The First Sunday of Advent

Sunday, November 28

Isaiah 1:1-9

Psalms 111, 112, 113, 146, and 147

2 Peter 3:1-10

Matthew 25:1-13

During Advent we sing Hymn 66 “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus;” it is a brief reminder of the long wait of Israel for the coming of the Messiah. A messiah that, by his birth, would fulfill God’s promise to the Jewish people for redemption, forgiveness, freedom, peace, joy and acceptance into the heavenly kingdom of God. As we know the wait was very long.

In Matthew 25 we hear of how the kingdom of God is like virgins waiting for the bridegroom. We hear about the 10 virgins with 10 lamps – how five were wise and five were foolish. All were expecting and waiting for the bridegroom – the Messiah. All grew tired and fell asleep. All fell asleep with hope of meeting the bridegroom. How is it that five knew to take oil and five did not? I am not certain but I think that the five with oil were mature in their understanding of God. They knew the wait would be long. Not because God is slow on delivering on his promise but because, as Peter noted in his letter, verse 9, “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” He wants each of us to be prepared for him when he comes again. The oil is the knowledge that we have of God. God wants us to seek Him out, to know Him completely, to experience his gifts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we do not take the time to be with God and to learn about God, God can seem to us like a stranger. We do not find hope in the unknown or in strangers. We find hope in those we know and who have shown that they will always meet our needs. Those who know us well. He who knows us well – God.

For Hope to happen in our lives, our relationship with God will need to be very close – like that of parent and child. A child seeks out its needs through the parent and the parent meets those needs. Sometimes the parent will wait before meeting the need but the need is always met. Over time the child learns to trust the parent for more and more. Over time, the child, by seeking need-fulfillment through the parent, learns more and more about the parent. Trust develops, and soon follows hope. The hope of Christmas is found in a deep relationship with, and a deep, mature knowledge of God. With that mature knowledge we can be assured that our lamps will have plenty of oil and we will enter the wedding banquet.

Over the next 27 days leading up to Christmas morning, set aside the time you need to deepen your knowledge of and your relationship with God. Study the bible verses with your study bible and share your findings with your family. What greater gift could we give this season to those we know and love, than a roadmap to a deep and loving relationship with our Lord?

God wants for each of us to have hope in Him.

Bob Felice

Easter Sunday

Saturday, April 3

Holy Saturday

Richard, Bishop of Chichester (1253)

Lamentations 3:37-58

Psalms 27, 88

Hebrews 4:1-16

Romans 8:1-11

Epistle to the Hebrews 4:1-16

Jesus was crucified and is now in the tomb. We are nearing the day that we have been looking forward to in anticipation for a long time, and it is tempting to skip this day in the narrative. Nothing is happening, after all. What’s more, we are nearing the end of an emotionally exhausting week, and tomorrow will be full of trumpets and family and big dinners. Plans need to be made, meals prepared. We are looking forward to rejoicing in the resurrection with friends and family, and rightly so.

But today, Jesus is still in the tomb. We are still mourning his death. Yesterday’s painful events are still fresh in our memories. Today, in this moment of limbo and waiting, let’s take time to notice what changes have occurred within us after this spending 40 days in penitence and prayer. We read today that “The promise of ‘arrival’ and ‘rest’ is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:8-11, The Message).

The temptation, after Easter, is to ease up, to take a break, to rest. But today’s text reminds us that we will find rest only with God in heaven, and that we must continue to be obedient and wait on God’s promises after all the partying is over, just like we still wait for Easter today on Holy Saturday. The good news that tomorrow brings, of course, is that we don’t have to do this alone. ^“Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin” (Hebrews 4: 14-15). The resurrection tomorrow will remind us that Jesus lives now, and is desperate to share his mercy and grace with us as we continue our struggle to be obedient to God. “So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help” (Hebrews 4:16).

Sarah Taylor

Friday, April 2

Good Friday

James Lloyd Breck, Priest (1876)

Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-33

Psalms 22, 40:1-14, 54, 95

1 Pet. 1:10-20

John 13:36-38 or John 19:38-42

John 19:38-42

Jesus body was laid in the tomb by two men – men who during Jesus life, feared that people would find out that they were following the Rabbi Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus in secret, because he was intimidated by the Jews. The other, Nicodemus, the scriptures tell us first came to Jesus at night, in fear.

In life, neither man would be caught dead with Jesus. But in death, both men boldly stuck out their necks, reputations and lives. In taking care of their rabbi’s body the world would call them unclean. The Sabbath was approaching and according to Jewish law, anyone who came in contact with a dead body would be considered ceremonially unclean. Yet, because both men had experienced God’s grace, manifest in His son Jesus, they came. They prepared the body, wrapping it in spices and linen and laid Him in a new tomb.

There was a blessing among ancient Jews, “May you walk in the dust of your rabbi.” The meaning behind this blessing is beautiful – “May you walk so closely to the one who is teaching you, that you are covered in the truth He shares!”

Joseph and Nicodemus were so covered by the Truth of Christ, the one that they had followed secretly, that rather than dust off and pretend they didn’t know Him, they took Jesus’ body, the very body broken to make them whole, and prepared it for burial. Making them “dirty” in the world’s eyes – yet beautiful in the eyes of their rabbi!

This Good Friday, rather than hear the words and dust them off as though they are meant for someone else; may we find ourselves so covered in the dust of our rabbi and the Truth that He offers – that we can do nothing less than share the Good News with others!

KariAnn Lessner

Thursday, April 1

Maundy Thursday

Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest (1872)

Lamentations 2:10-18

Psalms 102, 142, 143

1 Corinthians 10:14-17, 11:27-32

Mark 14:12-25

Mark 14:25

Maundy Thursday is the one day of the year where we give John’s version of the Last Supper some serious airtime. John doesn’t include the Eucharist, as crazy as that sounds. There is no blessed bread or raised cup. No “remembrance of me” words. Instead of Eucharist, in John’s Gospel, Jesus washes feet. His ceremonial “remembrance of me” act is one of service. “As I have done, so also you must do,” he tells the disciples. The meaning is clear – go out and serve. If you love Jesus, serve someone at your own expense. The flip is also true – if you’re not serving someone at cost to yourself, then you don’t love Jesus.

Ultimately both versions of the story make the same point. In today’s Office reading from Mark, Jesus offers up the bread and cup and says, “I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” As a result of our current misunderstandings of heaven, many are given to think Jesus is saying he’ll enjoy some wine up in the clouds after he dies and his soul floats up to be with God. Really this statement is about what the world will look like post-Easter. God sent Jesus to bring heaven to earth. Easter was his definitive victory in that cause. In being raised, Jesus inaugurates the kingdom of God in a new way on Earth. We’re on the edge of a New World this Thursday - a world where people don’t compete with each other in contempt, but serve each other out of love. The kingdom that will burst forth once more on Sunday is a kingdom where bread and wine, basin and towel are as ubiquitous as wallet and keys.

Fr. Patrick Hall