Christmas reminds us that God couldn’t wait for the end of war, suffering, or human injustice. God couldn’t wait, so God broke through the shadows to bring light and love. God couldn’t wait to be love in flesh—and neither should we.

As Christmas draws near, we meditate on the courage required of both Joseph and Mary. When Joseph learns of Mary’s pregnancy, he decides to avert scandal and dismiss her quietly. But when an angel comes to him in a dream, he chooses to trust the angel and act counter to social and gender norms—all so that the world might know love. How might we practice courageous, counter-cultural love? How can we be brave enough to love one another and respond to God’s call in our lives?

As Christmas draws near, we meditate on the courage required of both Joseph and Mary. When Joseph learns of Mary’s pregnancy, he decides to avert scandal and dismiss her quietly. But when an angel comes to him in a dream, he chooses to trust the angel and act counter to social and gender norms—all so that the world might know love. How might we practice courageous, counter-cultural love? How can we be brave enough to love one another and respond to God’s call in our lives?

Isaiah points to a peace this world has yet to know—peace where the wolf lies with the lamb and a child shall lead us. John the Baptist invites us to believe in this vision of peace, but first, we must repent of the ways we turn away from God and do harm to others and ourselves. Only through honest confession can we seek reconciliation and become vessels of God’s peace, facilitators of the Kingdom of God drawn near.

These texts speak of God’s promised day—a day when wars end, swords are beaten into plowshares, and spears become pruning hooks. On the first Sunday in Advent, we focus on the need to hold onto hope, to continue dreaming of and reaching for God’s promised day where there will be peace and all will know love. How does unrelenting hope change us? How does it change our world?

Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of Lords, has been faithful to us in so much. The only response is faithfulness in turn - with who we are, what we can do, and what we have. You’re invited to be faithful to Jesus through your faithfulness to the church.

As faithful followers, we are instructed to make a joyful noise, to be filled with the Spirit, and to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs together (not alone). The music extends beyond the four walls of our church. How can we be faithful to continue to let the music ring out?

We have a rich inheritance through Jesus Christ - an inheritance of forgiveness, mercy, truth, hope. The saints of our church lived into this inheritance in the ways they were faithful to sharing Jesus through our church. How can Messiah continue to be faithful with our inheritance?

The family (parents, grandparents …) of a child are the primary spiritual influence in a child’s life. But they’re not the only influences. The church community as a whole has a responsibility to be faithful to our children. We affirm this in their baptism vows. How can Messiah continue to be faithful to help our children grow?