The month of December is full of celebrations in the Christian Church. We work through the season of Advent, both marking time and preparing ourselves for the birth of the Christ child. We tell the story in song through our Advent cantata, remember that the season has its share of darkness that we struggle with…
On the third Sunday of Advent, our choir leads us in worship in song. They present the prophetic promises regarding the Messiah, and point us towards the promises fulfilled in Bethlehem, and the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Join us in worship on December 15, 2019 at 10:30 am, to hear the story presented…
We gather on Christmas Eve at 7 pm to tell the story of the birth of the Christ Child as told in Luke’s Gospel, and as told in the songs and carols of the church. In a simple service, we move from prophetic hope through the realization of the birth of the Christ Child. We gather at Christ’s table to share the…
“Advent” means “coming” or “arrival.” During the season of Advent, we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world and watch with expectant hope for his coming again. In its historical origins, the season of Advent was patterned after the season of Lent, a six-week period of penitence and preparation for Easter. Similarly, the four weeks of…
Ezra 1:1-4; 3:1-4, 10-13 Return from exile and rebuilding the temple. Here we are in Ezra, with the people who are about to return from exile in Persia back to Jerusalem. This passage, and the narrative of return isn’t good news for everyone. The people who were left behind in Jerusalem, and the people who had married foreigners end up…
2 Kings 22:1-10 [11-20]; 23:1-3 Josiah’s Reform (Luke 24:30-32) When the temple is rebuilt, like when we renovate or remodel, surprises are found. In this case, there is a scroll found, a book of the law. It’s a surprise. It’s old fashioned. And it is not really good news when it comes to Josiah. Josiah hears the words, and realizes how…
Isaiah 5:1-7; 11:1-5 Isaiah’s Vineyard Song(Mark 12:1-3) Isaiah’s prophetic voice is not to be underestimated. With 66 chapters, there’s a lot to consider, read, and hear. Isaiah’s use of metaphor is wide and varied, and today we hear two different images, both of which have to do with plants and growing. The vineyard is a major investment. Hills are selected…
Hosea 11:1-9 Hosea(Mark 10:13-14) The benefit of hindsight is great. Often we see things we had no way of seeing before, or we see things whose significance we did not recognize in the past, or in the moment. We receive warnings in advance, and yet we do not heed those warnings. We say that we’ll never do that, and then…
1 Kings 18:[17-19] 20-39 Elijah at Mount Carmel (Mark 9:2-4) We have here the classic battle between power and faith. Elijah, that most famous of prophets, it facing off against Ahab, who accuses Elijah of troubling Israel, when Ahab has followed Baal. This is the introduction of Jezebel who gets the short end of the stick historically and in the Biblical tale.…
Jeremiah 33:1-4, 10-22 Promise of the Messiah Jeremiah is a prophet for the people of Israel. He is prophet of God Almighty, to the southern kingdom (Judah) through the fall of Jerusalem. He has an unpleasant, unwanted message for the people of God – that they have violated the covenant, and that God will withdraw God’s blessings. By the time…