Wednesday evening, December 21…The Sunday FaithQuest 2.1/2.1x (9-15 year olds) group will be traveling to Historic Brattonsville on Sunday, December 4 (departing Beloved Garden promptly at 4:30pm—don’t be late!) to participate in their program on historic local Christmas traditions. Any one who wants to travel with us is welcome (those not enrolled in FaithQuest will be charged $9/adult, $5/child). For questions or to make reservations, click here.

Giving to Christ at Christmas… is an annual holiday tradition at Beloved based on a simple idea. It’s our Savior’s birthday. That’s why we give gifts to each other. So let’s begin our gift giving with a gift to Jesus. Through Giving to Christ at Christmas, we are able to touch in a unique way the twin heartbeats of Jesus: the Church, through which Christ seeks to draw all people to himself, as well as those in physical need. Each year since Beloved’s Christmas 2001 birth, followers of Jesus at Church of the Beloved have been asked to give the most generous, one-time cash gift we can—above and beyond our normal giving as we would with any gift—to fund these twin heartbeats of our Lord.

In just four celebrations of our Savior’s birth, we have collectively given $26,236 to Jesus that assisted the children of Bethlehem during the height of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; provided food, clothing and utility payments during a brutal Charlotte winter; cared for AIDS children in Africa and assisted ministries that continue working to eradicate the spread of this disease; partnered in the launch of Samaritan House, a ministry which provides basic recuperative care for the homeless of Charlotte after a hospital discharge; upfitted and furnished Beloved Garden as a spiritual enrichment center for adults and children; and funded the continuing Direct Mail Campaigns that are reaching more and more people in Charlotte’s South Perimeter.

This year’s annual gift to Christ at Christmas has a more personal Beloved connection. Many of you may know that our assisting priest, Fr. Benjamin Udochukwu Nnaji, will be leaving the United States on Christmas afternoon to complete his education in Switzerland. Fr. Ben loves Jesus and has a passion for children and for spreading God’s Kingdom. Half of Jesus’ Christmas gift this year will assist the secondary school, where Fr. Ben once served as chaplain and teacher, in its life-changing ministry among the children of Okigwe, Nigeria as well as provide funds towards Fr. Ben’s future as he completes his education and prepares to use the technology skills he has learned and intends to use in sharing the Gospel. The remaining half of Jesus’ Christmas gift this year will launch a Beloved Garden Scholarship Fund for children whose hearts are open to learn more about Jesus the Good Shepherd but whose family finances would otherwise prevent them from considering enrollment in FaithQuest.

How do you get involved? Bring your gift, marked Giving to Christ at Christmas, to Christmas Eve worship. If you can’t be present on that night, place it in the Sunday offering basket or mail it to the Development Office. Through these investments, countless lives will be transformed for Christ both now and in years to come. Our prayer is that this gift will truly honor the One whose birthday we shall soon celebrate.

Simon Evening of Giving…Wow! What great food, what great fun, what a night! Thanks to Kris Leinenkugel and Fred Mellon, their team, and everyone who participated in selling tickets or staffing booths at the 2^nd annual Simon Evening of Giving at SouthPark Mall the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Because of your dedication and hard work, Beloved was one of the top ticket-selling charities. The results—we are able to honor the infant Savior who narrowly escaped death at the hands of a jealous king by first giving $2007 to the Simon Youth Foundation for at-risk youth. The remaining net ticket proceeds and other donations will provide a little over $6000 for the ministries of Church of the Beloved!

In our Prayers…we pray for peace during this time of Advent preparation and for the conflicted regions of the world…for those serving in Iraq, especially Tom Friend and Scott, Dan Hood's brother…for Nancy and Tony Hodgson's granddaughter, Emily, whose health is rapidly deteriorating…for Marilyn Doyon, Laurel Durham, Marie Duty, and Julie Haarstick who are expecting babies this upcoming year…for Susan Jordan as she continues treatment for rheumatoid arthritis…for Michelle Dezzutto, John Montagnino, and J.R. West who are recovering from surgery…for Dorothy, Mary Reid's sister who has lung cancer….for Ed and Jean, Dick Reif’s parents who are in declining health in Oklahoma.

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