12-3-17: A Light That Shines

https://soundcloud.com/ncclaguna/a-light-that-shines-by-reverend-rodrick-echols

Welcome to Advent 2017 NCC family! What is Advent? The word Advent comes from the Latin word "adventus", meaning "coming" or "visit." For progressive Christians like us, the Advent season is a time to focus on the visit or coming of Christ-consciousness into our world.

Simply put, our Holy One changed everything, bringing to life the promise of hope, joy, love, and peace in a dark world. Advent is a season - our season - of waiting, expectation, anticipation and longing for Christ’s coming. And, to the greatest extent possible, we wear purple symbolizing our deep appreciation and the seeking of spirit!

Our Advent theme for this year is the Joy of Compassion - a four-week series on overcoming obstacles in our life and work. The key I believe? Enabling compassion for ourselves and others. What a wonderful complement to our November stewardship focus on generosity (see the exciting news below regarding our stewardship campaign- I'm overwhelmed with joy and ready to party!). In a real sense, the two practices - generosity and compassion - work together, allowing our progressive Christianity to come alive in new and dynamic ways. What an exciting time for our church!

Author of this post

Reverend Rodrick Echols Pastor "Reverend (Rod)rick Echols is originally from Memphis, graduated from Brown University, and holds a Master of Divinity from Boston University. In his professional life, he has held development roles with several prominent institutions, including UC San Diego, Brown University, United Way, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His specialties include pastoral care, leadership development, communication, fundraising, and counseling. Reverend Rod has served in various capacities in a number of churches, including Youth Pastor, Interim Minister, and most recently Pastor of Congregational Development before joining us here at NCC! His faith is strong. He listens and communicates well. He is a quality preacher and brings a passion for social justice. He also seeks to provide space for young people to gather and connect. Rev. Rod is a young, spirited pastor who speaks from the heart."