“Who carries hope for you when the weariness of the world wears you down?”
THANK YOU!
I’m so grateful to everyone who has been- and will be- making the Red Bow Fair such a positive fundraising event for North Parish. If you haven’t done anything for the Fair yet, just come to the Meeting House tomorrow (Saturday Dec. 6th) and buy a donut and coffee, some soup or a sandwich, or a little something for yourself or someone who deserves some appreciation or a bit of joy! (Also, clean up help is always welcome, if you are the kind of person who prefers to avoid crowds.)
The Fair is such a huge effort at a hectic time of year. I just want to remind you that, as much as the money matters, what really matters are the connections that we make with each other. Please introduce yourselves to each other and ask some follow-up questions. And if there is something going on in your life that you’ve been meaning or would like to tell me, please just draw me aside to chat as I wander about.
The Soul Matters theme for December is “being a people of hope”. Dr. Jamil Zaki researches hope and cynicism; he has discovered one of the most effective of strategies to move from cynicism towards hope is what he calls “positive gossip”- spreading positive tales, publicly pointing out good deeds and admirable qualities. He says that positive gossip decreases our innate negativity bias and causes us to live in a more hopeful world.
I encourage you to spread some positive gossip at and about the Red Bow Fair this week. Point out each other’s positive qualities! Spread positive tales about others or this congregation- about the Fair, or last Sunday’s service, or our upcoming holiday observances, or what we do to help feed people. My suspicion is that for many of us, our answer to that question above-“Who carries hope for you when the weariness of the world wears you down?”– is each other. So let’s spread some “anti-cynical scuttlebutt” this week.
I hope you will feel appreciated and welcomed with open arms this week at the Fair- whether you are a forever-volunteer, a brand new volunteer, or just stopping by to shop. See you very soon, at the Meeting House! Rev. Lee
P.S. Even if you are tired, come back on Sunday to relax and be glad for an hour. We’ll be welcoming new members and hearing some gorgeous Christmas music by two of the “Three Tenors”- Damien Corcoran and John Middleton-Cox!