Last Sunday morning, the official weather station near our house registered nearly an inch of rain during one thirty minute span! Some kind of a record, they tell me. Not quite the flood of 1862 (see image right), but still quite noteworthy.  

So if you were on your way to worship at Epiclesis that morning, you had several distractions: The wind and rain of a lifetime, flooded (and closed) streets and highways, and to cap things off, the California International Marathon, which also shut down many streets. (By the way, those marathon people deserve some sort of extra medal or something just for surviving the storm). You can learn more and see photos here in Monday's edition of The Sacramento Bee.

Worshipers who joined us Sunday evening for a beautiful Advent service also had to brave holiday shopping traffic and a full parking lot at our location from another event on campus.

Someone said that it was a "day of distractions." Boy, that's for sure.

And yet, what a marvelous day of worship, most especially the evening service of lessons and carols. I was blessed (and surprised) at the record attendance, but the real joy was in the worship itself: The music, the art, the Scripture, the words from the Church Fathers, and the participation from the gathered assembly made it a wonderful, God-honoring counterpoint to a day of distractions.

This holiday season is full of distractions-- even without the wind and rain and floods and marathons and packed parking lots. So let's keep our eyes on the One whose coming we eagerly anticipate.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel...

Pastor Chris