Dear Skidaway Community Church Family,
I hope this email finds you holding fast to the promise of Isaiah — that even the wilderness can blossom as we wait on the holy way this Advent.
This past Sunday we read Isaiah 35 and heard again that God comes to strengthen weak hands and make firm feeble knees. I shared how, in pastoral work, we may not always witness eyes opening or ears unstopping, but we do see people blossom like the crocus—depression lifts, addictions begin to loosen, and wayward friends return to the pew. We reflected on John the Baptist’s call to prepare a straight way, and on how the holy way asks for patience, perseverance, and the courage to walk through the valleys as well as the mountaintops; happiness may be fleeting, but the joy God gives endures.
This week, practice Advent patience: don’t rush past the preparation into the celebration. Reach out to someone who seems weary — listen, pray with them, invite them back — be the steadying hands and firm knees God can use; let God be your wingman in the wilderness and watch for the small springs of water that begin to make the desert bloom.
Blessings,
Rev. Dr. Jon Hauerwas