Redeemer East Side Update

“And because of His visitation, we may no longer desire God as if He were lacking: our redemption is no longer a question of pursuit but of surrender to Him . . . Therefore at every moment we pray that, following Him, we may depart from our anxiety into His peace.”
— W.H. Auden, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio

As the days get shorter and the cold settles in, we begin the celebration of the Advent season. As you may know, Advent is the beginning of the church calendar. Our life in Christ begins not with our own frantic efforts, but with an expectant waiting. The truest hope for the human race is found not in our own strength, but in the strength of another. Here in New York, a city so often marked by ambition and achievement, Christians begin a new liturgical year counter-culturally — learning to wait in frailty and helplessness. Redemption is not a pursuit. It is a surrender; a pure gift. 

As we prepare for our annual Lessons and Carols service on December 15, would you start praying today by name for a friend or neighbor or colleague? Who do you know that might welcome an invitation to join you at that service during this holiday season? It is one very concrete way to pray big, bold prayers and do a small, faithful thing. Pause now and ask the Spirit to show you who you might invite.

Even as we celebrate the birth of Christ, our desire as a church is to see Christ born in the hearts of our neighbors who do not yet believe. We want to see every New Yorker “depart from their anxiety into His peace” as the poet W.H. Auden so beautifully put it. So as you consider who might welcome this message of peace, consider also how you might support the church through your year-end giving so we can continue our mission to reach the city.

I pray that Christ would meet you with his peace in new, even surprising ways as we wait patiently in this season of Advent together.

With expectation,

Rev. Abraham Cho
East Side Senior Pastor

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Earlier this year, Caitlin (left) and Diem (right) attended Questioning Christianity together. This is a recent conversation they had about Diem's experience. Through the consistent openness and warmth of Caitlin and others like her, Diem was able to wrestle with her doubts and questions about Christianity in an environment that was welcoming and safe. She was able to ask and be asked tough questions in a community that tried to listen well. In this brief video, Diem describes her experience wrestling with the question of whether God’s love really exists, the "breadcrumbs" trails that led her to encounter God, and how her doubt allowed for a divine encounter.

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