The church's liturgical year begins with the start of Advent. This year, that date is Sunday, November 30. This "e-notes" is a shameless commercial in that I am promoting my upcoming sermon series. This series is called Coping with Crisis: Reclaiming Your Life. It begins in Advent with four sermons with the following title:

You Are Invited to Live

This series will extend through Christmas and into the New Year as well. The premise is that the very best way to cope with the crises of our lives is to learn who we are and work on where we want to go. The idea for this series comes from the book Invitations by Francis Dewar. His subtitle is God's Calling for Everyone. Our ability to cope with the crisis times of life has a lot to do with how we respond to God's "invitation" to know ourselves and to perceive the Spirit's presence around and within us.

In the current climate of economic and ecological crisis, followers of Jesus have a particular message of affirmation and hope to give the world. Jesus' teaching and example point to the reality of God's love that underlies the universe. It challenges us with a compelling message today: Wake up to the reality of God in the world! If you're in Kansas City this Advent season, I hope you'll join us at Crossroads Church. You can see the exciting list of events planned. For each one of you, I hope this season will be a time of waking up to the mysterious and often subversive reality that lies behind all we can see: the presence of God. My wish is for you to trust more fully in the power of love, hope, joy, and peace. May God bless you.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.

--Jack Price