Prayers of the People for Sunday, December 25, 2022 by Pastor Jon Flint.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Prayers of the People for Sunday, December 18, 2022 by Susan Gleason.

In this fourth week of advent our theme is “love.” It’s so appropriate to conclude the advent season with a focus on love since love could easily be considered the theme of the entire Bible. As the passage from 1 John 4:7-8 so eloquently puts it, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Love is foundational to experiencing Christ and sharing the message of Christ to others.

Love was present when Christ was conceived, and it was love that kept his parents together when he was born. When Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant, and he was not the father, his first inclination was to quietly push Mary aside and let her raise the child without him. After all, they were not married yet, and the child was not his responsibility. But love intervened through the message of an angel, and Joseph changed his mind, raising several children with Mary, including Jesus. Join us this Sunday as we reflect on the love that comes with receiving Christ this Advent season.

The excitement has become palpable as we enter the third week of Advent. It’s at this time that we might feel a little more stressed as we start to approach the deadlines of sending gifts and cards, preparing for parties, and finalizing our plans for the Christmas season. Appropriately, the theme for this week is “Joy” which helps bring us back with intentionality to a fundamental purpose of Advent – sharing the joy of anticipation that comes with preparing for the coming Christ child.

Joins us this Sunday as we reflect on this week’s scriptures that inspire joy in this busy time. From the letter written by James, we find a reminder us of the importance of patience; the Gospel of Matthew points to the reality of Christ’s presence on earth; and the passage from Isaiah offers inspirational images of joy. Despite the trials of life that can bring stress and sadness during Advent, let’s take a moment to consider the unquenchable light of joy coming into this world which allows us to come closer to God through the grace and salvation of Christ.

Prayers of the People for Sunday, December 11, 2022 by Avery West.

Special music by the chancel choir.

The theme for our second week of Advent is peace. Interestingly, this was supposedly the goal of the Roman empire in the first century, but their method of achieving peace was through intimidation. The idea was to force people to behave the way the Roman authorities wanted them to by threatening them with violence if they refused to comply. This is still a tactic used to various degrees throughout the world today.

Jesus also sought to bring peace to the world, but he approached the idea differently – through love. By seeking the well-being of others, our attitude toward them changes from a spirit of competition to one of compassion. Jesus’s approach still fosters conflict, but violence was never intended to be a part of the solution. The conflict stems from the confrontations that arise between his followers who promote justice versus the powerful leaders who are mostly concerned with their own personal interests. Join us this Sunday as we reflect on the goal of peace and how we might cultivate it in our lives.

Prayers of the People for Sunday, December 4, 2022 by Gail Roberts.