Rev. Sue Fisher specializes in interim pastoral work and now serves as a guest preacher and mentor. For 13 years she led the Presbytery’s Nicaragua Partnership Team and has traveled to Nicaragua 8 times. She is a member of Speakers-by-the-Sea Toastmasters club. She sings with the Women's Chorus of El Camino College and loves gardening and traveling.    

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Even though school is out for winter break, the gospel of Matthew wants us to pay attention to some math and spelling.  Through a spelling error we're supposed to notice that Christmas comes with rest and healing.  Through multiplication  we see that Jesus' birth invites us to enjoy and participate in "justice coming down like waters and equality like a never ending stream."  This is what Christmas is all about!

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We’ve been talking about patterns and repeated stories all the way through advent.  We begin with God’s generous and inclusive promise to BLESS ALL PEOPLE, but the stories soon fall into patterns of fear and greed that generation after generation bless only a few at the expense of everyone.  

But then there are these courageous women who break those dysfunctional cycles in rather unorthodox ways.  And so they pass on new patterns of courage, hope, and justice.  They are the ones who pass on God’s blessings far and wide to all families, all nations and all people.  Today we come to Mary, Joseph and Jesus.  What can we expect of them?

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The first verse is like a trailer to a movie that tells us the whole story.  Why keep reading or watching if we already know what's going to happen?  Generation after generation we keep making the same mistakes, so why would Rahab, the second woman highlighted in Jesus' genealogy, be any different?  Well, since we already here, why don't we give the story a few more minutes, just to see if it get's better.  Who knows, Rahab might just surprise us.    

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We are stuck in a time loop.  Looking at Jesus’ family history as we prepare for Christmas is like getting caught in a story that keeps repeating, sort of like “if you give a pig a pancake” but this isn’t really a story that’s appropriate for kids.  This is Jesus' awkward and dysfunctional family history.  As we prepare for Christmas the gospel of Matthew wants us to notice a woman named Tamar and the hope of her new prophetic pattern.  

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All of our families have their own awkward moments and stories.  Jesus was no different!  In fact his family history might more disfunctional than most.  Matthew prepares us for the birth of Jesus with a long list of Jesus' ancestors.  While boring to read on it's own, Jesus' geneology is full of wild family tales and secrets.  On this first Sunday of Advent we'll look at Genesis 12 and the story of Sarah and Abraham.

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For Christ the King Sunday, Rev. Dr. Tina Blair looks at Hebrews 2:10-18 and invites us to ask, "What kind of King?"  

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How are we to read the Bible?  Are we searching for the one right eternal answer that will separate those who are right (us) from those who are wrong (them)?  Or is there room for different perspectives?  What if God’s Spirit could speak in a “choose your own adventure” way, with different paths all offering us something valuable?  

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As things continue to unravel, God shows up angry and ready to curse the people.  But then Moses, confronts and challenges God's violence and in turn our human violence.   True power and strength, instead, are revealed in God's patience, love and grace.  If our faith story allows Moses to speak truth to God in this way, then perhaps we can have the courage to challenge all the powers in our world to be better too.  

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Rev. Dr. Sunny Kang speaking at the Installation of Rev. Tim Vance.  The Scripture text is Isaiah 27.

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