Advent is about waiting. We are waiting for the birth of Jesus but we are also waiting for God’s vision for the world to become a reality. The Prophet Isaiah shares imagery of what some have called The Peaceable Kingdom would look like. The problem? It sounds like nonsense, predator and prey eating together, children playing in deadly places, you’ll be waiting a long time for that to happen! But when we are waiting with hope we start to see God’s vision become a reality as we work to build the community God is calling us to become.

As we enter the Season of Advent, the season of waiting for the birth of Jesus Pastor Stephanie invites us to consider the different ways we wait. How can the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth teach us to wait?

In a country obsessed with the idea of royalty, how does Jesus being Christ the King fit in? As we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, we will explore the differences between human royalty and Jesus as our King.

How do you envision God? Is it the same “old man with a long beard floating in the clouds” you imagined based on the stories you heard as a kid? Or has it changed with life experience? The parable in this week’s focus texts features a character whose vision of his master scared him so much that he buried his Talent in the ground. If we envision God as judgmental we will tend to experience the world as punishment and not live in the freedom God intends. If we envision God as full of grace, mercy, compassion, and love we reflect that in the way we share an AGAPE type love in action with our neighbors.

As we enter the Holiday Season our thoughts naturally turn to gratitude and giving. Jesus uses a parable about a dinner party to answer a question about who is welcome at God’s Table. The parable is a reminder of the kind of all-embracing welcome and radical generosity we are called to as we share an AGAPe type love with our neighbors.

All Saints Day has us recalling the time when Jesus left Mary & Martha (and their brother Lazarus) waiting. Jesus waited so long that Lazarus died and the silence of grief had set in. Martha is angry with Jesus, like we can be when the silence of grief & despair overtake us. Jesus doesn’t punish Martha for her anger, he acknowledges it and accompanies her through her grief into the new life God offers. Pastor Chad invites us to remember the power of gratitude when we seem to be stuck in the silence ourselves but maybe more critically when those around us need a reminder they are not walking alone.

As we remember the Reformation we are exploring a core concept of Lutheran Theology: grace. Pastor Stephanie encourages us to consider a lesser known example of God’s Grace found in the story of Jonah and the City of Ninevah. Jonah had created a story about the people of Ninevah in his own head that would justify their destruction but when God spared the city both he and the city experienced the unconditional love, agape, of God’s Grace.

Working in the Fast Food Industry as a teenager can sour a person on the idea of being in the service industry for life. Our society tells us over and over again that being successful and a leader is the way to happiness. Jesus calls us to something different, being a servant which builds a sense of gratitude, which leads to increased generosity and a more enduring happiness.

Last week Pastor Chad talked about Jesus calling the B-Team to be his Disciples. This week Pastor Stephanie reminds us that we too are sent out into the world to let the Light of God shine through us. Even when we feel ill-equipped or unprepared we are called to live our everyday lives sharing God’s love which will make an impact on our community. Our everyday actions make an impact on our community as God’s love ripples through the interconnected web of our lives.

This week’s message comes with a WARNING: the way Jesus recruits and teaches his disciples changes the way we understand discipleship. Jesus intentionally seeks out the B-Team to be his disciples. He doesn’t seek out the up and coming students in the synagogues, instead he calls out to the fisherman, the day laborers who weren’t drafted by the charismatic leaders. If his B-Team of disciples can be transformed by following the example of Jesus, we cannot be excused from our own discipleship for some perceived lack of skills or experience or passion. God will use our B-Team skills and experience to make a difference in this world if we follow the example of Jesus when acting and reacting in our communities.