Author: Rosemary

                                 Bonjour et Bienvenu, Mes Amis.

 

Readings:

 Baruch  5, 1-9,  Jerusalem, put on the splendor of glory.

Psalm 126,    The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy.

Advent special: Pope Francis,' Laudato Si (Praise to you).

 

                    Leighton, too, says, "Welcome, Everybody."

 

A Reading from Pope Francis’ Letter on the Environment:

In some countries there are positive examples of environmental improvement: rivers, polluted for decades, have been cleaned up; native woodlands have been restored; advances have been made in the production of non-polluting energy and in the improvement of public transportation. These achievements show that men and women are capable of intervening positively.

At the same time we can note the rise of a false or superficial ecology which bolsters complacency and a cheerful recklessness.  In periods of deep crisis requiring bold decisions, we are tempted to think that what is happening is not entirely clear.  Superficially, apart from a few obvious signs of pollution and deterioration, things do not look that serious, and the planet could continue as it is for some time.  

Such evasiveness serves as a license to carry on with our present lifestyles and models of production and consumption. This is the way humans contrive to feed self-destructive habits: trying not to see reality, trying not to acknowledge reality, delaying important decisions and pretending that nothing will happen.

The word of Pope Francis.

Luke,  3,  1-6,  Prepare the way of the Lord.

 

                             Warren says, "What's going on around here?"

Baruch:

    What: One of the little books (only 5 chapters) of what I'll call The Odd Books.  That is, it is not one of the big 3, nor one of the 12 little prophetic books, nor part of the N.T.  It is part of a dozen small books in between.  Most Protestant churches  don't recognize the legitimacy The Odd Books.

     Author:  Baruch was Jeremiah's secretary. Maybe he wrote some of the material, but it was not put together.  Remember, he & Jeremiah lived before & during the Babylonian Captivity.  There are 4 small discourses.  Compilation of the total work seems to have taken place later,  Most likely some anonymous person or persons a few centuries after Jeremiah. 

 

                     Who let these two characters in?  

 

Date of composition: maybe during the  Maccabees' revolt ca. 100 before Christ.   If so,  the little book intends to strengthen resistance of the Jews during the Macabeean Revolt, using the Babylonian model to encourage the people.

      Our passage: a message of optimism, hope, peace, and a victorious new day.  The passage reflects 2nd Isaiah's message (chapter 40), which is likewise quoted in Luke's gospel for today.  The famous 2nd Isaiah: Luke uses this source to build his nativity narrative.  See also the lyrics of Handel's Messiah.

Sources:  Good New Bible.

 

                                          2nd Sunday of Advent, two candles.

 

It’s Coming, It’s Coming, It’s Here!

I would like to talk this morning about the fact that it is coming, it is coming, it is here.  That is, Christmas.  I would propose that there is a richness, a joy, and a peace in the time leading up to Christmas, as well as Christmas itself.

A little story.

When Rosemary & I were with her sister and brother in law in Hilton Head, we spent an evening watching a comedy film called Christmas with the Kranks.  At first I thought this was just going to be a goofy movie, which it was.  But it had a message inside the comedy. It goes like this.

 

         Guess who lit those candles, Buddy, Victoria, and Zoe.

 

A couple in probably their 40’s had a daughter who was going to Peru to work as a Peace Corp volunteer.   They were both depressed.  At that point, Luther, the husband decided to buy tickets on a Christmas Caribbean cruise.   That got them both excited. 

Luther also decided that they would simply skip Christmas at their home, no decorations and no holiday socializing when they normally had a big Christmas Eve party.

 

                                 The Team, Georgie & Kevin

 

First thing that happens, the Scouts come with Luther’s annual Christmas tree, the kids’ annual fundraiser.  Luther says, “No Christmas tree this year.”  This causes quite a commotion & pushback.  Scrooge gets mentioned.

Then the police come selling their annual calendar.  They get turned away and are not happy.  Then the neighborhood wants Luther to put up his plastic snowman on the roof.  “Not this year,” says Luther. 

 

                                                  Hi, Harper.

 

By now Luther and Nora have everyone mad at them, the Scouts, the Police, and all the neighbors.  One old neighbor across the street gives it to Luther.  His wife has cancer.

The couple are counting days to departure when on Christmas Eve morning their daughter, Blair, calls to say that she has decided to do Christmas with them, is in like Miami and will arrive home in the afternoon, and is bringing with her a Peruvian guy she wants them to meet.  She plans to wed him.  Plus she is so looking forward to all their annual decorations, the big Christmas Eve party, and snow. 

 

                         Victoria and her favorite Mommy.

 

Luther and Nora are delighted, speechless, and aghast.  What to do?  They reverse field and start racing around to decorate and set up the Christmas Eve party.  Luther even borrows a decorated Christmas tree from a neighbor who will be away for Christmas.   Some of the Scouts help him take it to his house.

It all gets done, the over the top decorations, the party to which the neighbors come, and the daughter with her new fiance’ gets her snow. 

 

                                      Some of today's food drive.

 

The coup de grace comes when Luther slips away from the party and crosses the street to the grumpy neighbor and his wife with the cancer.  Luther gives the couple their cruise tickets. 

The lesson from the movie?   The value of community, of friends, and of family.

 

               Genevieve says, "I think it is time for me to start moving around."

 

This is what we try to build here on Sundays, what Rosemary & I try to build at Hilton Head, our Romeos & ladies’ luncheons, and next Saturday, the marvelous Love for Kids picnic.

How are you sharing The Spirit?

 

                Our friendly gorilla says he appreciates all hugs.

 

 

 

Jeremiah  33, 14-16, The days are coming.

 Psalm 25,    To you, Oh Lord, I lift up my soul

Pope Francis Letter “Laudato si”  (“Praise to you”)  –  “There is an inseparable bond between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”

Luke  21,  25-28, 34-36,,  There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars.

 

Luke: Ch 21 –  “Up on your feet.  Help is on the way!”

Author: The gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts.  According to an early Church tradition, the author was the Luke named as a companion of Paul in three of Paul’s letters, but Scripture scholars say there is a problem with this. Though the author of Luke-Acts admired Paul, his theology was significantly different from Paul’s; there are countless contradictions between Acts and Paul’s letters. Bottom line: we don’t know who author of Luke-Acts is.

When written: The most probable date is around 80-100 AD, and there is evidence that it was still being revised well into the 2nd century.  The author takes as sources the Gospel of Mark, written around 70 AD, the sayings collection called the Q source, and a collection of material called the L source (L for Luke).

Audience: Luke was written to be read aloud to a group of Jesus’ followers gathered in a house to share the Lord's supper. The author assumes an educated Greek-speaking audience, but attends mainly to specifically Christian concerns rather than to the Greco-Roman world at large.

Today’s passage: A commonly held belief of the early Christian community was the return of Jesus; many thought this would happen within one generation. So it’s not surprising to read prophecies of that event attributed to Jesus in the Gospel writings.

 

Homily by John

  As a kid I attended school and church regularly.  I really liked the beginning of a new school year and the season of Advent at church.  Both of these were like a chance to start over again.  Another chance to start fresh and without judgment.  During my school years, we had summer fun times for 3 months and, remarkably, I was often ‘summered out’ and looking forward to a new school year with my classmates and most of my teachers.

We started over with new subjects, new books, new teachers – happy time for me.   At church we had finished that long ‘ordinary time’ without much happening, and had the scary sermons just before Advent about the ‘end of times’ and the ‘sheep and goats’ and judgment and punishment. 

Advent for the most part aimed us toward Christmas and the baby Jesus and the lights and happy thoughts and times.  I remember gathering a bunch of green fern moss to be the grass for the village I helped build around the manger scene.  Advent – happy time.

This week I’ve been thinking how happy it is for me to not actually ever hear hell and brimstone and judgment when we gather here; rather, acceptance and encouragement and challenge. 

I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a loving family who care for me in so many ways.  I have loving friends who show care and acceptance, including you guys.  I have a Pope with whom I feel a togetherness in thought and aspiration, and permission to express my thoughts, even my doubts, without judgment.  I have a Pope who encourages and challenges me to love and care for the world, for the environment, for my neighborhood, for my neighbors, for myself.  And I am grateful. 

My question is: What are you grateful for at this start of the new church year?  Or for the entire last year?  

Special Readings for Christ the King,   Download Nov . 22 Special Readings for Christ the King

 

                    Zoe says, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

 

Homily by Mike

 

Our two Readings and our hymn from Psalms reveal that God has sent to us his very son, the Messiah and King of Kings, who is robed in majesty and his kingdom will last forever.  He has empowered us with the Holy Spirit to be Christ in the world to continue to bring about his kingdom.   Metaphorically, we have been robed in majesty, in goodness and mercy, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.

 

             Genevieve, says, "Hi, Folks, So nice to see you here this                       beautiful Sunday.

 

Recall the story of the two prostitutes who stand before Solomon.  The two of them had been living together and both had given birth to a son only days apart. 

A terrible accident happened shortly after that.  One of them rolled against her child in the middle of the night and her son was suffocated.  She did a terrible thing. Getting up she placed her dead child in the arms of the other woman and took the living child back to her bed. 

 

                             "Hi, Harper, So nice to see you back."

 

When it was nearing morning the mother of the living child realized that the child next to her was dead.  Now it was she who began to weep. It was not until it was light that she realized it was not her child who had died.  The king listened as the two woman began to argue with one another as to who was the mother of the living child. 

Finally he said to his servants, ‘Bring me a sword so that I might divide the child.  The real mother raised her voice to protect her son’s life, ‘Give her the child, certainly do not kill him.’ The other said, ‘divide him.’ 

               The Candle Experts of the Week, Leo and Cole.

 

Of course the king now knew the real mother.  Justice was served; however, it was done at the expense of mercy!  After realizing in the morning that the dead child was not her child, she should have run to the other woman to embrace her lovingly, to kiss her tenderly, to cry with her, to listen to her, to comfort her, to take care for her, and to forgive her.

Think about the story about the prodigal son. After throwing away his inheritance in riotous living, one day ‘he hit bottom,’ he longed to eat the pods that the pigs were eating; but no one gave him anything. 

 

                                              The Team.

 

But unlike the woman whose son was dead, he took the initiative to seek help from what also seemed a hopeless situation. ‘I will go home and tell my father that I have sinned against God and against him.’ 

The prodigal son sought forgiveness, and his father welcomed him with mercy and a celebration with the fatted calf, begging the older son to join them. They had to rejoice and celebrate, and forgive, because his younger brother had been dead but was alive again.  Mercy and forgiveness flow forth from the Law of Love of the kingdom of God.   

 

 

                  The Best in Music, Shonda, Bethany, Ray.

 

Think about the example we received from Jesus when the woman caught in adultery was left standing before him.  The scribes and Pharisees had left one after the other after Jesus had encouraged them to come to their senses, ‘The one of you who is without sin cast the first stone. 

The word of our King of Kings is mercy.  Is there no one left to condemn you?  ‘Neither do I condemn you.’  After forgiving her, he sent her along the way to make her journey with him; for the journey of every disciple is a journey to Jerusalem.  Next week begins our liturgical journey to Jerusalem.  The intention of the Church is that we also make it a spiritual journey, for it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

 

                                 Elevation of us all.