Monday, November 29, 2010

MMC: Repent and Hope

Good Morning Everyone

I hope you had a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend/week. 

Just some quick announcements before looking at this coming Sunday's text.  

  • We will be participating in the toy drive for St. Lukes Life Works in Stamford.  It is one of the largest collections of toys in Fairfield county.  Thousands of gifts are distributed to more than 2,000 chiildren affected by poverty, homelessness and HIV/AIDS.  For most of these children these are the only gifts they will receive.   You may wrap your gifts, but please write on a removable tag what the gift is, so the appropriate male/female, and aged person recieves it. Donations are needed by Sunday December 5.
  • Worship Committee is meeting tomorrow, November 30 at 7:30pm, all are invited to help us plan worship for Christmas and beyond.
  • Social Concerns and Celebrations committee is meeting Monday December 6 at 7pm. All are invited to attend to plan events this winter and spring in the congregation.
  • Senior Lunch is Wednesday December 8 at noon at Lombardi’s in Georgetown
  • Calling all readers: if you are willing to read a prophecy or part of the Christmas narrative at the 5pm service on Christmas Eve, please let me know.  And thank you to those of you who have already volunteered to read at the 10pm service.
  • Sunday December 26th we will be having a carol sing with lessons.  Start perusing the hymnals now for you favorite Christmas carols and submit your favorites to Lyudmila
This week's book of faith puzzler is: Who was the first person to build an altar for God? A) Abraham B)Isaac C)Adam D)Noah. Email me with you answer to be put into this week's drawing.

Now onto the text:

For this second Sunday in Advent, we hear Isaiah's, Paul's and John the Baptist's calls for hope as we look forward to the coming of Christ and the peace he will bring. 

The first lesson is Isaiah 11:1-10.  How does these images (the wold living with the lamb, the calf and lion together, etc) hold with your vision of what peace will look like?  The stump or root of Jesse refers to King David's father and that a new ruler will come who is a descendant of David.  The ruler will also be blessed by the spirit of the Lord and seek justice.  How do you see Jesus as one blessed by the spirit and seeking justice?  How do you see the church (both universal and Bethlehem), as followers of Jesus, blessed by the spirit and seeking justice?

The second lesson is Romans 15:4-13.  Paul encourages us through God's help to live in harmony with one another.  What is one way that you, as an individual, can bring harmony to this world?  We are also called to welcome one another.  Do you see yourself as welcoming?  In your home? our community? our church?  Paul also blesses the Romans with the words: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Do you feel filled with hope, joy and peace?  When do you most feel filled with these emotions?  When do you feel most drained of these emotions?

The gospel is Matthew 3:1-12.  John the Baptist calls for people to repent. What does repentance mean to you?  Is it just confession (to God or to the one you wronged)?  Is it a commitment to never do those wrongs again?  Is it a change in attitude or lifestyle?  Is it a form of self-forgiveness or self-condemnation? What do you need to repent?  What does it mean to you that we have been baptized with water but Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire?

I always love to hear your thoughts, answers to these questions or even more question these passages may have brought forth in your mind either through email or conversation.  And for any women who would like to discuss these text in more details, I invite you to the Finer Things in Life, at 7:30pm on Wednesday at the parsonage. 

Blessings on your week
Pastor Becca

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