Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Advent 3A Total restoration envelops us this third Sunday of Advent. God hones and heightens each of our senses in order that we may fully perceive the holy and be completely re-incorporated into community. Not only individuals, but entire peoples become whole again. Isaiah prophesizes this radical new life. James tells us to patiently wait for the inbreaking of the Lord. Jesus assures John that the wait is over. No one gets forgotten. All receive compassion and healing. The blind see. The deaf hear. The lame walk. The poor hear good news. Lepers are cleansed, the dead raised. All those desert places in the world and in our lives overflow with beauty and blooms and water and life that calls forth more life. These images of life-sustaining and life-giving newness grab our attention in a world flooded with violence and meanness. When I look out my window, the trees in my yard look barren, sparse, feeble — abundance is not … [Read more...]
The last will be first
Shellie Warren finished the New York City Marathon at 11:14 p.m. — 12 hours, 6 minutes and 3 seconds after she started. Warren was the final finisher of all the final finishers, those who cross the finish line long after most of the crowd headed home and well after the official race cut-off time of 7:25 p.m. ESPN reporter Charlotte Gibson documented Warren’s unlikely triumph, along with a small group of other final finishers. One crossed the line in a wheelchair, backwards. Another on crutches. Still another walking with a prosthetic leg that caused her much pain, but not enough to keep her from completing the marathon. They range in age from 26 to 72. Their stories recount herculean physical, emotional and spiritual courage. Many ran with the names of those who inspire them on their lips and in their hearts mile after mile. Warren runs for her son, Brett. Every bridge she crossed on that 26.2 mile route reminded her of his tragic death: He jumped from a bridge over the Hudson River … [Read more...]
2nd Sunday of Advent — December 8, 2019
Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 Advent 2A John the Baptist is on the scene, calling for repentance, and people are flocking to him. Does this surprise you? John the Baptist, with “You brood of vipers!” on his lips, draws a crowd from all over, of all kinds of people. Are they simply curious? Perhaps initially they do what we all do when they see an oddity: They pause and look and attempt to figure out what’s happening. However, we learn in the Gospels that they do more than gawk. They stay. They listen. They respond. They confess. They get baptized. What is going on here? What are people seeking and what do they find in this seemingly harsh word from John the Baptist? Two Harvard Divinity students, Angie Thurston and Casper ter Kuile, did research a few years ago they titled, “How We Gather.” (They have since gone on to do additional research, which you can find and download at https://sacred.design/insights.) Their initial work “maps the merging landscape … [Read more...]
You can help the Outlook on #GivingTuesday
Advent has arrived and congregational life is in full swing. Music programs, Christmas pageants, angel trees and special worship services occupy our time as we seek to focus on the coming of Jesus Christ and do all of this for God’s glory. We here at the Presbyterian Outlook are wrapping up our last issue of 2019 even as we work on Lenten devotions and plan our General Assembly content and coverage. While we give thanks for all this year has held, we look with anticipation and hope to the new thing God is doing. During this rich season we would like to ask you to consider making a financial gift to the Presbyterian Outlook. Our hope is that what we do helps your ministry and, in turn, strengthens the church and our witness in the world. Here are a few ways your donation supports our work: $10 goes toward creating a new hymn. $20 helps us keep the weekly “Looking into the lectionary” e-newsletter coming to you for free. $30 pays for an hour of copyediting. $40 offsets … [Read more...]
First Sunday of Advent — December 1, 2019
Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Advent 1A Salvation is near. That’s the overwhelming word for this first week of Advent. God comes near to us and draws us close. I know texts like the one from Matthew – texts about one person being taken and one being “left behind” – often get used to scare people into faith. They are read and followed with urgent questions and pleas like: You don’t want to be left behind do you? Get right with Jesus, or else. However, given the entire biblical canon and the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, this kind of interpretation does not seem justified. Why would the One who came to save the whole world all of a sudden write off half of God’s beloved creation? Yes, God holds us accountable. Yes, all will be judged, but the judge is Jesus Christ. Yes, we believe Jesus will return, but how can that be anything other than good news to those of us who know the mercy and grace he literally embodies? Advent comes not to … [Read more...]
Give thanks: A prayer
Give thanks in all circumstances. Your admonition, God, is clear, our execution of it inconsistent. Ours is a culture overflowing with discontent. We want more or different, better or other. Too often we see what we lack, rather than recognizing the gifts right in front of us. On Thanksgiving, God, we look to set aside our niggling need to complain. We turn from our propensity to evaluate and pass judgment. Instead, today of all days, we seek only to praise you, to offer our gratitude to you, to be generous with our wonder, love and joy. We are grateful for those with whom we sit at the table, for those whose labor enabled us to eat, for people working so others may find rest, for the beauty of the earth and the bounty of your mercy. We are grateful for the challenges we’ve overcome and for the ones with which we still wrestle, knowing that in all circumstances you are present, compassionate and good. We find peace in that promise, and give thanks. Amen. … [Read more...]
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