Special music by the chancel choir.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Prayers of the People for November 27, 2022 by Ed Roberts.

Advent has arrived! This is a season of anticipation when excitement builds as we look forward to the coming Christ child. Yes, Jesus was born over two thousand years ago, but we relive the celebration of his birth with eager anticipation each year. We recognize the event that happened historically, yet also recognize that Christ still comes to us continually in Word and Spirit today.

This first Sunday of Advent, our focus is on hope. Throughout the ages, hope has served to strengthen us in times of difficulty and inspire us to remain faithful to the gospel message. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent and reflect on messages of hope given to us from the Prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul, and the author of the Gospel of Matthew. These ancient writings help lead us out of despair and encourage us to think of new possibilities when Christ comes into our lives again, and again.

We have much to celebrate this weekend. This coming Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian liturgical calendar, Christ the King Sunday. And it’s also the day we will baptize two of our beloved children, Ander and Jase (one day following their formal adoption by our Director of Children’s Ministries, Ms. Samantha Mayrant). These celebrations give us the opportunity to reflect on what it means to call ourselves “Christian.”

Christians have a specific understanding of Jesus and what it means to follow his teachings. In the opening of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches in Colossae we find an excellent Christian description of Jesus, “the firstborn of all creation, … the head of the body, the church, … the firstborn of the dead.” As a consequence of our understanding of Jesus, we are guided to live our lives in specific ways. Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, the baptism of Jase and Ander, and reflect on our understanding of Jesus Christ as Lord and King.

Special music by Sheryl Clifton.

Prayers of the People for November 20, 2022 by Terri Strome.

Special music by the chancel choir.

Sometimes the daily news feels overwhelming. There are stories of violence, natural disasters, and political chaos that might make us wonder if there is any hope for the future. Are these stories representative of what is truly happening around us, or are they sensationalized messages meant to drum up excitement to sell advertising bites in news feeds? It sometimes makes us want to specifically search for good news that will provide encouragement.

In our passages this week, we will reflect on the warnings Jesus gave his disciples about what to expect in the future as well as a prophecy from Isaiah. Jesus’s description of the immediate future was filled with pessimism that predicted strife and suffering, but he ended on a message of hope that those who endure their challenges with faith will be blessed. Similarly, the writing from the prophet Isaiah comes from a particularly difficult period in Israel’s history, but it provides a description of an end time that is filled with peace where the wolf and the lamb will feed together. Join us this week as we consider what it means to endure our challenges with faith and what to expect in the end.

Special music for November 13, 2022 by the chancel choir.