Hello Everyone,
After a short vacation I am back in the office and getting ready for this
coming Sunday.
This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent. We will be continuing our
Sermon Series “God Bless Us Everyone” at Grey Eagle and starting that series at
Long Prairie. The series is based on Charles Dickens story “The Christmas Carol”
and the study “The Redemption of Scrooge” by Matt Rawle. In conjunction with the
sermon series, we will be showing “The Muppet Christmas Carol” at Grey Eagle UMC
at 4 pm this Sunday. Everyone is invited to come (even
though it is “Senior Youth Group”). There are a lot of good versions of “The
Christmas Carol” including ones staring George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart. The
author of the series recommended the Disney animated version that came out in
2014 but the Muppets are my favorite. This is a free showing for everyone and
you are welcome to bring your friends. (For those who might be worried, I have
secured the right for the public showing.)
Once again, Come to the Showing of “The
Muppets Christmas Carol”!
We will not be reading the Lectionary Scriptures this
Sunday but I want you to be aware of what they are and I hope you read
them.
Isaiah 11:1-10 – The prophet looks forward to a time when
a new King, a descendant of David son of Jesse, will rule with righteousness and
equity. This new King will dispense with the wicked. It will be a time of peace
when even natural enemies will be friends: wolf and lamb, leopard and kid (baby
goat), calf and lion. Even poisonous snakes won’t strike at a baby. All will be
set right and be at peace.
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 – The psalmist calls on God to provide
a King who will rule with righteousness and justice, defending the cause of the
poor, lifting up the needy, and crushing the oppressor. He asks that this King
will rule for as long as the sun shines through all generations.
Romans 15:4-13 – The last few chapters of Paul’s letter to
the church in Rome he encourages the believers to live in harmony. How shall we
live in harmony? We need to serve one another, becoming a servant as Jesus did.
In this manner the Word of God may be spread throughout the world (to the
Gentiles). In verse 12, Paul quotes Isaiah (above) about the descendant of Jesse
ruling and bringing hope to us. I will quote the last verse below.
Matthew 3:1-12 – The 2nd and 3rd Sundays of Advent are
devoted to the story of John the Baptist. If you remember, John is the son of
Elizabeth and Zechariah (Luke 1) and is distantly related to Jesus. We remember
that John paved the way for the ministry of Jesus with his preaching and
baptizing at the Jordan River. The Gospels give us a fair picture of John in
addition to what I just mentioned: lived an austere life in the desert, arrested
by King Herod, sent disciples to question Jesus about what Jesus was doing, was
eventually beheaded by soldiers of Herod, and his disciples carried his message
for about a generation after his death.
I finish with this final verse from Romans 15, “May the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit.”
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Gary
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