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Upcoming Sermon Series
Theme for Services and Messages for Advent 2009: "Ready or Not, Here I Come!"
In Leo Tolstoy’s story Where Love Is, Martin the cobbler keeps watching, believing that Christ had promised to come to him by Christmas. Through the day Martin helps a number of needy people but comes to the end of the day exhausted and disappointed that he had not seen Christ. In his sleep Martin sees again each of the people whom he helped and asks “Who is it?” In response to each one he hears the voice Christ say, “It is I.”
In the midst of shopping, decorating and cooking to get ready for Christmas, our culture prompts us to appreciate the “true meaning of the season.” If we can celebrate the month of preparation as the point of the season, we can avoid the disappointment of all that work that is over in just one day. If we listen with spiritual sensitivity, behind the reminders to pay attention we can hear the voice of Christ saying, “It is I.”
The rhythm of Advent is also a season of anticipating and preparing for Christmas, not just as a seasonal celebration but as the voice of Christ calling, “ready of not, here I come!” The rhythm of Advent slows down our propensity to rush to the conclusion. Advent prompts us not only to savor the moments as we live them, but also to live with the joyful anticipation that the longings of our souls evoked at Christmas will one day be realized in totality.
November 29
Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36
"He Came and Will Still Come"
Each year as we sing of peace on earth, we grieve for the violence and conflicts that tear at our world and at our guts from crime on the streets of our cities to global wars and terrors. To say that those who recognize the baby Jesus as Lord and Christ receive peace in their hearts diminishes and denies the promised hope of Christmas. Jesus, too, knew there was more. Even as he approached the seemingly tragic end of his ministry, he said to stand up and raise our heads because the day of redemption is drawing near.
December 6
Text: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6
"Can You Hear the Cry from Nowhere?"
Can you hear God’s messengers crying to prepare and get ready for Christ to come? They’re not on the cable TV news or political blogs. They’re not coming from the White House, the Kremlin or the United Nations. They’re not coming from multi-national corporations, international humanitarian agencies or powerful military establishments. They’re not even coming from religious preachers or authors. God’s cry to prepare for Christ is coming comes from voices in the wilderness: obscure, ignored, easily lost in the noise. God’s voices in the wilderness cry out of the silent spaces between the distractions competing for our attention.
December 13
Text: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18
"Lean Into Joy or Pull Back from Pain?"
Christ says, “ready or not, here I come.” Do you open your arms with joyful anticipation and run with all your might to thrown yourself into his arms? Or do you shiver and pull back to avoid being exposed as having been preoccupied with something ultimately insignificant, maybe in corrosive? When Christ’s long expected peace and justice come, do you anticipate receiving joyful liberation or stinging rebuke? Advent is the opportunity to get ready for joy!
December 20
Text: Micah 5:2-5; Luke 1:39-45
Festival of Carol Singing
Prior to the service David Aston will present a recital of Christmas music.
In this special worship experience, we will listen for the voice of Christ saying, “It is I,” as we sing and hear the stories of our beloved Christmas carols. We will savor the presence of Christ in the performances of our musicians.
December 24 - Christmas Eve
6:00 PM, Thursday
Lessons and Carols
The rhythm of reading scripture lessons, congregational singing of carols and performance by our musicians will take us through God’s redemptive plan from Creation through the history of Israel, to the birth of Jesus Christ and the great hope of God’s ultimate triumph. Hear Christ’s voice define and empower your Christmas celebration.
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