Barbara Wisdom lit the Advent 2 candle –
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all of the perils and the dangers of this life, for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."
We needed that light. The church is undergoing installing a new gas heater which wasn’t ready for this Sunday. 43 were still in attendance.
This Sunday concentrated on turning points. It is also about preparation and hope as part of Advent. Isaiah encouraging the exiles in Babylon to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and city. Mark introduces John the Baptist who is a messenger for the Messiah charging the people to change their lifestyle and go to the desert (wilderness) to hear the message of repentence. Peter tells us to prepare for the second coming by living in holiness and devotion. It’s all about that new journey we undergo in Advent
The sermon asked the question. "Does God forget and abandon us in the wilderness?" The wilderness was a place of test, a place of preparation where there both demons but also where God met man. In our time there is the economic and medical wilderness, for instance.
"One of the great gifts of this season of Advent is the opportunity to focus on this question through the scripture we have been given today, and to see how we might apply the scripture to our own wilderness situations. The good news is that God is coming to us through the wilderness. We have one task and one task only, and that is “to make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” That’s what happens in prayer. We make a straight highway for God to come to us. That’s what happens in prayer. So during this season of Advent, I encourage you to practice this way of praying, to prepare in your wilderness a highway for God to come to you." This is our journey to prepare, doing something new and be surprised
"Set aside some uninterrupted time—you can start with as little as ten minutes. And if you find you can’t do this every day, then try to do it a few times a week.And then, prepare the way of the Lord. Wait on the Lord in silence. No conversation—just silent waiting Draw near to God by waiting on God.And God will draw near to you. When we wait on God in prayer, God will bring us into right relationship with God, and with one another. And when we are in right relationship with God, we can comfort."
The sermon is here, the readings are here and the bulletin is published.
Today was coffee hour with ham sandwiches, vegetables, cheese and cake. We thank Betty Kunstmann and Cindy Fields for their work on today’s lunch. Here Cookie is welcoming a newcomer.