Liturgy

We gather together on the first Sunday of Advent.

After a year of sorrow and pestilence,
we wait in hope of a bountiful harvest.
After a year of solitude and separation,
we long for seats at the wedding banquet.

Lord God, bless us with eyes to see,
bless us with ears to hear,
bless us with wisdom to recognize your coming.

Surrounded by clamoring distractions,
we long for simplicity to ring like a bell.
Confronted by the fear of unknown futures,
we bow before a certainty that would stifle trust.

Lord God, bless us with eyes to see,
bless us with ears to hear,
bless us with wisdom to recognize your coming.

After a season of fear and trembling,
we groan as you wake us from uneasy slumber.
After a season of startling change,
we rejoice in the memory of deliverance,
and light the first candle of hope.

Lord God, bless us with eyes to see,
bless us with ears to hear,
bless us with wisdom to recognize your coming,
And surprise us, always, our unlikely God.

In the name of the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
(Luke Helm)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from the Gospel of Mark 13:33-37.

33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time
will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he
leaves home and puts his help in charge, each with his
work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when
the owner of the house will come, in the evening, or
at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else
he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.

37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

The Good News of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 11.29.20 Training our Eyes for the Coming

What did Jesus mean by talking about a “coming” and then setting up a parable about a “going”?

Why is it so difficult for us to understand the ancient Hebrew way in which the Prophet is not so much asking for some blanket forgiveness from God, but begging God to make possible a human way of finding ourselves able to forgive and be forgiven – even blaming God for God’s failure to do that so far?

Benediction

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,

May the Lord be gracious to you,
lift up his countenance upon you,
and may the Lord give you peace.

Blessed children of promise:
take hope into this season of promise,
take courage into the uncertainty,
take love into this hurting world.

We pray in the name
of the Father,
of the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
amen.

Go in peace, and live the church.
May you find safety and rest throughout the week.
(Luke Helm)

[Photo by Yosigo]