It may seem easier to be a king and have unlimited power, but the temptations are not that different. Just as real ordinary people struggle with their own distractions and idols, so do those with power—maybe even more so—placing their idols before God. The true challenge of following Jesus is about whether we will succumb to our idolatrous cravings be they success or power or control or wealth or security or whatever or will we respond faithfully to God’s call to come and follow him.

This is the Great Commission, and now that they will know we are Christians by our love. God is telling us what to do. Jesus shows us who we are. That we are the beloved creations of God and now we are called to go and build his kingdom, that community of one purpose called to love each other and him.

Love is not about winning or losing, right or wrong. It is about being connected. We have a choice--we can stone one another or we can love one another.

Jesus’ mother asks him to do something about the lack of wine, but this sign has a greatness that invigorates our hope and reminds us of who God is in the world. It is not simply about provision; it is about the promise of salvation. The promise of a God of abundance and joy. A God who will never abandon us. A God whose signs can lead to our renewed faith and trust in him. Jesus did this, the first of his many signs, and the disciples believed in him.

Parents will always seek their children.

Prophets will always seek hope.

Shepherds will always seek wonder.

And wise men still seek Him. Amen.

While he may have a very unique way of saying it in Luke’s Gospel, John is telling us that joy can be found in our relationships with one another. That our ultimate joy is to be found in Jesus and that it will be through him and his saving acts in the world that we will become the best versions of ourselves. This happens because God chooses to become one of us and to walk with us building a new community with us. This is certainly good news and something to celebrate with a pink candle this Advent season and be joyful about.

That is what true stewardship is—sacrificial giving that leads to a transformed lives…to a transformed world. We do that through first fruits, proportional giving that hurts only enough to make us feel good. We might have to put our plans on hold just as George Bailey did, but when we remember our blessings—when we know that they are the way we are preparing for the Lord—then we too get to proclaim, “It’s a wonderful life.”

What Jesus did on the cross and in the sending of the spirit, changed our relationship with God. Our relationship has undergone a paradigm shift and God’s resting place has moved from the temple and into our hearts. We no longer need to search for the house of God because God now resides in our hearts. We find God when we gather for worship and fellowship.

Be kind to one another this week and in the weeks to come because our true hope does not rest in the outcome of an election, but in the moments that testify to

The sacrament of Confession and absolution is all about reconciliation and restoration of relationship. God calls us to do this hard work, as he gives us the love and the tools to do it. It’s not easy work but it is necessary work if we are to live into Jesus’ commandment to love God and love our neighbor’s as ourselves and to grow God’s kingdom in the here and now.