Words of Welcome

  Isaiah 64:1-9 Right now, many of us are praying: “Lord, Have Mercy.” We’re praying for 2020 to end so we can finally move into 2021. This year has been so challenging that the numbers “2020" have become the newest “swear word.” Surely 2021 will be a much better year!   The good news is that the first Sunday of Advent signals the beginning of a new liturgical year. It invites us to wait patiently, but with anticipation, for Jesus’ return in glory to set up the realm of God. We’re trying to symbolize this feeling of anticipation by the way we’re setting the Table. We’re starting out with a rather simple layout with just one candle, the candle of hope, sitting on the Table. Over the coming weeks, we’ll add more elements to the Table as we build toward the revealing of Emmanuel, God with Us, on Christmas Eve. While Advent helps us prepare for Christmas, the Scriptures and hymns of the season remind us that Advent is a forward-looking season. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem ...

Isaiah 2:1-5 John Lennon imagined a world without religion or nations, but one with peace. Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do. Nothing to Kill or die for, and no Religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace . . . Then in the chorus he sings: You may say I'm, a dreamer But I'm not the only One. I Hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one. Imagine for a moment a world at peace. What might that be like? What will it take? Will it take the end of nations and religions as we know them today? It’s unfortunate that John Lennon is on the mark. Nationalism and religion have often contributed to the hatred and the violence that make a mess of our world. And just to be clear, it’s not just Islam that’s at fault. Every religion, including ours, contributes to this problem. When we think of peace, we tend to think globally. But it’s not just a global issue, it’s also very local and very personal. Wherever conflict and anger and hatred ...