Malachi 3:1-4 • A refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap. Luke 3:7-18 • John warns the crowds, “You brood of vipers!” Christmas messages of consumerism abound, all saying one thing – you do not have enough. But Jesus shows that abundance is not measured by how much one has, and
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2 Samuel 23:1-7 • David’s last words glorify God. John 18: 33-37 • Jesus before Pilate On the last Sunday of the liturgical year the passages explore the nature of God’s power, and invites readers to reflect on the nature of power and of powerlessness. How do leaders use power?
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Isaiah 40:1-11 • Comfort, O comfort my people. The second Sunday of Advent brings us the proclamation that God is here to comfort us. God does this through acts of service. God is depicted as a shepherd who cares for and feeds the flock. God’s love is expressed through acts
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1 Kings 12:1-17, 25-29 • Kingdom Divided In a time when there is much violence, and unrest, negativity, and division, as people of faith we are called to serve, and to live our lives in love. What happens when we do not listen to the wise ones in our midst?
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Luke 1:46b-55 • Mary’s song. Mary’s relative Elizabeth has just experienced her own 6 month in utero child leaping within her and has made the prophetic pronouncement that it was because of the saving, holy importance of the one soon to be borne by Mary. Elizabeth further states that Mary
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Luke 1:68-79 • Zechariah sings, “Blessed be the God of Israel.” Luke 3:1-6 • A voice calling in the desert. I wonder if we will ever be prepared for what God has in store for us? Imagine how you would react if God surprised you? I think many of us
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Job 42:1-6, 10-17 • Job acknowledges God’s power; Job’s fortunes are restored. Mark 10:46–52 • The healing of Bartimaeus. Someone must be to blame. We have to be able to point to the person or persons responsible for the mess we are in. Job’s friends all suggested blaming God. We
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Psalm 4 • Answer me, when I call, O God. Luke 24:36b-48 • The disciples encounter Jesus. An encounter with Christ is not soon forgotten, or explained, but it is an encounter that heals the wounded soul. When we put our trust in God, and put gladness in our hearts,
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1 John 1:1-2:2 • The word of life. John 20:19-31 • Jesus appears to the disciples. Transformation is not an easy, nor a quick process. Discovering a new normal, a new way of life in the wake of a death or a major loss leaves us with an unsettling feeling.
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Isaiah 40:1-11 • Comfort, O comfort my people. Mark 1:1-8 • The proclamation of John the Baptist Are we ready to hear the cries for comfort? Are we ready to listen for the whispered words of God, gently guiding us in the wilderness? How will our patience bring peace in
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