Advent is Latin for “coming” or “arrival,” marking the coming or arrival of Christ into our world. And we begin the year preparing for an event that has already happened and an event that is yet to take place. We know that Jesus was born into the world, bringing with him the all the “goodness and light” we need.

We also believe that Jesus will come again to restore and bring love to its full comple on. During the Advent season, we remind ourselves that we are people who live knowing God’s “goodness and light” is already here, and “not yet done.”

One Little Thing

What words of comfort or practices have helped you in times of grief?

Be Comforted. That is the title of our four-week worship series that begins today

as we remember the saints of the church, both those who’ve died and those

who are among us.

Rituals like lighting a candle, taking communion, being with others; all of these

are sources of comfort for me.

One of the saints of the church who is still alive but no longer teaching is a professor

I had at Duquesne University. During a really tough semester, I turned to

her seeking comfort and wisdom. She shared with me her practice of lighting

little tea-lights all around her house, in spaces you wouldn’t expect, and allowing

the light of the candle to speak in the silence. I’ll never forget her words to me,

and to this day I find comfort in lighting candles, and reaching out to others.

How about you? What do you do? Where do you find comfort? What rituals or

practices are helpful to you? What books have helped?

Have you ever read the book of Revelation? Diana Butler Bass says, “The book of Revelation is not a heavenly escape story. Instead, it tells the opposite tale. We do not go to heaven. Heaven comes to us. The end of history is not destruction; rather, its end is sacred restoration.” We end our series affirming our purpose on earth as co-creators with God. How does it feel to be a co-creator?

What is your sense of neighborhood? Do you know your neighbors? Who has been a neighbor to you? The story of the Good Samaritan and the great commandment reminds us that neighbor is about how we treat others. Diana Butler Bass points us to Karen Armstrong, founder of The Charter of Compassion, inviting us to reflect deeply on the Golden Rule and how it can serve as a unifying ethic globally. Do you agree? How do we live more compassionately in our world?

Loving God, the whole universe is your sacred dwelling. No matter where we wander in our lives, open our hearts so that we may discover our home in you. With you, we belong, with you, others belong, and with you, all places become sacred. Amen.

In our biblical tradition, both water and the sky are places that signify God’s presence and blessing. Even though we say that God is in the flowing streams, and the sparkling stars, we also recognize that God does not set up residence at any one place. Diana Butler Bass makes the distinction between vertical and horizontal theology, suggesting that being open to God’s presence in both sky and water shifts us to a horizontal theology. What do you think? What grounds you in God’s presence?

We thank you for the life that is in the soil and ask that you help us to be good stewards of that life. We dedicate ourselves to the sacred work of caring and healing the land. Amen.

Romans 13: 8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  9  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  10  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.