And so the Lectionary Cycle begins again. This is always an exciting and moving time, as we prepare ourselves for the journey ahead, and begin to open our hearts to a new experience of transformation. Year A is, in a sense, a double beginning, because it starts not just a new year, but also the start of the three year cycle as well.

As is usual for this time of year, the Lectionary begins with our hope in Christ, the coming of God’s reign in Christ, and the challenge for us to live from this hope, remembering God’s comings in the past, recognising God’s comings now, and awaiting God’s comings into our future. Just this one day, if embraced mindfully and wholeheartedly, can change us forever.

This week, let’s celebrate and open ourselves to the power of God’s gift of hope in Christ.

READINGS:
Isaiah 2:1-5: A prophecy of the days when all people will seek to learn God’s ways, and God will teach them justice and peace; and an invitation to walk in God’s light.

Psalm 122: A song of celebration for Jerusalem, the place of worship, the place where God’s people are taught and led by God, and a place for which the Psalmist prays prosperity and peace.

Romans 13:11-14: Believing in the soon coming of God’s day of salvation, Paul encourages the believers to live lives of morality, peace and modesty.

Matthew 24:36-44: Because we do not know the day or time when Christ will come, Jesus encourages the believers to be ready at all times.


REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The first Sunday of Advent always leads us to reflect on Christ’s Second Coming, which is both problematic and exciting. The problem lies in how we deal with the issue of the Second Coming – especially with the ongoing tendency to try and predict times and dates, with the recent obsession with the Mayan calendar and 2012, and with the possibility that it creates a “pie-in-the-sky” theology for our people. The readings offer us another possibility, though – and this is where the excitement lies. In every reading, the promise of Christ’s coming is related back to how we live now – which is as it should be. Isaiah and Paul both invite us into a life lived in God’s light – a life of peace, justice and morality. The Psalmist encourages us to pray for peace, and to continue to gather for worship where God’s presence and ‘judgment’ are encountered. Finally , Jesus, encourages us to live in ‘readiness’ – always aware that Christ’s coming is immanent, and avoiding the temptation (unlike those in Noah’s day) of growing absorbed in self-interest and personal pleasure (what Paul refers to as ‘wild parties’).

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: At it’s heart, this week in the Lectionary is about hope, and living up to a higher standard. If this world is all we have, we can “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”. But, if we truly have hope in Christ, in the coming of life, and of the day when God’s reign is the norm, not the exception in our world, we must live according to this hope now. We live as people who believe enough in God’s coming reign that we will begin to practice it’s values and principles now. This means we commit ourselves to integrity, justice and peace, and invite others into this way of life – embracing Isaiah’s image of the nations streaming to God’s mountain.This means we cannot accept things as they are just because “it’s just the way it is”. Rather, we commit ourselves to working to create the world of which we dream. This means we live in peace, so far as we can, with all people. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics and morality. We embrace a life of gentle modesty, not in the unfortunately limited sense in which that word is usually used – of dressing to cover up our bodies out of a fear of our sexuality – but in the sense that we reject ostentatious displays of wealth, wild and excessive self-pleasuring events and exercises, and over the top attention-seeking ploys. Rather we seek to demonstrate the kind of life that enriches the world and all creatures who live in it.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In too many ways the life of Christians and their churches simply reflects the values and beliefs of the societies around us. To look at us you wouldn’t know that we wait for a different world, and hold out the hope of peace and justice. If we really lived our faith in the coming of Christ, we would seek to express hope in all our interactions, we would invite others into a hope-filled way of living, and we would live the kind of life that demonstrates what we believe the world will one day be. This means we must embrace a life of simple, daily justice – reducing our personal carbon footprints through modesty and simplicity; bringing peace through the practices of forgiveness, negotiation and listening; seeking justice through serving those in need and challenging injustice wherever we find it in our communities. In addition we need to develop the habit of readiness – looking for every coming of Christ into our lives and world, and noticing and proclaiming the presence of Christ whenever we can. If we can do this, we become the fulfilment of the prophecies in this week’s readings. In what way can you seek to be a quiet, but prophetic community through this Advent season?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
An Incredible Hope
Quietly Prophetic
Your Coming

Hymn Suggestions:
There’s A Light Upon The Mountain
Sing We The King Who Is Coming To Reign
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
At The Name Of Jesus
There’s A Light (Upon The Mountains): Chord Chart; Mp3 Download
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
Hosanna (Link to YouTube video)
Prepare The Way (Link to MySpace video – it’s not the greatest video, but it will give you a sense of the song)

Liturgy:
A Foretaste Of The Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
The Prophet’s Candle – Hope
Christ Is Coming

This second week in Advent draws into the possibilities of real peace for us and our world – God’s Shalom realm. Ironically, there is so much in this time of year that works against a sense of peace – and much of it is the product of misguided faith and exclusivist religion. What would it mean if we really began to embrace the peace, the mutuality, the community and the enemy-love of the Gospel? These are the very powerful and practical challenges of the Lectionary this week.

May our worship lead us into God’s Shalom and transforms us into agents of Shalom in every moment, every situation and every interaction.

READINGS:
Isaiah 11:1-10: Isaiah proclaims the coming of the “shoot from the stump of Jesse” who, through God’s Spirit resting on him, will bring peace, justice, righteousness and equity to the earth.

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19: A prayer for the King to rule wisely and justly, protecting the weak and vulnerable and refreshing the world and the godly who live in it.

Romans 15:4-13: Paul’s prayer that God may empower the Church to live in harmony, since Christ came for both Jew and Gentile, and together they form one  voice of praise to God.

Matthew 3:1-12: John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness, baptising those who repent and speaking out against the corrupt religious leaders, and challenging people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
From the dream of the future world where God’s reign is actively and visibly manifest, the lectionary now moves to the promise of the Messiah, and the harmony and justice he will bring. Both dreams are essentially one – that God’s reign will take root among us bringing in a world in which the weak and vulnerable are cared for, in which justice prevails and in which all people live in harmony in spite of (or maybe even because of) their differences. Perhaps the word that best sums up the Messianic dream of this week, and which John proclaimed, is the word “shalom” – well-being, peace, salvation, harmony, goodness, justice are all implied in this word. Isaiah proclaims it in the image of predators living in harmony with their prey. The Psalmist uses the word ‘Shalom’ in describing the peaceful refreshed world for which he prays. Paul pictures Jew and Gentile as one celebratory voice offered to God in worship, and John the Baptist, while speaking of judgement, which may seem to be the opposite of shalom, invites people to be ready for the coming of the Messiah who wil immerse people in God’s Holy Spirit. God’s presence and power available to all, irrespective of title, position or background – this is, perhaps the ultimate Shalom!

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The dream of Shalom may seem like a fantasy in a world at war, a world in which so many issues divide us so strongly – “pro-life” or “pro-choice”, “liberal” or “conservative”, “creationist” or “evolutionist”, “capitalist” or “sociaist”, “pro-gay” or “anti-gay”, “rich” or “poor”. It’s tempting to define the world in clear terms like this, but when we do so, all we do is deepen the enmity between us, and keep us all from knowing and living God’s Shalom. Ultimately justice is not something that can be achieved by alienation and by taking sides. While there are real evils in the world that must be resisted, it is wise to remember Paul’s words that it’s not the people we fight so much as the “principalities and powers”, and as we embrace a Shalom way of being – which includes loving even those we consider to be our enemies – we reflect the light of God’s grace and love, and we begin to bring God’s Shalom into our world as a lived reality. In what ways can you opt out of the polarising habits of your society and embrace a Shalom-bringing inclusiveness that welcomes all and that seeks and celebrates common ground wherever it may be found?

LOCAL APPLICATION: In so many ways we attempt to create Shalom for ourselves. Unfortunately, though, our attempts are often the exact opposite of what God shows us is the real route to Shalom. We think we can find security by preemptive attacks on our enemies, and then we find ourselves more at risk. We think we can find peace by excluding those who challenge and disagree with us, only to find our safe community growing smaller and smaller, until we only have ourselves to agree with (and even that fails sometimes!). We think we can find joy and abundance by amassing money and stuff, only to discover scarcity growing around us, and our planet dying, and the reality of losing it all robs us of any joy we might have known. We think we can find love by turning inward and making our own needs, potential and purpose more important than relationships, or the service of others – even those closest to us – only to find that our self-absorption leaves us alone and empty. We think we can find God by ignoring the realities of our world and escaping to an other-worldly faith, while waiting for a heavenly bliss after death, only to discover that our souls remain dissatisfied and God feels distant and unattainable. If we are to know Shalom, we need to change how we do things. We must allow ourselves to be driven to the risky acts of listening, dialogue, hospitality, service, justice and compassion. Then, as we give ourselves to create shalom not just for ourselves but for others, we discover that shalom finds us, and God’s reign is truly within us.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Shalom
Preparing The Way

Hymn Suggestions:
Hail To The Lord’s Anointed
O Come, O Come, Immanuel
See How Great A Flame Aspires
I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship
Everyone Belongs: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon.com Mp3 Store)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Mighty To Save (Link to YouTube video)
Consuming Fire (Link to YouTube video)
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy for the Agape

Video Suggestions:
Child Of Hope
A Voice In The Wilderness
Kumi, Ori Sar Shalom

Image Suggestion:
Wilderness

Joy is seldom recognised for the incredibly restorative, liberating force that it is. Unfortunately, even in faith communities, soberness, seriousness and even cynicism are often portrayed as the marks of true spirituality and maturity. The Lectionary this week would challenge that thinking, and would call us to consider joy as the mark of true faith, of spiritual maturity and of true justice-bringers. If our work for justice and peace, for compassion and grace brings no joy – to us or to those we serve – we do not really bring liberation. But, when we can dance and sing, and draw others into the celebration, we have truly become life-givers, and reflections of the Christ who was not only a man of sorrows, but also a man of celebration and joy.

Let’s fill our sanctuaries and our world with singing and celebration this week, and let’s rediscover the healing power of joy as we wait on the joyous incarnation event.

READINGS:
Isaiah 35:1-10: God’s promise to restore God’s people, creating a land of peace and prosperity for them, and providing a safe and sure way for them to return home, guaranteeing their arrival in God’s Zion where they will find gladness, joy and an end to their suffering.

Psalm 146:5-10: A celebration of the God who helps those in need – the poor, the blind, the prisoner, the bent over, the widow, the orphan – and who trips the wicked up.
OR
Luke 1:46b-55: Mary’s song of praise to the God who has chosen her, even though she is lowly, and who helps and sustains the weak and needy, while opposing and bringing down the rich and powerful.

James 5:7-10: James encourages the believers to be patient as they wait for God’s coming, even as the farmer waits for rain, and as the prophets of old faithfully endured their suffering with patience.

Matthew 11:2-11: John the Baptist sends his disciples to question whether Jesus is the One or if he should wait for another, and Jesus assures him with the example of his ministry of liberation, healing and proclaiming the Good News. Then he teaches about John’s role, explaining that, as great as he was, those who embrace God’s reign are greater still.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The invitation to find fullness of life in the commonwealth of God resonates through all of this week’s readings. God’s grace and love covers and protects those who seek God’s reign, and God guides them – provides a ‘way’ for their journey – bringing them joy and gladness as they enter God’s home. The journey, though, is not easy, even though it is protected. It is a journey requiring patience (James), and in which the poor, the needy, the vulnerable and the weak are to be served and protected – for these are the marks of God’s reign, both in those God ‘chooses’ (like Mary) and in the Messiah God’s people seek to follow (as in Matthew’s Gospel). Ultimately, though, those who endure and stay on the path will find an end to their suffering (and that of those they have served) and eternal joy. What an awesome vision!

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: What does the word “Joy” mean in a world of suffering, inequity, war and terrorism, and climate change? In what ways can God’s reign be seen as an invitation to joy for the weak and vulnerable of our world. Sometimes joy is seen only as a distant hope awaiting us after death, and historically this joy has been inspiring and sustaining for the exploited and poor. However, sometimes this promise of joy has also been used to excuse injustice in this world. Joy must be embraced, then, as both a goal for us to work for – the quest for ‘a home’ for all people, and for peace and equity to flood our world -  and a characteristic of those who do this Christ-following work. God’s reign is seen in the way God’s people find joy in whatever circumstances they face, and it is seen as they spread joy around them through healing, uplifting, and proclaiming Good News. Our call then is to be cheerful, but firm, activists, identifying the places in our world where joy is being robbed, and challenging the unjust “killjoys” in our society, while joyfully serving those who mourn and grieve. This is the call of Jesus’ example, of Mary’s song, of Isaiah’s promise and the Psalmist’s celebration. It is also the source of patience and hope as we wait for God’s reign to be fully realised, both in this world and the next.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Where are the places of greatest grief and hopelessness in your community? What are the sources of this pain, and in what way do we, perhaps inadvertently, contribute? In what ways have you allowed a future hope to “let you off the hook” of bringing joy to those in need? As we wait, in Advent, for the coming of the One who brings joy and Good News, how can we allow this hope to inspire us and empower us to Gospel action? It may mean simply addressing areas of complacency and neglect in your community – cleaning up rubbish dumps and fixing broken windows wherever you may find them. It may mean refusing to buy into the suspicion and scepticism of the times, and committing to hope and compassion. It may mean speaking out against the politics and religion of fear and slander that so easily become the loudest voices in our world. In small ways we can become those who make this world ‘homely’ even for the most vulnerable, and we can speak prophetically against any power that would seek to control through fear, grief and corruption. In the way we live, speak and interact we can be “counter-cultural” demonstrating that joy can be known in this world without oppressing, bombing or ignoring others, and without buying into rampant consumerism and “achieveism”.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Magnificat
Seeing Glory
Joy To The World

Hymn Suggestions:
Joy To The World
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Blessed Assurance
Blessed Be Your Name (Link to YouTube video)
Give Thanks (Link to YouTube video)
Sing Sing Sing (Link to YouTube video)
You Are: Chord Chart; Free Mp3 Download

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy for the Eucharist

Video Suggestions:
Advent: Joy
Joy
Joy

It seems almost trite and superfluous to say that the incarnate is the greatest statement, the greatest manifestation of love ever – but that doesn’t make it untrue. The name Immanuel – God with us – is a profound and powerful statement of God’s desire to be in intimate communion with human beings. The challenge for us is to recognise God’s presence in all situations and circumstances. We can doubt God’s love in times of grief, pain and trauma, but we find comfort, healing and strength when we are able to experience God’s “with-us-ness” even in such times. And, when we are able to help others to recognise and experience God’s presence and love in their lives – whatever they may be going through – then we have truly become Advent people.

May our worship overflow with proclamation and experience of God’s ever-present love this week.

READINGS:
Isaiah 7:10-16: God promises a sign for King Ahaz, who is looking to Assyria for assistance with the threats of neighbouring Damascus and Samaria, that a virgin will give birth and call the child “Immanuel”, and that the enemy nations will be desolate before the child knows good from evil.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19: A prayer for God to forgive and restore God’s people, and to send and empower the One God raises up to keep God’s people from turning away from God.

Romans 1:1-7: Paul celebrates Christ who is of both human and divine descent and who has called the apostles – and all of God’s people – to belong to Jesus and to spread the Good News.

Matthew 1:18-25: Mary discovers herself to be pregnant while betrothed to Joseph, but Joseph is informed in a dream that the Child is of God, and must be named Jesus. These events are proclaimed to be the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin who conceives and gives birth to Immanuel.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The final Advent week before the Christmas celebration turns our attention to the significance of the name given in Isaiah’s prophecy, and ascribed to Jesus by Matthew – Immanuel. The idea that God is with us may seem commonplace to us now, since we’ve heard it so many times, but for the ancient hearers of the Gospel, it must have sounded radical, or even scandalous. Yet, it reflects the intense longing within God for intimate union with humanity. It is a testament to God’s unfailing, unconditional love, and is reinforced by all the readings this week. Isaiah speaks a prophecy which offers a sign of God’s care and willingness to protect God’s people to a king who has largely ignored God’s law. The Psalm offers a prayer in faith and expectation that God cares for God’s people and will send one who will lead and deliver them. Paul celebrates the Good News of God’s kindness and the belonging we find in God through Christ. And, in a rather moving narrative, Matthew describes Joseph’s love and care for Mary, which becomes something of a metaphor (whether intentional or not on Matthew’s part) for the love of the God who is about to step physically into human affairs and experience.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: On the scale of global issues, love may seem to be completely irrelevant. When governments negotiate, when corporations strategise, when soldiers march, or when the weak and poor struggle to survive, what place is there for love? Yet, God must know something about love that we don’t since love is the only command we have been given as followers of Christ. In truth, if love was the driving force behind our voting, our business dealings and our consumption, our dealings with friend and enemy, and our awareness and care of the most vulnerable, the world would be a far more whole place. How could a policy of love actually work out practically in the world, though? Perhaps if followers of Christ in places of influence began to embrace dialogue, collaboration and the quest to listen and understand, that would be a powerful first step. Secondly, if all followers of Christ chose to operate from love in whatever capacity we may engage in social and political structures – whether voting, volunteering, contributing, lobbying, petitioning, negotiating or communicating with leaders, this could have a transforming impact on the systems that operate in our world. Such a policy of love would inevitably impact economic realities (poverty and the gap between rich and poor) climate change, conflict, health care, immigration and xenophobia concerns, crime, exploitation and human trafficking in positive ways, because we could no longer remain uninvolved in the struggles of our world, and we could no longer choose the methods of expediency, dominance and self-service in our responses to our world’s need. The Advent challenge this week is for us to follow Christ in becoming – individually and together – Immanuel in our broken world. The incarnation continues through Christians if we take Christ’s call seriously!

LOCAL APPLICATION:  It’s not hard to discern, in our churches and communities, how the call to be agents of God’s presence and love should be worked out. Within our own groups, it’s the simple acts of service, inclusion and grace that easily manifest God’s love. In this Advent season, a particular awareness of, and care for, those who have significant need is a visible reflection of God’s care. Food parcels, invitations to be part of small groups and special community building events all open us, and those in need, to God’s presence and love. Beyond the walls of the church, simple neighbourliness can be a very effective reflection of God’s care. Setting aside time to volunteer in a shelter or caring ministry, or welcoming needy or lonely people into our celebrations – making them part of our family – also offers tremendous healing and transformation. Whatever the actual actions we may choose to do, the key to experiencing Immanuel again this Advent, is to offer ourselves to be “little Immanuels” in practical ways in our own world. If we can lay aside any possible benefit we may receive – whether church growth or personal satisfaction – so much the better!

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
God With Us
Come Again
Where Is The Love?
Love In Action

Hymn Suggestions:
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Love Came Down At Christmas
Let Earth And Heaven Combine
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
What Child Is This?
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Born That We May Have Life
Joy Has Dawned
Light Of the World

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy for the Sacrament

Video Suggestions:
Advent: Love
God With Us
Four Words
Christ Is Coming