“What Do We Know?” Fourth Sunday of Advent On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear Matthew’s brief version of the Nativity of Christ – no Bethlehem journey, no shepherds, no angel choirs. In comparison to Luke’s spectacle, it seems almost boring. But Matthew carries a persistent message: God, throughout history, works to sustain God’s people, even in the darkest…
What Do You Hear? John the Baptizer bellows in the wilderness, calling the people to preparation, and challenging the self-righteous to true repentance. As is always the case with prophetic words, how we hear them depends almost entirely on our perspective. Do we hear that we are being called to a liberated way of living, or do we only hear…
Waking Up As we begin this Advent season, we’ll gather for one combined worship service at 10:00. Advent is the season of preparation, but it is also a time of anticipation. We are waiting the arrival of the birth of Jesus, of course, but we are also anticipating the arrival of God’s Kingdom of Shalom. But what kind of waiting…
A Compassionate God The second week of Advent invites us to hear the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He proclaims God’s compassionate work to bring healing justice to the world. We often have a hard time imagining that the powers of the world could be displaced by a tenderly merciful God. But that is precisely the…
Time for Hope Advent is the season of Preparation for the coming of Christ. Like countless generations before us, we watch and wait for God’s renewing work in our world. And like countless generations before us, we sometimes look for hope through our tears, and we anticipate Good News even with heavy hearts. The prophets’ words remind us that the…
