12/01/2019
Isaiah 2:1-5
Chris Breslin
“To practice Advent is to lean into an almost cosmic ache: our deep, wordless desire for things to be made right and the incompleteness we find in the meantime. We dwell in a world still racked with conflict, violence, suffering, darkness. Advent holds space for our grief, and it reminds us that all of us, in one way or another, are not only wounded by the evil in the world but are also wielders of it, contributing our own moments of unkindness or impatience or selfishness.” -Tish Harrison Warren
“Being a Christian means learning to live appropriately between the two ‘comings,’ under the rescuing rule of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit.” -N.T. Wright
“Christian Hope is a disciplined hope.” -Karl Barth
Mentioned:
Jesus is King by Kanye West
‘Jesus Is King’ and Kanye West is a tax collector (Washington Post OpEd) by Esau McCaulley
Want to Get Into the Christmas Spirit? Face the Darkness (NYT OpEd) by Tish Harrison Warren
This Sunday’s Songs
All Things New by The Building
O Come Emmanuel by Traditional
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus by Wesley/Prichard
God With Us by Ingram/Jordan
Why So Heavy? by Caswall/Wells
In Feast or Fallow by McCracken
Doxology
Further Reading for Advent
Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany edited by Sarah Arthur
Bearing the Wait: An Advent Companion (Evangelical Covenant Church resource)
Cardiphonia Resources for Advent compiled by Bruce Benedict
God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Oak Church Advent Resources compiled by Chris Breslin
Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God by Bobby Gross
Mary Had a Baby: An Advent Bible Study Based on African American Spirituals by Cheryl Kirk-Duggan & Marilyn Thornton
Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent by Enuma Okoro
Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge
Prophesy Hope!: an Advent Refelction on Hope, Peace, Love & Freedom by Danté Stewart
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp
Advent Calendar (poem) by Rowan Williams
God With Us edited by Gregory Wolfe
