Liturgy
We gather together on the first Sunday of Advent.
After years of sorrow and pestilence,
we wait in hope of a bountiful harvest.
After a season 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 seasons of fear and trembling,
we groan as you wake us from uneasy slumber.
After seasons 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 our God,
our Savior,
and the Holy Spirit,
amen.
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from a reading in Isaiah 2: 1-5.
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Homily and Reflection
Homily Podcast – Daring Disruption 11.27.2022
What ruts of routine or quicksands of status quo are constraining your life or world?
How might you move in ways congruent with your openness to hope?
Is there a place of deadly chaos you are lamenting? How might that be an act of hope?
Benediction
Let us close with a benediction.
Lord Jesus Christ,
who is, who was, and who is to come,
We pray for the virtue of hope, that
amidst the trials and difficulties of this
world, we may keep our hearts fixed
upon you, who reigns over the world.
Open our eyes to see this world
that we may know the places
where you are needed.
May your grace enliven us,
strengthen us,
and defend us,
as we learn to live graciously
as your people and your church.
We go in the name
of God, the Creator,
of Christ, our Emmanuel,
and the Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life.
Amen.
Go in peace, and live the church.
May you find community and belonging this week.
[ Photo by Howard Bouchevereau ]