With unseasonable thunderstorms rumbling in the distance, today I’m unpacking a cherished nativity set, including a beloved but battered shepherd with a reattached head. As Christmas comes around each year, I arrange the figures so that each can “see” the baby Jesus in the center.
Today I’m also preparing for an infant baptism. On Sunday we will ask God to “Wash and sanctify this child through your Holy Spirit, that she may be delivered from destruction and received into the Ark of Christ’s Church; and being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in love, she may pass through the turbulent floods of this troublesome world and come into the land of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In other words, we will pray that this child, like each figure in that nativity scene (eyes trained on Jesus), will come to know Jesus as the center of her life.
We pray that whoever walks through the literal or virtual doors of the Abbey will know Christ as their center and life, hope and rest. To that end, this year we welcomed various guests in worship (a weekly mini-retreat)—whether pastors on sabbatical or travelers just passing through. At our seasonal day retreats we hosted guests from across DFW for silent prayer and reflection, gentle conversation and a bowl of homemade soup.
On weekdays I offered spiritual direction for clergy people, lay leaders, and persons discerning a call to holy orders from across the country. Recently my publisher and I began discussing my writing some devotional guides (based on my retreat writings) for under resourced global pastors. For all these things we give thanks to God!
My heart is in caring for weary souls, especially clergy people, and I need your help. I’m asking you to contribute to our annual operating budget of $75,000. And as mentioned previously, in the interest of expanding this ministry of soul care, soon we will invite your participation in acquiring nearby property. For those who have already given, thank you!
May Christ be your bright center this Advent and Christmastide and into 2025!
The Rev. Dr. Markene Meyer
Founder, Trinity Lakeside Abbey