November 27, 2020

Dearly Beloved, 
At the very beginning of this pandemic journey, way back in March, I gave my very first Zoom Children’s Sermon.  I talked about how things would have to be different, just for a little while, so that we could do our part to help keep each other safe. I had no idea that we would be separated for such a long time, but here we are, about to begin Advent, and we are still doing things differently.  
This year, our Christmas Pageant will indeed be different.  And while I will miss seeing a crowded chancel full of sheep and cows and monkeys, I actually think we have an exciting opportunity.  Because of our need to stay apart, we must think differently about how we can present the story that we know by heart using technology that some of us (that would be me) are still trying to figure out.  We have an opportunity to be creative, flexible, and supportive of our children and youth in a new way.  We have the chance to make something really beautiful during this challenging season in the life of our world and our church. 
Filming will take place over the next few weeks, and we’ll present the Greatest Digital Christmas Pageant EVER! movie on December 20th in Worship.  The story of the birth of Jesus, the same story that we hear every year, will still be the same story this year.  We will just tell it in a different way.  I wonder if that means that we might also come to understand it in a different way.  And what a year to understand things differently. 
We are all invited to be a part of sharing God’s word in a new way…so let’s choose to embrace the adventure, together.  Let’s choose to accept change, to continue to learn technology (hey, after 8 months, I might just be getting the hang of it…), and let’s create, together, the Greatest Digital Christmas Pageant EVER!  
I hope your family will participate in this adventure. Check out our website for more information: https://www.uccaustin.org/christmaspageant.html 
 With love and thanks, 
Emily Jamison Guerrero