From the Pastor's Desk

NOVEMBER 2026

HOME ALONE

It's a bit of an odd year for Diana and me.

With the passing of Diana’s mom, we gathered as a family and attended her committal at the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Arvin. That event was wonderful, but it created a challenge. Not everyone could go to both the committal and Christmas in Fresno. It’s the practicality of time and finances and the anticipated arrival of twin grandbabies that are scheduled to arrive right around Christmas time. So we decided to hold off for this year at our place and look to 2027 for our next all hands on deck Christmas gathering.

But might there be a spiritual benefit to the scaled down holy season? We have only so much time and energy. Maybe with planning and carrying out fewer family related things can be redirected. Advent is a countdown. The objective is to prepare for the nativity. What is true for most of us, however, is that rather than focusing on the incarnation of God Almighty, the activities that we have come to cherish just might displace, to one degree or the other, the purpose of the season.

Don’t get me wrong. I would prefer the family together and we very much enjoy the preparations for hosting. But maybe this year, the Lord has given Diana and me an early present, wrapped in bad timing and rising airfares. It would not be the first time God redeemed what looked like unfortunate events.

Pastor Pat Sheahan