A Good Start

First Sunday of Advent Year A November 30, 2025 Matthew 24:36-44 A Good Start Prelude Greeting Good Morning to everyone hear, it is good to see you, and I thank God that you were able to make it here safely, also good morning to those who are joining us online. We have changed our platform to youtube. I usually post the service on Facebook later. I am also glad to see you all here, and Glad that through technology – we are able to be united in the spirit of God during this worship service. If you look around, you can tell that it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Well actually it looks like advent – the time of preparation for Christ. Advent is not the count down to Christmas, it is a season within itself. A season for us to be intentional about our relationship to the spirit of love in the world. As you know each of the 4 Sundays of Advent has a theme. The theme for the first Sunday of advent is hope. Hope is not having a positive attitude, it is not finding a positive solution to our own problems. Biblical hope is waiting on God and trusting God to provide. The word wait appears in the OT over a hundred times. In all circumstances, we are encouraged to wait on God. Once again waiting is not standing still – it is anticipation the presence of God in our lives. God is our light when we can’t see in the darkness, that is why we light so many candles in church. Advent Lighting First Reader: The prophet Isaiah calls to us from the past to imagine the future when God’s reign will be fully realized and recognized throughout creation. When that time comes, God “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” (Isaiah 2:4). All: Today, we choose to live in hope, believing that the time of God’s reign has come and is coming among us. Second Reader: We light this candle of hope as a sign of our promise to follow the Light as we answer God’s call to transform our hope into reality today and in the days to come. Light the first candle of the Advent wreath. (United Methodist Board of Discipleship) Call to Worship Beloved, once again, we embark on the Advent path that points us to the coming of Jesus. We journey together toward the day that all the earth awaits. We remember the signs and the times that heralded the arrival of the baby Jesus, God Incarnate. We journey together toward the day that all the earth awaits. We tell the stories once again as we learn how to discern the signs and the times, watching for glimpses of God’s here-and-not-yet kingdom among us. We journey together toward the day that all the earth awaits. Come, let us worship God who shines a light to guide us on the path to peace and flourishing for all creation. Come, let us worship as we journey together toward the day that all the earth awaits. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2025 Song O Come O Come Emmanuel UMH 211 A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon: “The Gifts God Gives Us” Theme: Spiritual Gifts Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 (optional) Gather the children Good morning, friends! I’m so happy to see you today. I brought something with me… (hold up a wrapped gift box) Object Lesson: The Gift Box Ask: “Does anyone like getting gifts?” “What kind of gifts do you usually get? Toys? Books? Games?” Those are all great gifts! But today I want to talk about a different kind of gift—one that doesn’t come from a store. God Gives Us Gifts Too The Bible tells us that God gives each of us special gifts—spiritual gifts. These aren’t wrapped in paper, and they don’t need batteries. But they are just as exciting because they help us love God and help other people. Examples of Spiritual Gifts for Kids Ask a few questions and let them raise hands: • “Some of you are really good at helping—that’s a gift!” • “Some of you love to sing or create art—that’s a gift!” • “Some of you are great listeners—that’s a gift!” • “Some of you love to pray for others—that’s a gift!” • “Some of you are wonderful at being kind—that’s a gift!” Each child has something special God put inside them. The Gift is Not for Keeping Now, here’s something different about God’s gifts: They are not for keeping all to ourselves. God wants us to use them to help the church and the world. Just like a flashlight is made to shine, and a pencil is made to write, your gift is made to share. Body of Christ Illustration Hold up the gift box again. “This box is like the church. Inside, God puts different gifts for different people. If everyone had the same gift, it wouldn’t be as special. But when we all share our gifts together—helping, praying, singing, leading—we become the body of Christ.” Closing Thought You might be small, but your gift is BIG. God has placed something important inside you. And when you use your gift, God smiles! Closing Prayer “Dear God, thank you for giving each of us special gifts. Help us discover them, use them, and share them so your love can shine in our church and in our world. Amen.” Responsive Reading (with music) Psalm 122 UMH 845 Passing of the Peace Scripture Matthew 24:36-44 Sermon A Good Start The Post-it Note I hope you had a most meaningful and relaxing Thanksgiving. I did hear of one poor woman who had to patch up a friendship with a co-worker at the office. It seems that Mary was planning her Thanksgiving Day meal. Her in-laws were all going to be there, and she was in quite a tizzy trying to make sure everything turned out perfectly. She had post -it notes everywhere, reminding her of things she needed to pick up and things she needed to do. Her friend Sharon stopped by her desk at lunchtime on Wednesday. “Are you ready for lunch? This is the day you promised to take me out to Appleby’s for my birthday.” “Oh, yes indeed, Sharon!” said Mary as she tried to cover herself for having forgotten Sharon’s birthday. Sharon was a sensitive sort who got her nose bent out of shape at any perceived slight. Mary thought everything was just fine as they got into the car. But then, as she settled into her seat, Sharon, in a very sarcastic voice shouted, “Thanks a lot, Mary!” Mary asked, “What’s wrong now?” Her friend pointed to the post-it note stuck to Mary’s dashboard. It read, “Take out the turkey!” Staff So this is the Sunday where we make the big switch from fall harvest to advent. Thanksgiving was only 3 days ago, but I feel that I have aged so much since then. People picked up their final leaves of the season, we have had one of the biggest snow storms in ages, Wilmington has won the state championship. Eating turkey seems like a distant memory. In three days the world has literally been turned upside down. Today is the first Sunday of Advent, where we start at the end of the story. Matthew 24 is the beginning of the end of Jesus’ story. He has not been crucified yet, he is still alive to give is last lesson to his followers. He warns us to stay woke, to pay attention to life. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. We need to be prepared for the times when God breaks into our normal routines. Jesus ways that you never know when God will catch us off guard and change our lives forever. I think that there is one thing that we hate more that change. That is being caught off guard. I think that is why we spend so much time creating routines, rituals and plans. We don’t like surprises, we want to be prepared for everything that happens to us. We work so hard at creating a world that we understand, and yet life still happens. Being caught off guard is a natural part of life, but we spend billions to avoid it. Everyday the world shifts under our feet just a bit, and we have to choice but to adapt, or better yet, to transform. Every day we have an encounter with God – sometimes a big encounter, most of the time a small encounter. Coming face to face with God is uncomfortable, and it leaves us feeling vulnerable. But each time we meet with God we are changed for the better. Advent is the time when the coffee pot gets overturned. Jesus challenges us to let God enter our lives in new and refreshing ways. Matthew 24 is a warning and a promise. Jesus uses a flood, a kidnapper and a thief to shake us up our of complacency. The flood that caused Noah to build an ark, the kidnapper who took one farmer out of the field and left the other, and a thief who broke into a house in the middle of the night all have one thing in common – they were unexpected. Jesus says that you can’t prevent the unexpected, but you can learn how to respond to it. Jesus advice is to pay attention, and not get so distracted with life that you don’t recognize God knocking at the door. Be Prepared at all Times There was once an absent-minded professor who became so absorbed in his work that he forgot the simplest details. One morning his wife said, "Now Henry, remember, we are moving today. Here, I'm putting this note in your pocket. Don't forget." The day passed by and the man came home to his house. He entered the front door, and found the place empty. Distraught, he walked out to the curb and sat down. A young boy walked up to him, and he asked him, "Little boy, do you know the people who used to live here?" The boy replied, "Sure, Dad, mother told me you'd forget." How often do we become so absorbed in "the little things of this world" that we forget who we are and whose we are and where we are going... Donald L. Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations, Resource, 1992, p. 6. There is a story called What is the world like. God and a man are walking down a road. The man asks God, What is the world like? God replies, I cannot talk when I am thirsty. If you could get me a drink of cool water, we can discuss that the world is like. There is a village nearby, go and get me a drink. The man goes into the village and knocks at the door of the first house. A beautiful young woman opens the door. His jaw drops, but he manages to say I need a glass of cool water. Of course, she says smiling. But it is midday. Would you care to stay for some food? I am hungry he says looking over his shoulder. And your offer of food is a great kindness. He goes in and the door closes behind him. Thirty years go by. The man who wanted to know what the world was like and the woman who offered him food have married ad raised five children. He is a respected merchant and she is an honored member of the community. One day a terrible storm comes in off the ocean and threatens their lives. The merchant cries out Help me God. A voice from the midst of the storm says where is my cup of water? I think all of us know What it is like to get so busy with the life in front of us that we forget our relationship with God. TS Eliott says that we get comfortable with living and partly living. Advent is time to reclaim our relationship. A Jewish doctor says that she remembers her relationship with God when she washes her hands to treat a patient. She says a prayer of purification to remind her that she is doing God’s work with her hands. A businessman says that during Christmas he stops by the tree in the hallway of his building, it helps him to get in touch with his connection to the Holy. What are some ways that you can pause in your daily life to give honor to God? • Jesus warns us that it is our routines, rituals and plans to lull us to sleep in the spiritual life. They can rob God of the power to change our hearts. Between the times - Karl Barth o We live between Creation and re-creation, looking backward to what God has done, assured of God’s presence in the current moment, and (Advent!) looking at what God is doing/culminating Kingdom of God Matthew 24 is called apocalyptic literature. There are these stories all throughout the bible. They are stories of how God’s transformation breaks into everyday life. It is popular to talk about these stories as endtime stories. Transformation is unsettling – so we are afraid of it. But in God’s world, for every ending, there is always a new beginning. o Jesus talks about 2 people being in a field and one is taken and one is left behind. In our popular understanding God kidnaps one person and take that person to heaven and leaves the other person behind to go on about their life with no hope of salvation ever. The verbs that get translated “swept away” and “left behind” could have been “hauled off” and “forgiven” which makes much more sense in the context of the rest of this passage But what if we take that popular assumption of left behind and turn it upside down. What if the one left behind and goes on with life gets a chance to realize their sins and pray for forgiveness and learns God’s grace? What if that person gets the chance in life to change their lifesstyyle and they find the true definition of salvation. I don’t believe it is possible to continue to go through life and have no hope, no peace, no light. Life means that God is with us. The bible says that God is a God of the living. My friends, each one of us lives in the shadow of the apocalypse - the dark reality of the end of our time and the end of the world's time. That is the warning of Advent. But there is also good news. There is also the promise of Advent - the promise that in the darkness, in the shadows, in the unpredictable anxiety of our unfinished lives, God is present. God is in control, and God will come again. With each candle we light, the shadows recede a bit, and the promise comes closer. With each candle we light, we are proclaiming that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it. The promise is that wherever there is darkness and dread in our lives, wherever there is darkness and dread in the world around us, God is present to help us endure. God is in charge, and hope is alive. And as long and as interminable as the night seems, morning will come - in God's good time and God's good way. Susan R. Andrews, The Offense of Grace, CSS Publishing Company o “what if this week, as our homework, we take stock of their lives, asking what it is that they most fear about an uncertain future, and then reminding them of the promise that whether or not their immediate fears are realized, we were created for more than fear because Jesus, the Son of Man and Son of God whose coming birth we anticipate, has promised to come always to be both with us and for us” (David Lose, Workingpreacher.com) • Charles Dickens story of Ebenezer Scrooge is also a warning tale of taking our everyday life too seriously. We all know the story. Like Dickens’s beloved character Scrooge, the future is never set, but it is always coming. We are left to prepare for the future. Lighting candles in the midst of growing darkness is the Christian way. Not giving into the darkness is the epitome of discipleship. We know not the details of the future. We know not just how dark it may get, but we know that the light of a single candle can hold it off. Let is pray……. Song We’ve a Story to Tell the Nations UMH 569 Prayers of the People In the hushed anticipation of your coming, O Lord, kindle in us the desire to remain awake; that we might be ready for your coming and eager to pray. O God, in days to come, the mountain of your house will be established, and your joy shall reign. We pray for the church (especially…), that you might teach us your ways and that we might walk in your paths. Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer. Out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and you, O God, shall judge between the nations. We pray for our nation, and all nations, that your peace would be manifest in every corner of the earth. Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer. In your Kingdom, O Lord, wolves lie down with lambs and children play with serpents without fear. We pray for the sick, the suffering, and those in distress of any kind (especially…); that you would heal all injuries, comfort all grief, and settle all wrongs. Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer. In your Kingdom, O Lord, even the wilderness and dry land are glad and rejoice. We pray for those who rejoice this week as they celebrate their birthday (especially… and anniversaries…); that they might obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing might flee away. Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer. In the fullness of time, O God, you sent your son to be born of our sister Mary. And his name was Emmanuel: God with Us. We thank you for your Presence with us, and we pray that you might be always present with those whom we love but see no longer. Come, Lord Jesus, and hear our prayer. Come among us, O God, and hear our prayers; so that when your Son Jesus comes among us with great might, and in manger mild, we might recognize his face and his voice, and come to adore him. Amen. Written by Fr. Rick Morley and posted on rick morley, Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “A prison cell (is one) in which one waits, hopes…and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside. (N)ot a bad picture of Advent.” Today we begin the season of Advent, recognizing in some ways how we, ourselves, live behind the bars which can only be opened from the outside. Gratefully, we seek to follow the One who came to set people free. And, when we claim that freedom, we become people who can open the doors for those still bound by fear, poverty, or pain. Our financial gifts today will help keep the ministries of this congregation able to serve those whose lives are restricted (name a particular ministry, or a particular Advent effort of your congregation). Your generosity today may well be the gift which allows someone to know the freeing power of the Holy. Let us receive our morning offering, tithes and gifts. Prayer of Thanksgiving Generous God, Thank you for all you have given us. Thank you for the ways we’re set free in Jesus, the Christ. Receive now these offered gifts. Help us use them to transform the world as we work to be the strong hands and feet of the Body of Christ, here and now. Open us each day to more ways to give in this season of giving, so we might both make change and BE the change you desire to lean us all toward true freedom. Amen. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook We do not leave this sanctuary and leave God behind. God’s call to prepare our hearts, our minds, our communities and our world for the coming Christ is clear. May this call be ever before us; guiding us, inspiring us, enabling us to be Christ’s body — his hands, his feet, his heart — in this, God’s world. May the grace, hope, peace and love of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, be with us all, now and forever. Amen. (Presbyterian Outlook, Terri McDowell Ott) Community Time – Sharing of Joys and Concerns Benediction Advent people, go from this place in the blessing of God who journeys with us, guiding our path as we wait, watch, and work for the day when we beat swords into plowshares and follow the path of peace until God’s kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2025. Additional Illustrations

Marching to Zion

November 27, 2022 First Sunday of Advent Year A Isaiah 2:1-5 Marching to Zion Opening Song Welcome Advent Song Comfort, O Comfort My People by Sally Ahner Advent Candle lighting Call to Worship (Isaiah 2, Psalm 122) I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord! In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord!(United Methodist Ministry Matters, Laura Bartlett) Song O Come, O Come, Emmanuel UMH 211 Children’s Sermon Come rushing in, pretending to look for lost items or appearing very frazzled… Oh no, I’m late, it’s my turn to talk, where are my things? I’m not ready for this at all…where did I put the…? Oh, hi, kids! Well….I’m sorry. It looks like I can’t find…I’m not sure…you know, I am not very prepared right now. See, it’s my clock’s fault! (Hold up broken clock, or day planner or calendar). Yeah, it doesn’t seem to be working, so I didn’t realize what time it really was, and I didn’t know that… well, I guess I’m just not very ready today. Have you ever felt like something was happening, and you weren’t prepared for it? Maybe you had a test at school you didn’t study for…or a game or performance that you wanted to practice for more. Or you woke up late and felt rushed. What about preparing for visitors? What kinds of things do you have to do if you have a friend coming over, or family visiting for holidays? You probably have to clean your room, make sure you have plenty of snacks, figure out when company will arrive…(allow some child responses) Well, today we are talking about a very special sort of preparation. We are talking about getting ready for Jesus! Now, we are entering the season of Advent…do you know what “Advent” means? It means “coming”, and we are getting ready for the coming of Jesus! A lot of people around this time of year get ready for Christmas, maybe by shopping or decorating or getting busy with baking and wrapping andthings…but in the church, we are getting ready to honor the birth of Jesus. God came to Earth as a baby… the people in that time had been hearing prophecies and predictions about Him, and they were eagerly awaiting the birth of the Messiah. We know that Jesus already came, and we get to celebrate and be grateful for how God kept His promises in that way! But guess what? Jesus is going to come back someday! The Bible tells us that Jesus will return again, and all the sadness will go away and he’ll scoop us up and take us to Heaven! Do you know when that will be? Well…me neither. In fact, no one knows when Jesus will come back again. It might be tomorrow…it might be in a hundred years! But He tells us to be ready…wait…how can we be ready for something if we don’t know when or how it will happen?? Well, we want to prepare our hearts. God is always present with us, and He wants us to be mindful of that presence and live in a way that pleases Him. We should daily be in prayer and study our Bibles. And we can be excited that He will come back again. So as we get ready for Christmas, remember to be thankful for the coming of Jesus. And rejoice in the excitement that we will one day see Him face to face! Children’s Prayer MomentDear God, Thank you for coming to Earth for us Thank you for keeping your promises to save us Help us to live in your presence And know what it means to prepare our hearts for You Thank you for your love We love you, God! Thank you for Jesus. In His name, Amen! (Kristin Schmidt) Confession and Grace We gather together in this season of Advent anticipating hope, praying for peace, attempting to cultivate joy and share love amidst commotion, grief, despair and uncertainty. Moment of silence All: In a world full of hopelessness, We have sometimes forgotten that you are our hope, dear God. Consumed by the chaos of the world, We lean into helplessness instead of your loving embrace. We cling to the stony roads and the bitter rods Felt in days when unborn hope had died; We’ve forgotten that you promised us hope for a future. So, stimulate our memory, dear God. Remind us of that hope you assured us of. Be with us as we cling to it in the midnight hours of waiting. WORDS OF GRACE Let us know that God gives us unmerited hope for a future, peace like a river, joy everlasting, and love. No misstep can separate us from the gifts of God. Amen. (United Church of Christ, Rev. Mia McClain) Responsive Reading Psalm 122 UMH 845 Passing of the Peace Scripture Isaiah 2:1-5 Sermon Marching to Zion Advent always starts upside down and at the ending. There is a popular Facebook post that has been circulating for a few weeks now. Advent is about learning to wait and preparing ourselves. But the post explains, we are not waiting and preparing for Baby Jesus and Christmas. We are waiting and preparing for a better world. We are waiting and preparing for the second coming of Christ. In order to prepare for a better world, we have to get in touch with what needs to change about this one. Because of rumors and the images of films and television. We all have a vision of what the end of the world will look like. It is going to be a terrible time. There are going to be earthquakes, the government is going to fall apart, people are not going to have access to food and essentials. There is going to be a lot of chaos and confusion. And then Jesus comes out of the sky. And then comes the day that we have all been dreading – judgment day – Where we are on one side of the scale and a feather is on the other side, and we get punished for all of the bad things that we have done in life – and we have to beg Jesus to let us into heaven because deep down inside we are a really nice person living in bad circumstances. That is not how it works. That is not what judgement day is all about. God’s judgement is not intended to punish us, it is intended to hold us accountable. And it doesn’t happen at the end of the our lives, or even the end of the world as we know it. It happens in the midst of our lives. In a lot of ways the book of Isaiah is known as the book of judgement. The entire book is a warning of God’s impending doom on the nation if they do not return to the ways of God. People have gotten greedy, self centered. They think that life is about their comfort and not about the wellbeing of all people. Isaiah is reminding them that God is watching them and calling them back to being a kind and caring people who take care of one another. But instead of speaking judgment as a bad thing – Isaiah speaks judgement as a primary source of hope. Isaiah 2 – the beginning of a very long book is a vision of the way things could be. It is a vision of peace, justice and wellbeing. Even us who read it today – know that things will never be this way. It says Jerusalem will be the place where everyone will come to know peace. It is the nature of the wolf to kill the lamb, and yet Isaiah says that the wolf will lie with the lamb, and the weapons of mass destruction will be turned into tools used for feeding people. And then the world will turn back to being a place where God is the center of everything and we love one another. We all know that will never happen. That is about as likely as Jesus coming back to earth and living amongst us a second time. And yet Isaiah tells that story and the people find hope in it. And it is that hope that sustains them. Insert Martin Luther story. I Would Plant an Apple Tree The story is told of the Reformation leader Martin Luther being asked what he would do if he were to discover that the world were coming to an end tomorrow. Luther’s response: “I would plant an apple tree.” It was Luther’s way, I suspect, of asserting that our calling is ever to trust in God’s faithfulness and to seek to be faithful followers of Jesus, day in and day out. Our calling is to embrace the sharp edge of expectant hope, to affirm that, even now, God may well be at work in the world around us. Joel D. Kline, The Sharp Edge of Expectation As Christians – we are told that we are the people who should carry that hope to the rest of the world. And yet where does that hope come from in a world that is so obsessed with violence. So much so, that we spend thousands of dollars on ways to kill others. We all see the stories of the war in Ukraine, and how they are being ravished with weapons of mass destruction. And there have been countless wars before that one. The history of society has been the history of war. The story of Isaiah is told in the backdrop of a violent take over, where their country was being destroyed by opressors. And Isaiah reminds us that in order to find the peace of God, first we have to put down our weapons. And turn them into plowshares. Guns aren’t the only weapons that hurt people. There are many things that we use to tear down others. Monty Python. Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition In Monty Python's sketch, "The Spanish Inquisition," a man is being questioned in a way that surprises him and he says, "Mr. Wentworth just told me to come in here and say that there was trouble at the mill, that's all - I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition." As if on cue, inquisitors burst into the room and one of them says, "NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise…surprise and fear…fear and surprise…. Our two weapons are fear and surprise…and ruthless efficiency…. Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency…and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope…. Our four…no… Amongst our weapons…. Amongst our weaponry…are such elements as fear, surprise…. I'll come in again." The inquisitors exit the scene to re-enter and begin the speech again. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. "If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into" (Matthew 24:43). The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Mary Hinkle Shore, The Element of Surprise How are people being hurt today? What are the weapons besides guns that need to be turned around? How do we hurt others? What weapons do we need to put down? Story In the late 1930’s, Max Schneider, a tenant farmer, was having a tought time of it on the land he farmed in North Dakota. The great depression still had a tight grip on the nations, and farmers ere victoims perpahs as much as anyone in the country. Prices for cash crops had hit rock bottom and for Max and oter farmers, it cost as much to raise the crops as the money they received for harvest. Max countly continue to fee his family. As he and his wife discussed the situation, Max told her what he had hears from other farmers when he was in town. I don’t know if it is true or not, he said, but I hear that scrap dealers are buying up old rusted machinery – in fact, metal of any kind. I thought I would scout around the countryside and collect some of those old rusted pieces we see in the fields and sell the stuff to a dealer – I hear there’s one not too far from here. What in the world do they do with the stuff? His wife wanted to know. I a not sure Max replied after thinking about it for a moment. But I have heard that a lot of that scrap metal is being sold to Japan for war. They need it to make bombs and guns for a war that started in the Far East. His wife thought it was horrible to turn old machinery into bombs. Max agreed, but was willing to sell it if it meant some extra money. They needed it for the kids school clothes. For the next few years, Max roamed all over the county to find scrap iron. He did not make a lot of money, but it did help a little. Years passed, and the kids grew up, went to college, moved out of the house. He stopped selling to Japan when WWII started and they were not allowed to sell to Japan. When they retired they moved to Arizona. While there, they noticed that there were acres and acres of old planes just sitting as if they were in a junk yard. Max got an idea – what if he bought some of those planes and sold them for scrap metal. When he told his wife, she chuckled and asked if he was in the business again. I cant imagine what they would do with scrap metal now. Perhaps they will turn it into innovative farm machinery he said. It is not just a matter of putting our weapons down – how can we turn them into creative ways to help people to live better lives. When we think of Isaiah’s story – we think that it is not possible. When we look at our world – to think that we will never live in peace. And yet Isaiah’s message is that it is possible and that it starts with us. In order for the world to change, first we have to change. Little girl – I Don’t Like This World The door slammed. There was a rush upstairs. The man looked at the clock; it was time for his daughter to be home from school. Fourth grade was not going very well, and from the sound of the slam of the door, it had not improved. He went up to her room and asked about her day. “It was awful,” she said, and then she filled in the details. When she unzipped her backpack at school, her homework was nowhere to be found. Her normally charming teacher snarled at the class. The morning dragged on to lunch, when none of the cafeteria choices looked appetizing. The class went outside to the playground and her best friend decided to play with somebody else. To top it off, a big kid named Kevin had made fun of her on the bus. “It was a rotten day,” she sobbed, and he held her. After about ten minutes, she stopped quivering. He rubbed her back and she blew her nose. One more hug, and then he went downstairs. About a half hour later, he thought it sounded unnaturally quiet, so he sneaked upstairs to see what was happening. To his surprise, she was down on her knees with her hands clasped and her eyes shut, and she was murmuring something. “Honey,” he said, “is everything all right?” “I’m okay, Daddy, I’m just praying.” “That’s good,” he whispered. “What are you praying for?” “Dad, I’ve decided I don’t like this world, so I’m praying for a new one.” Whether she knew it or not, cute as she was, she was rooting herself in thousands of years of Christian tradition. Ever since Jesus appeared among us, Christians have been praying for a whole new world. That’s what lies behind Scripture texts like the one we heard from the twenty-first chapter of Luke. William G. Carter, Praying for a Whole New World, CSS Publishing Company That is what Advent is all about – praying for a new world. Being aware of the chaos and confusion and understanding that just because that is who it is, it doesn’t have to be that way. We are not getting ready for Christmas, we are getting ready for Christ’s reign in our lives and in the world. Judgement is not about punishment, judgement is about justice. Where there is justice, there is peace, where there is peace there will be wellbeing. Shalom only happens when God is the center of everything that we do. We don’t have to fight for God, or create God, or make people do anything different. All we have to do is recognize God in the world around us and stay focused on what God calls us to do for others. If Christ did come back, it could happen, would we even know that he looks like? Probably this advent – there is some work for us to do to get ready for his return. First we have to see the chaos and confusion of the world. We have to get in touch with the needs of the world for a saviour. Second we have to see the vision for how things can be better. Have hope that Christ has the power to make it so. And that Christ will use that power – one day. Every good deed that we do to help others puts us one step closer to Christ and his fulfillment of peace, justice and wellbeing for all people. This advent our them will be the hope of Isaiah. He encourages us to imagine a world of peace and set forward to live in it. We have to have the freedom to imagine that world and the courage to redeem it. This advent as we make our journey up to the house of God – Isaiah vision does include us. In verse 5 Isaiah has instructions for each of us – Come children of Jacob – let us walk in the light of the world. Amen. Song We’ve a Story to Tell the Nations UMH 569 Pastoral Prayer God of love and mercy, thank you for your great gift of your Child, Jesus Christ, who fills us with all that we need. Merciful God, we are fully aware that not all your children are able to bask in joy or peace during this season. We pray for peace within all walls: walls within our own homes, walls that surround each city and town. We pray that during this season of Advent we may usher your promise of salvation into our lives and that we may share the Good News of our Savior with others. We pray that the promise of your birth may be the promise that we live in and share at home, at work and at school. May we be moved to compassion and action in your name. We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ who taught us all to pray, saying... (United Methodist Board of Discipleship, Rev. Elizabeth Aguilar) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (only print the prayer) Invitation to the Offering If this Advent is to be about more than going through the motions, then we must get ready for the Prince of Peace in new and radical ways. What can we do to signal our readiness for the coming of Christ into this very place? We can start with a total commitment of our resources and our lives to the cause of God’s peace in the world. When we give our financial gifts to the ministry of this church, the benefits travel widely through the connections of our denomination, but nowhere is the impact greater than in our own hearts. I invite you to use this time of offering as an opportunity to get ready for Christ’s arrival. Offering Prayer (Isaiah 2, Psalm 122, Matthew 24) Thank you, God. Thank you for the wake-up call, reminding us to be ready. Thank you for not giving up on your vision of peace. Thank you for the opportunity to gather each week in your house, that we might encourage one another to stay on your path. And thank you for the opportunity to give these gifts for your ministry, that together we might help the world be ready to receive the Prince of Peace, in whose name we pray. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Laura Bartlett) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook As you begin the journey of Advent, remember that you are partners with Christ in bringing in the realm of God, and that in the days of uncertainly as the world is transformed, be watchful and stay awake, remembering that Christ prays for you, and draws you into the very heart of God. May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and may God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, remain with you always. Amen (Presbyterian Outlook, Barbara Chaapel) Community Time Benediction Go forth and walk the path of the Lord. Go forth and live as one instructed in the ways of the Lord. Take the weapons of your life and turn them into instruments of peace and justice. Praise be to our God who shows us the way! (United Methodist Board of Discipleship, Randy Clay) Additional Illustrations Keeping Hope Alive At the university there was a piano teacher that was simply and affectionately known as "Herman." One night at a university concert, a distinguished piano player suddenly became ill while performing an extremely difficult piece. No sooner had the artist retired from the stage when Herman rose from his seat in the audience, walked on stage, sat down at the piano and with great mastery completed the performance. Later that evening, at a party, one of the students asked Herman how he was able to perform such a demanding piece so beautifully without notice and with no rehearsal. He replied, "In 1939, when I was a budding young concert pianist, I was arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. Putting it mildly, the future looked bleak. But I knew that in order to keep the flicker of hope alive that I might someday play again, I needed to practice every day. I began by fingering a piece from my repertoire on my bare board bed late one night. The next night I added a second piece and soon I was running through my entire repertoire. I did this every night for five years. It so happens that the piece I played tonight at the concert hall was part of that repertoire. That constant practice is what kept my hope alive. Everyday I renewed my hope that I would one day be able to play my music again on a real piano, and in freedom." Source Unknown Modern Day Perils I will never forget one particular testimony I heard on one particular occasion in the church I served in Atlanta. He was a seminary professor, and he and his family were joining the church. And when it came his turn, he said, “I’m joining this church because those cannons across the street on the grounds of the State Capitol Building are pointed directly at us.” I thought at the time, “That’s a strange answer.” I had never noticed the cannons across the street. And I would look for them the next day, and, sure enough, there they would be, sitting there as mute relics of some war and pointing straight at the stone gothic sanctuary of my church across the street. I would note that, were they loaded, they could blow away the whole narthex. But at that particular moment in that particular Session meeting, I thought to myself, “That’s a strange answer.” “I’m joining this church,” he said, “because those cannons are pointed directly at us.” People join the church for many reasons, but have you ever heard a reason like that? As I got to know this seminary professor, I began to understand why he would join a church because of cannons pointed at it. Holding a Ph.D. from Duke, he was a student of Stanley Hauerwas. If you’ve never read any Hauerwas, I hope you will before you leave this place. Hauerwas has written widely about the modern-day perils of attempting to follow Jesus Christ in this culture. He and others have described Christians in our time as being something like “resident aliens” — faithful colonists in an otherwise hostile, post-Christian, secular society. He has tracked the decline of what he calls “the Constantinian arrangement” between the church and the powers-that-be, and he has asserted — rightly, I think — that that arrangement between the church and the emperor, which got started with Constantine, is breaking down in our time. I know enough about Stanley Hauerwas to have a sense of why a student of his would be intrigued at the thought of joining a church because it sits across the street from a hall of power and has cannons pointed at it. Theodore J. Wardlaw, Ethics and Eschatology Never Give Up Hope In Anne Tyler's novel, “The Amateur Marriage,” we witness a sad series of events. The book's main characters are Michael and Pauline, a pair of World War II-era sweethearts who get married and eventually have three children. But then one day their oldest child, Lindy, just disappears. She runs away from home and promptly falls off the face of the earth. For the first days, weeks, and even months, they watch for her return. They seize on any and every clue as to her whereabouts. The pace, they peer out windows, they listen for a key scratching at the front door's lock, they sit bolt upright each time they think they hear footfalls on the driveway. But Lindy does not return. Over the years, her absence becomes just another part of life. They never finally give up on the idea that they'd see her again, but they stop watching for her. At first they were certain she'd be back soon. They would not have been at all surprised had she walked back through that front door. Years later, though, the surprise flipped: after a while, they would have been surprised if she had come back. Lindy does return eventually, although her mother Pauline never lives to see it. When Lindy shows back up, her father says to her, "Your mother never gave up hope, I could tell." Of course, Pauline had gotten on with life. But she just had a way of glancing out the window that let you know the hope was still there. When she had the chance to take a cruise with a group of friends, she refused. She came up with a dozen excuses but everyone knew that deep down the real reason was that she didn't want to be gone in case Lindy came back. We may not live to see our Lord's return. But as we go through our routines in these days of Noah, we certainly want it to be true that as people look at the shape of our lives, they can say of also us, "Those Christians never give up hope. We can tell." Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations

It is time to wake up!

December 1, 2013 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 “It is time to wake up!” First Sunday of Advent Year A So how did you sleep last night? Are you a morning person or a night person? How did you get up this morning. I am loving having service at 10:30. Having an extra hour and a half on Sunday’s mornings is like having an eternity. It can make up for so many evils in the morning. I am not a morning person. But I try to intentionally go to bed at night, because I know one thing. The way that we go to bed at night and sleep is the way that we are able to wake up in the morning. And the way you wake up, determines the flow of your whole day. There is nothing worse than having to go through the whole day, when you did not sleep well, and all that you want to do is go home and go to bed. And yet there are days that when you sleep well, you wake up rested and ready to face whatever happens in that day. Well the first words of Romans 13:11 is that now is the time for you to wake up from sleep. Salvation is nearer today than when we first believed. As you may know, advent is the time for us to wake up. Pay attention and prepare ourselves for God. And more importantly – what God has in store for us. This is the beginning of a new day – and the most beautiful part of a new day is hope and anticipation of what is to come. As a matter of fact, that is the difference between night and day. Between the darkness and the light. One is full of hope and anticipation. And one is not. There is no hope in the darkness. People who get used to living in the dark, never look for the light of hope. I was watching Jimmy Kimmel last week, and he had the comedian Tracy Morgan on. I was struck, as Tracy Morgan kept saying this is a dark world, living in some dark days. He used it as an introduction to say that we must truly live in dark days when the Pope actually gives the church a two week notice, that he is giving it all up, and becoming a regular priest, instead of the head of the church. But we can look at other things going on in the world and know – that we are living in some dark times. There are some crazy things going on in the world. But I want us to also remember Paul’s message for us. we may indeed be living in a dark world, in some dark times. But as Christians, it may still be dark outside, but the joy is that the dawning of a new day is just about to come. It is not 10 oclock at night dark, it is 5 in the morning dark – at a time when the sun is just about to come up. Things are about to get better – because Christ is about to come. Today, I am going to switch back and forth between the lesson of Romans and the lesson of Matthew. Usually even if I use both scriptures, I keep the lessons separate. But today I found that it was impossible to separate the lessons, because they were both chosen to help us to remember the themes of advent. Paul wants to shine a bright light on all our activities, all our words, all our behaviors, brining everything done by those who confess Christ into HD (high definition) focus. Although Paul uses the contrasts between light and dark to illustrate his discussion, ironically Paul’s point is that for Christians there IS no night vs. day, no dark vs. light. Since Christ’s arrival on earth, since Christ’s life among us for our sake and “our salvation” (v.11), we live in a different world than that of night and day, or dark and light. Christians live in a pre-dawn life, in the overlap of the ages, between the three stages of Advent. That’s right, you heard it correctly. In the Christian tradition there is not just one advent we celebrate, but three. 1. The First Advent is the coming of Christ to earth. 2. The Second Advent is the birth of Christ in each one of us on earth. 3. The Third Advent is the final return of Christ to earth. Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that "more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy...Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return--one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event...For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming." SOURCE: Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 40. Submitted by Guy Caley We are reminded that the whole point of us going back to remember the story of the baby Jesus coming in the world, is that he is coming back again a second time. We missed it the first time, but the second time is real to us and to our lives. When Paul tells us that it is time to wake up from our sleep, he is telling us that we need to morally prepare ourselves to meet our maker. In Romans, Paul tells us to wake up, but in Matthew – Jesus big message is that we don’t know when that moment will come. It may not be at midnight on Christmas morning. It could be anytime between then. One of the major themes of advent is that we don’t have much time. That the coming of Christ is imminent – it is coming any day now, so we have to be prepared THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL PROCRASTINATION There is a fable which tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about their plans to tempt and to ruin men. The first said, "I will tell them that there is no God." Satan said, "That will not delude many, for they know that there is a God." The second said, "I will tell men that there is no hell." Satan answered, "You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell for sin." The third said, "I will tell men that there is no hurry." "Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin men by the thousands." The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time. (William Barclay: The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], p. 317. From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, The parable of the Faithful & Wise Servant, 7/17/2010 If you been around in life for any amount of time, you learn pretty quickly that in life – you don’t have time! Anything that you know that you need to do, you need to do now. Because you don’t know what tomorrow holds. You don’t know if the people you love will be there tomorrow, you don’t know that you will be there tomorrow. Or that you will have to means to do what you can do today. We are living in dark days, but we are also living in the days of the unknown. When Jesus says that the hour is unknown, he is not trying to scare us. But just remind us of the truth. In Matthew, Jesus gives us 4 things that we don’t know. We don’t know when the day of the Lord is coming, we don’t know when the flood will come and destroy our everyday life, we don’t know when we will be with a companion and one will be taken and one left behind, and we don’t know when a thief will break into our house. We don’t know a lot of things about life. but what we do know, is that in those dark days, sometimes that when you can see God the clearest. In the midst of the uncertainty of life, we know that God is with us. God has sent the good news that a new day is about to break, a new way of thinking, a new life. And we should prepare ourselves for that new day – by getting closer to God. Advent is about getting closer to God in the darkness, so that when the light comes – you can walk with God. In a world of uncertainty and what you don’t know, you can get to know God and what he has done for you, and what he will do for you in the future. Don’t look to the past, look to the future Before we go back 2000 years ago to a time long ago- the biggest lesson of advent is that real faith in Christ is not about the past. It is not about when God did for you in the past. It is not about how you got over. It is not about what you know, and about what you understand, and about what made sense to you yesterday. The dawn of a new day is coming! Things are changing, and instead of looking back, Jesus wants us to look ahead. Stop worrying about what you know, and think about what you don’t know. Stop worrying about what worked for you in the past – what works for you now! We cant do anything about the past- but we can be a part of creating a new future. God is a God of second chances, and second comings. Get yourself ready for a new day and a new coming of Christ in the world. We don’t have time to doddle around, it is time to wake up, for salvation is nearer then you think. Finally, this year I have been thinking about advent in a new way. Advent is our chance to get close to God, but we need to get close to the people around us also, and this is a perfect time to do it. Christmas and Easter may be crazy times, but it is the only two times of the year where the world comes looking for the church. Usually the message of advent is that there is secular Christmas and then there is holy Christmas, and that advent is our chance to be a part of holy Christmas. The problem with that is that we leave out the rest of the world at a time when people are looking for Christmas in the church. This year, let us let there be just one Christmas, for one Christ. It’s Not Christmas Here! It was the first day of the first semester of my first year in college. Like every other new student, I was anxious and nervous and afraid, but it didn’t help at all that I was also ten minutes late for Freshman English 105. I opened the door and 30 faces watched me turn red. Then the professor stopped his lecture and said to me “Physiology 400?” Totally embarrassed, I turned around and walked out. A moment later the door opened and a student called down the hall “Hey kid, come back. It’s English 105.” Today, you probably feel the same way I did all those years ago. You came to church fully expecting Christmas in your face! But surprise! It’s not Christmas here. It’s Physiology 400. Instead of “Deck the Halls” its fear and foreboding over the last days, when the world, as we know it, will end. Where the heck is Christmas? That’s what you all are wondering. Steven Molin, Surprise! People come to the church looking for Christmas, and we tell them know it is not Christmas – it is advent. Well this year, I want us to be Christmas for the rest of the world. Let’s sing Christmas carols, and say Merry Christmas and tell people the good news – that it may be dark now, but dawn is about to come! HAS ANYONE EVER ASKED YOU? Opal Whetset is a Christian writer. One night she was on a Greyhound bus between Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a cold February night and the bus stopped in a small Indian community. A young American Indian teenager boarded the bus and sat down behind her. Maybe it was the warmth of the bus or the rocking motion but she could tell by his breathing he was soon asleep. Sometime later he woke and ran down the aisle to ask about a certain stop where he was supposed to get off. The driver snapped back and said, "We passed that stop a long time ago. Why didn't you get off then?" The young man went back to his seat. She could tell he was anxious and upset. He got back up, walked back to the driver, and said, "Will you stop the bus and let me get off and walk back to where I was supposed to get off?" The bus driver said, "No, it's too cold and it's too far. You'd freeze. You've got to ride the bus all the way into Albuquerque then catch another bus back to your stop." The young man sat down in his seat behind Opal. She could tell he was upset. She turned around to this young man she never met before, and said, "Are you afraid? Is there anything I can do to help?" He said, "I don't know what to do. I've never been to Albuquerque, and besides, I don't have any money. They're going to make me pay again. I don't know what to do." She said, "Well listen, don't worry, you just stick with me. When we get to Albuquerque, I'll make sure you get on the right bus. And if they want to charge you, which they shouldn't do, I'll buy your ticket." Then Opal went up and talked to the bus driver and explained the situation. She said, "Can you make sure the next bus he gets on, they don't charge him to take him back to where he needs to go?" The bus driver finally agreed. Opal went back and sat down and turned to the young man behind her and said, "It's all taken care of. Don't you worry. Everything's going to be okay." After riding for about ten minutes in total silence, Opal felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and the young man leaned forward, and asked her this question. He said, "Ma'am, are you a Christian?" Has anybody ever asked you, "Are you a Christian?" (From a sermon by Bob Joyce, This advent, I want someone to ask you are you a Christian? Paul says it is time to wake up and prepare for the day. By waking up, he is saying prepare your life, be aware of your actions, live your life in a way that is pleasing to God. And finally for real this time – I want to leave you with this advent edition of the 23rd Psalm I Shall Not Rush Here is a version of the 23rd Psalm that ought to be mandatory reading each day of Advent, and a unison reading each Advent Sunday. The lord is my pace setter . . . I shall not rush He makes me stop for quiet intervals He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility My cup of joyous energy overflows Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the Pace of my Lord and dwell in his house for ever. A version of Psalm 23 from Japan, as reprinted in Mother Teresa, Life in the Spirit: Reflections, Meditations, Prayers, ed. Kathryn Spink (San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1983), 76-77. Amen. William Sloan Coffin Metro Moments One of the great things about Washington, D.C. is the Metro system, a network of public transportation, much of it underground, that serves the District of Columbia and a growing area round it. One reaches a number of Metro stations by taking escalators deep down beneath the surface of the city. Some of these escalators, I am told, are among the tallest in the world. Once you reach the appropriate track, the train you seek will come within only a few minutes, unless it is there already. The train platform is a remarkable place. Why? Because it is governed by a single reality: the coming and going of trains. The people gathered there, whether many or few, have this common point of reference, and all of them are aware of it. There on the platform the coming and going of the trains is inescapable. The train has either left; or the train has stopped, however momentarily; or the train is expected to arrive. People on the Metro platform have an awareness which sets them utterly apart from Noah's distracted neighbors. Those neighbors were preoccupied by the ordinary business of life, enough to miss the train, or in their case, the ark. People on the Metro platform, however, are governed by the single reality of trains that have gone, trains that have stopped, and trains still to come. The Christian is someone who recognizes a single reality like that. Not trains, but the Christ who has come, is here, and is yet to come. As Christians, we must avoid the distraction that spelled disaster for Noah's neighbors. We need the sense of awareness, a shared awareness that characterizes the people on the Metro platform. We can have our Metro moments when we recognize that the common point of reference, the determining reality, is the Human Holy One, Jesus, who has come, will come, and is present now among us. Charles Hoffacker, Metro Moments I remember seeing a cartoon depicting a church that had been built in close proximity to an active volcano. In the picture are the church, its sign - "The Church Next to the Active Volcano" - and two men standing in front of the church, one of whom is wearing a clergy shirt and appears to be speaking to the other man. The caption reads, "Of course, there is a high degree of risk being located here, but it lends a great sense of urgency to my preaching!" Johnny Dean Wake Up! by Brett Blair Passage: Romans 13:8-14 • Lectionary: Advent 1 Item 10 of 17 | Back to Results Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the urgency of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Props: An alarm clock Lesson: How many of you like to wake up in the morning? (response) How many of you like to lay in the bed and sleep, and find it hard to get up sometimes? (response) Me too. How many of you can get up easier if you know that you're going to do something really neat that day?(response) That's kind of like me, too. I remember two different times that it was time for me to wake up. One time I didn't. The other time I did. When I was little, my grandparents stayed with my family. The morning that they were to go home, my alarm clock went off (make the alarm sound for a moment, then shut it off) and I simply turned it off and went back to bed. When I woke up later, I remembered that my grandparents were supposed to leave that morning. I loved them very much, and I wanted to be sure and tell them goodbye. So I rushed into the kitchen, but only my mom was there. She told me that they had to leave earlier. They said to tell me goodbye, but they didn't want to wake me. I was sad. And I still remember that today, because I didn't wake up when I was supposed to. Another time, it was the 4th of July. And we had lots of people coming to our house. We were going to have a cookout, and play volleyball, and have corn on the cob. But we had a lot to do to get everything ready. My alarm went off, (again turn the alarm on and off) but this time, I got out of bed. I helped my Dad set up the volleyball net, and then I picked corn and shucked it so that everyone could have corn. We did a lot of work, but it was worth it because we all had a good time. And I was able to do a lot because I woke up. Did you like my two stories? Application: You know, the Bible says that it's time for Christians to wake up. How about that? St. Paul said that now is the time to wake up and walk in the light, because Jesus is not far away. Isn't that exciting news? One day soon we will all see Jesus, but we have a lot of work to do, and a lot of people to tell. So as Christians, there is not time to lay in bed. The Bible has sounded the alarm, and we don't want to go back to sleep. We have much more joy when we get up and do all the things there are to do, and share Jesus with everyone we can. Let us Pray: Thank you God for giving us the Bible to wake us up. Help us to spend our days preparing for Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen. Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe, 2000