Traditions and expectations fill our lives, especially at Christmas, some add value to our lives and others we need to let go. Letting go of the unrealistic expectations that drain us allows us to focus instead on the peace, hope, and joy of Advent and Christmas. Our Focus text this week, the birth and naming of John, is a reminder that trust & faith do not always follow tradition, expectation, & certainty!

Waiting and preparing are big themes in Advent as we draw closer the arrival of Jesus at Christmas. So, are you prepared? Sermons on this week’s focus text this week often talk about how half the young women waiting for the Bridegroom were foolish for not being prepared for the long wait and run out of lamp oil. Pastor Chad invites us to look beyond the 13 verses of this Parable to see that being prepared for the arrival of Jesus is bringing light to our community by loving and serving our neighbor as if they were Jesus himself.

We begin the Season of Advent, the season of waiting, with the story of the Annunciation. Mary’s life is turned upside down with the announcement that the angel Gabriel brings her. The certainty she had in planning for her wedding to Joseph was gone. How could she be so willing to accept the news of becoming pregnant with the Son of God? Faith! Faith is not about certainty it is about acknowledging the discomfort while waiting for the light of hope to break through.

Pastor Chad wants to be satisfied and content in life, he wants to be generous in supporting his neighbors, but  . . . too often a scarcity mindset takes over. When that happens he moves into conditional (If-Then) thinking: IF I get a raise, THEN I will be content with my income and give more to charity; IF I could retire, THEN I would have time to volunteer. In this week’s Gospel Jesus is encouraging his followers to stop waiting for the IFs and be generous with our time and resources NOW. When we make an effort to be generous NOW, our heart will follow and we can find true contentment living the way God intends.

Pastor Stephanie invites us to consider the big impact a small gift can make when offered out of love and compassion. A meager offering of 5 loaves and 2 fish rippled out across the crowd of 5,000. A simple gesture of caring, like returning a cherished blankie to a frazzled mom and fussy infant, can make a world of difference in the lives of our neighbors. And serving our neighbors from a place of love and compassion lightens the load of ‘Compassion Fatigue’ that comes from a place of obligation.

Pastor Chad invites us to consider the way our faith lives can flourish if we move from understanding of faith (church, religion, spirituality) as an obligation to something that is a lived out encounter of God’s love for us and our neighbor.

Pastor Stephanie shares a message for All Saints Day on finding comfort in grief as Jesus promised in the Beatitudes.

Pastor Chad hates having to say “I don’t know what to do” But sometimes you can’t escape it, no matter how much you prepare or research or train! That is especially true when facing the "hard things" in life, where we don't know the outcome of our decisions or actions. The Good News in the Story of Esther, is that it’s okay not to know the outcome when there is hope that God is with you even when you are uncertain. Esther is a reminder that faith is not built on certainty it is built on hope and trust.

Pastor Chad shares a message exploring the Calling of Moses. God called a reluctant Moses, who was happy being a shepherd, to be God’s messenger in Egypt even though he wasn’t an eloquent speaker or recognized as a powerful leader. Moses keeps insisting he is not the right person for the job even suggesting God "send someone else" but God has a role for Moses and equips him to make a difference. Over and over in the biblical story God is choosing the reluctant, under-qualified, politically weak, to leave the comfort of the cheap seats and get in the game!

Sometimes perfectionism gets in the way doing the right thing. Perfectionism demands we act & speak in line with society’s expectations but for change to happen sometimes we need to speak the truth to those in power. Society expected the Syrophoenician Woman to know her place and not interact with Jesus instead she puts perfectionism aside to remind Jesus that even the crumbs of God’s compassion make a difference for everyone! Pastor Stephanie offers up this an example of how we can reclaim words meant as insults to empower us to bring about God’s vision of compassion for all, even the little puppies picking up the crumbs under the table.