Sermons on Advent and Christmas

This Sunday is Epiphany Sunday, which is the day we remember the Magi following the star to come and find and worship the Chris-child. This story is only found in Matthew’s Gospel, so since we will be in the Gospel of Luke we will not be focusing on those curious little wanderers, but they still deserve to be recognized and remembered. They are actually a huge part of my own faith journey, but we will unpack that rich story another…

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:21-38 (NRSVUE) 21 When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered…

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26–35, 38 (NRSVUE) 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be…

This Sunday we move into the Gospel of Luke, where we will be through Easter. My hope is that this deep dive into Luke opens up new ways of thinking about Jesus, God’s work in this world, and how “The Gospel” works. Luke is rich with powerful stories, many of which only appear in Luke. It should be an enlightening journey. -Pastor Paul SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:39-56 (NRSVUE) 39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in…

This Sunday is Advent III, and this year that means it’s our last Sunday in the Hebrew Bible. What a journey. This week we get another prophesy from Isaiah, but a whole different kind. It’s a beautiful passage, rich with powerful imagery around equity and justice. It’s so great, even Jesus quoted it! So, I suppose if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us. The third Sunday in Advent is also the Sunday we light the pink…

This Sunday is Advent II, when we light the candle of Peace. In addition we will be looking at one part of Joel’s Prophecy/Poem wherein Joel calls us to “return to the Lord with your whole heart.” And when we do this, we enter into God’s dream for the world, and become dreamers ourselves. Dreams have been a big theme in our journey through the Hebrew Bible this Fall, and now it’s our turn. So let’s come together this Sunday,…

I’m so excited for this Sunday, as it’s the first Sunday of Advent! The word “advent” comes from the Latin verb “to come”, and it speaks to a season of waiting for the arrival of the Christ-child. It begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day, which this year just happens to be December 1st. So this year, if your Advent calendar starts on December 1, as most do, it will be accurate, but in many other years it starts…