Our church year, at least liturgically, began this morning and our journey through Advent until our arrival at Christmas. We started as we offered a prayer that reaffirms to us that God’s grace is light and salvation, and that by sharing God’s grace we will find ourselves with God. Our Hebrew scripture was an excerpt from Jeremiah’s book of hope – the reminder that God’s justice is what leads and rules the world and brings hope. The response from Psalms echoes the belief that God’s grace covers us in our affliction and when we are oppressed, and that’s all we need. Our Epistle was a passage from first Thessalonians and tells us that God’s direction, as related by Jesus, will lead us to our desired future. The Gospel from Luke we shouldn’t get distracted by the “sun and the signs” but need to persist looking for and sharing hope which sustains us and brings us together in community. We are asked to reflect on our relationship with God as individuals and part of a community. Once we reflect on our relationship, we are asked to reform our community to help others find hope and sustenance for the future. Who can we reach out to so we can reform and be reformed in relationship with God?
I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8
Listen at: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/advent-1-sermon
