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…from Worship at Good Sam on November 30, 2014 (the First Sunday in Advent)
First Reading: Isaiah 64:1–9 (Click to go directly to the NRSV Bible Text) This lament comes from a people who have had their hopes shattered. The visions of a rebuilt Jerusalem and a renewed people of God, spoken of in Isaiah 40—55, have not been realized. Instead, the people experience ruin, conflict, and famine. This lament calls God to account—to be the God who has brought deliverance in the past.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3–9 As the Christians in Corinth await the advent of Jesus, Paul reminds them how the Lord has already enriched them through spiritual gifts and will continue to strengthen them until the coming day of the Lord.
Gospel: Mark 13:24–37 In today’s reading, Jesus encourages his followers to look forward to the day when he returns in power and glory to end all suffering.
“Stir up your power, O Lord and come,” we hear in Advent. “Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit,” we say as we prepare for Holy Communion. Regularly and persistently we call upon the Lord to come among us in a way that makes a difference. The term for this beseeching is intercession. Oh how God must long for our attention that we may receive the blessings intended for us. Let us together this Advent call upon the Lord while he may be found.
Sermon title this Sunday “A Vigilant Faith” (Sorry, this audio file did not get created)